Human Services
One of the helping professions, a Human Services degree will prepare you to provide a variety of services to clients to help them improve their quality of life. The focus is on prevention, remediation of problems, and maintaining a commitment to improving the overall quality of life of the populations served.
Featured Profile
Sandy Webb
Human Services Major
Graduation Date: May 2016
After an eight-year stint in the Navy, Sandy Webb worked as a machine operator at Avery Dennison for 22 years until the unthinkable happened.
A Career in Human Services
Students are prepared to work with vulnerable populations in many different helping fields. You’ll learn skills to work in the areas of advocacy, youth services, mental health, intellectual disabilities, addictions, aging, recreation, homelessness and abuse. As a Human Service practitioner you may also work with clients whose ages and problems vary. Your roles and responsibilities will vary depending on the agency.
Among career areas, community and social service occupations are growing faster than the average nationally. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that careers in the field will grow by 10 percent from 2014-2024. Many of the new jobs will be in health care and social assistance.
What Will I Do as an Employee Working in the Human Services Field?
A Human Services degree prepares you for a wide range of settings. Graduates from our program have found positions with job titles such as, case worker, community organizer, family support worker, alcohol counselor, halfway house counselor, activities assistant and more.
Depending on your Career Path, Some of your Responsibilities May Require you to:
- Assist clients in need of counseling or crisis intervention
- Administer food banks or emergency fuel programs
- Assist adults who need supervision with personal hygiene and daily living tasks
- Confer with medical professionals and other caregivers to provide insight into clients’ needs
- Work with psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers and others to help clients master everyday living skills, communicate more effectively and live well with others
- Support a client’s participation in a treatment plan
Career Quick Facts
- Career Outlook
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- Median Salary Average: $28,400
- SC Salary Range: $20,360-$46,220
- 90% placement rate for 2017-2018 graduates
Salary and career information from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Physical Demands
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- mildly active (some walking, standing)
- fairly active (working with children: kneeling, crouching, sitting on floor)
- light lifting (up to 20 lbs.)
- Entry Level Positions
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- Social and Human Service Assistants
- Mental Health Technician
- Chemical Dependency Technician
- Gerontology Activity Director
- Residential Assistant
- List of Employers
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Recent graduates have found work at:
- Abbeville County DSS
- Abbeville Area Medical Center
- Abbeville County School District
- Abbeville County Sheriff's Department
- Abbeville Nursing Home
- Aiken Regional Medical Centers
- Always Money Finance
- Assisting Angels
- Babcock Center
- Beckman Center
- Burton Center
- Change Healthcare
- Connie Maxwell Children's Home
- Crossroads Pregnancy Center
- Department of Social Services
- E B Morse Elementary School
- Edgefield County School District
- Even Start Child Care Center
- Faith Home Inc
- Food Bank of Greenwood County
- Guardian Ad Litem
- GLEAMNS
- Greenwood Active Day Center
- Greenwood County Sheriff's Department
- Greenwood Pathway House
- Greenwood School District 50
- Hickory Tickory Tots
- John de la Howe School
- Laurens County Disability and Special Needs Board
- Laurens County One-Stop Workforce Center
- Laurens County Safe Home
- Laurens County School District 55
- Lifetime Discoveries
- March of Dimes
- Marshall Pickens
- McCormick School District
- Meg's House Shelter for Abused Women
- NHC
- Palmetto Eye Care
- Patrick B. Harris Psychiatric Hospital
- Piedmont Agency on Aging
- Piedmont Technical College
- Saluda Nursing Center
- Self Regional Healthcare
- Sexual Trauma & Counseling Center
- South Carolina Department of Public Safety
- South Carolina Employment Security Commission
- State Farm Insurance
- Sunshine House
- The Safe Home
- Thornwell Home
- Three Rivers Hospital
- Wesley Commons
- Westview Behavioral Health
- Whitten Center
Program Information
The Human Services major is ideal for students considering a career in human services as well as for students who already have experience in human services.
Students new to the field will gain an excellent foundation in theory and practice related to human services and will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience through field-based learning options. Students already experienced in human services can use and build upon their work experiences while acquiring new knowledge, skills and the direction needed to move into a new or more advanced position in the field.
Students will also complete two field placements, which provide the opportunity to work at a variety of service agencies in order to practice the skills they’ve learned under the supervision of professionals employed in the field.