Human and Social Services, BS

B&SC Code: HSBS
CIP Code: 44.0000
Available online in all states except NY and OH

Program: HSBS

The Human and Social Services degree program is designed to prepare students for non-clinical roles in human service organizations, including case management, community outreach, and administration. The program focuses on the planning, direction, and coordination of social service programs and helping communities maximize use of such services. Students will gain the knowledge and skills needed to implement, administer, and evaluate programs, including coordinating various human services roles and overseeing budgets, policies, and program requirements. In addition, students will learn to facilitate delivery of services to communities through social action to improve accessibility and collaboration between agencies. Courses emphasize a broad-based awareness of social welfare systems, interpersonal and advocacy skills development, public and private agency leadership, and program administration.

Graduates of this degree plan will achieve the following program and institutional outcomes:

• Examine the structure and dynamics of the populations served by human services professionals, how they have changed over time, and how the field of human services has changed in response.
• Assess community needs and available funding, design a plan of action for an identified problem, and evaluate its effectiveness.
• Demonstrate professional competencies consistent with the values, attitudes, and ethics common to the field.
• Design intervention strategies to address societal challenges and improve social policies.
• Utilize current technology and resources to identify a research need, locate and evaluate necessary  and available information, and then use it appropriately to communicate findings in visual, written, or oral formats.
• Integrate new and prior knowledge, skills, and behaviors acquired through learning to engage in career, life, and academic pursuits.
• Examine individual thinking strategies through reflection, analysis, and evaluation to adjust learning processes focused on continual improvement.
• Follow established methods of scientific inquiry and quantitative reasoning to form conclusions and make decisions.
• Assess academic, life, and career situations that promote cultural sensitivity, global and economic awareness, and a sense of belonging.