B.A. in Social & Human Services
Overview
The major in Social & Human Services faithfully aligns with the College’s mission to educate students so that God will be glorified in all they do. The major provides students with an academic base of knowledge, theories, research, and skills needed to ethically assist diverse individuals, families, and communities to thrive through the prevention and remediation of problems in a manner consistent with a Christian worldview. It emphasizes both theoretical and experiential learning aimed at optimizing human interactions and finding meaningful solutions to individual and social problems. The knowledge and skills gained in the Social & Human Services major will assist students seeking careers in diverse professional settings such as in child and family services, social services, human trafficking, ministry, nonprofit agencies, addictions clinics, court services, correctional settings, youth facilities, community mental health centers, educational settings, and health care. In addition, it will prepare students who desire to continue their education in graduate fields of study such as social work, counseling, substance abuse, criminal justice, and human services.
Standards for Admission & Graduation:
Prospective majors should meet with the department chair as soon as possible to declare the major. To be eligible for acceptance in the Social & Human Services Major, students must complete HS110 with a grade of “C-” or higher. Once declared, students should meet with their departmental advisor to choose their area of concentration.
To graduate with a degree in Social & Human Services, students must earn an average GPA of 2.0 or higher in all program courses with no course grade below a “C-.” Students receiving a grade below a “C-” in any course may repeat the course no more than twice (for a maximum of three attempts) with the permission of the department chair.
Curriculum Requirements
Major Program Requirements (44-50) HOURS
The Social & Human Services Major has 2 categories of course requirements:
Major Core requirements (27-31 credits) and
Major Concentration requirements (18-19 credits).
The Major Core requirements are listed first, followed by the options for Major Concentration areas.
Students should take HS350 Applied Empirical Reasoning for the Belmont Abbey Core Curriculum Empirical Reasoning requirement. Doing so results in the Social & Human Services Major Core requirements being 27 rather than 31 credits.
| HS110 | Intro to Human Services | 3 |
| HS210 | Helping Skills Theory & Practice | 3 |
| HS220 | Group Dynamics Theory & Practice | 3 |
| HS300 | Ethics and Issues in Human Services | 3 |
| HS330 | Case Management | 3 |
| HS335 | Crisis Assess Intervent Prevent | 3 |
| HS340 | Human Behavior in the Social Context | 3 |
| HS350 | Applied Empirical Reasoning | 3 |
| HS370 | Human Services Management | 3 |
| HS493W | Capstone in Human Services | 3 |
Major Concentration Requirement
Social & Human Service Majors choose ONE of the following Concentrations:
Addictions Concentration (18 Credits)
The Addictions Concentration is for students interested in becoming addictions professionals. In addition to addiction-specific coursework aimed at understanding addictions, prevention programs, and treatment, students will complete 360 hours in addiction-specific field placements.
| HS361 | Substance Abuse & Addictions I | 3 |
| HS362 | Substance Abuse & Addictions II | 3 |
| HS365 | Family Violence | 3 |
| HS381 | Field Experience Preparation in Human Services | 1 |
| HS384 | Field Experience in Human Services 1 | 4 |
| HS484 | Field Experience in Human Services 2 | 4 |
Generalist Concentration (19 Credits)
The Generalist concentration provides a broad base of training, preparing students for direct service delivery in human and social service agencies. In addition to theoretical and skills-based training such as those needed to work with child abuse, domestic violence, human trafficking, addictions, crisis intervention, family services, and advocacy, students in this concentration spend at least 135 hours in a social service field placement gaining hands-on experience to prepare them to enter direct service positions upon graduation.
| HS361 | Substance Abuse & Addictions I | 3 |
| HS365 | Family Violence | 3 |
| HS372 | Conflict Resolution | 3 |
| HS381 | Field Experience Preparation in Human Services | 1 |
| HS383 | Field Placement in Social Services I | 3 |
| Or | |
| HS384 | Field Experience in Human Services 1 | 4 |
| Choose two of the following courses | |
| HS301 | Seminar in Aging | 3 |
| HS362 | Substance Abuse & Addictions II | 3 |
| HS371 | Program Planning & Evaluation | 3 |
| HS373 | Social Policy and Practice | 3 |
| HS374 | Social Justice and Advocacy | 3 |
| HS483 | Field Placement in Social Services 2 | 3 |
| Approved HS or other Concentration-Specific elective | |
Management Concentration (18 Credits)
The concentration in Management prepares students to serve others as leaders by filling essential roles in administrative, managerial, and policy positions in nonprofit service agencies, government, or social service agencies. Students choosing this concentration will develop the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively administer programs, allocate, resources, and fulfill other administrative tasks such as planning, organizing, coordinating, and evaluating programs or agencies with the aim of improving the well-being of individuals and their communities. Students in this concentration take the 4 required courses below plus two additional approved courses related to their specific management interest.
| HS371 | Program Planning & Evaluation | 3 |
| HS372 | Conflict Resolution | 3 |
| HS373 | Social Policy and Practice | 3 |
| HS374 | Social Justice and Advocacy | 3 |
| Choose two of the following courses | |
| HS301 | Seminar in Aging | 3 |
| HS361 | Substance Abuse & Addictions I | 3 |
| HS362 | Substance Abuse & Addictions II | 3 |
| HS365 | Family Violence | 3 |
| HS383 | Field Placement in Social Services I | 3 |
| HS483 | Field Placement in Social Services 2 | 3 |
| Approved HS or other Concentration-Specific elective | |
The Core Curriculum (50-53 hours)
Please reference Core Curriculum Traditional Students
Residential Students transferring more than 30 credit hours to Belmont Abbey College are not required to take the First-Year Experience sequence.
Prospective majors in Social & Human Services should wait to take their Social Science core requirement until after they have chosen their Social & Human Service area of Concentration.
Social & Human Service Majors should take HS350 – Applied Statistical & Research Reasoning to fulfill the Empirical Reasoning requirement in the Core Curriculum.