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Human Services A.A. Degree

Full Time

This program roadmap represents one possible pathway to complete the program. Please see a counselor to create an education plan that is customized to meet your needs. This roadmap is not a guarantee of course availability or financial aid applicability.

Catalog:: 2025-26
GE Pattern:: local AA/AS
Total Units:: 60

First Year

Semester 1

15 Units

CAT.	COURSE	UNIT	GE AREA
Req	HSER 300 Introduction to Human Services	3
Req	HSER 310 Ethical Issues and Client's Rights	3
Req	HSER 340 Introduction to Chemical Dependency or	3	L7B
Req	PSYC 400 Introduction to Chemical Dependency	3	L7B
RE	PSYC C1000 Introduction to Psychology or	3	L4
RE	PSYC C1000H ^H Introduction to Psychology - Honors	3	L4
GE	ENGL C1000 Academic Reading and Writing or	3	L1A
GE	ENGL C1000H ^H Academic Reading and Writing - Honors	3	L1A

Semester 2

14 Units

CAT.	COURSE	UNIT	Prerequisites	GE AREA
Req	HSER 360 Techniques of Interviewing and Counseling	3	HSER 300
Req	HEED 310 Heartsaver First Aid, Adult and Pediatric CPR and AED	1
GE	PSYC 330 Introductory Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences	3		L2
GE	any Area L3 (Arts & Humanities) course	3		L3
GE	any Area L5 (Natural Sciences) course	3		L5
GE	any Area L7A (Physical Education) course	1		L7A

Second Year

Semester 3

15.5 Units

CAT.	COURSE	UNIT	Prerequisites
Req	HSER 330 Issues of Diverse Populations or	3
Req	PSYC 365 Issues of Diverse Populations	3
Req	HSER 365 Techniques of Group Counseling	3	HSER 360
Req	HEED 315 First Aid	0.5
Req	PSYC 340 Abnormal Behavior or	3
Req	PSYC 481 ^H Honors Abnormal Behavior	3
Req	SOC 300 Introductory Sociology	3
Elec	any elective course	3

Semester 4

15.5 Units

CAT.	COURSE	UNIT	GE AREA
Req	HSER 362 Practices in Human Services	3
Req	HSER 498 Work Experience in Human Services	2
GE	any Area L1B (Oral Communication & Critical Thinking) course	3	L1B
GE	any Area L6 (Ethnic Studies) course	3	L6
Elec	any elective course	3
Elec	any elective course	1.5

^H honors courses

Explanation of Categories
Req	Required Core	A course that is required for this program
RE	Restricted Elective	A course selected from a list of elective courses specified for this program in the course list in the catalog, which can be replaced with another course from the same list
GE	General Education	A course that fulfills a specific general education requirement for a degree, which can be replaced with another course that meets the same requirement
Elec	Degree Elective	A degree-applicable course that is part of a degree roadmap to ensure that there is a total of at least 60 units, which is a requirement for an associate degree

Career path

Career Options:

community outreach worker
case management aid
social worker assistant
crisis intake worker
correctional/probation officer

Advising Notes:

This degree can be completed using either the local AA/AS general education (GE) pattern or the Cal-GETC transfer GE pattern. See a counselor to determine which pattern is best for you based on your academic goals.
Students can substitute ESLW 340 for ENGL C1000/C1000H (formerly known as ENGWR 300/480).
Elective Courses: any elective courses numbered 100-499, or having a 4-digit number starting with C.

Other Notes:

To enroll in HSER 362, students must complete the ARC Human Services Agency Placement Process, which includes an out-of-class orientation and application process.
The internship (HSER 498) involves approximately 24 hours of work experience. The program is designed for students to take 2 units in one semester.
In addition to having valid First Aid and CPR certification during internship placement, students must also provide a TB clearance.
There is a push in the industry toward requiring bachelor’s degrees. Students interested in transferring to pursue a bachelor’s degree are encouraged to discuss their options with a counselor.

Published April 12, 2025

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