Human Services is comprised of those fields involved in the prevention and remediation of social and personal problems of a diverse clientele. Human service professionals perform in a wide range of occupations and in a variety of settings including community health centers, community mental health centers, group homes and halfway houses, nursing homes and substance rehabilitation centers. They help individuals, families, or groups cope with problems such as homelessness, inadequate housing, serious illness, disabilities, unemployment, lack of job skills, financial mismanagement, unwanted pregnancy, or family disruptions.
The demand for skilled human service workers is expected to increase as the population ages, as mandated alternatives to costly hospitalization increase and as the concern for the developmentally challenged also increases. State and local governments, as well as national, state and local organizations and agencies, continue to be major employers. The Human Services/Pre-Social Work option provides students with an interdisciplinary knowledge base that includes theories of individual, group and societal development. These theories are applied toward the examination of social work practice, development and implementation of social welfare programs, public policy development and evaluation of intervention strategies. This associate degree option serves to meet the prerequisites of Bachelor’s of Social Work programs in New Jersey. While the program is designed for transfer, it is anticipated that students completing the degree will possess the requisite knowledge and skills for employment in a human services agency.
Students enrolled in Associate of Science degree programs who intend to transfer to four-year colleges or universities are strongly advised to discuss course selection with the Program Coordinator to facilitate full transfer of credits completed toward the degree.
Graduates are able to:
- communicate effectively in a variety of formats
- analyze social science data related to human services
- synthesize and apply interdisciplinary theories of individual, group and societal development
- identify and compare one’s own culture with that of other people
- analyze the impact of one’s own culture in working with people of diverse backgrounds
- evaluate and apply the social work code of ethics to complex social problems and interpersonal relationships
Raritan Valley Community College Associate of Arts (AA) and Associate of Science (AS) degree programs are designed to comply with the New Jersey Community Colleges General Education Foundation which supports transfer of courses to NJ Public four-year colleges and universities. Students who intend to transfer to a NJ college or university can further improve the transfer of courses by using the Recommended Transfer Program (RTP) feature in NJTransfer.org.
NOTE: Students considering transfer to Rutgers University should choose a Global & Cultural Awareness (GCA) General Education course not replicated elsewhere in their curriculum. Students who have already fulfilled the GCA requirement for their Associates of Arts (AA) degree should select an additional Social Sciences or Humanities General Education course.
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