The Human Development/Human Services Department offers a variety of Associates of Arts degrees within the Social and Applied Behavioral Sciences taught in a supportive community.

The A.A. degree in Human Development/Human Services is an interdisciplinary degree concentrating in psycho-social development across the life span, with special emphases on the family system, identity development, mental wellness, and the human services profession. As part of this degree, students choose one out of three areas of concentration: Addiction Studies Foundations, Parenting Education/Family Coach, or Paraprofessional Counseling. These areas of concentration are also available as stand alone, 16-unit Certificates of Achievement. Our degree presents more than an understanding of how compassion meets theory and praxis; we concomitantly offer the kind of personal enrichment that comes from supporting others improve their own lives. This degree prepares students to transfer into a Baccalaureate program, and is also designed to benefit the student who wishes to pursue a paraprofessional career in human services, such as case management, parenting coach / educator, support and crisis counseling.

Secondly, the Human Development/Human Services Department also offers an A.A. degree in Addiction Treatment Studies. This degree is designed to prepare students for careers in the growing field of drug and alcohol counseling. The Addiction Treatment Studies curriculum is registered with the California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals (CCAPP). Upon satisfactory completion of the required coursework, students earn an Associates of Arts degree or a Certificate of Achievement in Addiction Treatment Stud­ies.  

Thirdly, for those students interested in transferring into the CSU system to complete a Baccalaureate degree in Social Work and Human Services (or similar), our Department offers an Associates in Arts degree in Social Work and Human Services for Transfer degree (AA-T). This area of study emphasizes the application of behavioral sciences within a variety of cultural contexts. As a profession, Social Work and Human Services focus­es on methods for supporting people from many diverse social groups to improve the quality of their lives.

Lastly, the Human Development/Human Services Department offers an Associates in Arts in Social Justice Studies for Transfer degree (AA-T). This is an interdisciplinary course of study with a focus on equity and social justice, preparing students for a seamless transfer into Ethnic Studies, Gender Studies, Social Justice Studies, and related majors in the CSU system. Students who choose to major in Social Justice Studies and related fields have a wide range of career options: activists, community organizers, public policy analysts, conflict resolution special­ists/mediators, NGO workers, human rights groups, political campaigners, workers in environmental organizations, alternative media, religious organizations, international agencies, rights advocates, journalists, and lobbyists.