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Earn Your Master's Degree In Human Support Services

Earning a human services master’s degree will prepare you to serve clients in a variety of public outreach organizations. When you’ve graduated, you will work with social workers, doctors, detectives, and any number of other specialists who help people who are facing major challenges.

Education

You can choose from a variety of human services master’s degree programs; busy business professionals may choose to study online if on-campus life would interfere too greatly with their work and family commitments. There are, however, traditional campus-based classes that you can take as well.

Master’s degree programs in this field will often focus on areas related to management or director positions. During your studies, you will develop a deeper understanding of human psychology. Key areas will include ethics and legal issues in human services, clinical case formulation, assessment and intervention techniques, group processes and facilitation, diversity issues, and applied behavioral analysis.

Over the course of your degree program you will develop the necessary skill set to assess clients and provide appropriate intervention of other services. The following are among them:

• Grant Writing Skills
• Oral Communication Skills
• Research Skills
• Ability to Recognize Patterns and Trends
• Planning and Organizational Skills
• Counseling Skills
• Working Knowledge of Substance Abuse
• Creating Concise Essays and Reports
• Understanding of Human Services Administration
• Management Skills
• Understanding of Child Development

Because license requirements vary from state to state, you should verify any necessary policies with your local government or the state in which you’d like to practice. You may need to pass a proficiency exam, including tests on general procedures as well as situational essays or role playing exercises.

Job

With a master’s in human services, your career options are diverse; you may choose to work in a group home, an adult daycare facility, elderly care centers, group homes, or substance abuse treatment centers.

Some of the potential careers in this field include:

• Administrator
• Case Manager
• Child Welfare Worker
• Adult Services Worker
• Elderly Services Provider
• Corrections Worker
• Substance Abuse Worker