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2023 Human Services Degree Guide

There are many people in society that need special help at some point in their lives: the elderly, homeless families, pregnant teens, and people with addiction problems. A degree in human services will allow you to provide essential services to vulnerable populations. Human Services involves the general study of human behavior as well as hands-on field experience in order to learn how to improve the lives of people. Generalists will be able to work in public and private human services agencies and organizations.

Instruction in Human Services will take a multi-disciplinary approach. Classes will include: human behavior, psychology, social sciences, principles of social service, human services policy, planning and evaluation, social services law and administration. You will also receive training in practical applications to particular issues, services, localities, and populations.

Rapid Growth in Human Services Degrees Awarded

#74 Most Popular Major
13.2k Degrees Awarded
4.5% Increase in Graduates

Human Services was the 74th most popular major in the 2020-2021 school year. Colleges in the United States reported awarding 13,238 degrees in this year alone. This represents a 4.5% increase in human services degrees awarded over the prior year's total of 12,645.

This year's Best Human Services Schools ranking compares 144 of them to identify the best overall programs in the country. Explore this or one of our many other custom human services rankings further below.

2023 Best Colleges for Human Services
2023 Overall Best Human Services Colleges >

Best Human Services Schools by Degree

Associate Degrees in Human Services
Bachelor's Degrees in Human Services
Master's Degrees in Human Services
Doctorate Degrees in Human Services

 

What Are The Requirements For a Degree in Human Services

This major is idea for compassionate and caring individuals who have a passion for helping other people overcome their challenges. Most of the clients you will be working with are in stressful or desperate situations, so it is important to remain empathetic and understanding.

Human Services involves working with people from diverse backgrounds. You must be able to build a trusting relationship with your client making communication and interpersonal skills crucial for success. You will often collaborate with a team of human services workers and think creatively to help your clients overcome their challenges.

Getting Accepted Into a Human Services Program

New students will need to have completed high school or a GED program and each school will have their own minimum GPA and SAT/ACT test requirements. Once you obtain your degree, additional human services certifications required to pursue a career in this field.

Types of Human Services Degrees

There are many different human services degree levels. Human Services programs offered by schools range from a to a , which is the highest human services degree you can get. Human Services programs can take anywhere between one to four or more years for a full-time student to complete.

Degree Credit Requirements Typical Program Length
Associate Degree 60-70 credits 2 years
Bachelor’s Degree 120 credits 4 years
Master’s Degree 50-70 credits 1-3 years
Doctorate Program required coursework including thesis or dissertation At least 4 years

A bachelor's degree is the most common level of education achieved by those in careers related to human services, with approximately 38.7% of workers getting one. People currently working in careers related to human services tend obtained the following education levels.

Level of Education Percentage of Workers
Bachelor’s Degree 36.8%
Master’s Degree 20.6%
High School Diploma 15.9%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) 10.7%
Post-Master’s Certificate 10.5%

70.3% of human services workers have at least a bachelor's. See the chart below for the most common degree level workers in human services have received.

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This of course varies depending on which human services career you choose.

Human Services Careers

Average Number of Jobs
$31.8k Average Starting Salary
16% Growth Job Outlook 2016-26

There are two main types of human services: those that deal directly with clients and those that provide administrative support for a service agency. For those who want to work directly with people can find jobs as the following: case workers, counselors, mental health aides, and social workers. On the administrative side, you can find work as a grant writer, program director, or development director.

High Growth Projected for Human Services Careers

Want a job when you graduate with your human services degree? Human Services careers are expected to grow 16.2% between 2016 and 2026.

The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to human services.

Occupation Name Projected Jobs Expected Growth
Social and Human Service Assistants 453,600 16.4%
Social and Community Service Managers 173,800 18.0%
Community and Social Service Specialists 113,500 13.2%

How Much Money Do Human Services Grads Make?

Human Services graduates between 2017-2019 reported earning an average of $31,799 in the 2019-2020 timeframe. Earnings can range from as low as $14,540 to as high as $77,127. As you might expect, salaries for human services graduates vary depending on the level of education that was acquired.

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Highest Paid Human Services Careers

Salaries for human services graduates can vary widely by the occupation you choose as well. The following table shows the top highest paying careers human services grads often go into.

Occupation Name Median Average Salary
Social and Community Service Managers $71,670
Community and Social Service Specialists $46,050
Social and Human Service Assistants $35,830

Getting Your Human Services Degree

With over 720 different human services degree programs to choose from, finding the best fit for you can be a challenge. Fortunately you have come to the right place. We have analyzed all of these schools to come up with hundreds of unbiased human services school rankings to help you with this.


 

Human Services is one of 5 different types of Public Administration & Social Service programs to choose from.

Majors Similar to Human Services

Related Major Annual Graduates
Social Work 58,326
Public Administration 16,905
Public Policy 6,430
Community Organization & Advocacy 3,096
Other Public Administration 588

View All Human Services Related Majors >

References

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