Bachelor of Arts
Psychology – Human Services
AN EXCEPTIONAL PREPARATION FOR A HELPING, REWARDING CAREER
Many people experience hardship and need help. A human services career gives you the power to support others when they need it most. The B.A. Psychology with a concentration in Human Services will provide you a solid grounding in psychology and sociology along with studies of social systems, ethics, crisis intervention, the science of the mind and more. With a focus on improving the lives of others, the program will prepare you for a rewarding career in a diverse range of helping profession fields.
Program Highlights
The Human Services Concentration offers an applied psychological and interdisciplinary understanding of personal and social problems often encountered in contemporary society. The program is designed primarily for students who intend to pursue careers in psychological and social service related fields.
Our human services program is housed within a psychology major, so you’ll obtain a well-rounded education in the psychology field as well as a specialization in human services. Through a combination of coursework, internship and self-directed study, the program prepares you for immediate employment in a wide variety of helping professions, and serves as a foundation for admission to applied graduate study in the mental health and community service related fields.
You can also combine your degree with a minor in human services. Or, you can pair your human services concentration with a minor in addictions counseling and obtain an additional credential to further your career in your chosen social services field.
A Professional Education
- Small class sizes make possible individualized attention.
- Our professors bring clinical backgrounds, so they teach from practical experiences, not just from the book.
- You’ll participate in your own practical experiences within the helping professions throughout your curriculum.
- With your degree, you can pursue a career in social work, human services, counseling and other related fields.
- You can pursue a master’s and/or Ph.D. degree in social work, human services, counseling, psychology, forensic psychology and other helping professions.
Preparing You for the Real World
In your program, you’ll gain the latest knowledge about the theory related to psychology, human development, counseling, multicultural, research, crisis intervention strategies and more. Many of our faculty have previously worked in the human services field, and we bring those experiences to the classroom to share with students through case studies or as examples during our lecture. You’ll learn theory, but you’ll know too how it is actually applied within the various helping profession fields.
A Practical, Professional Education
With the career-ready knowledge and skills you’ll gain in our human services program, you’ll have the ability to:
- Employ practical concepts and skills that may be applied immediately in many occupational contexts.
- Understand the biological, social, emotional and cognitive processes underlying human thoughts and actions.
- Develop a professional identity that demonstrates respect for diverse peoples, ideas and cultures.
- Integrate knowledge of ethical issues.
- Communicate professionally through academic writing and presentations.
- Be prepared for admission into a wide variety of non-practitioner, graduate psychology programs and paraprofessional roles.
Active, Experiential Learning
The best way to study psychology is through experiential learning, as opposed to just learning from a textbook. Except for the freshman-level class with 40 students, most of our courses have 25 or less students, which enhances opportunities for collaboration and engaged learning. You’ll participate in small group work. You’ll engage in role plays. You’ll analyze case studies both independently and as a class. You’ll engage in large group discussions.
In our research design class, you’ll collect data through surveys to hear people’s opinions about specific issues you are interested in exploring. In a semester-long course devoted to cultural awareness and competence, you’ll engage in experiential learning activities as well as research to learn more about various groups and cultures and how best to engage with those diverse populations. In a senior capstone class, you’ll explore the various subfields within human services and take a deep dive into opportunities for employment in the field, graduate education and volunteer opportunities.
Internship: Bringing Knowledge to Practice
A required internship will help you gain practical experiences in the field. In your internship, you’ll have the opportunity to serve the community while also learning invaluable knowledge and skills in your field. Students complete an internship usually at a community or social service agency in Tiffin or the surrounding community.
We’ve had students complete internships at a variety of locations and settings, including but not limited to:
- Big Brothers/Big Sisters
- CASA of Tiffin
- Children Services of Richland County
- Community Hospice Care
- CROSSWAEH
- Firelands Counseling & Recovery Services
- First Step Domestic Violence Shelter
- Harbor Behavioral
- National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
- Ohio Department of Rehabilitation & Correction
- Patchworks House of Tiffin
- Sandusky County Department of Job & Family Services
- Seneca County Department of Human Services
- Seneca County Drug Task Force
- Seneca County Family & Children First Council
- Seneca County Probation Office
- Seneca County Youth Center
- Tiffin Developmental Center
Courses & Format
CURRICULUM
CONCENTRATION: HUMAN SERVICES
- FOR423 Case Management – 3 hours
- FOR430 Crisis Intervention – 3 hours
- PSY269 Human Sexuality – 3 hours
- PSY360 Introduction to Counseling – 3 hours
- SCS450 Human Services Capstone – 3 hours
- SCS470 Internship I – 3 hours
- One of the following: – 3 hours
- CSL430 Cultural Competence in Counseling
- SOC36 Multicultural Issues in Society
- One of the following: – 3 hours
- COM310 Interpersonal Communication
- COR420 Agency Management
- FOR365 Drugs and Society
- FOR485 Death and Dying
- PSY390 Special Topics
- PSY425 Cross-Cultural and International Psychology
- SCS471 Internship II
- SOC320 Community Sociology
- SOC361 Sociology of Gender
- FOR, CSL, or PSY 200 to 400 level course (approved by instructor)
Total – 24 hours
This is a sample course sequence to illustrate course offerings for this major. Consult the official Academic Bulletin for detailed registration and advising information.
SAMPLE COURSES
Crisis Intervention Strategies (FOR430) – Focuses on the theory and practice of intervention in various acute situations common in work with criminal justice clients, e.g., domestic violence, suicide threat/attempt, physical or sexual abuse, and acute chemical dependency episodes.
Human Sexuality (PSY269) – Examines physiology of human sexuality as well as psychosocial aspects of the field. Considers sexual orientation, sexual dysfunction and paraphilia, sex therapy, theories of attraction, and current research.
Lifespan Development (PSY265) – This course takes a life span approach in studying human development from conception through death. Students will examine the major theories and scientific research findings on our physical, cognitive, social and personality development.
FORMAT
On Campus – Offered in a 15-week semester format with start dates of January and August
CONCENTRATIONS
Other Psychology concentrations offered:
Career Opportunities
Human services is a rewarding field, and it is a growing one, too. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of social and human service professionals is projected to grow 17 percent from 2020 to 2030, much faster than the average for all occupations.
CAREERS
- Addictions or Mental Health Case Manager
- Adoption Agencies
- Child Development Specialist
- Community Organizer
- Cultural-Diversity Trainer
- Drug & Alcohol Rehabilitation Centers
- Employee Assistance Programs
- Foster Care Organizations
- Graduate School
- Head Start Programs
- Hospice Centers
- International Organizations
- Mental Health Organizations
- Nursing Homes
- Program Evaluator
- Psychoeducational Specialist
- Research and People-Oriented Jobs in the Criminal Justice and Business Fields (e.g. Human Resources)
- Residential Manager of Group Homes
- Social Services Coordinator
- Victim Services Organizations
WHERE TU GRADS HAVE WORKED
While it is extremely competitive to obtain such appointments, Tiffin University alumni have gone on to careers in these agencies:
- Cuyahoga County
- Mercy Health
- New Directions Behavioural Health
- Offender Aid and Restoration of Arlington County, Inc.
- Pinnacle Treatment Centers
Have a Question?
“There is always going to be a little doubt in any person’s mind when it comes to new things. But for me, I think proving people, who said I couldn’t do it, wrong is my biggest motivation. There’s really nothing that seems impossible to me anymore. The world is constantly changing and I feel like I am much more capable of adapting to those changes now compared to when I was walking on to TU’s campus for the first time.”
Hometown: Louisville, Colorado