The Degree Completion Program plans to launch its fourth major this fall, offering adult students the chance to earn a bachelor’s degree in human services. Human services is a growing field, says Ralph Phillips, assistant dean for adult education, as government agencies and nonprofit organizations look to hire case workers, mental health experts, and drug and alcohol abuse counselors. Before Geneva started its undergraduate human services program in 1998, the college found a need in the region for qualified human services professionals. Today, many adults working in the field have an associate degree or non-degree certifications, Phillips says. "This is a niche market," he says. "I don’t see other schools offering human services programs for adults. We’re able to do it at the nontraditional level because we have a very solid traditional human services program. They know what it takes to offer a quality program. We’re offering what’s already there to a different population."
The professors in Geneva’s undergraduate human services program will teach the adult courses, and DCP will administer the program and recruit students. Because the college has already established relationships with area human services organizations, DCP students will have a wide range of internships available to give them hands-on experience. The first human services class will be offered in Pittsburgh, and Phillips expects to attract about 15 students initially.
