Human Services
Therese Madden, Ed.D.
Program Chair
(650) 508-3601
tmadden@ndnu.edu
Students drawn to a degree in Human Services recognize the importance of people-working with them, serving them, and meeting their needs in business, nonprofit, and government work. Our students come from a variety of different backgrounds and seek an undergraduate degree that builds upon their past experience to prepare them for future careers in a variety of changing fields, including business, government, counseling and social work, health care, gerontology, community advocacy, law enforcement, and employee relations.
Human Services providers look to demographic and public policy trends and see emerging challenges and opportunities for those committed to helping others. Students learn about providing needed services in various fields and also learn to see themselves as leaders who address prevention and educational awareness of social issues and concerns. This understanding and leadership skills make Human Services graduates valuable contributors in non- profit organizations, government agencies, and corporations, where the broad needs of talented people inspire appropriate investment in human capital.
The undergraduate Human Services degree offers special articulated programs with Graduate Psychology and the Graduate MPA and MBA programs. Articulated programs allow students in their last semester of undergraduate work to study for a Master’s while completing their Bachelor’s degree. Undergraduate students in articulated programs are allowed to enroll in six units of selected graduate classes that fulfill both undergraduate major requirements while also counting toward the Master’s.
NDNU’s Accelerated Human Services Degree
Most Human Services classes are offered in a one-night-a-week, seven-week format, allowing students to complete their upper-division classes at an accelerated pace. Students may transfer a maximum of 78 lower-division units from a variety of sources, including, but not limited to, community colleges, universities, advanced placement credit, police academy, and military duty. These lower-division units can fulfill NDNU’s General Education requirements and major prerequisites, or be transferred in as electives.
NDNU accepts unlimited upper-division units from work previously completed at other colleges and universities. These upper-division units can fulfill General Education requirements and major requirements or be transferred in as electives. NDNU has a residency requirement of 30 units.
Jump to:
- Learning Outcomes
- Bachelor of Science in Human Services
- Areas of Concentration
- Minor in Human Services
- Course Descriptions
Learning Outcomes
Through their studies in Human Services at NDNU:
- Students will acquire and demonstrate analytical and problem solving skills throughout their courses within the Human Services curriculum, but most specifically in the Financial Management and Social Research courses.
- Students will learn to describe, discuss and analyze current events in American business with attention to the global, social and ethical dimensions of events in their courses within the Human Services curriculum; but most specifically in courses such as Human Services, Managing Cultural Diversity, Professional Ethics and Social Responsibility, and Conflict Management.
- Students will acquire the communication, research and technological skills needed to analyze a business situation or a social research situation (problem and/or opportunity), and prepare and present a management report in, for example, the Social Research and Communication skills course.
- Students will engage in at least one service learning experience (i.e. Senior Seminar) to demonstrate relevancy of foundational and theoretical knowledge of their academic major and to gain career related experiences, as well as affording them an opportunity to engage in community outreach.
- Students will develop critical thinking abilities and a foundation of ethical principles that allows them to work effectively, respectfully, ethically and professionally with people of diverse ethnic, cultural, gender and other backgrounds, in such courses as Professional Ethics and Social Responsibility.
Bachelor of Science in Human Services
In addition to major requirements, students must meet Core Curriculum Requirements and General Degree Requirements.
| Prerequisites | Units |
| PSY1001 Introduction to Psychology* | 3 |
| SOC1001 Introduction to Sociology* | 3 |
*Credit may be earned from accredited colleges or through CLEP tests. In community colleges, these courses are often titled General Psychology and General Sociology.
| Total Prerequisites | 6 |
| Major Requirements | Units |
| BUS2010 Professional Ethics and Social Responsibility | 3 |
| HSP2201 Community Leadership Practicum* | 0.5 |
| HSP2203 Communication Skills | 3 |
| One of the following Upper-Division writing courses: | 3 |
| ENG2108 Advanced Writing | |
| HSP2206 Professional Writing | |
| HSP2233 Grant Writing*** | |
| HSP2209 Human Services | 3 |
| HSP2212 Financial Management | 3 |
| HSP2218 Social Research Methods | 3 |
| HSP2221 Human Services Senior Seminar | 3 |
| HSP2224 Professional Development** | 0.5 |
| *Taken at beginning of Major Study | |
| **Taken at the end of Major Study |
***HSP2233 may be applied to either the Human Services major or to the Counseling Concentration, but not both.
| Concentration Requirements | 9 |
| Total Major Requirements | 31 |
| Other Degree Requirements* and General Electives | 87 |
*Other degree requirements include Core Curriculum Requirements and General Degree Requirements (e.g. U.S. History).
| Total Unit Requirement | 124 |
Note: A total of 124 semester units is required for the bachelor's degree. These must include a minimum of 46 units in upper-division courses. Students may transfer in up to 78 lower-division units.
Areas of Concentration
Students will select one specialized area of courses as their concentration. Additional concentrations can be obtained by completing nine (9) discrete upper-division units of electives from courses in the major. Concentration(s) available for selection are:
Human Services Administration Units
Three courses chosen from the following: 9
BUS2000 Management Principles and Organizational Behavior
BUS2016 Change and Conflict Management: Theory and Practice (CDiv)
BUS2040 Women in Management (CDiv)
BUS2300 Marketing Principles
HSP2227 Marketing for Nonprofit Organizations
HSP2230 Personal Financial Planning
HSP2239 Human Relations in Organizations
HSP2248 Managing Cultural Diversity (CDiv)
HSP2251 Managing Employee Assistance Programs
HSP2254 Stress in the Workplace
HSP2257 Women's Health Issues
HSP2290 Internship (3-6)
Human Services Counseling Units
Three courses chosen from the following: 9
HSP2230 Personal Financial Planning
HSP2233 Grant Writing***
HSP2242 Human Services Counseling Skills
HSP2248 Managing Cultural Diversity (CDiv)
HSP2251 Managing Employee Assistance Programs
HSP2254 Stress in the Workplace
HSP2257 Women's Health Issues
HSP2290 Internship (3-6)
PSY2101 Personality Theory
PSY2141 Developmental Psychology
PSY2157 Abnormal Psychology
***HSP2233 may be applied to either the Human Services major or to the Counseling Concentration, but not both.
Human Services Gerontology Units
Three courses chosen from the following: 9
HSP2242 Human Services Counseling Skills
HSP2248 Managing Cultural Diversity (CDiv)
HSP2257 Women's Health Issues
HSP2260 Introduction to Gerontology
HSP2263 Development across the Lifespan
HSP2283 Gerontology Practicum
Minor in Human Services
Only students admitted to an Accelerated Evening Degree Program may minor in Human Services. Courses for the minor must be approved by the Program Director.
Minor Requirements Units
HSP2209 Human Services, 3
HSP2218 Social Research Methods 3
Plus two courses from the following: 6
HSP2227 Marketing for Nonprofit Organizations
HSP2230 Personal Financial Planning
HSP2233 Grant Writing
HSP2239 Human Relations in Organizations
HSP2242 Human Services Counseling Skills
HSP2248 Managing Cultural Diversity (CDiv)
HSP2251 Managing Employee Assistance Programs
HSP2254 Stress in the Workplace
HSP2257 Women's Health Issues
HSP2260 Introduction to Gerontology
HSP2263 Development across the Lifespan
HSP2283 Gerontology Practicum
HSP2290 Internship (3-6)
Total Minor Requirements 12
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