Home Science is both a science and an art related multi-disciplinary field of study involving biology, chemistry, physics, physiology, hygiene, economics, rural development, child development, sociology and family relations, community living, art, nutrition, textiles and home management.

One can specialize in any of the five streams of home science - Food and Nutrition, Resource Management, Human Development, Fabric and Apparel Science and Communication and Extension or have a general understanding of all streams.

The professional career for home science is bright with a number of job opportunities.

Graduates of home science can get to work at schools, colleges, welfare organizations, textiles, management, interior design, child care management, dietetics and nutrition, and more.

• Nutrition Consultants
• Resource Managers
• Family counsellors
• Apparel merchandisers
• Dietician
• Old Age Homes
• Catering Business
• Hobby Centres
• Interior Designing
• Researchers
• Entrepreneurs
• Day Care Centre & Crèches
• Food Technologists
• Fabric & Apparel Designers
• Baking and confectionary
• Teaching profession

•  Creative ability
• Aesthetic by nature
• Problem solving skills
• Good organization skills
• Writing skills to produce reports, documentation and leaflets
• Aptitude for doing practical work related to household affairs.

• Class 12 with PCB/PCM or Home science as a subject
• An aggregate of minimum 50% marks in PCB/BT/Biochemistry
• 10+2 any stream with English as compulsory subject.

• Textile/Fabric and Apparel designer
• Nutritionist/Dietician
• Home Economist
• Home scientist
• Wardrobe Consultant
• Home organizing improvement and housekeeping.

• Work with a variety of materials including man-made and natural textiles, leather, fur, plastics and metals
• Provide nutritional counselling and create a clinical treatment plan
• Evaluate the nutritional needs of patients
• Develop fabrics for furnishings, clothing, household items, medical supplies, or textiles for use within the automotive industry
• Schedule home maintenance and repair work, and supervise the project
• Manage the household schedules and calendar evaluating the nutritional value, colour, flavour and texture of food
• Work closely with other food production staff including microbiologists, engineers, packaging specialists and buyers
• Prepare and implement learning and skills development plans for targeted population, on a weekly and/or monthly basis.
• Prepare instructional, developmental, and recreational materials, facilities, and equipment’s.

Story of Dr. Rabia Sa’id:            

Dr. Rabia Sa'id grew up in a polygamist family, which is legal in parts of Nigeria; her father and two mothers had 10 children but lost three of them.

With her father a soldier, she attended an Army school, finishing at the top of her class. "If you were very intelligent in the country, the government directs you to do science," she explained.

"She always wanted to study higher education, she never wanted to just stay back and be a wife and mother."

But after high school, she put her dreams on hold.

She had three young children, and she had to wait until she could balance motherhood with her studies.

"Within that time, all her classmates had finished university and were working, and she was just a housewife, and she wanted to also be in their league," she recalled.

She admitted that she felt a tinge of envy when she saw students graduate who were not nearly as successful as her in school.

When she finally went back, she excelled in the sciences, with her top grades in physics.

Now, she serves as Deputy Dean of Student Affairs at Bayero University in Kano and lectures for undergraduate and postgraduate students in the Department of Physics.

Her research has covered electronics, particle physics, atmospheric physics and space weather physics, and she applies it to local environmental needs, including hydropower and waste recycling. She has been published in journals for applied physics.

She is now a mother of six children, two with disabilities, balancing that role with her work as mentor for local and national science projects that encourage youth participation. She is a role model for science education in her predominantly Muslim community, where girls' education is struggling to be recognized.