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Programs

Undergraduate Programs

Bachelor of Professional Arts: Human Services Major

Number of credits required from Athabasca University: 30 credits.

A maximum of 60 credits may be awarded towards the admission requirements for this program through portfolio assessment by the Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) office. A maximum of 30 PLAR credits may be awarded towards the remaining credits in the program.

For more information about this degree-completion program, please visit the Human Services area of study.

Program Learning Outcomes

As a result of completing this program, students should be able to

  • communicate to support a position with evidence and argument.
  • explain problems in the human services field in a proactive, insightful and professional way.
  • assist others to respond to systemic challenges in an ethical manner.
  • practise teamwork in a variety of collaborative relationships.
  • integrate resources, concepts and theories in a variety of settings.
  • use intervention and advocacy to influence policy change.
  • transfer and integrate arguments and theories.
  • develop conceptualizations of effective strategies to achieve inclusive personal and social change.
  • use explanations into conditions and issues to assess the evolution of the human services field.
  • interpret changes over time in several fields that affect professionalism in the human services field.
  • apply knowledge of ethical standards to practice, policy and issues.
  • use self-reflective practice to guide and enhance human services knowledge and effectiveness.
  • interpret policy and context for the benefit of clientele and profession.
  • develop an action plan to address professional development.
  • initiate an activist stance in human services professional activities.

Program Outcomes

The general program outcomes, categorized by areas of study, are as follows.

A. Interpersonal Communications

  1. Express self clearly: demonstrate effectiveness in speech and in writing.
  2. Be attentive to the framing of problems: contextualize problems using sophisticated analysis.
  3. Nurture value-based learning: use values to guide theory and practice.
  4. Work well with others in a variety of settings: demonstrate values, skills and knowledge for successful team-building.

B. Relating Practice to Theory

  1. Employ skills related to practice.
  2. Succeed in intervention and/or advocacy efforts: demonstrate effectiveness in intervention and/or advocacy.

C. Using Critical Perspectives

  1. Recognize, critically evaluate, and analyze arguments and theories: demonstrate critical perspectives and analytical thinking related to the human services sector.
  2. Use strategies for inclusive personal and social change: demonstrate effectiveness in the use of strategies to achieve inclusiveness in personal change as well as social change.

D. Familiarity and Understanding of the Human Services Sector

  1. Know emergence and breadth of the sector of human services: demonstrate familiarity with the history and evolution of the human services sector, along with several of its fields.
  2. Contribute to the developing professional character of the human services sector and one’s place/role within it.

E. Professionalism

  1. Demonstrate ethical professional conduct and attitudes.
  2. Relate self to the role of the human services provider in broad contexts: demonstrate the impact of contexts and exhibit ethical professional conduct and attitudes.
  3. Use continuous learning to integrate knowledge of related concepts, theories and policies.

F. Demonstration of Success as Human Services Educator

  1. Continue learning from experiences for personal growth and development through self-reflective practices.
  2. Display evidence of professional effectiveness such as lobbying, policy-making, protest and advocacy.

Possible Career Options

  • Youth Worker
  • Child Care Worker
  • Early Childhood Educator
  • Addictions Counsellor
  • Native Counsellor
  • Group Home Worker
  • Crisis Intervention Counsellor
  • Special Needs Consultant
  • Gerontology Specialist
  • Mental Health Worker
  • Teacher Assistant
  • Developmental Services Worker
  • Career Development Counsellor
  • Disability Advisor
  • Intake Interviewer
  • Home Support Worker
  • Juvenile Court Liaison
  • Advocate for the Abused
  • Recreation Technologist
  • Community Wellness Program Co-ordinator
  • Corrections Worker
  • Northern Human Services Counsellor
  • Child Advocate
  • Halfway House Counsellor
  • Rehabilitation Case Worker
  • Residential Program Provider
  • Human Services Worker
  • Family Day Home Provider
  • Life Skills Instructor
  • Community Organizer
  • Aboriginal Community Worker
  • Community Outreach Worker

Note: If you are looking to become a register Social Worker, a Bachelor of Social Work is usually required. For more information, please read "How to Become a Social Worker".

Possible Further Education Options

At Athabasca University

At Other Educational Institutions*

  • graduate programs in community rehabilitation, social work, arts
  • education: bachelor/master
  • law
  • library science
  • social work

* Entrance requirements vary among educational institutions. It is the students’ responsibility to research the entrance requirements of other educational institutions.

Updated March 25, 2009