Human services, in a way, is exactly what it sounds like. A field of career work that focuses on serving human needs. Think of the essentials here—food, shelter, physical and mental healthcare, safety.
When you have your basic human needs met, you can interact with people and society at a totally different level than when you are scrambling just to stay safe. In our society, it's easy for people to forget how critical human services really are. Human services professionals work to save lives. To help people find what they need to survive.
If that's a mission you can get behind, you're looking into the right field. A human services degree program differs from your average associate's or bachelor's degree program. For one thing—the career options are extremely varied when you get into human services roles.
For another, health and human services go against the cultural tendency to prioritize profit. Many human services graduates will work for non-profit organizations, activist and grassroots initiatives, government agencies, and companies whose mission is actually about more than just the bottom line.
If you are considering a human services major, you probably already know you need more than just a paycheck from your work. But what would that actually look like? What is a human services degree? What can you do with a human services degree?
We asked Rasmussen University's Dean of Education & Social Sciences, Dr. Rikkisha Gilmore-Byrd to share some of the careers she sees graduates get into. Read on to see just how broad the human services field really is.
What are some of the most common careers for human services degree holders1?
When you look at anyone's career path, you’re likely to see lots of moves you might not have expected from their initial degree. This is especially true in human services, where your awareness of what is needed in a given community will only grow as you start working.
But you can still find some general directions that human services workers take on after they graduate their programs. Take a look at some of the common options for graduates.
With an Associate's degree in human services (in as few as 18 months)2...
"Many of the students who complete an Associate in our program qualify to work in a supportive role in Human Services," Gilmore-Byrd says.
Social and human service assistants fit a wide range of job titles, according to the Bureau of Labor statistics (BLS).2 These include:
- Case work aide
- Clinical social work aide
- Family service assistant
- Social work assistant
- Addictions counselor assistant
- Human service worker
In these job titles (and more) a human services degree can prepare you to work lots of different environments—depending on the type of work you are most passionate about.
If you want to work with family units, child protection or domestic situations, taking on a supportive role in child and family services could be the perfect place to start your career.
If you want to work with addiction services or harm reduction, you could find a role at an organization dedicated to substance abuse problems or even try early intervention strategies as a substance abuse or misuse outreach worker. Read more about how to become a social service assistant here.
With a Bachelor's degree in human services (in as few as 18 months)1...
“Bachelor-level graduates [from the human services program] often find positions in case management, mental health assistance, advocacy, and more,” Gilmore-Byrd says.
As you can imagine, that includes a huge range as well. It makes things difficult when you are trying to get a clear picture of the field. But when you start your career, it also gives you lots of options in what you do. A manager working in mental health services, for example, could work with clinical professionals, oversee medical and licensure-related operations and track data on the people their organization helps.
A shelter manager would work with an entirely different group of professionals and need specific knowledge about local housing laws and standards, non-profit funding and other public assistance programs. They'll also likely oversee other human service workers and external social services organizations to connect their clients to other resources.
According to Gilmore-Byrd, you can find Rasmussen graduates with human services degrees in the following sectors.
- Advocacy organizations
- Rehabilitation services
- Public assistance programs
- Health facilities
- Nonprofit organizations
- Government entities
"Some graduates find positions in non-profit management," Gilmore-Byrd adds. "Many of them already have experience in the field, and once they complete their degree, they are eligible for a management role."
That said, human services degree skills are valuable in plenty of other places career-wise.
"Some human services graduates have also moved into roles in criminal justice, health and wellness, and healthcare administration," Gilmore-Byrd adds. And while the world of politics doesn't have as much demand as other options, Gilmore-Byrd has also seen graduates move into policy supportive roles and lobbying roles. Read more about how to become an addictions counselor here.
What human services skills can you learn from a program1?
You can probably tell from some of the job titles above that a career in human services is no cakewalk. These professionals wade into crisis situations and under-resourced places where the stakes are high.
When you enroll in a program, you want to learn from people who understand what this is like.
"Many of the instructors are working or have worked extensively in the field," Gilmore-Byrd says. "They not only teach skills supportive for human services practitioners, but also model those skills to their students."
When you interact with someone trying to break free from addiction or trauma, when you help a struggling single-parent navigate a convoluted application to get health insurance, when you keep the doors open on a shelter that houses elderly clients in the middle of a ten-below winter freeze...whatever work you take on, it will really matter.
You need skills you can rely on when things get tough—beyond just your own grit and determination (though those are incredible assets too).
A good human services degree program will focus on the kinds of skills you need to thrive in this challenging field. Some of those are:
- Collaboration and teamwork
- Communication skills
- Leadership and nonprofit management
- Planning and budgeting
- Grant writing
- Crisis response strategy
- Case management
- Human services research
- Human services delivery and intervention
Why major in human services1?
Even beyond the vital human services careers out there, choosing this area of study is very strategic for many students. Human services programs can give you...
The chance to keep your options open
One of the reasons people choose human services1, over say, a degree in public health or psychology is the appeal of that broad range of job application, according to Gilmore-Byrd. “Many positions, such as licensed social workers, therapists, and counselor require a minimum of a Masters’ degree,” she points out. Imagine going that far into a specific field, only to discover that you hate working there.
If you begin with human services, you can get a feel for many different flavors of helping people and helping the world.
The chance to get involved without advanced degrees
Investing in advanced degrees can seem really steep when you haven't even started in the field yet. But if you are hoping to work your way there—a degree in human services can be a stepping stone.
“Those Master's degree programs require a Bachelor's degree—which could be in Human Services,” Gilmore-Byrd says.
“So, students may choose a generalist human services degree because it gives them an opportunity to explore many different specialties in human services before deciding what type of graduate degree interests them the most.”
Take working in mental health as an example. If you are passionate about populations struggling with mental health disorder, and you start looking into careers, you'll see some roles that require advanced degrees. But you'll also see supportive mental health positions, such as mental health technicians. These require a bachelor’s degree an area such as human services, psychology or something similar, according to Gilmore-Byrd.
“A degree in Human Services will often qualify you to work in mental health after completing a Bachelor's degree.”
The chance to learn from amazing people
Most students come to a human services program because they want to create a career out of helping others. That's even more true of professors in this field.
Getting a degree in human services means learning from people who've made a life-long decision to help others. Your professors will be people who've been in the trenches of non-profit work, at the forefront of advocacy organizations and public health campaigns, and basically, good people who care about the world.
“Students come because they want to learn how to take their desires to help others and create a career,” Gilmore-Byrd says. “They stay because our faculty also model this in their interactions and connect with the students.”
Is a human services degree the best fit for what you need1?
There are many careers that focus on helping people. You could go into healthcare or justice studies or many other fields and make a difference in the world. But human services has a unique place in the chain of organizations that work toward the public good.
If you want to impact people who are often left out of the healthcare or justice system. If you want to change things in ways our traditional institutions aren't prepared for. If you are drawn to intervene—then a human services program is for you.
You might already have some experience under your belt, and you probably know that some extra resources in this field can make a HUGE difference. Upskilling your own abilities and foundational knowledge can make you a resource any organization would be (even more) lucky to have.
1Rasmussen University’s Human Services Associate’s degree and Human Services Bachelor’s degree programs are not designed to meet, and do not meet, the educational requirements for professional licensure as a therapist, counselor, social worker, psychologist, or other similar licensed careers, in any state. Rasmussen University’s Human Services Associate’s degree and Human Services Bachelor’s degree programs have not been approved by any state professional licensing body, and these programs are not intended to lead to any state-issued professional license. For further information on professional licensing requirements, please contact the appropriate board or agency in your state of residence.
2Completion time is dependent on transfer credits accepted and the number of courses completed each term.
3Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Social and Human Service Assistants, at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/social-and-human-service-assistants.htm (visited February 2024). Information represents national, averaged data for the occupations listed and include workers at all levels of education and experience. Employment conditions in your area may vary.
