The University of Arizona is a land-grant university. A land-grant college or university is an institution that was designated by the government to receive funds from the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890.

The original mission of these institutions was to teach agriculture and mechanic arts as well as classical studies to the working classes.

 

Land-grant universities offered a practical education and courses that were relevant to the lives of their students with the goal to better the community.

One of the fields of study at land-grant universities was home economics. Home economics gave the working class, particularly women, a chance to study cooking, sewing, and other household management tasks.

 

Over time, home economics grew to be more than just learning how to do household chores. Students began to study families and human relationships, not just at home, but also at the national and international levels; they began to learn not just how to sew, but how to make clothes; not just how to cook, but about the food industry.

 

By the 1960's, many considered the name “home economics” to be sexist and perpetuate gender stereotypes. Therefore, the name was changed at many universities to more broad, less controversial names, such as Human Ecology, Human Sciences, and Family and Consumer Sciences (such as at the U of A).