25 Best Online Bachelor’s in Human Services

UMass Amherst calls its online program the “University Without Walls,” and distance learning has been part of its offerings for more than 45 years. Because human services includes so many potential careers—social work, counseling, administration, child protection—the university allows students to design their own program of study. Even better, they can earn up to 105 credits for prior coursework and/or work or life experience.

And prospective students have a lot of coursework options: child development, substance abuse services, abnormal psychology, domestic violence, juvenile justice, sociology of mental health, financial management, and more. Students need 120 course credits to graduate, with 45 of them coming from human services classes.

Because UMass University Without Walls is designed to help adults complete their degrees, it keeps barriers to entry pretty low. At the minimum, students need to have completed 12 college credits, have a minimum 2.0 GPA, and not already have a bachelor’s degree. Averaging $15,406 for full-time in-state undergrads and $34,089 for out-of-state, UMass Amherst is on par with other in-state tuition and significantly more for out-of-state than other schools among our 25 best online bachelor’s in human services.

Administered through USC–Beaufort’s Palmetto College, the school’s BS in human services draws heavily from sociology and psychology. In fact, its curriculum features five psychology and six sociology courses, along with one in statistics, among a slew of courses geared toward human services. The idea, says the university, is to give students a base in traditional social services as well as the expanding areas outside of it.

Palmetto’s study plan takes an “asset or strengths-based approach” to working with individuals and communities, which it describes as rising above traditional concepts of social services and social work. Included in the curriculum are three internship experiences, each requiring at least 120 clock hours in a supervised human services setting. Those are designed to enhance students’ chances of getting hired after graduation, as well as give them real-world experience while they learn the ropes.

The degree requires 120 hours, 64 of which come from major coursework. Students need to have completed 45-60 hours of college-level coursework to apply, and they’ll need to maintain at least a 2.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale). Full-time students will need about two years to complete the program. Speaking of full-time students, in-state ones will pay $12,216, and out-of-staters $32,898. 

Western Washington University describes human services as “the perfect career choice if your desire is to advocate for and to improve the lives of individuals, families, or entire populations.” Unsurprisingly, its curriculum has a social-justice orientation “rooted in hands-on service,” as the school notes, and an emphasis on community engagement. That has a lot to do with the 380 clock hours of field experience the degree requires, which comes in the form of internships. 

Western Washington divides its curriculum into four parts: 20 credits of required systems courses (like Interpersonal and Small Group Systems); 28 credits of other required courses (general studies in research, diversity, program planning, and more); 16 credits of field study (internships); and 12 credits of human services coursework (covering stuff like conflict resolution, disability, grant writing, mental health, and more). The BA requires 76 credits to graduate.

Getting into Western Washington’s program requires completing the university’s general university requirements or some transfer coursework, all with a 2.75 GPA or better. Students will also need to write essays, complete a background check, and sign a contract explaining the program’s requirements. Finally, they’ll need a mere $7,035 for in-state tuition and $22,449 for out of state, making Western Washington one of the most affordable universities in our top 25 for in-state students.

Southern New Hampshire University’s bachelor of arts in human services aims to give students “more than an understanding of how compassion meets policy and process.” The field can be tremendously rewarding because graduates are in the trenches working to improve people’s lives. To target specific ways to improve their lives, SNHU offers three concentrations within its BA: child and family services, gerontology (the study of old age), and substance abuse. 

The degree requires 42 credits of general education courses (including classes in statistics, analysis, psychology, and sociology), nine credits in arts and science (Abnormal Psychology, Lifespan Development, Sociology of Social Problems), 24 credits of major courses (including topics like case management, law and ethics, policy, research, and others), 12 credits of a major elective or concentration, and 33 credits of free electives. For those keeping count, it’s 120 credits altogether. 

Included in the program is a capstone course that evaluates everything students have learned in the program. The university offers six eight-week terms per year for coursework. Because SNHU aims to be affordable, flexible, and have an easy application process, getting into the university requires little more than an application and transcripts. 

As a private school, SNHU doesn’t distinguish between in-state and out-of-state students, both of whom will pay $30,756 per academic year, the most expensive on our list. 

All universities aim to train their graduates to do great work, but there may be no loftier goal than UW–Oshkosh’s, which instructs it’s human services students to be “agents of social change.” There are three ways to gain an undergraduate degree: online, on-campus and through collaborative pathways.  As the university notes, its program emphasizes professional leadership and administration, intervention strategies, program development, implementation and evaluation, legal and ethical issues, and grant writing.

That breaks down into 38 general education credits and 40 credits of required core courses. Courses include stuff like Interpersonal Relations in the Helping Professions, Financial Sustainability in Non-Profit Organizations, Program Evaluation & Grant Writing, among others. There are also two internships, one for three credits and an advanced one for seven that includes 280 clock hours.

Oshkosh keeps admission standards attainable. ACT or SAT scores are not required, and students with transferring credits need only a 2.5 GPA in them. According to the university, most students transfer in between 60 and 90 credits, though they need at least 30 for admission (an associate’s degree from a Wisconsin technical college also suffices). “Attainable” also describes tuition, as UW–Oshkosh costs only $6,422 for in-state students—the second cheapest in our top 25—and $13,995 for their out-of-state cohorts.

Old Dominion University sits in Norfolk, VA, right next to the largest naval base in the world. You know what that means? Traffic. So ODU Online is a nice alternative for people looking to complete their undergraduate education with a little less hassle (traffic or otherwise). 

It requires a minimum of 30 major credit hours, including an internship, and a total of 120 credit hours for the bachelor of science degree. That includes up to 44 credits of lower-division general-education requirements, 48 major credits, and some upper-division general-education coursework—such as a minor, second degree, or other classes—for varying credit. Major classes cover topics like interpersonal relations, human services methods, diversity, field observation, crisis intervention, family guidance, and more.

Old Dominion lies on the cheaper end of the spectrum for in-state students, $7,029—well below the list average of $17,949—though out-of-state folks will need to pony up $25,404. Admission requirements vary, so prospective students will need to speak with an enrollment coach to get details.

Like a lot of universities on our list, East Tennessee State has lofty ambitions for its human services graduates: “self-aware practitioners, culturally aware, competent care-providers and community leaders.” They become that through a program that provides a “human development, ecological, and behavioral science background through a multidisciplinary perspective with a focus on applied learning and practice.” Phew. Got all that?

To put it another way, ETSU’s program has these core components: interpersonal skills; social and cultural foundations; counseling theory and practice; developmental psychology; research in learning and development; administration of human services organizations; psychology and development among children, adolescents, or adults; and, finally, an introduction to human services themselves. That breaks down into 120 credits, with 33 coming from human services core coursework, six credits of field experience (a practicum and internship for at least 350 clock hours), and 33-36 hours of cognate courses. A minor is also required, as is a 2.5 GPA to graduate.

Students aren’t formally admitted to the program until after they have completed 30 credit hours, which may be covered by transfer credits if they have completed coursework elsewhere. Tuition costs $7,080 for in-state students and $25,344 for others.

Troy University is a private school located in Troy, AL, but its online learning program ranks surprisingly high for a smaller university: U.S. News and World Report lists it at No. 52 (among more than 1,200) for Best Online Bachelor’s Programs. Another thing it has going for it? Affordability. At $7,800 for in-state and $15,600 for out-of-state students, Troy lies well below the list averages.

The university’s human services program resembles others in our top 25. Students need 120 overall hours to graduate, which includes 45 hours of non-major coursework, 36 of major, nine hours of major electives (from human services, social work, or rehabilitation), 21 hours of free electives, and 18 hours of minor coursework. Required major coursework covers ethics, diversity, human behavior, a six-hour field experience, and more. For field work, students must complete up to 240 clock hours of work at an agency.

Undergraduate admission is pretty simple at Troy: a 2.0 GPA in high school and a 20 ACT or 1030 SAT for unconditional admission. (Lower scores may earn conditional admission.) Prospective students 25 and over can skip the ACT/SAT requirements. Living life was your test, man!

Colorado State puts it simply: “Human services professionals are crucial to a thriving society.” That makes for some mic-drop dinner-party conversation. When someone asks, “What’s your job like?” You can say, “Oh, it’s crucial to a thriving society. And yours?”

Ranking No. 11 for Best Online Bachelor’s Programs by U.S. News and World Report, CSU’s Global Campus goes a step further with its human services degree by offering 30 specializations: applied social sciences, criminal justice management, criminology, digital marketing, and many more. People opting for a specialization use 15 of their available 44 elective credits. The 120-credit degree requires 31 credits of general education, then 45 of core degree coursework. Included in the core classes is a practicum or seminar ahead of a capstone project where students perform a “concentrated study” of a service organization. (The practicum requires field work and a background check.)

Admission to CSU requires some amount of real-world experience in addition to the usual high school degree. On the bottom end, prospective students need two years of experience, though people who don’t may earn provisional admission. The good news? CSU doesn’t discriminate between in-state and out-of-state students, both of whom pay $8,400, well below the average for the 25 best online bachelor’s in human services programs.

Purdue University packs a lot into its 180-credit human services degree. The university works on the quarter system, so classes last 10 weeks, with students taking two to three per term. The curriculum draws from multiple disciplines, such as developmental psychology, sociology, law, criminal justice, and more to train graduates to handle just about everything a career in human services could throw at them—which is a lot.

What isn’t a lot is the cost of Purdue’s program—$13,356 for in-state and out-of-state students, below average for our top 25. It’s also cheap considering how many courses the degree involves: 33 credits of general education, 100 credits for the major, and 47 elective credits. Required major coursework draws from that aforementioned multidisciplinary pool, with classes covering human behavior, sociology, prevention and crisis intervention, child welfare, proposal designs, legal and ethical issues, family and domestic violence, and more. It ends with a capstone “original comprehensive project” that shows how much students have learned during their studies.

Purdue says it takes two to four years to complete the degree, though with transfer credits and prior experience, most people finish in less than two. Admission requires an interview in addition to the usual stuff like a high school diploma.

Nova Southeastern offers a BS in human services administration, a slightly different moniker that speaks to the degree’s approach. The curriculum covers what the university describes as “a range of applicable fields,” supplemented by “a highly specialized concentration.” That includes the seemingly left-field option of Human Factors in Aviation (for pilots), but also more obvious options like nonprofit management, philanthropy, and grantsmanship; advocacy/case management; health administration; social work; and substance abuse studies. The idea is that students will graduate with a combination of management expertise and a working knowledge of a certain area of business.

The degree requires 120 credit hours, with 30 coming from general education, 54 from the major, 12 from major electives or a concentration, and up to 30 from open electives. The major coursework covers the usual stuff like counseling, ethics, diversity, program planning and more, but also builds in courses in accounting, management, marketing, and macroeconomics. The curriculum includes two field-work experiences for a total of 350 clock hours. 

Admission to Nova Southeastern requires transcripts, SAT/ACT scores, and a letter of recommendation for freshman students, though transfer students can skip the letter. It also requires some cash: At $29,940 for in-state and out-of-state tuition, Nova Southeastern is the second most expensive program in our top 25.

Located in Longview, TX, LeTourneau University describes its graduates as “professionals of ingenuity and Christ-like character who see life’s work as a holy calling with eternal impact.” Its human services BS emphasizes “the value of Christian faith in the human services career field,” which actually makes sense. They’re called human services, after all, and isn’t service a central tenet of the faith?

LeTourneau thinks so, noting students will “live out your Christian faith by helping people.” The curriculum draws from psychology, sociology, criminal justice, counseling, and ethics, per the program website. Courses include Abnormal Psychology, Theories and Techniques of Counseling, Criminal Law or Criminology, and Addiction Theory. Each lasts five weeks, with coursework beginning on Mondays and assignments due Sunday nights.

Getting into LeTourneau requires transcripts and, if prospective students have fewer than 12 hours of college credit, a high school transcript. It also requires a good chunk of money: $29,630, no matter where students live, placing LeTourneau in the top five most expensive schools on our list.

National Louis University in Chicago has one of the oldest human services programs in the area, which isn’t surprising considering the school goes back to 1886. Its 100% online BA aims to train students in case management, crisis and trauma response, advocacy, and community collaboration, per the program.

The idea is that graduates will be able to manage individual and group behavior, develop strategies for community intervention and managing organizations, work with diverse communities, and advocate for clients. Students who want to drill down further into a specialization can choose from entrepreneurship, human resource management, leadership, and long-term care administration.

The coursework covers topics like crisis intervention, family intervention, human development, interviewing, legal issues, management, research, special needs populations, and more, along with required field work so students get real-world experience before graduation. Bonus: They don’t have to pay too much for it. At $13,200, National Louis costs less than the list average for our top 25 best online bachelor’s programs in human services.

Designed for people already working in human services or who have “considerable work experience,” Columbia College’s BA in human services is designed to train students to work at the individual, family, group, and community level, per its website. 

The degree requires 120 total credit hours, with 39-42 coming from general education, six hours of foreign language, three hours of a multicultural requirement, and 18-22 hours of electives. The degree work comes from 36 hours of core requirements—such as Exploring Research, Working with Groups, American Social Policy, and more—and 15 hours of electives (disabilities, addiction, social gerontology, child welfare, others). It leads up to a culminating experience in a “writing intensive” senior seminar. 

As a private school with 30 locations around the country, Columbia College doesn’t distinguish between in-state and out-of-state students, both of whom pay $10,190 per academic year. Getting into the school requires a high school degree (or equivalency test) and six hours of college credit—though keep in mind the program is designed for people with a good amount of experience. 

Considering “God” is right there in the name, it comes as no surprise that Southwestern Assemblies of God University declares, “Everything we do springs from a Chrsitian worldview.” That means it’s BS includes biblical studies among its general-education requirements.

Speaking of requirements, the degree requires 126 hours: 51 from general education (including 18 hours of the aforementioned biblical studies), 36 hours of general electives,  and 39 from one of SAGU’s human services specializations: counseling, psychology, criminal justice, and social work. The university describes the “primary mission” of its human services degree as giving students knowledge within a specialization, so while they share some courses—and a field practicum—they focus on their individual missions.

While SAGU has some standard requirements for admission—transcripts (high school and any college work), SAT/ACT scores—prospective students also “must evidence a born again spiritual experience” as defined by specific scripture passages. They’re expected to “have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal savior” and need to supply a Christian character reference. So make sure you’re rolling with JC and have $19,992 to spend, as that’s the price of tuition.

The University of the Cumberlands—so named for its proximity to the Cumberland River, Cumberland Falls, and the Cumberland Gap in Kentucky—has a couple of major goals for students in it’s human services program. According to it’s website, the curriculum enhances self-awareness and increases understanding of personal values, while giving students an appreciation for diversity and people’s varied needs.

The 33 hours of major coursework draws from “professional helping skills, behavioral theory, and current social issues,” with classes like Group Dynamics, Human Diversity and Ethics, Basic Counseling Skills, and others. The school also requires an internship with up to 250 clock hours of field work. The other coursework that adds up to 128 credit hours includes 74 hours of general education and 21 hours of electives (from a “vast” selection, according to UC).

Admission to the university requires transcripts (high school and any college) and ACT scores, though applicants over the age of 23 can skip the latter. At $22,640, the University of the Cumberlands is right at the out-of-state average for the 25 best online bachelor’s in human services, though all students, regardless of location, pay the same rate.

Another university with the Man Upstairs on its brain, Indiana Wesleyan instructs it’s human services students “from a biblical understanding of advocacy,” which allows them to “integrate biblical perspectives on providing care to oppressed or disadvantaged people.” 

But the 45-hour program keeps that pretty chill, judging by course titles: Youth and Crime, Intergroup Relations, Theory and Practice of Group Counseling, Crisis Intervention, General Statistics, etc. The curriculum is composed of 30 hours of required courses and 15 hours of electives. Students take courses as a cohort sequentially, one at a time, and can complete their degree in as little as 18 months.

Also chill: Indiana Wesleyan’s price tag, which ranks among the top 10 cheapest on our list: $9,020, no matter where you live in relation to Indiana. Admission requirements are also low stress, with transcripts and proof of high school all that’s needed. As a bonus, Indiana Wesleyan has offered courses online since 1997—practically the Stone Age of online learning—so the school has a lot of experience teaching distance learners.

“Prepare for a life of significance,” goes Ottawa University’s tagline, and it’s BA in human services is a bull’s-eye for that mission. As the program site says, students will learn how to help people from various backgrounds facing challenges with poverty, substance abuse, mental health, and relational crisis.  

Ottawa—headquartered in Kansas, not Canada—offers five specializations within human services: advocacy, child and family services, corrections, gerontology, and mental health. All of them share 14 core courses covering topics like social policy, ethics, developmental psychology, sociology, multiculturalism, and writing. Each specialization has two courses. There’s also a required internship and a capstone senior comprehensive exam or project. 

Transcripts are really all that’s needed for admission, and an enrollment advisor can help with those and assess potential transfer credits that count toward the 124 credit hours needed for the degree. At $11,976, Ottawa is on the cheaper end of the programs in our top 25.

“Some of us are best suited to helping others,” says St. Joselph’s website, adding that its BS in human services “takes your strengths and develops them to a higher purpose.” That’s really the crux of human services—this is a field that focuses on making the world a better place. 

St. Joseph’s notes that its students usually have some college education, as well as some human services skills/knowledge gained through experience. The major requirements include courses like Human Services Administration, Principles of Counseling, Introduction to Case Management, and others, though online learners get to skip the two field-experience requirements. Included in the requirements is a capstone health services research project. There are also myriad human service elective options, covering grant writing, addiction, fund raising, and one class simply called Medicaid. Students will also need to complete some general-education courses as well as required core courses covering fundamentals in writing, critical thinking, statistics, and more.

The university requires only a high school diploma (or equivalent) for admission, though prospective students who have completed college coursework will need to submit transcripts (and have maintained a 2.0 GPA). They’ll also need $27,230, making St. Joseph’s one of the most expensive programs among 25 best online bachelor’s in human services. Well, the school is in New York, after all.

Indiana Tech may be based in Fort Wayne, IN, but the university caters to distance and non-traditional learners with a robust online learning program. That approach speaks to the structure of its online BS in human services. Part of the College of Professional Studies, it uses a cohort model with a fancy name: Tracked Educational Adult Modules (TEAM). 

Students are organized into TEAMs of 12-18 people, and they complete the coursework together. Indiana Tech doesn’t mess around with this, either: If students have to drop from a TEAM for some reason, they have to wait for the next round of TEAM assignments to resume.

The degree requires 120 credits, with 39 from a general education core and 72 major coursework, covering business foundations, public communication, grant writing, crisis management, programming, aging, diversity, drugs, counseling theory, and a host of others. Students also need to complete nine hours of electives and 15 of “preparatory core 2” courses in reading, writing, algebra, and math. Those prep courses don’t count toward the degree, but students can test out of them. 

Getting in is simple: Submit a high school transcript. Less simple? The price tag: $26,640, which puts Indiana Tech on the pricier end of human services programs.

Upper Iowa University’s human services program draws from an interdisciplinary knowledge base that focuses on prevention and intervention, per its website, while committing to improving the quality of life among the populations served. 

In practice, that means the 36 hours of major coursework draws from sociology, psychology, and law, with other courses focusing on diversity, marriage, human services methods, and ethics. There’s also a basic statistics class that everyone takes. Advanced courses go deeper on constitutional law, state and local government, legislation, and more. The curriculum also requires an internship, special project, or senior project.

While Upper Iowa keeps it’s admission requirements pretty low key—transcripts for high school and any college work (along with a 2.0 GPA)—it’s tuition isn’t. At $29,700 for all students regardless of location, it’s the third most expensive program in our top 25.

Drury University in Springfield, MO, goes back to 1873, and its College of Continuing Professional Studies is designed to help “adult students with busy lifestyles” get their degree. Although the university has locations around Missouri, its BS in human services is available online for maximum flexibility.

The program requires 42 hours of major coursework, drawing deeply from psychology and sociology—classes include Principles of Psychology, Psychology of Gender, Principles of Sociology, Sociology of the Family, etc.—along with courses studying family therapy, sexuality, gerontology, research methods, statistics, and more. It culminates with a capstone course where students research “current issues in the field” and present findings in a seminar setting.

Sixty hours of general education requirements precede major coursework, which begins junior year. Like other programs on this list, those requirements can be addressed, at least partly, through transfer credits. Admission requires transcripts of high school and any college coursework. Plan to spend generously, as Drury will set you back $27,350 per academic year.

“Transforming lives through Christ” goes the motto of Shorter University, but it’s religious approach is fairly subdued compared to some other Christian schools on our list. Aside from a pair of Bible-focused courses among the 38 hours of general-education requirements, the focus remains solidly on Earth, not heaven.

The curriculum aims to give students “an understanding of the human developmental process” so they can “use their diagnostic skills to analyze and to manage behavioral issues.” The degree requires 120 hours of coursework, with 19 coming from electives and 63 from the major. All human services students are required to have a minor—in criminal justice, sport management, or general business—which accounts for 18 of those major hours. Courses cover ethics, lifespan development, research methods, counseling, psychopathology, case management and more, along with a pair of practicum requirements and a human services project to cap it off.

Shorter costs $21,940 per academic year, and applicants who have fewer than 24 hours of college credit will need to submit a high school transcript (with a 2.25 GPA) and ACT/SAT score. (Prospective students who’ve been out of school for more than five years can skip the tests.) Students with 24 or more college credits need at least a 2.0 GPA in their coursework.

One of numerous higher-learning institutions founded after World War II to educate service members returning home, New England College has always had non-traditional students on it’s mind, and online learning is a natural extension of that. It’s BS in human services program aims to train students to work with populations in need, with a focus on how “local, state, and federal resources and assistance programs can assist various client populations,” per its website.

Like other programs in our top 25, New England College’s requires 120 credit hours, evenly divided among general education, major, and elective coursework. The major coursework covers statistics, interview skills, substance abuse, research methods, client assessment, policy, and sociology, with an additional major elective diving further into sociology, psychology, or criminal justice.  

Also like other schools on our list, New England College keeps the barriers to entry low: Applicants need only a high school diploma—no SAT/ACT scores required. They’ll also need $24,452, which places New England College on the pricier end of the top 25 online bachelor’s in human services programs.

Historically a women’s college—and the oldest Catholic college in Indiana—Saint Mary-of-the-Woods dates back to 1846. But men interested in studying there needn’t make elaborate plans to disguise their gender; in 2015, the school started admitting them. 

SMWC’s BS in human services requires 55 credit hours, 46 of which come from major coursework. Classes cover administering not-for-profits, ethics, casework methods, psychology, sociology, minorities, research methods, social problems, and more. Included in it are two practicum projects; the first an introductory field experience at a social-service agency for 100 clock hours, and the second at another agency for 250 clock hours, with writing assignments. Students also need six hours of electives, three hours of statistics, and three hours of a government course. 

Getting into SMWC is slightly more rigorous than some other programs, as applicants need transcripts (high school and any college), ACT or SAT scores, and possibly a 500-word essay, résumé, or letter of recommendation. It’s also pricey—$29,510, the fifth most expensive program on our list.