Associate of Applied Technology Degree / Associate in Applied Science – T Degree
Prepares students for a variety of entry- and mid-level positions within the field of human services, which focuses on helping others gain the skills to help themselves.
Students will participate in both classroom instruction and a community-based internship experience with a local human services provider. Students who intern at these agencies serve a variety of populations, including the mentally ill, the developmentally disabled, seniors, persons living with HIV/AIDS, homeless, incarcerated adults, at-risk youth, pregnant and parenting teens, foster families, persons with substance abuse issues, and numerous other specialty areas. Students are responsible for choosing and securing their own internship placement and are primarily eligible for employment in the area in which they choose to complete their internship experience. Internship site choice requires instructor’s approval.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the Human Services degree, students will:
- Adhere to the ethical guidelines established by the NOHS, ACA, APA, and NASW, as well as adhere to federal, state, and local laws.
- Utilize critical thinking skills to effectively assess and apply skills & strategies needed to facilitate community resources and support systems to meet the needs of the client.
- Identify and explain population-specific needs and strengths from a multicultural competency standpoint.
- Demonstrate knowledge and sensitivity to diversity when interacting with individuals and families by adapting their helping approach to the needs of the client’s culture and by being a culturally competent practitioner within the community where they practice.
- Facilitate the process of referral to support systems and community resources to meet the needs of the client.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the basic concepts, theories, and strategies used in human services delivery systems.
- Use interpersonal and written communication skills to effectively communicate with peers, faculty, clients, and community agencies.
- Utilize information management skills to write case notes and manage confidential documents in accordance with federal and state guidelines.
- Maintain professional behavior by adherence to personal boundaries, professional attitude, leadership style, project management, speech, and attire.
- Proficiently use technology as it applies to the human services field.
- Develop respectful professional relationships through proper utilization of empathetic and objective therapeutic communication skills.
- Resolve conflict and crisis situations in a professional manner.
- Identify and practice within the job-specific scope of practice for human services professionals.
- Identify and implement service delivery functions such as outreach, engagement, assessment, planning, accessing resources, referral, coordination, advocacy, process methods, interventions and modalities.
For an AAT or AAS-T degree, students may complete one of the following specialty options: 1) Human Services Generalist or 2) Human Services Chemical Dependency. The Human Services Generalist option can be completed in as little as six quarters, while the Human Services Chemical Dependency option will require a minimum of eight quarters, plus prerequisites and general education courses. Program completion generally takes 1.5-2 years to satisfy all degree requirements. Students receiving a “C-” or below in a Human Services class must repeat the class in order to satisfy the Human Services program requirements for graduation.
General Education Requirements
In addition to the program course requirements, students must also complete the general education requirements for the degree they seek to obtain. Students pursuing an AAT or AAS-T degree must complete all college degree requirements prior to graduation. This includes courses that meet the capstone project, diversity, and computer literacy requirements.
The different requirements for each degree are listed below.
AAT Degree General Education Requirements (28 credits)
ENGL& 101
| | 5 |
| | |
CMST& 220
| | 5 |
| Or | |
ASL& 121
| American Sign Language I | 5 |
| | |
| MAT 103 | Business Mathematics | 5 |
PSYC& 100DIV
| | 5 |
SOC& 101DIV
| | 5 |
| COLL 102 | College Success for All | 3 |
AAS-T Degree General Education Requirements (33 credits)
All AAS-T degrees must have a minimum of 20 credits of transferable general education. These credits replace the academic courses required for the AAT degree. Required credits include:
5 credits in communication
5 credits in quantitative reasoning
10 credits in a social science that meets the diversity requirement
PSYC& 100DIV
| | 5 |
| And | |
SOC& 101DIV
| | 5 |
5 credits in social science, humanities, or science
choose one from the following:
ART& 100
| Art Appreciation | 5 |
ASL& 121
| American Sign Language I | 5 |
ASL& 122
| American Sign Language II | 5 |
BIOL& 160
| General Biology w/Lab | 5 |
BIOL& 175
| Human Biology w/Lab | 5 |
BIOL& 241
| Human A & P I | 5 |
BIOL& 242
| Human A & P II | 5 |
BIOL& 260
| Microbiology | 5 |
CHEM& 110
| | 5 |
CHEM& 121
| | 5 |
CHEM& 131
| | 5 |
GEOL& 110
| | 5 |
HIST& 146
| | 5 |
HIST& 147
| | 5 |
HIST& 148
| | 5 |
HUM& 101
| | 5 |
MUSC& 105
| | 5 |
PHYS& 114
| | 5 |
POLS& 202
| | 5 |
PSYC& 100
| | 5 |
PSYC& 200
| | 5 |
PSYC& 220
| | 5 |
SOC& 101
| | 5 |
5 credits in
3 credits in College Success
Employability Requirements
A background check will be conducted in the first quarter of the program to screen for prior convictions prior to internship placement for advising purposes. If pursuing the CD certificate, students will apply directly to the Department of Health for state certification. Persons with some types of criminal convictions may not be eligible for employment at the discretion of the individual employer.
Program Length
The Human Services core classes take six-to-eight quarters to complete, depending on the degree option. The length for the completion of the associate degree may vary depending on the time students need to satisfactorily complete all prerequisites, electives, and general academic classes to meet degree requirements, and may vary between one-and-a-half and two years.
Admission Dates
Fall and spring quarters.
Completion Requirements
Prerequisite(s)
Prospective students must attend a mandatory orientation/advising meeting with the instructors prior to being admitted. Students must be high school graduates or have passed a high school equivalency test. Students must be over the age of 18 and agree to the background check in the first quarter. Successful completion or transfer of the following courses is required before enrollment in Human Services courses: ENGL& 101, PSYC& 100, COLL 102, and any 100-level Computer Applications class of 3 credits or more.
*Students must have an internship site secured no later than the end of the first week of the quarter for the Internship I, II, and III courses Students are advised that a “No Record On File” report related to crimes against persons is generally required by agencies offering internship or employment. Students understand that some internship sites may not be available due to certain records. A non-refundable fee is charged to each student for the background check. Students who do not meet the internship site requirement within the specified timeline will be dropped from the course.
Program Course List
| HS 115 | Therapeutic Communication Skills | 5 |
| HS 120 | Soft Skills for the Human Services Professional | 3 |
| HS 125 | HIV/AIDS/Blood-Borne Pathogens & Brief Risk Intervention for the Chemically Dependent | 1 |
| HS 127 | Introduction to Human Services | 5 |
| HS 152 | Internship I | 3 |
| HS 222 | Applied Counseling for the Human Services Professional | 5 |
| HS 225 | Survey of Community Resources | 3 |
| HS 226 | Mental Health Assessment & Evaluation | 5 |
| HS 227 | Behavioral Health & Wellness | 5 |
| HS 230 | Case Management | 5 |
| HS 234DIV | Culturally Competent Practice | 5 |
| HS 237 | Law & Ethics for Human Services | 3 |
| HS 241 | Dynamics of Violence | 5 |
| HS 245 | Internship II | 3 |
Option 1: Human Services Generalist
| HS 215 | Human Development for the Human Services Professional | 5 |
| HS 240 | Survey of Addiction | 5 |
| HS 246 | Group Process | 3 |
| HS 255 | Internship III | 3 |
Human Services
| Electives | 8 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 80 |
Human Services: See list below
Option 2: Human Services Chemical Dependency
PSYC& 200
| | 5 |
PSYC& 220
| | 5 |
| HSCD 134 | Introduction to Addictions | 5 |
| HSCD 150 | The Neuro-Pharmacology of Addiction | 5 |
| HSCD 155 | Chemical Dependency Counseling I: Individuals & Groups | 5 |
| HSCD 180 | Addictions Treatment: Ethics & the Law | 5 |
| HSCD 215 | Case Management & Recordkeeping for the Chemical Dependency Professional | 5 |
| HSCD 227 | Chemical Dependency Assessment & Evaluation | 3 |
| HSCD 229 | Suicide Prevention for the Chemical Dependency Professional | 1 |
| HSCD 235 | Chemical Dependency Practicum | 3 |
| HSCD 249 | Chemical Dependency Counseling II: Adolescents & Families | 5 |
| HSCD 251 | Relapse Prevention | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 106 |
AAT Requirements
| Technical Course Requirements | 80-106 |
| Computer Literacy Requirement | 3 |
| Human Services AAT General Education Requirements | 28 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 111-131 |
Human Services AAT General Education Requirements: See list above
AAS-T Requirements
| Technical Course Requirements | 80-106 |
| Computer Literacy Requirement | 3 |
| Human Services AAS-T General Education Requirements | 33 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 116-142 |
Human Services AAS-T General Education Requirements: See list above
Approved Human Services Electives (8 Credits Needed)
PSYC& 200
| | 5 |
PSYC& 220
| | 5 |
ASL& 121
| American Sign Language I | 5 |
LEADR
| | 1-6 |
HS HSCD
| | 5 |