Human Services - 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.
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.
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
Program Outcomes
• Use therapeutic communications in professional relationships.
• Apply counseling theories and techniques in the human service field.
• Develop strategies for personal and client behavioral health and wellness.
• Use effective case management skills and documentation.
• Develop strategies for treating and intervening on behalf of victims of violence.
• Integrate cultural competency standards into the delivery of the human service field.
• Apply proper ethical and legal guidelines of confidentiality of client information.
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
Human Services: See list below
Option 2: Human Services Chemical Dependency
| PSYC& 200 | Lifespan Psychology | 5 |
| PSYC& 220 | Abnormal Psychology | 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 Degree 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 Degree General Education Requirements: See list below
AAS-T Degree 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 Degree General Education Requirements: See list below
Approved Human Services Electives (8 Credits Needed)
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)
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
5 credits in social science, humanities, or science
choose one from the following:
5 credits in
3 credits in College Success