Course details

Summary

Human Services is referred to as the study of the professions. Human Services (HSRV) programme and courses are now being taught at universities in New Zealand and internationally, with human services among the fastest growing fields of employment.

Studying Human Services gives you the opportunity to learn research skills and choose courses in particular areas of study, maximising your ability to develop more focused career directions within your degree.

Students majoring in subjects such as Psychology, Law, Education, Management and Sociology also have the opportunity to strengthen the human service component of their studies by including HSRV courses.

Why study Human Services at UC?

At UC, courses include a focus on professional contexts and issues such as workplace bullying, management and supervision, and the dynamics of the worker-client relationship.

There are five broad pathways within the Human Services programme at UC:

Health and Family Systems - for those interested in health and well-being

Work and Organisational Systems - gain knowledge to implement change in organisational systems, to consider critical debates within policy, as well as to develop skills in organisational communication

Youth Development - looks at youth culture and youth work and relevant development organisations

Local and Global Community Development - an area of growing popularity in New Zealand and overseas

Violence and Criminal Justice Systems - many Human Services courses make use of UC staff specialisation in the areas of violence and provision of services across different contexts. Most of these courses consider violence as a contemporary and historical issue.

The College of Arts is home to Te Awatea Violence Research Centre, a community resource offering information, research and education to a wide number of individuals, groups and communities interested in violence reduction, prevention and intervention.

Recommended preparation

To participate in Human Services courses at UC all that is required is an enquiring mind, an openness to diversity and an interest in what people do to and with each other. Mature students are often able to bring a wealth of life experience to the study of Human Services.

The Bachelor of Arts requires a minimum total of 360 points:

• at least 255 points from Arts courses
• the remaining 105 points can be from either Arts courses or courses from other degrees.
• A minimum of 225 points must be from courses above 100-level, with at least 90 points at 300-level.

Double Degrees

It is possible to combine an Arts degree with other degrees such as the Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Criminal Justice, Bachelor of Health Sciences, Bachelor of Laws or Bachelor of Science.

Further study

The College of Arts has a wide range of options for postgraduate and graduate study with excellent research facilities. These include specialised research centres such as the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies, Social Science Research Centre, New Zealand Centre for Human-Animal Studies, Te Awatea Violence Research Centre and National Centre for Research on Europe.

Career opportunities

Human Services courses are designed for students wanting to pursue careers within fields such as education, law enforcement, health, community and other social service/support organisations including international organisations.

Graduates may find roles in policy analysis, research, administration, management, supervision, community development, youth work, and various types of support work.

Entry criteria

Admission to UC with University Entrance, or equivalent, is required to enrol for a Bachelor's degree. Applicants must have completed New Zealand University Entrance through NCEA; or Cambridge International Examinations (CIE); or International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB) or any other equivalent overseas qualification.

Other English language requirements: TOEFL PBT with a minimum score of 550 and TWE with a minimum score of 4.5; CCEL EAP Level 2 with a minimum C+ grade; CAE or CPE minimum score of 169 with at least 162 in reading, writing, listening and speaking; Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE with an overall score of 57 and no PTE communicative skills score below 50.