Human Services Education Online
The term "human services" includes social service, psychology, case management, counseling and child welfare, and oftentimes is referred to as social work. A human services degree can prepare you to address social issues and challenges in your community.
Job titles in this field vary widely, but may include human services worker, case management aide, social work assistant, community support worker, mental health aide, community outreach worker, life skills counselor and gerontology aide. These careers all provide services to help improve the overall quality of life of their clients.
If you're passionate about the health and wellbeing of others, a degree in human services could be a perfect first step toward your new career.
Requirements to Enter Online Human Services Degree Program
Requirements will vary depending on which degree you are seeking to achieve. In order to earn a master's degree, you will need to already have your bachelor's already. To enter a bachelor's and associate program, you will need to have your high school diploma or GED.
Research the programs you are interested in for additional requirements, which could include a minimum GPA or test scores, or check out top human services degree programs and learn about their requirements.
Length of an Online Human Services Program
The amount of schooling required will depend entirely on which career you are looking for. If you want to be a social worker, a bachelor's degree might be all that you need. But to be a psychologist, you will need a master's. A career in psychiatry will require that you have a PhD.
An associate degree can take roughly two to four years. To complete a bachelor's degree in psychology, you can expect to spend about four or five years of study, depending on your full time status.
Many online programs offer a way to roll two degrees together to pursue higher education for those who need it. If you already have a bachelor's degree, check into a program that allows you to work on a master's and PhD together. You can finish these two degrees in four to eight years, depending on your field of specialty.
Important Attributes and Skills for Human Services Jobs
You need to love helping people. You will be interacting with people from all walks of life, and in some cases the individuals you encounter could be very unstable. You must also be understanding and free of judgment.
Since you might be taking a lot of science classes if you are studying psychology, an aptitude for science would be useful.