The Undergraduate UMass Boston Navitas GSSP is the first year of a bachelor’s degree program at UMass Boston. The Navitas GSSP consists of for-credit coursework and provides an academic and cultural bridge from the high school experience to studying at a university in the United States. When students successfully complete the UMass Boston Navitas GSSP, they will progress directly into the second year of their undergraduate degree program.

The human services field continues to be one of the fastest-growing in Massachusetts and the nation. Human service providers work in diverse settings, from state agencies to substance-abuse programs to counseling and educational programs. Within these areas, human service workers carry out many different roles, from case management and intervention to program administration and development.

The human services major provides a theoretical framework for understanding the individual, the family, and the community; the interactions among them; and the systems that are set up to serve them. Students will study human services using an ecological framework that envisions the individual in constant interaction with his or her environment, affecting and affected by institutions (families and organizations), the communities in which these institutions exist, and the institutions’ socioeconomic and political environments.

While completing their coursework, students in human services build professional experience for their resumes through applied service-learning programs and capstone. Students also gain:

• Knowledge of human development, family functioning, and community dynamics
• Basic skills in intervention with individuals, families, and groups
• Understanding of the history and structure of human services systems
• Research and information requirements for effective delivery of services
• Knowledge of ethics, values, and policies guiding human services practice