Bachelor’s in Human Services Program Guide

Graduates with a bachelor’s degree in human services qualify for diverse careers in advocacy, healthcare, and social work. Students aspiring to a rewarding service-oriented career often pursue a major in human services to build strong communication, management, and problem-solving skills.

An online bachelor’s degree in human services can provide flexible enrollment and accelerated completion options, ideal for human services professionals ready to launch their career. Graduates can pursue diverse job opportunities in fields, such as social and community service management. Between 2019 and 2029, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects 17% job growth for these professionals, who earn a median annual salary of $69,600.

Earning a bachelor’s in human services is a sensible path for selfless, empathetic people looking to make a difference in the world. Most graduates go on to pursue fulfilling work as advocates for underrepresented communities, families, and individuals. A typical bachelor’s degree in human services emphasizes the liberal arts and advanced analytical skills.

Students can often customize their program according to their career goals. A bachelor’s in human services typically takes four years to complete, though many schools offer accelerated schedules and set or in-state tuition rates. Learners with significant work or family obligations may prefer the convenience of an online degree over an on-campus program.

While human services professionals must be sensitive and open-minded, work in this field also requires exceptional organizational, time management, and listening skills. Students aspiring to become social and community service workers, human services assistants, or medical and health services managers can gain experience in case management, ethics, public policy, and research through a bachelor’s in human services.

Schools often choose to offer either a bachelor of arts (BA) or a bachelor of science (BS) in human services. Most human services programs award a bachelor of arts. A typical bachelor’s degree in human services offers interdisciplinary coursework in subjects like psychology, communications, and social sciences.

Some programs include an internship in a student’s area of specialization, and most culminate in a capstone project. Many schools offer a variety of unique concentration options for aspiring family services specialists, child advocates, and addictions counselors to hone their skills in a particular area of expertise.

Some concentrations, such as healthcare and addictions, may prepare students for optional professional licensure or a graduate degree.

Earning a degree in human services leads to open-ended career options in multiple fields. Graduates often become social and community services managers, but they also qualify for unique clinical and administrative healthcare positions. There are jobs in social community services management at the intersection of medical and public services fields, such as helping organize a community-wide health education program or providing free checkups.

Some students earn a bachelor’s degree in human services on the path to becoming social workers or mental health counselors. Bachelor’s degree-holders can become human services assistants or caseworkers to accumulate experience.

Many students go on to pursue a master’s degree in social work or counseling, meeting the minimum education requirement to obtain an initial license in those fields.

A bachelor’s degree in human services can lead to a stable job with a lucrative salary. According to the BLS, social and human services assistants earn a median annual salary of $35,960, while social and community service managers make nearly $70,000 per year. Medical and health services managers can earn a salary of more than $100,000 a year.