Four-Year Plan: Click here to view the Four-Year Plan for this specific program. To find out more about Four-Year Plans, visit the Policies and Procedures page.
Thinking about the discipline: The human service profession is one of great rewards. Human service professionals hold positions in behavioral health and social services agencies. The growth of the human services profession and the need for human services professionals is projected to grow over 22 percent from 2012-2022. Human services professionals provide a variety of services aimed at improving clients’ lives. The type of assistance they offer varies by client group, the type of organization that employs these professionals, and their role in the organization. Human services professionals help people who are struggling with life issues that cut across several systems of care, including substance abuse, mental health and primary healthcare services, and a host of other services.
Working closely with the client, human services workers identify problems and create and implement a plan for services to help the client solve these problems. This may include providing direct assistance or helping clients in coordinating services, or both.
Human services professionals also provide case management, prevention services, resources and education to clients and their families. These valuable experiences provide students with an opportunity to synthesize and apply the skills and knowledge gained from academic courses into real-world experiences.
The Bachelor of Arts in Human Services and Addictions at NKU is uniquely designed to prepare graduates to help individuals and families in need of assistance through a multidisciplinary knowledge base, focusing on prevention as well as remediation of problems, and maintaining a commitment to improving the overall quality of life for those populations served. Students are exposed to classroom instruction and field experiences that prepare them to work with a diverse population of clients and a broad range of social, emotional, and behavioral issues and problems.
The Bachelor of Arts in Human Services and Addictions consists of class room experiences, online classes, field experiences and hybrid classes that accommodate the traditional student and the adult student returning to school to complete their degree for both professional and career advancement.
Students graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Human Services and Addictions are prepared for positions in work settings such as mental health agencies, rehabilitation facilities, residential treatments programs, group homes, halfway houses, therapeutic recreation, daycare centers, after-school programs, substance abuse programs, rehabilitation settings, and a variety of programs serving the developmentally challenged and the elderly.
In addition to required courses, students have the option to take elective courses in such topics as substance abuse, family health, and end of life and grief. Human Services and Addictions program graduates are also prepared for entrance into a master’s degree program in counseling and other related fields.
Human services students and practitioners are guided by the National Organization for Human Services Code of Ethics. They are committed to improving the well-being of individuals, families, groups, communities, and organizations and furthering the goals of social justice.
Special opportunities for our students: Students are encouraged to join the Human Services Club to begin establishing a social and professional network within the human services field. The Human Services Club is student driven with a faculty advisor. The club provides opportunities to build relationships with community agencies, learn more about current social service issues, develop personal relationships with fellow classmates, increase leadership skills, and enhance the overall college experience. For further information about this student club, visit the COEHS student organizations webpage (http://coehs.nku.edu/advising/organizations.html).
- HSR students have scholarship opportunities for the major.
- HSR majors are encouraged to become a College of Education and Human Services student Peer Mentor. COEHS student Peer Mentors demonstrate and further develop leadership skills while representing their college as well as the counseling and human services program at various university functions.
- Upon graduation, students will be eligible to apply to take the exam for the Human Services - Board Certified Practitioner national credential. The HS-BCP certifies that you have met the 11 core human services content areas, and that your education and experience are nationally recognized. It also demonstrates commitment to the practice of human services and helps professionalize the field of human services.
- Students must take electives in addition to required courses to meet the academic requirements for certification and/or licensure as a chemical dependency counselor in Kentucky and Ohio. Students may also elect to choose practicum sites that will provided necessary field work experience and hours that will aid in the certification/licensure process and requirements. It is important to review each state’s licensure and/or certification requirements for becoming a chemical dependency counselor.
Special graduation requirements: Students must successfully complete all required human services and addictions courses and all program-required supportive courses with a grade of C- or better and have a minimum GPA of 2.5 to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in human services and addictions.
You should also know: The human services and addictions program is part of the College of Education and Human Services, characterized by a commitment to community-based applied learning. There are three field experience courses - “ HSR 204 Field Experience & Seminar I (3 credits) ”, “ HSR 304 Field Experience and Seminar II (3 credits) ”, and “ HSR 404 Field Experience and Seminar III (3 credits) .” Each course includes approximately 9 hours each week in a human services/behavioral healthcare agency for a minimum of 144 total placement hours per semester (over 16 weeks). In addition, each field placement course includes two-hour weekly, 32 hours per semester, seminar classes related to the field experience.
♦ Indicates prerequisite.
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