Programs in housing and human environments teach people to meet the needs of others who seek housing or spaces for work and recreation. Students learn about the social, economic, and functional aspects of housing or space design. They may learn to plan, design, and furnish spaces to meet specific needs. They may also learn to manage facilities and events.

One of the most basic human needs is shelter - but the definition of shelter extends beyond being a place to stay. Maybe you've had the good fortune of loving where you live. Or maybe you had the misfortune of hating it. In either case, you would probably agree that many factors contribute to making a house, apartment, condominium, or other type of shelter feel like a home.

Housing and human environments programs prepare people to consider people's homes and other interior environments in a broad and thorough way. You learn to consider these environments not just in terms of physical things such as decorations, furnishing, and structures. You learn also to consider things that you can't necessarily see with your eyes or feel with your hands. For example, you might notice that a house has no doors inside. And if you focus on the underlying meaning of this fact, you might conclude that privacy is not an important part of this household's life.

What about designing a small theater that is totally circular, so that the audience can see the actors from all angles? This might help make the audience feel more involved - closer both physically and mentally to the events of the performance.

As a student in this program, you study housing and other interior settings in a variety of ways. You might study the basics of housing design one term and then study public policies related to housing developments and real estate the next. You might learn about housing and other human environments in relation to different kinds of populations. This could include an elderly population, a religious order, or a group of children. And since human environments are places where people tend to be in groups, you might also study the ways people interact together. This could affect how a house or facility is designed. These are just a few of the things you might learn and study in this program.

Fewer than 20 schools in the U.S. offer programs in housing and human environments. You can find programs listed under different department names such as "housing studies," "human ecology," and "human environment relations."

You can usually earn a bachelor's degree in this field, but a couple of programs offer certificates as well. A certificate usually takes between one and two years of full-time study after high school. A bachelor's degree typically takes about four years. Graduate study is typically done through architecture or interior design programs.

Students who major in housing and human environments typically choose to focus on a particular area of this program of study. Possible areas include:

• Applied Research
• Facility Planning and Management
• Housing and Design
• Human Factors and Ergonomics