Human Services
- 120 Credits
- School of Social and Behavioral Sciences
- Online
Human Services Overview
Demand is spiking for frontline supervisors and coordinators in aging services, recovery services, and community safety. Agencies also need leaders who can bridge human services with justice systems.
The Human Services major is for working adults who want to advance in community-serving fields including human services, justice, recovery and aging sectors. It’s ideal for people with college credits but no bachelor's degree who are ready to move into leadership, supervisory or coordinator roles.
The program is designed for working adults who need flexibility. You’ll learn in a fully online format with 8-week terms, and every course incorporates work-based learning that connects your studies to real-world experience.
Concentrations
Criminal Justice Leadership
Promotion-oriented coursework for sworn/non-sworn professionals; human-services lens for reentry, victim services, and community partnerships
Substance Use & Recovery
Screening, prevention, case management, recovery-oriented systems of care
Gerontology
Aging policy, services navigation, program coordination, advocacy
Career Opportunities
This degree opens doors for experienced professionals who are ready to move up but can’t advance without a bachelor’s degree. Whether working in human services, recovery programs, community safety or aging services, graduates gain the leadership, coordination, and problem-solving skills that prepare them for promotion into frontline supervisory, coordinator or specialist roles across community-based organizations and public agencies.
Graduates may pursue roles such as:
- Case Manager or Case Coordinator
- Program Assistant / Program Coordinator
- Community Outreach Worker or Community Liaison
- Reentry Specialist or Reentry Program Coordinator
- Victim Advocate or Client Services Specialist
- Residential Services Supervisor (in recovery, youth, or housing programs)
- Probation or Correctional Support Staff
- Gerontology Services Coordinator or Activities Director
- Recovery Support Specialist or Peer Services Coordinator
- Intake or Eligibility Specialist
- Volunteer or Training Coordinator
- Human Services Generalist / Support Professional
The Mercy Advantage
- Earn your bachelor’s degree online in flexible 8-week courses designed for working adults. With year-round start dates and credit for prior learning, you’ll build the leadership and coordination skills to advance in human services, justice, recovery, or aging-service careers.
- 100% Online and Flexible: All courses are offered in 8-week terms so students can focus on two classes at a time while working full-time.
- Year-Round Enrollment: Multiple start dates make it easy to begin any time of year and maintain steady progress toward degree completion.
- Work-Based Learning: Assignments connect directly to students’ professional settings, turning real-world experience into academic credit.
- Transfer and Prior Learning Credit: Designed to maximize transfer credit and recognize prior learning, saving time and money.
- Career-Focused Concentrations: Options in Criminal Justice Leadership, Substance Use & Recovery, and Gerontology align with high-growth community service fields.
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Frequently Asked Questions
This program is designed for working adults and transfer students who already have professional or volunteer experience in human services, community safety, recovery, or aging-related fields. It’s ideal for those who’ve earned about 60 college credits (or the equivalent) and want to complete their bachelor’s degree to move into supervisory or leadership roles.
Note: Applicants with fewer credits may still be considered if they have relevant work experience.
Your timeline depends on how many transfer and prior learning credits you bring in. Most students who’ve already completed 60–90 credits finish in 12–24 months while working full-time.
Yes. All courses are delivered 100% online in convenient 8-week terms, identical in rigor and outcomes to on-campus classes. You’ll also have optional in-person advising, coaching, and networking opportunities at all three Mercy campuses.
No traditional internship is required. Instead, the program builds in work-based learning, allowing you to apply what you’re learning directly to your current job or organization. Your final “Big Problems” capstone tackles a real challenge from your field or community.
Program Details & Curriculum
Required Courses (All Concentrations)
| Course Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| SOWK 201 | Introduction to Social Work | 3 |
| PSYN 236 | Introduction to Counseling | 3 |
| PSYN 244 | Social Psychology | 3 |
| HMS 3XX | Foundations of Human Services: History, Professional Pathways, and Ethics | 3 |
| SOWK 342 | Social Welfare Policy and Services | 3 |
| SOCL 202 or BHSC 366 or SOCL 255 | Ethics and the Family or Medical Ethics or Managing Human Conflict | 3 |
| BHSC 348 | Methodology in Social Research | 3 |
| PSYN 340 | Psychology of Crisis | 3 |
| BHSC 226 | Data Management | 3 |
| HMS 4XX | Capstone in Human Services: Big Problems | 3 |
Concentration Courses 4 courses for the concentrations
Various gen ed -depending on what student transferred in
Substance Use and Recovery concentration
- PSYN 320 - Psychobiology (Substance Use and Recovery concentration)
- PSYN 262: Alcohol, Drugs, and Behavior (Substance Abuse concentration)
- BHSC 269: Strategies in Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention
- PSYN 232 - Health Psychology (Substance Use and Recovery concentration)
Gerontology and Aging concentration
- BHSC/SOCL 282: Perspectives on Aging (Gerontology and Aging concentration)
- PSYN 239 - Adult Development and Aging (Gerontology and Aging concentration)
- BHSC/SOCL 295: Global Aging (Gerontology and Aging concentration)
- BHSC/SOCL 3xx: Aging, Self, and Society (Gerontology and Aging concentration)
CJ concentration
- CRJU 102: Introduction to the Criminal Justice System (CJ concentration)
- CRJU 204: Introduction to Corrections( CJ concentration
- CRJU 212: Criminology (CJ concentration)
- CRJU 236: Criminal Court Process (CJ concentration)
Full-Time Faculty
Sarah Hahn
- MaH 205
- shahn@mercy.edu
- (914) 674-7480
Serah Shani
Part-Time Faculty
