Human Services
Bachelor of Applied Science
Quick Facts
Top 3%
Online Bachelor's
Program in the Nation
- U.S. News & World Report, 2025
If you are a “people person,” the BAS in Human Services is the right fit for you. The mission of the Human Services program is to better understand, respond to, and support the social, psychological, educational, and physical demands of individuals and families in rural communities and in a contemporary global society. This program will teach you to strengthen human systems, enhance health, education, and social services, improve service delivery systems, and encourage effective public policies.
Human services is an interdisciplinary field that can lead to a wide range of rewarding careers. Graduates of this program are prepared to be effective advocates, coordinators, and administrators, making a positive impact in their communities. They are resilient leaders who often continue their education in social work, rehabilitation, counseling, education, criminal justice, and health administration.
As a Bachelor of Applied Science, coursework in this degree blends theory with the real-world application of human services standards and best practices in work settings through a required internship experience. You will develop the skills to better understand, respond to, and support individuals' and families' social, psychological, educational, and physical demands in a contemporary global society.
*Residents of some U.S. Territories may not be eligible. Please see our Eligibility & State Authorization page for more information.
The curriculum for this program includes:
Examine current research on resiliency, learning, and leadership in an integrative manner to foster individual leadership. In this course, you’ll focus on the physical, psychological, and social systems of resiliency alongside the psychological principles applied to learning and instructional design.
This course provides an overview of human services as a discipline. You will examine the history and current directions of human services, service delivery models, professional issues, systems and ecological perspectives, and the helping process.
Explore the dynamic relationship between personal and professional identity and the impact this relationship has when working with individuals and communities from cultures other than your own. The key concepts of this course include: a life-long commitment to self-evaluation and self-critique, learning to recognize power-imbalances and understanding that cultural humility is larger than our individual selves.
Establish or advance your understanding of research through critical exploration of research language, ethics, and methodological approaches.
Study the process involved in developing and/or evaluating individual and family focused programs for schools and communities.
Learn the theories and applications of leadership and communication when applied to professional decision-making, planning and control in the workplace. This course offers an examination of personal and professional qualities essential for successful internship and career planning.
Outcomes
Skills
Earning your Bachelor of Applied Science in Human Services will build core skills, including:
- Client empowerment
- Commitment to diversity & inclusion
- Critical thinking
- Culturally responsive care
- Ethical decision making
- Human services delivery
- Interpersonal skills
- Leadership
- Prevention & intervention strategies
- Professional resiliency
- Program planning
- Research
Potential Career Paths
Graduates of the BAS in Human Services will be prepared to pursue the following careers:
Hands-on Learning
The BAS in Human Services includes a required internship experience. Students work with local service agencies to meet real-world challenges and gain critical insights in the field. Organizations that have hosted student interns include the Veterans Association, Douglas Police/Cochise Addiction Recovery Partnership, Child & Family Resources and the Mariposa Community Health Center.
