Human Services

PURPOSE: The purpose of the associate of applied science (AAS) degree curriculum is to prepare students for employment upon graduation. Four-year college and university transfer opportunities for associate of applied science degrees, if existing, are usually very specific in nature. Students may, however, substitute some courses in the AAS degree curriculum with courses that generally transfer to senior institutions. Students should consult their program advisor at the earliest possible date for further guidance and are advised to get assurances in writing, in advance, from the institution to which they wish to transfer.

OCCUPATIONAL OBJECTIVES: Employment opportunities include, but are not limited to, the following types of employers: social service agencies; childcare agencies; hospitals; programs and rehabilitation agencies that serve the physically and intellectually disabled and rehabilitation agencies; mental health settings; juvenile and adult corrections; private, non-profit, and for-profit agencies; and geriatric settings.

CREDENTIALS: Upon completion of the degree or specific course credits within the degree, students are eligible for national and/or industry-based certifications. Students should consult their faculty advisor for more information on these certifications.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS: General college curricular admission.

PROGRAM NOTES: In addition to the general college curricular admission requirements, an interview with the Department Chair is recommended. While a face-to-face interview is preferable, an interview can also be conducted via telephone or electronic conference. The curriculum provides students with the requisite knowledge, skills, professional values, and attitudes necessary to practice in a diverse client and service delivery system. The program is also designed to enhance the professional knowledge, skills, and marketability of persons already employed in human services. Students who have completed 15+ credits in the program must consult their faculty advisor.

PROGRAM PROGRESSION: All students in the program should take the core curriculum courses that includes a first and second course, in a sequenced order. This means students must successfully complete the first course before proceeding to the second course in the sequence. Students who receive a final grade lower than “C” in any of the core courses must repeat the course before taking further courses in the core curriculum. Students having academic difficulty completing the first 15 credits of their program should discuss their academic progress with a counselor in Student Support Services and after completion of 15 credits with their faculty advisor.

However, students who have successfully completed 7 core courses that have HMS and/or MEN prefixes can enroll in the HMS 290 course before the fourth semester. Students must discuss the internship course with the Department Chair, as well as select, interview, confirm a placement supervisor and site, and complete all required internship documents the semester prior to registering for HMS 290 - Coordinated Internship in Human Services. Students must complete a 130 clock-hour internship learning experience in a program-approved agency site that has been verified by the instructor of the HMS 290 course. Students are expected to provide their own transportation to the agency.

1. Students should meet with their faculty advisor at least once per academic semester and check their advisement report by accessing the Student Information System (SIS) through the myreynolds portal.
2. Some agency internship sites may require criminal background, sex offender registry checks, and a TB screening as a condition for placement. When this is the case, students will be expected to cover any costs incurred.
3. Students who have past felony records; especially those that include barrier crimes in the state of Virginia or are on the sex offender registry in any state will not be able to secure internships that provide services to children or the elderly and may find it difficult being placed in other internship training sites. This, in turn, would prevent them from completing requirements for the Human Services degree.

COMPUTER COMPETENCY REQUIREMENT: Students in this program will meet the college’s computer competency requirement by successfully completing ITE 152. Students can also meet this requirement by passing the college’s computer competency exam, administered in the testing centers on each campus, in which case they will receive college credit for ITE 152. Students not passing the computer competency exam may retake the exam only once.