Online Bachelor's in Human Services Program Overview
Earn a broad, interdisciplinary degree that prepares you to meet human needs.
The online Bachelor of Arts in Human Services offered by the College of Education at UCCS helps you build effective human relationship skills critical for meeting organizational goals. Ideal for students who want to work closely with people in need, this flexible degree program goes beyond delivering direct services and focuses on improving accessibility, accountability, and coordination among professionals and agencies in service delivery.
Human service workers help individuals and communities function as effectively as possible in the major domains of living. They have a strong commitment to serving others with patience and understanding by using critical thinking, adaptive problem solving, and communication skills. Employers value the ability to understand various perspectives, communicate effectively, and manage time responsibly, which are essential skills developed in the human services program.
This program is accredited by the Council for Standards in Human Service Education (CSHSE) and offers an option to add an emphasis in Pre-Counseling or Substance Use & Recovery.
Bachelor of Arts in Human Services

College of Education

100% Online
Delivery Method

$435*
Cost Per Credit
*Approximate In-state

$636*
Cost Per Credit
*Approximate Out-of-state

Priority Application Deadline

Rolling Admissions
Application Deadline

120
Credit Hours

4 Years
Average Completion Time
Bachelor's in Human Services Course Overview
The BA in Human Services is offered fully online with both synchronous and asynchronous elements, meaning while most of the coursework can be completed at the time and place that works best for you, some elements may be offered live. Your courses will be taught by the same faculty who teach the on-campus program at UCCS, which means you receive the same high quality education with the flexibility of the online format. This program takes an interdisciplinary approach, drawing from several fields for a broad understanding, and offers hands-on learning with required fieldwork in your community at the end of the program.
The 120-credit-hour BA in Human Services program can be completed in approximately 48 months or four years. You can potentially shorten the time to graduation if you have your previously earned college credits evaluated for transfer into UCCS.
Develop skills in:
Leading teams and organizations
Offering culturally informed treatment
Conducting clinical assessments and planning treatments
Interpersonal communication, interviewing and mediation
Improving service delivery systems through quality, accessibility, accountability, and coordination
Addressing human needs at various stages, including prevention, intervention, and remediation
The following Pre-Counseling courses enhance the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of students who are interested in pursuing a master's degree in counseling and human services. Students will learn to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, demonstrate empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions for themselves and the people they will serve.
- Introduction to Principles of Addiction Treatment
- Motivational Interviewing I & II
- Social & Emotional Development
- Wellness, Resilience and Emotional Intelligence
- Mental Health Triage & First Aid
- Co-Occurring Disorders and Trauma-Informed Care
The following Substance Use & Recovery courses allow students to seek certification as an addiction counselor within Colorado. The undergraduate curriculum is designed to meet the core curriculum standards set forth by the Colorado Office of Behavioral Health and help students become certification eligible (Certified Addiction Technician and/or Certified Addiction Specialist).
- Introduction to Principles of Addiction Treatment
- Introduction to Addiction Counseling Skills
- Pharmacology I, II & Infectious Diseases
- Motivational Interviewing I & II
- Co-occurring Disorders and Trauma-Informed Care
- Clinical Supervision for Addictions Counselors
Students will take 36 credit hours of core course requirements.
- LEAD 1600: Leading Teams and Organizations
- COUN 2000: Introduction to Human Services
- COUN 2040: Human Growth & Development
- LEAD 2700: Introduction to Research Design and Methods
- COUN 3000: Culturally Informed Treatment
- COUN 3110: Interpersonal Communication, Interviewing, & Mediation Skills
- COUN 3400: Ethics and Values in Human Services or COUN 2400: Ethics I & II
- COUN 3410: Clinical Assessment & Treatment Planning
- COUN 3500: Group Dynamics & Group Process
- COUN 2950: Fieldwork in Human Services I
- COUN 4950: Fieldwork in Human Services II (take twice)
- COUN 2040: Human Growth and Development
- This course is aimed at preparing human services professionals to serve individuals, families, and communities by providing a foundation for understanding how human beings develop across the lifespan from a topical approach.
- COUN 3110: Interpersonal Communication, Interviewing, and Mediation Skills
- Students in the human service professions will learn interpersonal skills, self-awareness, communication, negotiation and conflict resolution skills. This course will help students understand the power of effective communication and barriers impacting communication. Conflict, anger, resistance, control and power will be discussed.
- COUN 3410: Clinical Assessment and Treatment Planning
- This course will consider the differences between screening and assessment and use of assessment instruments. It includes biopsychosocial interview, assessing risk for self-harm, identifying cultural needs and supports, problem domains, determining stage of readiness for change and American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) concepts.
Human Services Field Career Data
A human services degree can equip you to serve people in many ways, from working with children in a social service setting to teaching life skills to adults. Human services graduates also pursue roles like:
- Case workers
- Behavioral management aides
- Client/child advocates
- Military benefits counselors
- Community outreach workers
- Human resource coordinators
- Juvenile court liaisons
- Residential managers

$74,240*
Social and Community Service Managers
$59,860*
Probation Officer and Correctional Treatment Specialists
$49,710*
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors
$38,520*
Social and Human Service Assistants
Data retrieved from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS); Median Annual Wage (2022)
Take the First Step
Complete the form on this page to be contacted by an Enrollment Advisor.
Tuition and Fees
At UCCS Online, we strive to keep our tuition costs affordable so that you can get a world-class education that fits your budget. When you earn a degree, you’re not simply getting a diploma — you’re making a lifelong investment in yourself and empowering your future career. We know that affordability is an important factor, and that’s why we’re here to help you explore all of the options available to fund your education.
We’re here to answer your questions about tuition and financial aid, help you take care of the paperwork, and make sure you’re able to focus on reaching your goals. From financial aid and scholarships to corporate tuition assistance programs, we’ll work with you to find the best way to finance your degree.
A $50 application fee applies for this program; however, once per year this fee is waived for Colorado residents.
You may be eligible to pursue scholarships. Each year, UCCS awards $100 million in financial aid, and you can explore options through the UCCS Financial Aid Office.
Complete the formComplete the form on this page to connect with our Enrollment Team and get more information about tuition, fees, scholarships, and financial aid.
In State Cost Per Credit:
$435
Approximate tuition per credit hour based on the number of credits taken
Out of State Cost Per Credit:
$636
Approximate tuition per credit hour based on the number of credits taken
We know that affordability is an important factor, and that’s why we’re here to help you explore all of the options available to fund your education. Our Enrollment Navigators can answer any of your questions about tuition and financial aid, help you take care of the paperwork, and make sure you’re able to focus on reaching your goals. From financial aid and scholarships to transfer credits and corporate tuition assistance programs, we’ll work with you to find the best way to finance your UCCS Online degree. Complete the formComplete the form on this page to be contacted by an Enrollment Advisor.
Financial aid is available for eligible students to use toward paying educational costs while enrolled in a UCCS Online program. To determine your eligibility and apply for financial aid, you’ll need to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). When you submit your FAFSA, you will be considered for three types of aid: grants, work-study, and student loans. To be considered for federal financial aid, you will need to apply early and annually.
- Scholarships | You may be eligible for scholarships at UCCS. We offer many scholarships and grants to students who are ready to earn their degrees and achieve success. Between both UCCS-offered and external scholarships, our students earned more than $10 million in scholarship awards last year alone.
- College Opportunity Fund (COF) | The College Opportunity Fund (COF) is a trust fund created by the Colorado Legislature that provides a tuition stipend to eligible undergraduate students. The stipend pays a portion of your total in-state tuition when you attend a participating college. All students must create a COF account directly through the College Opportunity Fund (COF) website.
- WICHE | The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) has given many students from Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming the opportunity to study at UCCS. The Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) is an agreement through which 160+ participating public colleges and universities provide significant nonresident tuition savings for undergraduate programs, with eligible students pay no more than 150 percent of resident tuition rates.
UCCS Online is military-friendly and committed to providing service members and their families with a high-quality education that fits their distinct needs. As a UCCS Online student, you will have access to the UCCS Veteran and Military Affairs, which connects veteran, active duty, reservist, National Guard, and dependent students with fundamental support, services, and resources to ensure academic and professional success. UCCS is a proud home campus to many veteran and military students.
Eligible veteran and military students may use veteran benefits, military tuition assistance, and/or financial aid to pay for their education. Military benefits with UCCS Online include:
- Waived application fee for active duty and veterans
- Military benefits approved program
Connect with our Enrollment NavigatorsConnect with our Enrollment Navigators to learn more about the benefits and financial assistance available to military and veteran students.
All students are automatically opted in to the TAAP program with the choice to opt out. The TAAP program provides all your course materials for one flat fee per credit hour. That means no more time spent searching for, ordering, and paying out of pocket for your own course materials.
Many companies offer tuition assistance benefits as part of their employee compensation program. Generally, these policies determine a set number of credit hours per year that the company will pay for on behalf of the student/employee. Some policies place a cap on eligible tuition dollars and related expenses while others reimburse employees on a per-credit-hour basis. Get in touch with your organization's human resources department to learn more about your educational benefits.

Admissions Information
Interested in the UCCS Online BA in Human Services program? In your application, simply select the Bachelor of Arts in Human Services online program. For students applying to start the program as a freshman (first year student), the following admission criteria will apply:
- GPA of 2.0 or better
- Composite score of 18 on the ACT or a total score of 840 (prior to March 2016) or 920 (after March 2016) on the SAT (92 index)
The ACT and SAT are accepted but not required for this program. If your records vary in any way from the above admissions criteria, you will be considered on an individual basis by evaluation of your overall academic records, including:
- The quality of your high school program of study
- The level of your college entrance test scores (SAT or ACT)
- Any information unique to your individual situation
Additional details are available via UCCS Admissions.
Start the application process by filling out the formfilling out the form on this page.
The priority application deadline is May 1.
Expand Your Opportunities
Earn an education that creates opportunity. Start the admissions process with an enrollment advisor by filling out the form on this page today.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The Bachelor of Arts in Human Services program is accredited by CSHSE from October 2022 through October 2027. This accreditation status is an indicator of the program's quality and commitment to maintaining high standards in human services education.
This program is also designed to meet the standards and competencies outlined by the National Organization for Human Services (NOHS).
Studying human services equips students who are interested in the helping careers with interdisciplinary skills and experiences for a wide range of jobs, leading to fulfilling positions in servant leadership to your community and workplace. UCCS’s human services bachelor’s degree can also prepare you to advance your education in the counseling field or addictions counseling.
After you graduate with your bachelor’s degree, you can leverage your knowledge and skills to build upon your existing career, or you can pursue a career change. Some jobs may require advanced education in a master’s or doctoral program, such as a counseling career path. UCCS offers several graduate programs both online and on campus that can help you reach your goals.
During the program, you will complete 350 hours of fieldwork along with a variety of coursework like group lessons, projects, presentations, and lab opportunities. Your fieldwork location will be coordinated with your faculty advisor and the DCHS Fieldwork Program Manager.
Online learning will offer you the flexibility to study at the place and time that works best for you. You can also choose a pace that is sustainable for your lifestyle, which can help you take into account your current career, family, and commitments outside of school.
Additionally, UCCS’s online programs are taught by the same faculty who teach on campus, which means you’re earning the same high quality degree as students on campus, and your diploma will not mention that your degree was earned online.
The UCCS T. Rowe Price Career and Innovation Center career is available to help you prepare to change or advance your career after graduation. It offers:
- Handshake, a career management platform with thousands of internship and job postings
- Career events aimed at exploring fields and connecting with alumni and employers
- Customized classroom workshops aimed at integrating career development into curriculum
- Curated resources for students from specific populations
The BA in Human Services program is offered online with an in-person fieldwork requirement at a location in your community, which means you will not be required to take courses at our campus. You may encounter some synchronous elements embedded in your courses, which means you may need to login at specific times to participate in coursework like live lectures.