Human Services - Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Human Services Overview

If you are passionate about helping people, but deep down, you want to do more, a human services degree from SMWC, will help you get there. Offered on campus or online, a human services degree will prepare you to take on a meaningful role in the helping professions. Our degree programs provide the flexibility to lead you to the career of your dreams. With your professional advisors helping you along the way, you can mix and match majors and minors to get the perfect degree tailored to you and your career aspirations. Plus, you’ll graduate with a strong foundation in liberal arts.

Whether on campus or in our Woods Online program, you will develop skills for working with individuals, families, groups and communities. Students gain knowledge of human behavior, skills for helping individuals or families and awareness for helping your community respond to human needs. You’ll learn to problem solve by assessing clients’ needs and identifying community–all with the goal of making a difference and serving in the lives of others.

Human Services Major Curriculum – College Catalog

FAQs

What is human services?
Human services is all about helping people. This interdisciplinary field has the objective of meeting human needs through an applied knowledge base and commitment to improving the overall quality of life. Human services workers may spend part of the day in an office setting and part in the field or work in a group home or other residential facilities. They may visit clients in their homes or accompany them to appointments. You could work closely with social workers, psychologists, educators and counselors.

Why get a degree in human services?
A degree in human services from SMWC provides the knowledge and tools to lead you to a wide variety of careers in the field. If you want to work in family, child and youth service agencies, crisis intervention hotlines, correctional programs, community centers and programs concerned with alcoholism, drug abuse, homelessness and family violence, then a human services degree will help get you there. Great programs to combine a human services degree with are Psychology, Women’s Studies and Sociology.

What can you do with a degree in human services?
The human services degree prepares you for work under the supervision of a helping professional with a more advanced degree in a variety of entry-level social worker positions in a diverse array of settings ,including:

Group homes and halfway houses
Community mental health centers
Hospital psychiatric units
Service agencies for families and children
Shelters or outreach services for the homeless
Agencies that protect and serve the elderly
Healthcare settings
Organizations serving youth
Agencies working to end substance abuse
Victims of family violence
Financial assistance to those in need
Criminal justice system
Hotlines that respond to crises or help people find assistance

Check out our blog 8 careers you can have with a human services degree

What is the average annual salary of someone with a human services degree?
As you look at starting salaries, keep in mind that the cost of living and opportunities to move with a career or industry sector should also factor into your decision. According to Salary.com, someone with a degree in human services earns an average of $32,986.

What support and resources are provided at SMWC?
The Learning Resource Center (LRC) provides exceptional, personalized learning resource services to encourage student success. The LRC offers help with a range of academic support services, including a writing center, tutoring, college success courses and more.

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College is routinely ranked by US News and World Report among the Best Regional Universities in the Midwest and the Best Value Schools. Our departments are also routinely ranked for their individual degree programs.
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