Online Bachelor's Degree in Human Services - Best of 2024

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Human services is almost more of a calling than a job. Those who choose this path care about the less fortunate or those who simply need help. Human services workers help all sorts of people to find resources including but not limited to housing, jobs, childcare, and mental healthcare or mental health counselors. By earning a traditional or online human services degree, you can achieve much in the field. You might work in a supervisory capacity in case management or take on more challenging cases in family services. You might also receive more pay and be eligible for opportunities that you might not otherwise have if you did not complete a bachelor's in human services degree program.

A human services bachelor's degree is a great way to start a career in social work or as a human services professional. Depending on your transcript and your state's regulations, you might be eligible for a state license or certificate focused on human services occupations. You will also be able to apply for a wide range of graduate degrees focused on mental health, human behavior, community service, social sciences, human services administration, and more.

Compare Popular Online Human Services Programs

PROS

An online bachelor's in human services has much to offer. When you compare a bachelor's degree with an associate degree, for instance, you'll soon see that a baccalaureate opens up far more opportunities, better pay, and a more satisfactory career for the long-term. Depending on your state, you might qualify for a state license or certification, and you might even find that this degree prepares students for independent, professional certifications within the human services field that they can pursue online.

An online or traditional bachelor's degree is also worthwhile because you'll be able to pursue a graduate degree whenever you choose. Your undergraduate degree will offer lots of food for thought regarding your next academic step. Human services professionals might decide to pursue a Master of Social Work, a MA in Public Health, mental health, substance abuse, or a public policy degree, among many options. You can only work as a full counselor with a master's degree, though a substance abuse counselor can often get started with a bachelor's.

CONS

While a bachelor's in human services has much to recommend it, there are also drawbacks to consider. One of the biggest drawbacks is the expense, even for those who attend online. That is, an education is an investment in your future that may or may not pay off. Many undergraduate diploma holders find that they are deep in debt for many years. For now, at least, there are federal student loan forgiveness programs that may help you pay off your debt if you work for the government or a non-profit organization. This plan is not guaranteed to stick around, as it is subject to political forces. There's also no guarantee that you'll be able to land the job you want or that you'll even still have an interest in human services once you study it for four years.

Though your bachelor's degree program should open many doors, you will also find that you are still somewhat limited. After a certain point in your career, you might find that you desire more growth and responsibility but have hit a ceiling. To break through to the next level you may need to return to school for a master's degree, especially if you wish to step out of community service or other lower-paying human services careers and into mental health counseling or something similar.

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Top 25 Best Online Bachelors in Human Services Programs

Brigham Young University

Score: 82.33

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $6,496
- Out-of-State: $6,496
Net Price: $13,521
Acceptance Rate: 67%
Retention Rate: 90%

Graduation Rate: 79%
Total Enrollment: 34,464
Undergrad Students: 31,411
Graduate Students: 3,053
Grads Salary: $83,000
Student-to-faculty: 21:1

University of Massachusetts-Amherst

Score: 79.48

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $17,357
- Out-of-State: $39,293
Net Price: $22,291
Acceptance Rate: 64%
Retention Rate: 90%

Graduation Rate: 83%
Total Enrollment: 32,229
Undergrad Students: 24,391
Graduate Students: 7,838
Grads Salary: $82,000
Student-to-faculty: 18:1

LeTourneau University

Score: 75.03

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $35,500
- Out-of-State: $35,500
Net Price: $26,974
Acceptance Rate: 49%
Retention Rate: 77%

Graduation Rate: 67%
Total Enrollment: 3,536
Undergrad Students: 3,350
Graduate Students: 186
Grads Salary: $87,000
Student-to-faculty: 13:1

University of Arizona

Score: 74.38

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $13,626
- Out-of-State: $41,095
Net Price: $17,075
Acceptance Rate: 87%
Retention Rate: 86%

Graduation Rate: 68%
Total Enrollment: 49,403
Undergrad Students: 38,751
Graduate Students: 10,652
Grads Salary: $80,000
Student-to-faculty: 17:1

Mercer University

Score: 74.17

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $40,890
- Out-of-State: $40,890
Net Price: $22,087
Acceptance Rate: 75%
Retention Rate: 86%

Graduation Rate: 74%
Total Enrollment: 8,889
Undergrad Students: 4,859
Graduate Students: 4,030
Grads Salary: $77,000
Student-to-faculty: 13:1

University of South Carolina-Columbia

Score: 73.47

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $12,688
- Out-of-State: $34,934
Net Price: $22,427
Acceptance Rate: 64%
Retention Rate: 90%

Graduation Rate: 78%
Total Enrollment: 35,653
Undergrad Students: 27,343
Graduate Students: 8,310
Grads Salary: $71,000
Student-to-faculty: 18:1

Colorado State University-Fort Collins

Score: 72.57

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $12,896
- Out-of-State: $33,751
Net Price: $16,926
Acceptance Rate: 91%
Retention Rate: 86%

Graduation Rate: 67%
Total Enrollment: 33,403
Undergrad Students: 25,777
Graduate Students: 7,626
Grads Salary: $77,000
Student-to-faculty: 17:1

St. Joseph's University-New York

Score: 71.8

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $34,535
- Out-of-State: $34,535
Net Price: $18,001
Acceptance Rate: 77%
Retention Rate: 82%

Graduation Rate: 69%
Total Enrollment: 4,348
Undergrad Students: 3,556
Graduate Students: 792
Grads Salary: $71,000
Student-to-faculty: 12:1

University of Cincinnati

Score: 71.56

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $13,570
- Out-of-State: $30,582
Net Price: $20,149
Acceptance Rate: 86%
Retention Rate: 86%

Graduation Rate: 72%
Total Enrollment: 41,155
Undergrad Students: 29,663
Graduate Students: 11,492
Grads Salary: $74,000
Student-to-faculty: 18:1

Southern Wesleyan University

Score: 71.18

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $27,870
- Out-of-State: $27,870
Net Price: $17,639
Acceptance Rate: 51%
Retention Rate: 67%

Graduation Rate: 60%
Total Enrollment: 1,175
Undergrad Students: 896
Graduate Students: 279
Grads Salary: $74,000
Student-to-faculty: 12:1

Monroe College

Score: 71.09

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $17,922
- Out-of-State: $17,922
Net Price: $9,157
Acceptance Rate: 60%
Retention Rate: 70%

Graduation Rate: 56%
Total Enrollment: 7,011
Undergrad Students: 5,916
Graduate Students: 1,095
Grads Salary: $69,000
Student-to-faculty: 16:1

Maryville University of Saint Louis

Score: 70.23

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $27,166
- Out-of-State: $27,166
Net Price: $26,757
Acceptance Rate: 88%
Retention Rate: 83%

Graduation Rate: 67%
Total Enrollment: 9,959
Undergrad Students: 5,809
Graduate Students: 4,150
Grads Salary: $82,000
Student-to-faculty: 13:1

Indiana Wesleyan University

Score: 69.44

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $31,168
- Out-of-State: $31,168
Net Price: $21,755
Acceptance Rate: 87%
Retention Rate: 78%

Graduation Rate: 67%
Total Enrollment: 2,603
Undergrad Students: 2,236
Graduate Students: 367
Grads Salary: $75,000
Student-to-faculty: 13:1

Murray State University

Score: 69.35

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $9,708
- Out-of-State: $19,452
Net Price: $11,042
Acceptance Rate: 84%
Retention Rate: 77%

Graduation Rate: 58%
Total Enrollment: 9,479
Undergrad Students: 7,679
Graduate Students: 1,800
Grads Salary: $69,000
Student-to-faculty: 16:1

Western Washington University

Score: 69.11

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $9,286
- Out-of-State: $27,853
Net Price: $21,105
Acceptance Rate: 93%
Retention Rate: 77%

Graduation Rate: 65%
Total Enrollment: 14,747
Undergrad Students: 13,801
Graduate Students: 946
Grads Salary: $78,000
Student-to-faculty: 17:1

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Score: 69.06

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $8,832
- Out-of-State: $21,864
Net Price: $16,834
Acceptance Rate: 87%
Retention Rate: 82%

Graduation Rate: 64%
Total Enrollment: 21,639
Undergrad Students: 13,032
Graduate Students: 8,607
Grads Salary: $71,000
Student-to-faculty: 18:1

Elizabethtown College

Score: 68.97

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $36,842
- Out-of-State: $36,842
Net Price: $26,723
Acceptance Rate: 81%
Retention Rate: 85%

Graduation Rate: 76%
Total Enrollment: 2,021
Undergrad Students: 1,737
Graduate Students: 284
Grads Salary: $70,000
Student-to-faculty: 13:1

Rivier University

Score: 68.93

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $37,791
- Out-of-State: $37,791
Net Price: $28,983
Acceptance Rate: 84%
Retention Rate: 76%

Graduation Rate: 58%
Total Enrollment: 2,551
Undergrad Students: 1,340
Graduate Students: 1,211
Grads Salary: $90,000
Student-to-faculty: 15:1

Penn State World Campus

Score: 68.54

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $15,204
- Out-of-State: $15,204
Net Price: $19,551
Acceptance Rate: 82%
Retention Rate: 75%

Graduation Rate: 36%
Total Enrollment: 13,979
Undergrad Students: 8,210
Graduate Students: 5,769
Grads Salary: $94,000
Student-to-faculty: 16:1

Ohio University

Score: 68.15

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $13,746
- Out-of-State: $24,114
Net Price: $20,207
Acceptance Rate: 87%
Retention Rate: 79%

Graduation Rate: 65%
Total Enrollment: 24,145
Undergrad Students: 18,113
Graduate Students: 6,032
Grads Salary: $73,000
Student-to-faculty: 18:1

Central Washington University

Score: 66.86

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $9,192
- Out-of-State: $26,771
Net Price: $15,864
Acceptance Rate: 93%
Retention Rate: 68%

Graduation Rate: 52%
Total Enrollment: 9,257
Undergrad Students: 8,743
Graduate Students: 514
Grads Salary: $77,000
Student-to-faculty: 14:1

University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

Score: 66.81

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $8,212
- Out-of-State: $16,125
Net Price: $12,827
Acceptance Rate: 89%
Retention Rate: 68%

Graduation Rate: 58%
Total Enrollment: 13,705
Undergrad Students: 12,627
Graduate Students: 1,078
Grads Salary: $70,000
Student-to-faculty: 20:1

Nova Southeastern University

Score: 66.44

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $37,080
- Out-of-State: $37,080
Net Price: $29,589
Acceptance Rate: 76%
Retention Rate: 78%

Graduation Rate: 62%
Total Enrollment: 20,948
Undergrad Students: 6,971
Graduate Students: 13,977
Grads Salary: $80,000
Student-to-faculty: 17:1

East Tennessee State University

Score: 66.15

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $9,950
- Out-of-State: $13,790
Net Price: $14,350
Acceptance Rate: 85%
Retention Rate: 72%

Graduation Rate: 55%
Total Enrollment: 13,483
Undergrad Students: 10,554
Graduate Students: 2,929
Grads Salary: $69,000
Student-to-faculty: 16:1

Dominican University

Score: 66.09

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $37,844
- Out-of-State: $37,844
Net Price: $18,162
Acceptance Rate: 90%
Retention Rate: 75%

Graduation Rate: 59%
Total Enrollment: 3,196
Undergrad Students: 2,136
Graduate Students: 1,060
Grads Salary: $69,000
Student-to-faculty: 11:1

Associate vs. Bachelor's

A human services degree is such a wide-ranging and interdisciplinary degree that you will have many paths available to you, both in and out of school. Your human services bachelor's degree, whether completed online, on-campus, or in a hybrid program (with online and in-person courses), might include courses that offer an introduction to human services and span psychology, clinical psychology and mental health, substance abuse, sociology and social sciences, law, social work, and public policy. A human services program is quite broad when it comes down to it.

Thus, human services professionals who have finished their degree might consider a career in government agencies, a hospital, non-profit organizations, child and family services, social services agencies, community services or other human service agencies, or a drug rehabilitation facility - as correctional treatment specialists, community service managers, social workers, human services leadership roles, mental health professionals, a human service assistant, or in other human services occupations. Many human services degrees include the opportunity to study addictions counseling if that is an interest of yours. Those with this major also find human services careers as probation officers, social workers, mental health counselors, and in community outreach. With a human services degree, you can truly follow your heart.

What Human Services Bachelor’s Degrees are Available?

Bachelor of Arts in Human Services:
A BA in Human Services is a degree that will generally imply that you have studied the field with more of a humanities approach. Your courses might have avoided more analytical aspects of the field such as statistics. Your BA should prepare you for graduate school in the specialty of your choosing.
Bachelor of Science in Human Services:
Typically, a BS degree focuses more on analytical subjects from the STEM fields. In the case of human services, this degree type might include an emphasis on statistical analysis and research.
Bachelor of Applied Arts in Human Services:
An applied degree is a sort of bachelor's degree that tends to focus more on occupational information rather than academic, peer-reviewed studies. Sometimes these degrees are not great ways to prepare for further studies. However, if you think you might want a graduate degree, discuss this issue with your academic adviser.
Bachelor of Applied Sciences in Human Services:
A BAS degree is one that will provide loads of information that you can apply to your first job and that will be great for practical use. Since this is a science degree, you will probably focus on hard data. However, the content you study might not satisfy those in academia. Thus, if you intend to pursue a graduate degree, ask your academic adviser about how well your credits will transfer. In fact, some BAS programs are partnered with graduate programs that will facilitate your transition.

Admission Requirements

Admissions standards for online and traditional bachelor's in human services programs vary widely. However, you should have either a high school or an associate degree diploma, preferably in human services, letters of recommendation, and good scores on a standardized test, such as the SAT or ACT. Sometimes, students need to apply to the human services department after they complete the first two years of undergraduate work. As a rule of thumb, count on needing a minimum GPA of 2.5 and SAT scores around 900 to gain admission, but some programs are far more competitive.

How long does it take to earn a Human Services Bachelor's?

Most bachelor's degree programs are created with a four-year timeline in mind. However, some will actually take a bit longer, and even full-time students will need to take an extra semester to meet certain requirements. Some schools also have fast-track online or hybrid programs that will help you graduate in under four years.

As for national averages, it seems that six years is a new standard for undergraduate degrees. However, you should strive to complete your degree in a timely fashion. The longer you remain in school, the more it is likely to cost and the longer you will put off your career. Even part-time online students tend to spend more money for their degrees than students who complete their degree in a timely manner. Make some sacrifices today so that you can have a better future for yourself and your family.

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Potential Careers in Human Services with a Bachelor’s

Addiction Counselor
Depending on your state’s regulations, you can possibly do this job with only an associate degree. However, you bachelor’s degree will open up far more opportunities. In this job, you will work with addicts and alcoholics to help them recover and begin to live a happy, productive life.
Addiction counselors earn an average salary of $40,000.
Case Manager
This profession is found in many different settings. You could work for the state and oversee children in foster care or perhaps with elderly, mentally ill people. You’ll need top notch administrative skills to stay up to date with the people in your caseload, but your degree should help you manage that.
Case managers earn an average yearly salary of $41,400.
Rehabilitation Counselor
People in this profession work with people who suffer from mental or physical disabilities but who are striving to recover. You will likely work with particular populations so that you can specialize in the issues they face.
The annual salary for this profession is $45,700.
Community Outreach Coordinator
Professionals in this occupation serve as the face of an organization. That is, if you take this job you will be listed as a primary contact person on press releases and you will be at the forefront of fundraising or other outreach to the community. Additionally, if your organization needs to partner with another institution, you will probably spearhead those efforts, too.
Community outreach coordinators earn an annual salary of $42,200.
Juvenile Probation Officer
This vital occupation works with children and adolescents who have run afoul of the law. You will work with your caseload to help them turn their lives around and become healthy, happy members of society. Part of your job will likely involve collecting samples for drug testing and coordinating with schools and parents to provide a cohesive support for your caseload.
Professionals in this occupation earn an annual salary of $40,600.

Human Services Educational Options to Advance

After you graduate and commence your professional life, you will soon start thinking about advancing. To get ahead, you first will want to excel in your job. Experience and tenure will count, but so will stellar performance reviews. However, you may need to augment your hard work with advanced credentials and educational, like pursuing a master's in human services.

Since you have a bachelor’s degree, you can first consider returning to school. You might consider a graduate degree, but you can also look at graduate and undergraduate certificates. For instance, a few management courses might help you move into a supervisory position, or an additional counseling certificate could help you work with a different population. Further, if those credits are from accredited programs, you will be able to apply that work to future degrees, if you choose.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there online options for a bachelor’s degree in human services?

Yes. A simple search will return with multiple options for places where you can earn an online degree in human services from all across the country: Ohio, New Hampshire, California, and even online only colleges and universities. Unlike many degrees, there are few, if any, in-person requirements for this type of major. Instead, you’ll learn about assessments, case management, and relationship building through case studies, technique training, and group projects that can be completed in a virtual format.

What is the focus of human services?

Human services is an umbrella term that covers several possible focus options. These include education, employment training, health, housing, income transfer, and personal social services. The goal of these services is to help people cope or function in society. They may help people deal with issues they themselves have, such as mental health issues; help them overcome things that are done to them by other people, such as crime; help overcome poverty or unemployment, and more. As you can see, it is a broad term that you’ll need to explore, deciding for yourself where you best fit into this unique environment.

Best Online Bachelors in Human Services Degrees for 2024