Course details

Summary

Human Services is referred to as the study of the professions. Human Services (HSRV) programmes and courses are now being taught at universities in New Zealand and internationally, with human services among the fastest growing fields of employment. Studying Human Services gives you the opportunity to learn research skills and choose courses in particular areas of study, maximising your ability to develop more focused career directions within your degree.

Students majoring in subjects such as Psychology, Law, Education, Management and Sociology also have the opportunity to strengthen the human service component of their studies by including HSRV courses.

The GradDipArts is designed for graduates seeking to qualify for entry to postgraduate qualifications in arts, to change career direction, or to extend or upgrade their existing qualification/s.

There are five broad pathways within the Human Services program at UC:

Health and Family Systems – for those interested in health and well-being

Work and Organizational Systems – gain knowledge to implement change in organisational systems, to consider critical debates within policy, as well as to develop skills in organizational communication

Youth Development – looks at youth culture, youth work and relevant development organizations

Local and Global Community Development – an area of growing popularity in New Zealand and overseas

Violence and Criminal Justice Systems – many Human Services courses make use of UC staff specialization in the areas of violence and provision of services across different contexts. Most of these courses consider violence as a contemporary and historical issue.

Qualification structure and duration

Students normally take courses from the Bachelor of Arts (BA) schedule. They are required to pass courses totalling a minimum of 120 points; of these 90 points must be at 300-level, including 60 in a single subject. A maximum of 15 points towards the GradDipArts may be taken from subjects not in the BA schedule. Normally all courses would be from the same subject.

Further study

This qualification is an ideal pathway into postgraduate study.

Career opportunities

Human Services courses are designed for students wanting to pursue careers within fields such as education, law enforcement, health, community and other social service/support organisations including international organisations.

Graduates may find roles in policy analysis, research, administration, management, supervision, community development, youth work, and various types of support work.

Entry criteria

Graduate diploma require a relevant bachelor's degree. If you gained your qualifications overseas, these will need to be assessed to ensure they are of an equivalent standard.

Other English language requirements: TOEFL PBT with a minimum score of 550 and TWE with a minimum score of 4.5; CCEL EAP Level 2 with a minimum C+ grade; CAE or CPE minimum score of 169 with at least 162 in reading, writing, listening and speaking; Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE with an overall score of 57 and no PTE communicative skills score below 50.