Human Services Program

The Human Services Program prepares students to work with children, adolescents, or adults in a variety of human services settings. Human Services majors concentrate on gaining a foundation in the liberal arts, human growth and development, the human services delivery system, and the social policies that shape service delivery and provide for social needs. Students take a core set of courses which develop the skills for working in human services agencies and settings. A strong component of psychology and sociology courses imbedded in the major provides students with an understanding of human behavior and the social context of the lives of individuals served.

Human Services majors graduate with the Bachelor of Science degree and the experience and competence which prepares them for entry-level positions with the juvenile justice system; health care settings and hospices; criminal justice agencies; abused and neglected children and their families; community advocacy groups; child welfare agencies; parent-action movements; group residences; recreational services; elderly services; policy and legislative agencies; substance abuse programs; crisis intervention services; policy agencies and groups; and other human services settings. Those students interested in professional careers in social work, psychology, counseling, management, policy/advocacy, or expressive arts therapy will be prepared for entry into specialized graduate schools.

Human Services Specializations

Within the Human Services major, specializations provide students with an opportunity to focus their program of study. Students may select specializations in Expressive Arts Therapy, Not-for-Profit Management, or Social Work. These specializations, described below, are optional.

Expressive Arts Therapy

The Expressive Arts Therapy specialization is designed for human service majors who want to understand and include elements of the arts and the creative process into their work. All students in this specialization must complete the program requirements for the Human Services major as well as specialization requirements.

Not-for-Profit Management

The Not-for-Profit Management specialization recognizes that management is a core competency among managers and administrators in the operations of organizations across all economic sectors.  This specialization is focused on managing not-for-profit organizations in areas such as the human services and the arts.

Social Work

The Social Work specialization is designed to prepare students for entry-level positions in social service fields, and to meet the needs of those students preparing for further graduate education in Social Work or Human Services. Students in this specialization complete the program requirements for the Human Services major. CHMSR 4701 Human Services Practicum and Seminar II must be in an approved setting with supervision provided by an MSW-level social worker. In addition to the major requirements, students must complete specialization requirements.

Requirements of the Humans Services Major

Dual Degree Programs

Bachelor of Science/Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology OR

Bachelor of Science/Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

(Both degrees awarded at the completion of the joint program.)

The integrated B.S./M.A. programs are developed for students in Lesley College who are interested in accelerating their educational experience in a program combining the curriculum of the undergraduate Human Services major and a graduate program in Counseling Psychology or Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Students may combine the undergraduate Human Services with graduate specializations. Graduates of the dual degree program in Counseling Psychology will be eligible for professional licensure in Massachusetts and most states at the completion of the program at Lesley. The programs are designed for students who demonstrate a high level of maturity and academic potential. Essentially an honors program, the integrated programs demand that students be able to achieve the academic rigor of graduate education by the time they reach their junior year of traditional undergraduate study. Students in the accelerated program must be able to achieve a level of introspection and cultural awareness necessary to engage in clinical work at a relatively young chronological age.