Are you interested in social justice? Do you want to prepare for a career dedicated to helping others? Do you want to make a difference in your community? If so, consider courses in human services and the human services minor. The broad field of human services focuses on meeting human needs through a variety of methods and in a variety of settings.
Human services professionals focus on individual (micro), community (mezzo), and society (macro) level social welfare issues, including:
- Poverty and homelessness
- Child welfare and foster care
- Inmate and offender services
- Victim advocacy
- LGBTQ services and advocacy
- Environmental justice
- Gerontology
- Veterans affairs
What Will I Study?
Courses cover topics such as an introduction to the discipline, case management, social welfare policy, and research. You’ll also find plenty of opportunities to engage in experiential learning – the human services practicum and internship courses provide you with real-world experience, and many of our classes incorporate community-based components. You can also focus on a specific human services topic through an independent study.
What Kind of Job Can I Get?
Human services includes types of work that are traditionally associated with government and non-profit sectors, as well as a variety of positions that focus on helping others, meeting human need, and promoting social and economic justice.
The human services courses and minor will prepare you for entry into an exciting career field. Interest areas found within the discipline range from working with children, youth, families, the elderly, and veterans in areas of direct practice, social services, community-based agencies, health and mental health, advocacy, policy, and research.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov), hHuman services is, and is projected to remain, one of the largest-growing fields in the US!
The human services minor and human services courses will help you prepare for a career or graduate study in areas like:
- Social work
- Public policy and administration
- Child, victim, and patient advocacy
- Non-profit management
- Counseling
- Public health… and more!
Faculty Contact
Sharon Foreman, PhD, HS-BCP
Associate Professor of Sociology