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Online Bachelor's in Human Services

 

Online Bachelor's in Human Services

 

 

 

 

Become a community advocate.

We get it: you want more than a career. You want to wake up every day and make a difference. Earning a bachelor’s degree in Human Services will let you do just that.

Our 100% online program will prepare you for positions in the social services field so that you can make an impact in your community. But that’s not the end of the road: our program will also prepare you for entry into appropriate graduate courses.

Unsure if this is the best path for you? Learn more about the benefits from our Social Sciences Division Chair Dr. Steven Hayduk.

What will I learn?

We want you to enter the workforce with confidence. You’ll engage in real-world, hands-on projects and coursework that prepares you for accreditation by the Council for Standards in Human Services Education and fulfills the requirements to become a Human Services Board-Certified Practitioner.

You can also consider also adding a minor in Early Childhood and Family Studies to this degree using the built-in elective hours.

 

BSHS Degree Concentrations

Take it to the next level—hone your career with one of these concentrations.

Administration concentration

Choices, choices: the Human Services Administration Concentration will prepare you for a leadership role in the public, private or nonprofit sector. Under this concentration, your professors will help you gain a better understanding of management and organizational behavior that is rooted in Christian leadership principles.

Administration Concentration Courses:

  • SOSC 3073 — Management Issues
  • SOSC 3603 — Community Development
  • MGMT 3353 — Organizational Behavior
  • MGMT 2013 — Principles of Management
Counseling concentration

Want to help individuals and families live healthier lives? Consider our counseling concentration. This program will prepare you to help people navigate issues like mental health and substance abuse—leading them toward happier, more productive lives.

We offer a versatile course load that covers a variety of specialties, including:

  • Drug and alcohol addiction
  • Family therapy
  • Career counseling
  • Personal counseling
  • Crisis intervention
  • School/student guidance
  • Clinical counseling
  • Rehabilitation
  • Life coaching

Counseling Concentration Courses:

  • PSYC 3713 — Introduction to Counseling
  • PSYC 3753 — Practical Counseling Skills
  • PSYC 3763 — Multicultural Counseling
  • PSYC 3733 — Group Dynamics
Marriage and Family Services concentration

Get the tools you need to effectively address issues standing between families and couples. You’ll not only learn techniques for empathizing with, respecting and valuing others, but you’ll also be trained to lean on evidence-based strategies to prompt behavioral change.

This program is also ideal if you’re interested in graduate studies in human growth and development, human services, family policy, social work or family counseling.

Marriage and Family Services Concentration Courses:

  • SOSC 2103 — Sex, Courtship, and Marriage
  • PSYC 3103 — Child Development
  • PSYC 3113 — Adolescent Development
  • PSYC 3133 — Adult Development
Specialized concentration

If you’re transferring into our Human Services program from a different institution or have earned your associate degree, we can customize a specialized concentration just for you. Your personal advisor will evaluate your transfer credits and work with you to find a solution based on your transfer work.

 

"The online Human Services program allowed me the freedom to work while still pursuing a solid education . . . Upon graduation, I felt prepared and confident in my ability to apply these skills to my career."
- Billie Sands, 2019 BSHS Graduate

 

What can you do with a Bachelor's Degree in Human Services?

This program opens the door to many career possibilities including:

  • Community Outreach Organizations
  • Child and Family Advocacy
  • Department of Social Services
  • Adoption Case Management
  • Justice System Case Management
  • Nonprofit Organizations
  • Counseling/Therapy
  • Gerontology

Graduate Experience

Our early childhood graduates have gone into a number of careers and have held jobs with employers such as:

  • United Way of Pickens County
  • The Dream Center
  • Department of Social Services
  • Life Management Center – Adoption Counselor
  • Greenville County Schools
  • Tamassee DAR School

"The instruction has helped me with my work in life. Here you don't have everything right there for you, but it's a good thing — it helps you grow and stretch out. The things I learned have been phenomenal."

- LeRoy Moore, BS in Human Services

 

"Both faculty and staff taught me three major things:
1. That kindness goes a long way. It's something I saw in my professors' teachings and philosophies early on.
2. That I had potential and strengths I didn't know I had. Many faculty and staff that I had encounters with loved to show students that they had valuable potential.
3. That to listen to others and meet them where they're at is to love and serve them."

- Lyndy Barnes, 2017 BSHS Graduate
Campaign Manager for United Way of Pickens

 

 

Admission Requirements for Online Associate and Bachelor Programs

  • Submission of a completed application
  • An official high school transcript if transferring fewer than 15 credit hours from accredited colleges or universities. Minimum high school cumulative grade point average of 2.0.
  • Home school students must provide evidence of membership in an approved home school association and provide an official transcript with a 2.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale; otherwise, applicant must submit GED scores.
  • Transfer students who have attended other colleges or universities must provide official transcripts from each school attended. Students must have earned a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA for all college work attempted.
  • Submission of all military transcripts, if applicable.
  • International transcripts must be evaluated by an approved agency. American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers can do this evaluation, and National Association of Credential Evaluation Services provides a list of approved agencies. From the NACES list, Southern Wesleyan recommends using World Education Services or Josef Silny.
  • Applicants for whom English is a second language must meet the official TOEFL score of at least 550 (paper test), 213 (computer test), or demonstrate equivalent evidence of proficiency in English, such as an overall band score of 6.0 or higher on the IELTS test.
  • Satisfactory interview with a designated committee or academic division, if required.

Learn more about transfer credits from accredited colleges and universities.

Have questions? We can help. Connect with an admissions representative at 864-644-5550 or  .

Notice of Nondiscrimination

In compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Educational Amendment of 1972 and with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Southern Wesleyan University does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, sex, or physical handicap in any of its policies, practices, or procedures. The university reserves its right to operate as a church-related institution and to develop policies consistent with the religious tenets of its sponsoring denomination, The Wesleyan Church.

Additional information related to SWU’s non-discrimination policies include:

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Sexual Misconduct Policy (Title IX)

Online Student Graduation

Commencement ceremonies are held on SWU’s campus twice a year in May and December. Online graduates who complete their degree program of study at the conclusion of the summer semester will have their degrees conferred at the December graduation. Letters of completion are available to graduates who wish to confirm to their employers that they have completed their degree program upon request through the Office of Academic Records ( ). We look forward to celebrating with you soon!