Health and Human Services Leadership
Online Master’s Degree Program

Yes. A health and human services (HHS) degree from Herzing University is worth it for students who want to build a career making a measurable difference in their communities. 

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that job openings for both social and human service assistants and social and community service managers will grow 6% from 2024-2034, faster than the national average across all U.S. occupations. Depending on your degree level and role, salaries in this field range from an average of $47,090 per year for social and human service assistants to $86,100 per year for social and community service managers.*

Earning a bachelor’s degree in HHS at Herzing also fulfills the educational requirement to become a Human Services–Board Certified Practitioner (HS–BCP) from the Center for Credentialing and Education. The HS–BCP is an industry credential recognized by employers. Beyond career preparation, Herzing provides lifelong career coaching and personalized student support services to help you succeed long after graduation.

Human services and psychology are closely related but serve different purposes. Psychology focuses on understanding individual human behavior and mental processes, building an interpersonal skillset that transfers across many professions. Human services focuses on the leadership and management of social service agencies designed to address community-level social problems. Our HHS programs cover skills for designing, delivering and coordinating services for populations in need.

At Herzing University, the HHS curriculum covers grant writing, nonprofit management, volunteer coordination and program development, while the psychology curriculum focuses on research methods, cognitive development and individual assessment. Both fields are close neighbors in behavioral health, and pursuing one now does not prevent you from advancing in the other later.

Yes. Herzing University’s HHS curriculum covers key psychology concepts including behavioral health theory, addictions and psychosocial assessment. Psychology is an essential component of effective human services delivery. 

However, human services programs emphasize applying these concepts at the community and organizational level — through case management, program coordination and client advocacy — rather than focusing on individual clinical assessment. Students who want to focus on psychological theory and individual behavior may want to consider Herzing’s standalone Bachelor of Science in Psychology.

The range of jobs you can potentially apply for with a master's in health and human services can make this number difficult to identify.

However, the Bureau of Labor Statistics provides figures for the occupational grouping Social and Community Service Managers, containing some of the most common types of professions in human services you can qualify for with a master's degree.

According to the BLS, Social and Community Services Managers earn an average annual salary of $86,100 per year ($41.39 per hour).* Pay can vary based on your education, experience level, and state of employment.

This depends on your specific career goals, namely if you want to continue specializing solely in social work, or if you want to branch out into health and human services more broadly.

The biggest difference between these two master’s degree curriculums is the MSW program prepares you to continue as a practitioner in the field as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW).ⁱ

The Health and Human Services Leadership curriculum prepares you to advance from a role as a practitioner to a position in leadership or management. This is not a track to become an LCSW—rather, you would become more qualified to manage a team of social workers, or multidisciplinary team including social workers and other types of human services professionals.

i. Individuals considering the Master of Social Work program should be aware that state certification/ licensure requirements and eligibility to apply for certification/licensure vary from state to state. While certification/licensure is not a requirement for certain types of jobs, in some states, it may be required for any positions titled ‘Social Worker’ and to refer to yourself as a Social Worker in professional settings.

The core difference is this: a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) is a professional degree that specifically prepares students for generalist social work practice with individuals and families, while a Bachelor of Science in Health and Human Services is an interdisciplinary degree that focuses on case management, client advocacy, program coordination and organizational leadership across a variety of community settings.

At Herzing University, the health and human services curriculum includes nonprofit organization management, grant writing and fundraising, program planning and development, and volunteer and community development. The social work curriculum focuses on counseling and communication skills, case management and crisis intervention, and child welfare services. Both fields overlap in their commitment to improving social outcomes, and pursuing one now does not prevent you from advancing in the other later. Learn more about human services vs. social work here.

No, our program is designed both for practitioners already in the field as well as career changers coming from other focus areas, including fields like:

• Business Management
• Counseling, Life Coaching, or Psychology
• Criminal Justice
• Education
• Health Sciences
• Human Resources (HR)

Experience in the field may be an advantage for certain job opportunities, but the courses in our program will help introduce you to the health and human services field and prepare you to succeed in many types of leadership positions.