Starting June 24, an applied bachelor’s degree in Highline College’s Human Services program will have a new name and new course offerings. The former Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) in Youth Development will change to BAS in Human Services to better reflect the growing student and employer demand for a human services degree.
Offering a degree in human services allows more students to learn other aspects of human services, such as advocacy, social change, current issues in human services, program design and implementation.
“Our students are passionate about making a difference,” said Fred Capestany, human services coordinator and faculty member at Highline College.
He continued: “Our program focuses both on how to help individual clients and families meet their immediate needs and on how to advocate for healthy communities in general.”
However, Highline’s specialized Youth Development offerings will still be available for those who wish to engage in that field. As part of the BAS in Human Services, students are required to complete two courses focused on youth development content.
“Human Services is one of our most important pathways on campus and we want to provide opportunities for our students, community and local employers,” Tanya Powers, Associate Dean for BAS Pathways, said.
“We want to reframe this degree with smooth entry points from our associate degrees and want to provide opportunities to meet the needs of our industry partners,” Powers confirmed.
The degree also expands access to more human services students. Applied bachelor’s degrees require up to 60 credits of general education, so students who already have an Associate of Arts Direct Transfer Agreement (AA-DTA) with a human services focus or an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in human services or in substance use disorder professional will likely be admitted directly into the BAS in Human Services program.
Upon graduation, many of our students earn their master’s degrees in social work or counseling at various universities such as University of Washington, Tacoma and Grand Canyon University.
“We think this will be an amazing opportunity to strengthen our connection with employers in the region, past graduates and faculty in the program,” Powers shared.
Applications for the BAS in Human Services degree are free and open now.