Do you feel strongly about helping people reach their full potential? Do your friends tend to seek you out for help with their problems? Could you see yourself making a difference in a person’s life? If so, then our Human Services program may be the path for you!
With two career paths from which to choose, we will prepare you to work in a community-based social service agency or help you develop specialized skills in drug and alcohol services to support individuals suffering from addiction.
View program requirements here!
With an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree, you will be prepared to enter the field as a human service professional. You may find entry-level employment in a number of social and human service fields, such as:
Often, students with the following skills find themselves drawn to this type of career.
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Our program prepares you to work directly with clients. Upon entering the program, you can select from one of two tracks: general human services or drug and alcohol services.
You will be required to enroll in an introductory to human services course, which will provide you with an overview of all the career opportunities available within the human services field. This will help you choose the track you wish to enter as well as help you decide whether to further your education and pursue a bachelor’s degree upon completing our program.
General Human Services
This track promotes a well-rounded perspective that ensures you obtain the knowledge and skills necessary to function in most human service settings. You will:
Drug and Alcohol Services
This track builds upon the generalized perspective by focusing on a specific client group and teaching specialized skills. You will:
Also, prior to enrolling into the HUMS 215 - Field Work Practicum course, you must complete a Pennsylvania child abuse history clearance, an FBI criminal background check and a state police criminal record check.
The Council for Standards in Human Service Education accredits the general human services track.
For the specific requirements and Student Handbook please visit the Health Careers Human Services webpage.
Yes! Although our Human Services program is designed to lead directly to employment, transfer opportunities are available for you to continue your education. Our programs are designed to be flexible enough to transfer to a wide variety of four-year colleges and universities with no loss of credit. However, each individual college has its own unique program. We encourage you to select a four-year school as soon as possible. This will allow you to learn the transfer college’s program requirements so that you can take the proper classes at HACC.
Our various transfer options include:
| Elizabethtown College -Degree Completion Program: | Human Services into Human Services Behavioral and Addictions Counseling (pdf) |
| Elizabethtown College -Degree Completion Program: | Human Services into Human Services (pdf) |
| Penn State Harrisburg: | Human Development & Family Studies (pdf) |
| Slippery Rock University of PA: | Social Work (pdf) |
We offer the entire program at our Harrisburg, Lancaster and York campuses. The General Human Services track can be completed at the and Lebanon campus. You may also complete this track at the Gettysburg Campus by taking some courses through Virtual Learning. The Drug and Alcohol Services track can be completed at the Gettysburg and Lebanon campuses by taking some courses through Virtual Learning.
Yes! Thanks to the HACC Foundation, scholarships are available. . Please visit hacc.edu/scholarships for more details.
You can apply for our spring, summer and fall classes anytime by visiting our website. When you submit your application, please include the unique program code 5556. By including this code with your application, you can make sure you apply for the correct program.
Helpfully YOURS, we are ready to guide you through your next steps. To request more information, please contact an admissions counselor or the health and public service department chair Mark Nelson.
“Engaging with my students and watching them expand their knowledge, skills and abilities in human services while growing personally is what continually fuels my passion for teaching human services.” - Karen Polite, DSW, professor of human services