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Purpose: The two-year associate degree in Human Services is designed to prepare students with the requisite professional knowledge, skills, and values to obtain entry-level positions in a diverse, pluralistic, and ever-changing, public, private, and non-profit human services delivery system.

Occupational Objectives: Employment opportunities include, but are not limited to, the following types of employers: social service agencies; childcare agencies; hospitals; mental retardation and rehabilitation agencies; mental health settings; juvenile and adult corrections; private, non-profit, and for-profit agencies; and, geriatric settings.

Admission Requirements: General college curricular admission

Program Notes: In addition to the general college curricular admission requirements, an interview with the program head is recommended.  While a face-to-face interview is preferable, an interview can also be conducted via telephone or electronic conference. The curriculum provides students with the requisite knowledge, skills, professional values, and attitudes necessary to practice in a diverse client and service delivery system.  The program is also designed to enhance the professional knowledge, skills, and marketability of persons already employed in human services. Students should consult their faculty advisor or a counselor to discuss educational goals and objectives, employment opportunities, course electives, internship requirements, and potential sites for internships.

All students in the program should take the core curriculum courses in sequence as listed in the catalog. Students who receive a final grade lower than "C" in any of the core courses should repeat the course before taking further courses in the core curriculum. Students who are having academic difficulty should discuss their academic progress with a counselor or faculty advisor.

A coordinated internship in a human service agency is required in the fourth semester of the curriculum. Students should discuss the internship course with the program head, as well as select, interview, confirm a placement supervisor and site, and compete all required internship documents, the semester prior to registering for HMS 290: Coordinated Internship.  Students can select from  a directory of internship sites maintained by the program head or select and interview in a human services agency of their choice that formally agrees to provide the required learning experiences and supervision for 130-clock hours.  Students are expected to provide their own transportation to the agency.

The purpose of the Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree curriculum is to prepare students for employment upon graduation. Four-year college and university transfer opportunities for Associate of Applied Science degrees, if existing, are usually very specific in nature. Students may, however, substitute some courses in the AAS degree curriculum with courses that generally transfer to senior institutions. Students should consult their program advisor at the earliest possible date for further guidance and are advised to get assurances in writing in advance from the institution to which they wish to transfer.

Computer Competency Requirement: Students in this program will meet the college’s computer competency requirement by successfully completing ITE 115. Students can also meet this requirement by passing the college’s computer competency exam, administered in the testing centers on each campus, in which case they will receive college credit for ITE 115. Students not passing the computer competency exam may retake the exam only once.