Online Master’s Degree in Human Services

The human services department is a large part of the success of a company or organization, that places specialized focus on public health, social work, medical administration, psychology, and counseling. As a specialist in this field, a human services worker’s primary tasks are to improve the overall health and functionality of an organization’s constituents. With a Master’s Degree in Human Services, graduates of this degree will be able to find employment in nearly any location that they desire, while receiving a significantly higher salary than those without such an accredited degree.

Online Master’s Degrees in Human Services Requirements

Individuals going into the human services field need to be compassionate and understanding of various situations facing certain afflicted persons. Human service specialists are skilled in using problem solving skills to positively affect individuals.

Here is a partial list of the most commonly completed undergraduate programs leading to enrollment in an online master degree program in human services:

• Human Services Administration
• Psychology
• Emergency Management
• Sociology
• Healthcare Administration

Many individuals interested in pursuing online masters degrees in human services are coming from careers in the medical or mental health fields. But enrollment is not necessarily dependent on meeting those exact qualifications.

Online Human Services Master’s Degree Education

Good online master’s degree programs in human services typically take between 2 to 3 years to complete. The types of human services degrees offered by the best human services master’s programs online include:

• Master of Science in Human Services (MS in Human Services)
• Master of Arts in Human Services (MA in Human Services)

Information on Human Services Courses

The coursework in this program is designed to familiarize the student with a broad range of health and medical knowledge, management techniques, and other topics related to improving the life and lifestyle of your constituency. The following is a list of courses students of human services masters degrees might expect to take in an online program:

• Administration – In this course, students will learn the basics about administration, along with techniques and methods, and how they relate to the human services field.
• Conflict Resolution – This course teaches students how to take care of problems before they escalate, along with studies on advanced methods for initiating conflict resolution.
• Human Resource Management – This online course provides a study on what it takes to oversee a human resources department in a variety of different organizations.
• Organization Development and Training – This course will show students the top methods for integrating new training programs into an organization.
• Social and Psychological Services – This course covers what you need to know about servicing individuals in the mental health and social services fields. Proper operating procedure and situational assessment is covered as well.

Specializations and Concentrations

Because human services is a broad field, in order to become an expert in a specific niche, some online master’s human services students will pursue specialties or concentrations in areas including:

• Human Service Program Administration
• Clinical Counseling within Organizational Settings
• Alcohol and Drug Counseling
• Social and Community Services
• Public Safety and Leadership

Careers in Human Services

The career options stemming from a master degree in human services may seem somewhat limited, but the field plays host to a large number of jobs. Aside from the financial rewards of this field, many people interested in a human services-related job can obtain the following career titles:

• Human Resources Manager – Human resources managers are responsible for overseeing the operations of a human resources department. The decisions these professionals make on a daily basis affect other people’s lives in numerous ways. Their salary is $70,000 annually, and moderate increase in job growth is predicted in this career field.
• Community Counselor – As a community counselor, the health and well being of all individuals that are deemed part of your community is a top priority. Salaries for these professionals are $48,000 annually, and significant job growth and demand will transpire in this career field over the next decade or so.
• School District Administrator – These administrators ensure that proper educational, mental health, and physical health requirements are being met by the school district and all of its employees. Their salary is about $100,000 annually, and little to no job growth is reported in this field.
• Substance Abuse Therapist – Substance abuse therapists assist individuals in receiving the proper treatment and therapy needed. They earn a salary of about $38,000 annually, and a 5 to 8% projected job growth is expected over the next 7 years.
• Child Protective Services Director – These professionals assume a directorial position within an organization dedicated to the health and well being of the children in a designated region. Their salary is about $45,000 annually, and no significant growth projected for this career field.

As a highly skilled and qualified human services specialist, graduates of online masters in human services will possess the tools and means to help a large number of people on a day to day basis.