Program Overview

Human Services AS Program

Program Description

The AS Human Services program prepares students for career pathways in a variety of human services fields of practice. It provides students with the academic foundation to transfer to four-year colleges within the City University of New York (CUNY) and other colleges to pursue a variety of bachelor's degree options in the helping professions.

Human Services students are required to complete two semesters of Human Services fieldwork internships which provide supervised experiential learning opportunities applied to real work situations. Students learn to apply theoretical knowledge learned in the classroom and test career choices in the real world. To further support student preparedness for entry-level human service employment, the AS curriculum embeds the Family Development Certificate as a stackable credit option towards one semester of the fieldwork requirement. Students with past or current employment histories in human services work will have the opportunity to apply for prior learning credits towards one semester of the fieldwork component of the degree program.

Career Opportunities

Program graduates are prepared for entry-level employment opportunities such as mental health aides, group residence workers, neighborhood outreach workers, case work assistants, geriatric counselors, assistant probation officers, and more. Employment opportunities are found in the public and private levels of the human services delivery system, including day care, mental health, social services, older adult care, individuals with disabilities, residential treatment services, group and community work.

Further Education

Graduates are prepared to pursue further education at senior colleges leading to a baccalaureate degree in several professional and disciplinary areas including social work, gerontology, juvenile justice, psychology, sociology, education, and counseling. The AS degree articulates with Lehman College.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the Human Services program requirements, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate basic intervention process skills, which include the beginning ability to establish empathic relationships while providing direct service to individuals, families, groups, and communities.
2. Demonstrate generalist planning skills, which include the ability to analyze client needs, develop and implement a treatment plan, and determine the effectiveness of service.
3. Demonstrate information management skills, which include the ability to gather and assess client data, prepare and maintain adequate service records, and utilize resources in order to address client needs.
4. Demonstrate self-awareness and self-assessment skills, which include techniques that promote ongoing personal and professional development necessary to be an effective and non-judgmental human service worker.

Curriculum

Required Core

1. English Composition (6 Credits)
2. Mathematical and Quantitative Reasoning (3 Credits)
3. Life and Physical Sciences (3 Credits)

Flexible Core

1. World Cultures and Global Issues (3 Credits)
2. US Experience and Diversity (3 Credits)
3. Creative Expression (3 Credits)
4. Individual and Society (3 Credits)
5. Scientific World (3 Credits)
6. Choose one additional course from Flex Areas A-E (3 Credits)

Major Requirements

• FYS 11 First Year Seminar (1 Credit)
• HLT 91 Critical Issues in Health (2 Credits)
• HSC 10 Human Services and Social Welfare Institutions (0-3 Credits)
• HSC 12 Human Services Skills and Methods (3 Credits)
• HSC 91 Fieldwork and Seminar in Human Services I (3 Credits)
• HSC 92 Fieldwork and Seminar in Human Services II (3 Credits)
• PSY 11 Introduction to Psychology (0-3 Credits)
• PSY 40 Life Span Development (3 Credits)
• SOC 35 Introduction to Social Work (3 Credits)
• POL 11 American National Government (0-3 Credits)
• Free Electives (0-9 Credits)
  • Choose one of the following restricted electives:
    • HSC 11 Case Management for Specialized Populations (3 Credits)
    • SOC 37 Social Inequity (3 Credits)
    • PSY 31 Abnormal Psychology (3 Credits)
    • PSY 41 Psychology of Infancy and Childhood (3 Credits)