The Human Services Bachelor of Arts: What It Is and How It Can Advance Your Career
The Bachelor of Arts in Human Services is an undergraduate program that prepares students to support individuals, families, and communities across a variety of social service settings. Human Services is direct service work in social service agencies, community organizations, health and human services providers, and other organizations that deliver support and services to people in need. A variety of skills are taught, including crisis intervention, de-escalation, family intervention, community intervention, working in human services organizations, and other skills to help students become functional human services professionals. Many of these skills are taught through the students’ internship.
What Is a B.A. in Human Services?
As a major in Human Services, the curriculum builds students’ capacity to understand and assess the functioning of individuals, families, groups, and communities, enabling them to work within human services organizations and support the programs and services offered by such organizations. The work is hands-on, supporting individuals and families in crisis and, at the community level, engaging in both assessment and intervention. To the greatest extent possible, Human Services majors complete internships at sites such as social service agencies, community organizations, health and human services organizations, and health and human services providers to have a work environment in which to apply the many skills learned in Human Services major classes and to be exposed to work in several different settings within the field of human services.
The B.A. in Human Services at National Louis University is an 180-quarter-hour degree program. The General Education program accounts for 60 quarter hours of the major, while the major itself accounts for 67% of the degree. The major typically covers topics such as crisis intervention, building rapport with an individual in crisis, de-escalation/harm reduction, theories of family development and intervention, and community intervention strategies. National Louis University also offers the B.A. in Human Services/Psychology. The B.A. in Human Services/Psychology is a combined degree that provides students with practical skills for working in human services organizations, as well as behavioral science skills to understand human behavior and motivation.
Why Pursue a B.A. in Human Services?
There are many reasons that students would choose to receive a B.A. in Human Services. For one, they want to receive a degree that will prepare them for entry-level work in human services within a social service agency, community organization, or health and human services provider. There are many situations where people need help, and human services programs build the capacity of individuals, families, groups, and communities to meet life’s challenges. The student wants to work in a setting where they can receive training and work directly with people in need of support and services. In addition, the student may want to receive a degree that will prepare them for work in a variety of settings that provide support, service, and general human services to people in need of assistance.
The degree also really emphasizes applied learning through an internship. This is where students can get the most hands-on work with people in crisis and really learn how to apply what they have learned in class to real-world scenarios. Many programs have students complete internships at social service agencies, community health centers, and other nonprofit organizations, where they can gain experience working with organizations that provide human services to people in need.
Students who have received human services in the past, or have family members who have, and who can see the good being done, are drawn to the Human Services field. Many students also volunteer at a community organization and find that work to be more meaningful than just about any other job they have looked into. The B.A. in Human Services degree provides students with a structured way to develop those skills and do meaningful work with people.
Key Questions About This Degree
Is this the same as a social work degree?
A Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Services is not the same as a Bachelor of Social Work degree. A BSW degree is an accredited program for students who want to become licensed social workers. The Human Services degree does not have the same accreditation or follow the same curriculum as a BSW degree. In general, Human Services degree programs are less structured than BSW programs and do not have the same field education requirements. For example, in some states, Human Services degree holders can become licensed social workers after completing a set number of hours of direct practice and passing a licensing exam. However, in other states, a degree in Human Services does not meet the requirements for social work licensure. Therefore, students interested in becoming licensed social workers should determine whether a Human Services degree meets the requirements for social work licensure in their state.
What kind of internship experience is typical?
Internship placements are at organizations that provide support, services, and general human services to people in need across a variety of settings, including social service agencies, community health centers, non-profit organizations, and government human services departments. In these placements, Human Services students work with clients, perform case management, and receive training on the inner workings of an organization that provides human services.
Yes, a bachelor's degree in human services is common preparation for graduate study in counseling, social work, or related helping professions, as it provides foundational knowledge of human behavior, family systems, and community intervention that graduate programs build upon.
The Human Services degree can be a pathway to a graduate degree in Counseling or in Social Work. A Bachelor’s degree in Human Services provides students with a foundation in human behavior, family systems, and community interventions.
What's the difference between the standalone Human Services degree and a Human Services/Psychology combined option?
For individuals who want a degree that is completely focused on hands-on service work and are committed to learning the most effective ways to do that in the most practical setting, a standalone Human Services degree might be the perfect fit. The combined B.A. in Human Services/Psychology option is well-suited to students who want to study Human Services alongside the Behavioral Science of Human Motivation, particularly those interested in the deeper psychological underpinnings of the Human Services degree.
Career Outcomes
Graduates can expect to enter the workforce in entry-level to mid-level positions, such as case manager, social service assistant, community health worker, youth or family services coordinator, and substance use counselor (where allowed by state to practice with a bachelor’s degree and appropriate certification). Social and human service assistants can expect employment to grow much faster than the average for all occupations over the coming decade, due in part to the growing number of older adults and people with economic and behavioral health problems who require social services. See the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook for more information on this occupation, and the BLS’ Employment, Turnover, and Projected Growth data for current projections and wage information.
Occupational Outlook Handbook, Social and Human Service Assistants.
As always, graduates of a Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Services can continue to earn their Master’s Degree in Social Work or in Counseling, and proceed to practice as a clinician, working as a therapist or in other independent practice of clinical social work. As always, the career path that the Bachelor of Arts in Human Services graduate chooses to follow after having completed their degree, will typically first advance after several years of practice as a Case Manager or as a Program Coordinator or as a Program Services Manager, etc., in a Human Services Agency, Nonprofit Organization, Community Health Center, etc., in a position that is above that of Human Services Worker, but below that of Manager of a department of programs or services.
B.A. in Human Services at National Louis University
The Undergraduate College at National Louis University offers a B.A. in Human Services degree that consists of 180 quarter hours of study. The degree program provides students with a study of crisis intervention and the practical applications of the major through field internships. The B.A. in Human Services/Psychology is also offered at NLU for students who wish to receive a more in-depth study of behavioral science and human motivation in addition to the practical study of human services.
