Bachelor of Human Services

The Bachelor of Human Services (BHS) prepares students to understand and apply the skills and knowledge for effective work with clients from diverse populations and with diverse needs. These skills and knowledge include: interviewing and assessment, case planning, family mediation and conflict resolution, critical thinking, and ethical standards.

The Bachelor of Human Services is accredited by the Council for Standards in Human Service Education (CSHSE).

Admission Requirements

• Complete the Admission Requirements for Baccalaureate Programs.

Graduation Requirements

• Complete the General University Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees.
• Complete the General Education Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees.
• Complete the following major requirements with a minimum grade of C:

A minimum of 120 credits is required for the degree, of which 39 credits must be upper-division.

Honors in Human Services

The Bachelor of Human Services (BHS) recognizes distinguished achievement by conferring programmatic honors in human services. In order to receive honors in human services, a student must meet the following requirements:

• Complete all requirements for the BHS. A minimum of 30 credits applicable to the BHS must be completed at UAA;
• Achieve a minimum GPA of 3.50 in upper-division (300 and 400-level) Human Services courses;
• Submit an intent to graduate with honors application to the BHS Program Director during the semester prior to the semester in which they intend to graduate.

Program Student Learning Outcomes

Students graduating with the Bachelor in Human Services will be able to:

• Demonstrate knowledge of the history of human services, how various types of services evolved, and the forces that influenced their development.
• Demonstrate skills in assessing needs and providing direct and indirect services to individuals, families,  groups, and communities.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the main theories that provide the conceptual framework and underlying philosophy of the Human Services bachelor's degree program.
• Apply the National Organization for Human Services (NOHS) Standards for Ethical Behavior to their professional work.
• Demonstrate skills in research design, data collection, analysis, and evaluation.
• Demonstrate a high level of self-awareness, knowledge, and skills in the complexities of multiculturalism.
• Demonstrate skills to effectively intervene with individuals from diverse populations.

Sample Plan

The academic plan below is one pathway through the degree/certificate. It includes all requirements, taking into account recommendations from program faculty. Each student’s plan may vary according to their initial course placement, intended course load, additional majors and/or minors, and their placement into required prerequisite courses. Any change in the plan below can have an unforeseen impact on the rest of the plan. Therefore, it is very important to meet with your academic advisor to verify your personal academic plan.

Please review the following terms, definitions, and resources associated with the sample academic plan below.

• Each course in the far left column links to a pop-up bubble with a course description, prerequisite requirements, and associations with university requirements. For example, if a course fulfills a general education requirement, you will see that in the pop-up bubble.
• GER: indicates a General Education Requirement. GERs that also count toward degree/certificate requirements appear as a specific course in the plan. For these courses, "GER" is not indicated explicitly in the table, but if you click on the course, you will see the course's GER status in the pop-up bubble.
• Program Elective: indicates a specific course selection determined by program faculty to fulfill a degree/certificate requirement. Students should seek assistance from their academic advisor.
• Elective: indicates an open selection of 100-400 level university courses to fulfill elective credits needed to meet the minimum total credits toward the degree/certificate.
• Upper Division Program Elective: indicates a specific 300-400 level course selection determined by the program faculty to fulfill a degree/certificate requirement. Students should seek assistance from their academic advisor.
• Upper Division Elective: indicates an open selection of 300-400 level courses to fulfill elective credits needed to meet the minimum total credits toward the degree/certificate. These courses must be upper division in order to meet General University Requirements for the particular degree/certificate type.