Human services is a broad area that encompasses more specific areas of study like social work, psychology and public administration. Human services degrees lead to helping jobs in nonprofits, state and local government, and for-profit organizations.
What kind of degree can prepare you for helping people find housing, recover from disaster, and find resources to build healthy lives? Human services is the degree built to tackle meaningful work and strengthen communities, preparing you to show up when it matters most.
Human services is a broad degree, and it’s often compared to social work, psychology, sociology and public administration. These areas are all connected and even overlap in practice. So, what exactly is human services, and why should you study it?
An Overview of Human Services
If human services is a tree, then social work, psychology, sociology and public administration are some of its branches. Human services programs develop students who can meet human needs across the spectrum, from basic needs like healthcare, housing and food to psychological and social needs like mental health care and social connection across the lifespan. Human services provides expansive approaches to care, including prevention, education and programming to foster healthier individuals and communities.
Jobs for Human Services Graduates
Human services degrees are wide-ranging enough to cover several occupational areas. You may be interested in connecting people to services and programs that help them live happier, healthier lives. You could also help people rehabilitate and rebuild their lives after incarceration or substance abuse. Some graduates choose to advocate for children and families. Your degree helps you imagine and build a career for your world and your passions.
As a student, you can explore real-world jobs in your human services courses. Many graduates find roles in three areas:
- Social and human service assistants fulfill entry-level roles in nonprofit organizations, public service agencies, and state and local governments. They support programming and systems at agencies and may be responsible for assessing cases, processing intakes, and acting as a liaison between an individual and the services and resources they need.
- Social and community service managers create and direct programs that support the well-being of people and their communities. They may manage others who support that programming, oversee budgets and policies, and collaborate with other specialists.
- Mental health and substance abuse social workers provide support to individuals and groups as they navigate substance abuse, mental or physical illness, and other challenges. If you’re aspiring to work in this area, you may need additional training and certification to be eligible for jobs.
The Benefits of Studying Human Services
You’ll explore different career paths within the field of human services.
With a human services degree, you’ll graduate with an expansive education that helps you understand many of the areas within the field. In the Human Services program at Old Dominion University, your classes include topics like:- Family Guidance
- Diversity Issues in Human Services
- Case Management & Crisis Techniques Through Field Observation
- Psycho-educational Groups
Courses will prepare you to care for people in different age groups and populations, including an introduction to multicultural aid.- You’ll build soft skills needed for providing compassionate care and advancing your career.
Soft skills like critical thinking, interpersonal communication and problem-solving are foundational for helping careers.
- You’ll be prepared to dive deeper after earning your degree.
Human services may be a broad field, but it can lead to a more specific career like substance abuse counseling. At ODU, our human services program is ideal for students who want to complete their bachelor’s degree and become a Certified Substance Abuse Counselor. The human services program is approved by the Viriginia Board of Counseling and the Viriginia Certification Board as a provider of addiction education leading to Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC) and Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC) certification.
The ODU Difference
The online Bachelor of Science in Human Services program offered through ODUGlobal is ideal for military students, transfer students with some college credits, and learners who need the flexibility of online education. Most courses in the program follow an accelerated eight-week format with no scheduled meeting times, so you can fit class into your schedule. You’ll also participate in hands-on learning in a one-semester internship in the human services field.
If you’re ready to pursue a helping career, ODUGlobal makes it possible to earn a degree made for your world with flexible online learning and smooth transitions for military and transfer students. Explore your next steps in a human services program with an advisor today.
