Human Services BS FAQ

Human Services Bachelor of Science

The Human Services major (BS) is for students preparing for a career as helping professionals, broadly trained to provide direct service, advocacy, coordination of services, and community care.

The degree is 57 credits. Students complete nine core four-credit classes in areas such as counseling skills, case management, and crisis intervention, sixteen elective credits in areas such as violence prevention, family studies, disability studies or aging studies, and a 160-hour practicum at a community-based agency. This coursework and community experience is designed to professionally and culturally competent graduates ready to serve others and strengthen communities. Some community college classes transfer in as “equivalent” to required core courses and electives, potentially decreasing the time to graduation. The flexible, student-centered curriculum emphasizes advocacy, social justice, empowerment, and a strengths-based approach. Students can complete their degree entirely online OR take various types of classes including classroom, hybrid, and online.

Yes. All classes required to graduate are offered online at least once per year. The program also has courses that meet in the classroom. You can structure your degree the way that works best for you!

In Minnesota, it is predicted that the field will grow by 10% in the next decade, suggesting a continued need for high quality education and professional preparation. State-level data indicates a notable increase in income associated with the attainment of a bachelor’s degree. Data from MNDEED’s new Graduate Employment Outcomes Tool (2023) shows that undergraduates with a bachelor’s degree in Human Services out-earn their counterparts with an associate’s degree by more than $8,000 their first year after graduation and more than $11,000 in their fifth year after graduation.

The human services degree prepares students to work with people across diverse communities and in organizations and systems that assist people to build the lives they wish to lead. Students wishing to immediately pursue leadership opportunities may want to consider the BHS in Human Services Leadership and Administration degree.

Some examples of career paths include:

Community Services: As a community advocate, outreach personnel are liaisons between the government and the people. Human services departments are comprised of an array of organizations that are in need of well-educated human service professionals. The duties of these organizations include helping people find employment and performing eligibility screenings for state and federally funded benefits such as welfare and the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Social and community service managers made a median salary of $69,600, with a 15% job growth through 2030, according to BLS.*

Government (Justice System): Positions for human services within the justice system occur on local, state, and federal levels. Justice system careers include probation officers, juvenile detention workers, juvenile court liaisons, and case workers. These roles are an important part of our justice system, ensuring that cases are handled properly with a high degree of ethics and compassion.

Health Services: There are many ways to work within the healthcare system that don’t involve becoming a doctor or nurse. A home health aide, group home worker, or gerontology aide all provide a health service, whether it is physical, mental, or emotional. Health is an important aspect of human services with many organizations striving to improve the health and wellness for all.

Mental Health and Wellness: One sector of human services that is consistently growing and expecting an increase in demand is mental health and wellness. If you are interested in helping those living with mental illness, you may find work as a psychological aide, a crisis intervention counselor, or as a behavioral management aide. You may also choose to continue your education by earning a master's degree in counseling and becoming a licensed clinical mental health counselor.*

Nonprofit Sector: Nonprofit organizations are an excellent place to work in human services, with compensation that is often comparable with salaries at for-profit companies. Working in community outreach as a group activities coordinator, a counselor, or as a life skills instructor with a nonprofit organization will bring you closer to the heart of why you entered the human services profession.*

Violence Prevention and Intervention: As a society, we are rethinking what it means to do violence prevention. We know that violence is linked to inequality, lack of access to resources, and hopelessness. Human services majors can minor in violence prevention and intervention and obtain the knowledge and skills necessary to work in today’s violence prevention efforts through government, nonprofits, foundations, and educational institutions. The minor also helps to prepare students for graduate school. in areas such as social work, law, criminal justice, and public health.

Gerontology/working with the elderly: Students interested in working with older people and their families can complete the human services BS degree with an aging studies/gerontology minor. This minor also complements coursework in nursing, social work and the social sciences.

Working with People with Disabilities: Working with people who have disabilities can be a rewarding career, but not all who specialize in disability studies intend to provide direct service. While helping those with disabilities certainly can involve directly helping them to lead fulfilling and independent lives, there are many careers that provide indirect assistance, such as helping someone find gainful employment, learn new skills, or obtain an education. The minor in disability studies prepares students to work in a variety of settings and prepares them for graduate school.

*Language borrowed from Southern New Hampshire University.

• MN Department of Human Services
• Bureau of Labor Statistics
• MN Council of Nonprofits Career Center
• Indeed MN Human Services Job Search

Community-engaged scholarship/service learning: Our degree gives students the opportunity to work in the field before they graduate. Students apply knowledge and skills learned in the classroom to a practicum in a community-based agency. This gives them opportunities to network and try new things, all under the supervision of a professional and with guidance from their practicum instructor.

Individualize your degree: After completing the core, students choose their electives across the curriculum in areas such as violence prevention, family studies, leadership and administration, aging studies, or disability studies.

Work with a diverse faculty with expertise and experience in their fields: Students learn the latest in theory and practice from doctoral-level faculty. All of our faculty have done more than talked the talk, they have walked the walk in the community as advocates, counselors, board members, direct services providers, and community-engaged scholars.

Flexible scheduling: We have classes in the classroom, online, and in hybrid format. The Human Services BS degree can be completed online for those students who wish to do so. Students looking for more professor contact can choose classes that include 4-15 meetings per semester.

Interdisciplinary: The courses in human services are based on concepts borrowed from a variety of disciplines including public health, sociology, psychology, criminal justice, women’s studies, organizational management, and communications.

Diverse student body: Since its inception, Metro State University has been breaking down barriers in education for all members of marginalized communities. We strongly believe in the values of equity and inclusion, so all members of our university and its surrounding communities experience an authentic sense of belonging. We celebrate dimensions of diversity such as race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, age, economic, and/or familial status. In 2023, 77% of our students were students of color and 74% identified as first generation college students.

Learning outcomes aligned with national standards: Students gain relevant skills and knowledge from a competency-based curriculum designed around the Council for Standards in Human Services Education and the National Organization for Human Services. Our program is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLCommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Strong alignment with university mission and strategic goals: Metro State’s mission is to provide greater access to affordable, world-class education while staying connected and engaged with our students. We are committed to providing support through individual educational advising, no-cost tutoring in math, science, and writing and a comprehensive career counseling center that is available before and after graduation.