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Human Services

Purdue University in West Lafayette

If you are interested in working with people to help improve their life circumstances, the Human Services major may be an excellent choice for you. Students in this major are concerned about today's individuals and families and want to help them find solutions to challenging circumstances.

The Human Services curriculum is designed to provide students with knowledge and theory in human development and family studies, skills for working with children, adults, and families, and program evaluation skills. The culminating capstone experience in this major is a full semester internship with a human service agency.

Students in this major can add a concentration in addiction studies, which will enable them to complete all the educational requirements for licensure in the state of Indiana as a Licensed Addiction Counselor Associate. This is a rare opportunity be licensed at the bachelor’s level and to contribute to the urgent need for qualified professionals in the field of addiction treatment and recovery.

The home of the Human Services major is the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, located in Hanley Hall and Fowler House. In HDFS, all undergraduate students experience great academics, personal attention, and real-world experience.

Human Services majors are eligible to pursue either the accelerated five-year Master of Public Health (MPH) or Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) degrees. Human Services majors can also pursue a Certificate in Gerontology.

Plan of Study

Human Services Webpage

Transfer to Human Services

Purdue admits to individual majors. Transfer students must meet Purdue's overall transfer criteria, as well as any major-specific requirements. Before you apply, check the closed programs page to confirm this major is open to transfer students. If it is, refer to the information below for major-specific transfer criteria.

Minimum GPA: 2.5


Contact Information

HHS Undergraduate Student Services
(765) 494-8533
hhsrecruitment@purdue.edu

College of Health and Human Sciences
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Careers in Human Services

The need for professionals in the human services field is constant, and our graduates are sought after. The employment rate of Human Services graduates typically exceeds 97%. Graduates have a variety of entry-level opportunities available to them and often quickly move into leadership roles. Graduates assume a variety of roles in human service settings, including:

  • Autism specialists
  • Child and family case managers
  • Residential counselors
  • Program coordinators
  • Youth workers

This degree also offers excellent preparation for graduate programs, such as:

  • Social work
  • Marriage and family therapy
  • School counseling
  • Human development and family studies
  • Non-profit management and leadership

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