The Human Services concentration prepares students to work in such fields as public and community-based education, health, housing, employment, job training, and welfare. These services are usually delivered by public or private non-profit agencies. Students interested in careers or further study in the area of human resources or personnel management might also consider courses within the human services concentration.
Preparation for entry into M.S.W. programs, as well as for entry-level social service positions, should include the following courses: Principles of Social Work
Sociology of Social Welfare Institutions I
Sociology of Social Welfare Institutions II (all three of the above courses include a fieldwork component)
Community Organization
Sociological Statistics
Psychology in the Modern World
Social Science Interviewing
Writing for the Social Sciences
Human Services students are encouraged to take a wide range of courses in the social sciences that help to illuminate those areas of the Human Services that interest them. For example, one might take courses dealing with youth, aging, employment, housing, as well as courses in government, law, history, anthropology, ethnic studies, gender studies, and social and cultural theory. Preparation for admission to graduate Psychology programs requires completion of a major in Psychology. Talk to your advisor about this possibility and consider taking the following courses:
Psychology in the Modern World
Psychology as the Science of Behavior Applied Statistics (or Sociological Statistics)
Experimental Psychology
Students interested in the Ph.D. program in Clinical Psychology at CUNY, a highly competitive program, should consult with faculty members in the CCNY Psychology Department as early as possible.
Those interested in careers in schools as School Psychologists or Guidance Counselors should know that the entry or license requirement for New York City public schools is an appropriate graduate degree in one of those fields. Most graduate programs in those fields are open only to those with a teaching background. Those interested in Human Resources should take the following courses:
Psychology in the Modern World
Psychology as the Science of Behavior
Psychology Applied to Work Behavior in Organizations
Psychological Testing
Experimental Psychology
Sociological Statistics
Social Science Interviewing
Introduction to Labor Studies
Collective Bargaining & Labor Relations
Workers’ Rights & the Law
Work and Workers
Women and Work
Writing for the Social Sciences
Other career possibilities in the Human Services include Community Health Education specialists, who should follow the recommendations for social work and take such courses in health issues as these:
Health & Health Care in NYC
American Health Systems
History of American Health Care
The Human Body
Plagues Past and Present
