Master of Science in Human Services
College of Arts & Sciences

Mental Health Professional Option (48 Hours)
Youth Services Option (36 Hours)
Bellevue University/Girls and Boys Town Articulation Program

The Master of Science Degree in Human Services (M.S.H.S.) grew out of the demand by undergraduates in psychology and sociology for advanced educational programs designed to serve a diverse student body with a variety of career interests. With this catalog the MSHS will be broadened to offer two options: an expanded 48 credit mental health professional option and a 36 credit option in Youth Services. Students already matriculated under previous catalogs can finish their requirements for the previous 36-credit MSHS program. They also may add selected courses or move to the new program alternatives. Faculty advisors can help with these decisions to assure that each student¹s career needs are served well.

The 48-credit MSHS option‹The Master in Human Services-Mental Health Professional option--has been introduced with this catalog because of increasing career opportunities in therapy and counseling roles for graduates. Human Service agencies have recommended the enhanced clinical coursework and the increased internship requirements that are incorporated into this program. It will enable students to gain a much stronger foundation in clinical assessment and treatment topics; it will also provide the benefits of a recommended supervised experience of 450 contact hours in preparation for application for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services PLMHP (Provisional Licensed Mental Health Practitioner) and/or CPADAC (Certified Provisional Alcohol/Drug Abuse Counselor). Students will also be well prepared for any further graduate education they may wish to pursue.

The 36-hour program will be called the Master In Human Services ­ Youth Services. This program is designed for students whose main goal is a general master¹s degree with emphasis on preparation for direct and administrative service roles, rather than therapy or counseling roles. The Youth Services option will, however, include all necessary courses to enable graduates to apply for the provisional licensure as a mental health professional (Nebraska PLMHP). The addition of chemical dependency counseling courses as electives or extra courses and a specialized internship also makes it possible to meet Nebraska Certified Provisional Alcohol/Drug Addictions Counselor (CPADAC) standards. Those interested in the clinical licensure or chemical dependency counseling certification generally should complete the 48-credit MSHS mental health professional option to be more fully prepared for the professional service requirements in these career areas.

MSHS Mental Health Professional Option Curriculum (48 credit hours)

Prerequisites

    Minimum of 9 hours in Psychology and/or Sociology or approved equivalent
    MA 141 Introduction to Statistics (non thesis students) OR
    MA 241 Inferential Statistics and Data Analysis (thesis students)

General Requirements

  1. 36 Credits of Foundation courses (required of all)
  2. Twelve hours of elective credit. If a student opts to write a thesis, six of these elective hours will be thesis hours; students interested in meeting CPADAC requirements must take HS535, HS536, and HS537 as electives‹unless these have been taken elsewhere.
  3. Completion of a "Pre-comprehensive Exam Report" based on previous Human Services experience or, for students with no previous HS experiences, based on a 25-clock-hour service experience approved and supervised by a MSHS faculty member.
  4. Successful completion of a comprehensive exam (students must have the Pre-comprehensive Exam Report finished before entering the comprehensive exam process).

MSHS Mental Health Professional Option Foundation (All required)

    HS 510 Research Methods in Human Services
    HS 512 Program Evaluation
    HS 515 Professional Ethics and Legal Issues in the Human Services
    HS 521 Theories of Human Development
    HS 517 Techniques of Assessment and Intervention in the Human Services
    HS 519 DSM Diagnosis of Psychopathology in Adults
    HS 520 Diversity Issues in the Human Services
    OR
    HS 538 Multicultural Counseling
    HS 524 Group Process and Facilitation
    HS 528 Applied Counseling Theory
    HS 531 Psychological Assessment
    OR
    HS 532 Applied Behavior Analysis
    HS 546 Family Therapy
    OR
    HS 547 Health Psychology Applications
    HS 561 Clinical Internship/Fieldwork

MSHS Mental Health Professional Option Electives (4 required)

    HS 511 Developmental Psychopathology
    HS 520 Diversity Issues in the Human Services (if not selected for the Foundation requirements)
    HS 522 Social Policy and Social Change
    HS 526 Human Services Issues in the Workplace
    HS 531 Psychological Assessment
    HS 532 Applied Behavior Analysis
    HS 535 Alcohol/Drug Assessment, Case Planning and Management
    HS 536 Medical and Psychosocial Aspects of Alcohol/Drug Use
    HS 537 Clinical Treatment Issues in Chemical Dependency
    HS 538 Multicultural Counseling (if not selected for the Foundation requirements)
    HS 540 Cross-Cultural Psychology
    HS 546 Family Therapy (if not selected for the Foundation requirements)
    HS 547 Health Psychology Applications (if not selected for the Foundation requirements)
    HS 560 Internship/Fieldwork
    HS 565 Special Topics in Human Services
    HS 590 Thesis

MSHS­Youth Services Curriculum (36 credit hours)

Prerequisites:

    Minimum of 9 hours in Psychology and/or Sociology or approved equivalent
    MA 141 Introduction to Statistics (non thesis students)
    OR
    MA 241 Inferential Statistics and Data Analysis (thesis students)

General Requirements

  1. 27 Credits of Foundation courses (required of all)
  2. Nine hours of elective credit. If a student opts to write a thesis, six of these elective hours will be thesis hours; students interested in meeting CPADAC requirements must take HS535, HS536, and HS537 as electives‹unless these have been taken elsewhere.
  3. Completion of a "Pre-comprehensive Exam Report" based on previous Human Services experience or, for students with no previous HS experiences, based on a 25-clock-hour service experience approved and supervised by a MSHS faculty member.
  4. Successful completion of a comprehensive exam (students must have the Pre-comprehensive Exam Report finished before entering the comprehensive exam process).

MSHS ­ Youth Services Foundation (All required)

    HS 510 Research Methods in Human Services
    HS 512 Program Evaluation
    HS 515 Professional Ethics and Legal Issues in the Human Services
    HS 517 Techniques of Assessment and Intervention in the Human Services
    HS 520 Diversity Issues in the Human Services
    OR
    HS 538 Multicultural Counseling
    HS 521 Theories of Human Development
    HS 524 Group Process and Facilitation
    HS 532 Applied Behavior Analysis (or an approved elective)
    HS 560 Internship/Fieldwork
    OR
    HS 561 Clinical Internship/Fieldwork

MSHS­Youth Services Electives (3 required)
Courses may be selected from the electives list for the MSHS-mental health professional option as well as from any courses within the MSHS that have not been taken and are not requirements of the Youth Services option. . Faculty advisors should be consulted about specialized youth services courses that are available through articulated arrangements with Girls and Boys Town and Omaha Home for Boys.

Bellevue University/Girls and Boys Town Articulation Program

The mission of the 2002/2003 articulation program is to provide Girls and Boys Town MSHS (48-credit) or (36-credit) students with courses that parallel selected required or elective courses, and to provide elective options customized for Girls and Boys Town professional development needs. The following required courses in the MSHS -Youth Services Option must be taken in residence: HS510, HS515, HS520 OR HS538, HS524, and HS560 OR HS561. Girls and Boys Town students must take HS532 either in residence or articulated. The following required courses may be taken in the articulated format: HS512, HS517, HS521, and HS532. The in residence electives include HS519, HS522, HS526, HS531, HS535, HS536, HS537, HS538, HS540, HS546, HS547, and HS561. Articulated electives are HS511 and HS565. HS590 Thesis is also an option that requires 6 in-residence elective credits. All students must meet the B.U. residence requirement that allows a maximum of 18 credits to be earned through articulation arrangements. See the table below for clarification of requirements if Girls and Boys Town students choose the 48-credit mental health professional option.

MSHS-Youth Services MSHS-Mental Health Professional

    Required: Available only in Residence at BU: HS510, HS515, HS520 or HS538, HS524, HS560 OR HS561, HS528, HS531 (OR HS532‹see articulated list), HS546 OR HS547, HS561.
    Available as Articulated Courses: HS512, HS517, HS521 (with BU supplement), HS532 (also offered as BU course).
    Electives: Available only in Residence at BU: HS520, HS522, HS526, HS535, HS536, HS537, HS538, HS540, HS546, HS547, and HS590.