Location
Curriculum
120 credit hours
Program Length
as few as 36 months
Accreditation
Regionally Accredited by SACSCOC
Answer the Call to Serve with a Human Services Degree from CIU
Are you seeking a career in the helping professions? A Bachelor of Science in Human Services degree at Columbia International University will provide you with a dynamic and comprehensive educational experience and prepare you for a fulfilling career. Our faculty members are dedicated, working professionals in the human services industry with a wealth of knowledge and expertise. They are passionate about helping you develop the skills and knowledge you need to succeed in your chosen career paths.
At CIU you will engage with a flexible, online learning environment that balances academic rigor with practical experience. Our faculty members are experienced in providing students with the tools they need to succeed in a distance learning environment, and our curriculum is designed to mirror the traditional classroom learning experience.
In the Human Services program, you will develop a fundamental understanding of the human services field and establish a clear career path that aligns with your interests and goals. The knowledge and skills gained in the program also prepares you for further study at the bachelor, master and doctoral levels in the health and human services fields.
Our graduates are well-prepared for entry-level positions as social service or human service assistants with career opportunities available in healthcare and social assistance industries, government organizations and non-profit organizations. The Human Services program at Columbia International University can provide you with a solid foundation for seeking a fulfilling career in the helping professions, and our alumni have gone on to achieve great success in a wide range of careers in this field.
Why Choose Columbia International University for a BS in Human Services
CIU offers a Bachelor of Science in Human Services program that provides students with a strong academic foundation and practical experience in the human services field. Our faculty members are committed to helping students succeed in their academic and career pursuits, and they bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the classroom. Our instructors are passionate about mentoring and advising students, and they provide guidance and support every step of the way.
At CIU, students will engage in a dynamic and collaborative learning environment that fosters academic excellence and personal growth. Our faculty members are experienced in delivering high-quality education online, providing a flexible and convenient learning experience for students. The curriculum is designed to prepare students for the challenges and opportunities in the human services field, and our graduates are well-equipped to pursue a range of rewarding careers.
With a Bachelor of Science in Human Services degree from Columbia International University, you can pursue a variety of career paths in healthcare, social assistance and government organizations. Our graduates have gone on to achieve success in a wide range of roles, including social service coordinator, case manager and community outreach specialist. Choosing CIU for your Bachelor of Science in Human Services degree means that you will have access to a supportive community of faculty and staff who are committed to helping you achieve your academic and career goals.
Overall Benefits of the degree
With a Human Services degree from Columbia International University, you can pursue careers in the human and health services industries in government or the private sector. If you need to gain professional experience, CIU’s Human Services degree program prepares you to pursue internships while completing your degree.
Governments at the city, county, state and federal levels, as well as school systems, offer rewarding career opportunities for Human Services graduates. Some possibilities include court-appointed special advocates or program assistants at the county level, a program analyst for family services at the state level, or a policy analyst for the Department of Health and Human Services at the federal level. There are many career opportunities for graduates to demonstrate their passion for service as they help the vulnerable and the voiceless citizens in their communities through service delivery and advocacy.
In addition to a rewarding career, a degree from CIU prepares students for further study in human services and in health services administration at the bachelor, master and doctoral levels.
What Will I Study?
You will take the following classes to earn your BS in Human Services:
- BIB 1005 Old Testament Survey
This course provides an overview of the background and content of the Old Testament, with an emphasis on beginning to prepare you to study and interpret the Bible on your own. Students learn about the content, authorship, date of writing, and important background issues for each Old Testament book. (3) Limited to online program students.
3.00 credit hours
- BIB 1010 New Testament Survey
This course provides an overview of the background and content of the New Testament, with an emphasis on beginning to prepare you to study and interpret the Bible on your own. Students learn about the content, authorship, date of writing, and important background issues for each New Testament book. Limited to online program students.
3.00 credit hours
- ICS 1210 Discovering the Mission of God
This course is designed to help you develop world-Christian characteristics. You will explore the Christian's heritage in the history of the church and missions, begin to develop a scriptural perspective on the purpose of the gospel in confronting ideologies, religions and spiritual needs of the world, and discuss current strategies for identifying and reaching the lost.
3.00 credit hours
- MSD 1110 Encountering Spiritual Formation
This course is designed to introduce the student to the foundational principles of spiritual formation for effective life, ministry, and vocation. The process of the student's spiritual formation includes their relationship with God, their biblical self-image, their relationship with the Body of Christ, their personal relationships, and their relationship with the world. Students are invited into a multiple-year journey of encountering spiritual formation in community. The goal of this course is to help students build a foundation for continued spiritual formation at and beyond their time at CIU.
3.00 credit hours
- THE 2010 Survey of Bible Doctrine
This course provides you with a survey of the foundational ideas and teachings of Christian thought and doctrine. You will explore the biblical teachings which form Christian doctrine. You also will consider how to move from theory to practice and from ideas to behavior as you learn about practicing a Christian life and worldview. (3) Limited to online program students.
3.00 credit hours
- THE 3010 Biblical Theology of Leadership
This course provides you with a biblical, Christ-centered perspective of leadership. You will study historical trends and examples in the development of leadership thinking-both from a secular and Christian perspective-and evaluate them in light of Scripture. You will be challenged to apply this truth to your own life and to your understanding of organizational behavior. (3) Limited to online program students.
3.00 credit hours
- COM 1010 Communication for Leaders
This course provides you a general overview of basic communication skills and strategies that typically accompany proven leaders. Topics covered include listening, evaluating an audience, speaking in public settings, facilitating small work groups, and business writing. The course is a blend of theory and practice. You will have the opportunity to engage and practice leadership communication techniques firsthand. (3) Limited to online program students.
3.00 credit hours
- CPT 1010 Technology for College
This course provides foundational knowledge so you can use technology as an effective communication tool for researching and for presenting information. You will gain experience with key technology tools, with a view toward learning how to create documents and presentations, as well as use them to communicate appropriately to academic and professional audiences. (3) Limited to online program students.
3.00 credit hours
- ENG 1010 College Writing and Research 1
This course overviews the tasks and skills involved in writing formal essays. You will increase your writing proficiency step-by-step, accomplishing smaller goals that lead to the achievement of larger goals. You will thoroughly cover the mechanics of good English grammar with the goal of identifying your strengths and weaknesses. As a summative exercise, you will examine biblical examples of various types of writing. (3) Limited to online program students.
3.00 credit hours
- ENG 1020 College Writing and Research 2
This course builds upon the knowledge of writing and writing research skills you covered in ENG 1010 - College Writing and Research 1. The course stresses intellectual and analytical reasoning and their contribution to good research and writing practices. Students continue to drill the mechanics of grammar and provide input for other student writers. As a summative exercise, students will examine examples of research and reasoning as they relate to and help us understand the biblical text. (3) Limited to online program students.
3.00 credit hours
- HIS 2010 World Civilizations
This course surveys world history from the beginning of civilization to AD 1700. You will study the origins and achievements of the major civilizations of Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. You will also be exposed to Christian, Islamic, and Byzantine cultures. Upon completion of the course, you will have gained a foundational understanding of ancient history-historical, cultural, and geographical factors-and grasp its relationship to the biblical record. (3) Limited to online program students.
3.00 credit hours
- MAT 2010 Personal Financial Management
This course will provide you a practical introduction to personal finance management. It highlights strategies for managing personal assets and also explores topics such as the development of personal financial goals, planning and budgeting; avoiding fraud and swindles; buying, insuring, and financing major assets; consumer credit; banking services; investments; insurance; retirement and estate planning; and income tax. You will also learn to understand biblical principles of stewardship that impact financial management. (3) Limited to online program students.
3.00 credit hours
- PHI 1010 Philosophy and Worldview
This course acquaints you with key philosophies and worldviews today that come from various sources and that impact people's understanding of reality and of the world. You will come to understand, recognize, and evaluate these various belief systems within the context of biblical Christianity. Such topics as the nature of God, the meaning of life, the nature of humanity, and morality will be covered. (3) Limited to online program students.
3.00 credit hours
- PHI 3010 Personal and Social Ethics
In this course, you will study the history of ethics, ethical decision-making, personal character development, and build a framework of Christian personal and social ethics. You will learn to apply a biblical ethic to a range of contemporary issues. (3)
3.00 credit hours
- PSY 2010 Organizational and Industrial Psychology
In this course, you will study and apply the science and theory behind how people predict and manage human behavior within an organization. Students will cover theories of motivation, cognitive psychology, leadership theories, ethics, performance management, team management, and organizational development. (3) Limited to online program students.
3.00 credit hours
- RES 3010 Research and Concept Development Skills
In this course, you will develop skills and strategies necessary to success as an adult learner. Focus is on the concepts of adult learning, effective team work, and discovering your personal calling. Related topics include team dynamics, the American Psychological Association (APA) formatting guidelines for academic writing, understanding personal learning styles and personality types, and personal goal setting. (3) Limited to online program students.
3.00 credit hours
- SCI 2010 Earth Science
This course is designed to provide you a general overview of environmental science, with an emphasis on sound science, stewardship, and sustainability. Students study basic concepts of environmental science, relationships between living and nonliving things, human impact upon the environment, and proper care of earth's resources. Critical thinking skills will be utilized throughout this course, with a view toward helping you carefully consider scientific concepts and their effects upon human interactions. The study of environmental science is approached from the perspective that human beings are tasked with practicing appropriate stewardship of God's creation. (3) Limited to online program students.
3.00 credit hours
- SOC 1010 Succeeding at CIU
Through this course, you will be introduced to communication, self-motivation, and critical thinking skills necessary for academic success at CIU. (3) Limited to online program students.
3.00 credit hours
- SOC 2010 Cultural Diversity
This course is an exploration of cultural diversity and multiculturalism within the framework of a biblical worldview. This course provides you with a process to understand and relate to people of various cultures. It also provides ongoing preparation for effective interaction with all kinds of people in our culturally diverse world. Growth in these skills will equip you with what you need to build trust across cultural differences. (3) Limited to online program students.
3.00 credit hours
- LDR 3010 Organizational Leadership
This course will provide you an understanding of organizational leadership-both theoretical and practical-from a biblical perspective. You will discuss the topic of leadership in contexts that include interpersonal relationships, organizational structure and processes, and organizational culture. The biblical concept of covenant will be used as a model for identifying and implementing best leadership practices within each of these contexts. (3) Limited to online program students.
3.00 credit hours
- BUS 3010 Working with Teams
This course studies the importance of teamwork in organizational or professional settings. You will study the components of effective teams, discuss common dysfunctions of teams, examine accountability within teams, and how to instill team values. The goal is to help you grow both as a team member and as a team leader. (3) Limited to online program students.
3.00 credit hours
- HMS 1010 Introduction to Human Services
This course explores the historical context and the current structure of the Human Services field. You will be exposed to case management and group facilitation as well as the primary intervention strategies used in human services. The arenas involving special populations served in the Human Services profession will be examined, such as addictions, mental health, developmentally disabled, and the homeless. Topics include values and ethical dilemmas, the social welfare system, diversity, program planning, organizing and changing systems, legal issues and the need to stay current as a human services professional.(3) Limited to online program students.
3.00 credit hours
- HMS 3010 Human Services Case Study
This course examines, from a Christian perspective, contemporary learning and research addressing connections of race and ethnic identities, gender disparity, and discrimination of those with disabilities. The course focuses on current conditions of these social groups and the relationships to public policy, marginalization and socially accepted institutions in the United States. Case studies, text readings, and literature reviews on the subject are incorporated to investigate multicultural paradigm dynamics of population demographic changes. (3) Limited to online program students.
3.00 credit hours
- HMS 3020 Case Management
This course is designed to provide you with best practices for case management common to various human services. Topics include interviewing skills, documentation, cultural aspects, self-care, and ethical issues. (3) Limited to online program students.
3.00 credit hours
- HMS 3110 Introduction to Applied Behavior Analysis
This course is a concentrated look at the application and practice of applied behavior analysis. This course provides practical knowledge and experience with a critique from the Christian worldview. (3)
3.00 credit hours
- HMS 4010 Mobilization of Volunteers
This course will investigate ways to mobilize and engage volunteers. You will learn the value of volunteers and their relationship within an organization. The topics examined will include: types of recruitment methods, background checks, communicating organizational mission statements, goals and values, training, retention, volunteer tasks and expectations, motivation, reward systems and performance improvement for both volunteers and staff. Throughout the course, you will develop a practice scenario of organizing volunteers and staff for a specific event. (3) Limited to online program students.
3.00 credit hours
- HMS 4020 Human Services Capstone
This course involves integrating concepts and theory from the degree program as applied to practical interventions. You will be familiar with the context of a chosen agency that includes protocols and norms, as well as the agency's role in the broader community. You will also demonstrate knowledge of alternative services and gaps in services that could potentially affect clients served by their chosen agency. You will gain first-hand knowledge from interviewing a human services worker in your area. Prerequisite: Theories and Foundations of Counseling (3) Limited to online program students.
3.00 credit hours
- PSY 2020 Developmental Psychology
This course is designed to explore human development from conception through death, looking at human development using the bio-psycho-social model from a Christian worldview. You will explore how we as humans share developmental similarities, yet are unique due to various factors such as temperament, personality, etc. (3) Limited to online program students.
3.00 credit hours
- PSY 4010 Abnormal Psychology
Abnormal Psychology is designed to introduce students to models of thinking concerning mental health, mental disorders, and classification of mental disorders. You will be exposed to the range of thinking within the field of mental health and to help students understand the complexities of modern day classification of various mental disorders. You will be challenged to define what is considered normal and abnormal. You will become familiar with the bio-psycho-social-spiritual model of abnormal psychology, including the various theories developed and used to explain causes and treatments for mental disorders. All information will be compared and contrasted with a Christian worldview of the various theories and concepts of Abnormal Psychology. (3) Limited to online program students.
3.00 credit hours
- PSY 4020 Theories and Foundations of Counseling
This course has three main purposes, which include analysis of several psychological theories regarding personality, simulated theory application, and personal application of theoretical concepts to your own life. In this way, you will begin to develop a solid foundation for your own counseling skills and increase your self-understanding. Integrated with the understanding of theories will be compatibility of scriptural teaching. Prerequisite: PSY 4010 (3) Limited to online program students.
3.00 credit hours
- PSY 4030 Survival Psychology
This course focuses on the traits responsible for surviving in high-stress environments, including responding directly to high-threat encounters. Pro-survival behaviors are presented, balancing independence and leadership versus the need for teamwork collaboration in responding to stressful events. Organizational and professional psychological traits present in high stress organizations are explored, as well as healthy lifestyle factors that lead to career effectiveness and avoiding burnout, such as managing vicarious trauma and promoting self-care. (3) Limited to online program students.
3.00 credit hours
- PSY 4040 Social Psychology 3.00 credit hours
- RES 4010 Research Statistics
This course is designed to introduce you to descriptive and inferential statistics. With this knowledge, you should then be better equipped to complete research projects in your chosen field of study. You will analyze a number of well-known statistical tests and research strategies and then demonstrate your ability to use the tests. After exploring population parameters and the proper uses of designated statistical tests, you will discover how to use computer applications to free yourself from the notation requirements and mechanics of the statistical tests, so the research process can become less tedious and more conceptual in nature. (3) Limited to online program students.
3.00 credit hours
- SOC 2020 Principles of Sociology
This course is a study of contemporary Western society. The emphasis is on culture, socialization, group life, social processes and social change. (3) Limited to online program students.
3.00 credit hours
- SOC 2030 Marriage and Family
This course is designed to lay foundational principles for an understanding of biblical manhood, biblical womanhood, biblical marriage, and the nurture of children. Along with this will be a review of the stages of life involved within marriage and family. (3) Limited to online program students.
3.00 credit hours
Admission Requirements
- Online application
- Official high school transcript or successful completion of General Education Development (GED) Testing Program
- Applicants who have attempted 12 or more college credits post-high school must provide official college transcripts of all work completed or in progress. Recommended college grade point average (GPA) is 2.0 on a 4.0 scale (those with a GPA under 2.0 may be admitted on a provisional basis)
Accreditation and Accolades

Career Path Opportunities
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Social and community service manager
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Case manager
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Non-profit program director
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Social work administrator
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Human services coordinator
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Child welfare advocate
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Mental health counselor
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Substance abuse counselor
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Rehabilitation counselor
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Public policy analyst
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Community outreach specialist
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Grant writer
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Healthcare administrator
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Public health educator
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Family service worker
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Elder care specialist
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Disability services specialist
Top FAQs
- How long will it take to complete the degree program?
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The Bachelor of Science in Human Services degree program at Columbia International University is designed to be completed in four years, with students taking an average of 15 credit hours per semester. However, the program is flexible, and students may choose to complete the program at their own pace. Full-time and part-time options are available to accommodate students' schedules and preferences.
- How much does it cost to complete the entire program?
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The cost of the Bachelor of Science in Human Services degree program at CIU varies depending on several factors, including the number of credit hours taken each semester and whether the student is a resident or non-resident. Students are encouraged to speak with a financial aid advisor to discuss tuition and fees, as well as available scholarship and grant opportunities.
- Can I transfer credits from another program that I did not complete?
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CIU welcomes transfer students and accepts credits from other accredited institutions. The amount of transfer credit that can be applied to the Bachelor of Science in Human Services degree program will depend on the number of credits earned and the relevance of the coursework to the CIU program. To transfer credits, students must request that official transcripts be sent directly to CIU.
- Do I have to be a Christian to enroll in your program?
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No, students do not have to be Christians to enroll in the Bachelor of Science in Human Services program at CIU. However, students should be aware that the program has a strong emphasis on professional ethics and values that align with the university's mission.
- Does CIU help students to get an internship program?
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Yes! CIU’s Career Services department helps students in the Human Services program find internships and field placements. Through partnerships with local organizations, CIU provides opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience in the field and apply their learning in real-world settings.
- Does CIU help students with gaining employment opportunities?
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Yes, CIU’s Career Services department aids students with job search strategies, resume and cover letter writing, and interview preparation. The department also hosts job fairs and other networking events to help students connect with potential employers. Additionally, many of CIU’s alumni have found success in a wide range of careers in the human services field, and the university has a strong network of industry connections that students can leverage for career opportunities.