UMA’s Mental Health & Human Services programs allow students to specialize in a variety of areas, and build a curriculum that meets their individual career goals.
There are four different concentrations each directed toward different avenues of career and professional development: Adult Mental Health Rehabilitation, Addictions Counseling, Child and Family Services and Mental Health and Human Services Generalist.
The B.S. degree meets the academic requirement for the Licensed Social Worker-Conditional (LSX) credential, and students completing the Adult Mental Health Rehabilitation concentration qualify for the Mental Health Rehabilitation/Community (MHRT/C) credential.
The Graduate Certificate offers current professionals the flexibility to obtain a graduate certificate that can lead to career advancement and become a pathway to a Master’s Degree.
Mission Statement
UMA’s Mental Health and Human Services(MHHS) program prepares undergraduates for leadership and service roles within the community and with diverse populations. The MHHS department is committed to incorporating community-based, Fieldwork Placement experiences within its educational program to maximize students’ personal and professional development.
Values and Beliefs
The Mental Health and Human Services field is a caring profession. Our goal is to assist clients and to help them achieve an individual level of wellness through a strengths-based approach. The profession requires ethical and substantial reasoning skills in order to make sound and thoughtful decisions, which incorporate accountability and integrity. Professional actions are based on a body of knowledge that integrates theories from the arts, humanities, physical sciences, and humanistic sciences.
Course Delivery
In fulfilling our commitment to students’ learning needs and responding to continual changes in service delivery, the faculty integrates technology throughout the curriculum. The MHHS curriculum is delivered via a variety of contemporary learning platforms, including hybrid, web-based, and video conferencing.
Skills You’ll Acquire
The UMA MHHS graduate is prepared to utilize mental health and substance use disorder theory, technology, and evidenced-based knowledge while maintaining a therapeutic caring relationship.
You’ll acquire skills in handling crises, managing caseloads, representing others (advocacy), providing psychosocial rehabilitation, counseling, job coaching, teaching life and career skills, providing educational support, coordinating support services, identifying and solving problems, and more.
Sequence of Courses
All University degrees have a specific curriculum which is made up of several components: Core and General Education, Program Requirements, Program Electives and General Electives. How a student goes about completing the curriculum is determined by where the student starts.
- If you are just entering college we recommend taking your Core and General Education requirements during the first two years that you are here. That will ensure that you are fully prepared to take other courses later in your academic career.
- If you are transferring into the program once your prior credits have been assessed, it will be important to make sure that you have completed the Core and General Education courses.
Regardless of which pathway brought you here, progressing through program requirements and electives is rather straight forward. We have simplified the process of selecting courses to ensure both continuity and choice for the student. The fundamental principle is to follow the numbers. Students are encouraged to take 100-level classes initially. These courses are general in nature and provide an entry into more advanced classes. 200-hundred level classes are primarily designed to develop and enhance skills and knowledge useful for more advanced classes. 300-level classes typically are building upon earlier courses. Finally, 400 level classes should be taken once the student has completed most of their undergraduate education. These courses prepare the student for the internship/capstone experience, then graduation and entry into either the profession or further education for a more advanced degree.
A special note regarding general electives. The baccalaureate degree program in Mental Health and Human Services has many required classes, hence limiting the number of electives (5, three-credit courses). Students, particularly those transferring into the program, should be very cautious about taking courses that do not directly lead to the degree.
UMA’s Mental Health and Human Services’ Associate of Science degree is integrated within our baccalaureate program. Students can pursue a variety of potential career paths and earn an Associate’s degree along the way. The sequence of taking courses should be the same as the baccalaureate degree; take the Core and General Education courses during the first year and then follow the numbers, take the 100-level, then 200-level and finally the 300-level courses. Once you have fulfilled the required prerequisite courses you will need to take HUS 223 Fieldwork Preparation and then HUS 270 Fieldwork Placement I.