The human services profession provides services to those in the community in need of assistance. Individuals in this field work to enhance the quality of life for all, especially the marginalized, vulnerable, and overlooked.
Human Services Leadership and Policy Studies
WHY STUDY HUMAN SERVICES LEADERSHIP AND POLICY STUDIES AT CHC?
At Chestnut Hill College, students learn human services through a practical lens that examines the role of individuals in the profession. Featuring highly qualified and dedicated faculty, the Human Services program at CHC is supported through a liberal arts education that provides students with a solid foundation for graduate studies or a leadership position in an ever-changing world.
Our program is ever evolving to confront the challenges of producing a career ready graduate. Through active, reflective, and research-based learning, the coursework in our program empowers and encourages students to make connections between theory and practice, and best prepares them for a dynamic and fulfilling career. The diversity of people, perspectives, and cultures at the College and in the workplace is valued and explored with particular emphasis and appreciation for vulnerable populations. All courses are designed to make students think critically and creatively about each person’s potential to contribute to a more just and humane future.
Human service workers do many things. They work in agencies and organizations dedicated to providing help for others. They are found in schools, social service agencies, mental health centers, courts, crisis counseling centers, residential treatment facilities, and hospitals, just to name a few. In these settings, they provide a broad range of services to individuals, families, groups, and communities including advocacy, case management, and networking.
A degree in human services from CHC provides the following:
- Preparation for a leadership position in a residential or community-based agency that provides human services to children-at-risk, including those in foster care, children and adults with disabilities, elders, people with mental illnesses or substance abuse problems and other vulnerable populations
- Preparation for graduate study in human services, social work, counseling, education, law and many other fields
- Preparation for leadership / management roles in agencies that serve the underserved members of society
- Preparation for careers that involve working with culturally diverse populations in a variety of social service settings
Human service professionals perform a variety of roles. These include:
- Counselor (LCSW or MSW)
- Broker for community resources, i.e.: foster/adoptive services, re-entry support, child life specialists
- Teacher / Advocate for daily living skills
- Advocate for the vulnerable, i.e.: the elderly, the very young, the differently abled
- Mediator between clients and agencies, i.e.: DHHS,
- Primary caregiver to children or adults with disabilities
- Lobbyist / Public Health Administrator
Internships:
Experiential learning is a vital component of the human services curriculum at Chestnut Hill College. With support from the Center, students are mentored by a professional internship director to identify a placement, apply for an internship, and work on-site completing tasks consistent with that position. Additional professional preparation support is provided through a corresponding class (HSVC 403) that students are required to take, which teaches them about navigating “life after college,” from initial salary/raise negotiations to personal financial awareness and management, to organizational structure and leadership.
Fieldwork placement locations include:
- Campaign for Working Families
- Office of Corporate Social Responsibility
- Dignity Housing
- Temple University’s Time Out Program
- Grand Central Inc
- Greater Philadelphia Federation of Settlements
- Women’s Center
- Global Education Motivators
- Youth Build Philadelphia
Students who qualify with a 3.25 GPA, who are of junior or senior status and who rank in the top 35% of their graduating class, may be invited to join Tau Upsilon Alpha, the National Honor Society for Human Services.
CHC is a member of the Council for Standards in Human Services Education (CSHSE), the only national organization providing standards for human services education.
The combined BS in Human Services Leadership and Policy Studies/MS in Human Services Management provides an excellent opportunity for qualified Human Services Leadership and Policy Studies majors in the School of Undergraduate Studies to complete the MS degree in Human Services Management in the School of Graduate Studies. Students majoring in Human Services Leadership and Policy Studies are eligible to apply to the program once they have achieved Senior status. Transfer students must take a minimum of 15 credits at Chestnut Hill College and earn a Career 3.20 GPA in these courses before making application to the program. Each student will be expected to meet the admissions requirements of the School of Graduate Studies and be provisionally accepted into the program before registering for any graduate courses. Formal acceptance will be granted upon receipt of a transcript verifying successful completion of the undergraduate degree program. For more information, please contact Lauren Barrow (barrowl@chc.edu).
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Lauren M. Barrow, Ph.D.
Chair, Center for Education, Advocacy & Social Justice Associate Professor of Criminal Justice
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Nancy DeCesare, IHM, Ph.D.
Professor of Human Services
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Ryan Murphy, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Sociology