Human Services, B.S.

Contact Information

Program Description

The Department of Social Work and Human Services is committed to educating culturally competent professionals to develop and deliver high-quality human services locally, regionally and globally, to improve the quality of life of those they serve. This mission evolves from its core values that are derived from the values of the University, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), the National Organization for Human Services (NOHS), and the Council for Standards in Human Service Education (CSHSE). 

The Human Services (HS) major prepares professionals to engage, advocate, and innovate locally, regionally, and globally to improve the lives of peoples and communities. Majors must complete two required field experiences i.e., internships. The foundation internship requires students to demonstrate knowledge, attitudes, and skills acquired in lower-level major courses by completing assignments and experiences in both micro and macro level practice. Students then complete an advanced internship with a focus on the competencies of their chosen concentration.

HS Majors must choose a concentration in Social Engagement and Advocacy (SEA) or Nonprofit Management and Social Innovation (NMSI).  Students in the Social Engagement and Advocacy concentration focus on the ability to integrate knowledge and skills related to direct practice with individuals, families, children, and groups. In addition, they are prepared to work in crisis intervention settings. While students who select the Nonprofit Management and Social Innovation concentration develop management, leadership, and administrative competencies to work in nonprofit organizations.

All human services majors graduate with competencies in communication, assessment, advocacy, documentation, community networking, cultural competence, social policy, civic engagement, and professional/career development. These competencies are established by the Council for Standards in Human Service Education (CSHSE). Graduates from the HS program may qualify to take the Human Service Board Certified Practitioner (HS-BCP) exam for becoming a Human Service Board Certified Practitioner (HS-BCP).  For additional information regarding the HS-BCP, please contact the Human Services Program Director.

The Department of Social Work and Human Services also supports two certificates: The Nonprofit Management and Social Innovation Certificate in partnership with The Nonprofit Leadership Alliance (NLA) and the Child Advocacy Studies (CAST) Embedded Certificate in partnership with the Zero Abuse Project.

The Certificate in Nonprofit Management and Social Innovation (stand alone and embedded) prepares students for employment, volunteer and leadership experiences in the nonprofit sector.  The program requires students to demonstrate ten core management and leadership competency areas. Students also attend a national conference.  Students interested in this certificate may enroll by contacting the NLA Campus Executive Director and completing the online application available at https://wellstarcollege.kennesaw.edu/swhs/nla/. Completion of the certificate’s requirements result in students receiving national certification and credentialing i.e., Certified Nonprofit Practitioner (CNP) by the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance. 

The Child Advocacy Studies Embedded Certificate focuses on developing students’ understanding of the various factors that lead to child maltreatment, and of various existing responses to incidents of child maltreatment to enable them to work more effectively within various systems and institutions that respond to these incidents. Students completing the courses in this certificate will be competent to work within children-focused agencies and systems (health care, criminal justice, social services) while advocating for children who have survived neglect and abuse.  Students interested in this program can find more information and enroll by completing the online application available at https://wellstarcollege.kennesaw.edu/swhs/cast/index.php 

Admission Requirements

Admission to the Human Services program is separate from admission to Kennesaw State University. Students must meet the program requirements outlined below to pursue this degree program:

• Have and be able to maintain an institutional GPA of 2.0 or better
• Completed the following courses with a “C” or greater:

1. ENGL 1101  : Composition I or ENGL 1102 Composition II
2. Any Area D1 Math course (i.e., STAT 1401 , MATH 1160 , MATH 1190 , or MATH 2202 )
3. ECON 1000 : Contemporary Economic Issues (in a previous catalog you may have taken ECON 1100 Global Economics)
4. PSYC 1101 : Introduction to General Psychology OR ECON 2100 Microeconomics
5. SOCI 1101 : Introduction to Sociology
6. HS 2100 : Overview of Human Services
7. HS 2200 : Fundamentals of Nonprofit Organizations
8. HS 2300 : Cultural Competence in the Human Services
9. HS 2400 : Interviewing Skills for the Helping Professions

Human Services majors must have and maintain a minimum Institutional GPA. of 2.0. Majors must successfully complete all Human Service major courses with a grade of “C” or higher.

After completing the above criteria for acceptance:

• Apply to the Human Services Program using the online application.
• Applications are reviewed using the deadlines listed below.
• Applicants will receive an e-mail response to their KSU email of acceptance or denial upon review.
• Upon notification of acceptance to the major (by email), students must complete the application requirements by notifying the Program Director of his/her acceptance and attending the required major orientation.
• If denied acceptance to the major, students are encouraged to meet with the Program Director, if desired, to review the reason for denial and develop a plan in order to be eligible to reapply to the major. 

Graduation Requirements

Each student is expected to meet the Academic Policies Graduation Policies and Procedures  outlined in the Academic Policies section of the Catalog.

Double Owl Pathway

This program offers a Double Owl Pathway. The Double Owl Pathway is an advising pathway for high-potential KSU undergraduate students who want to accelerate the attainment of a Master’s degree at KSU. For pathway options and to learn if you qualify, visit https://doubleowl.kennesaw.edu

Program of Study