Human Services (MS) — Competency Summaries

Each of the competencies in the MS Program in Human Services is listed below, along with a summary statement of the learning that the student is expected to demonstrate, through coursework or a combination of prior learning and independent study. Course descriptions and complete competency criteria are available from the program office.

HMS G 601
Human Services Policy

Students will analyze the historical, social, and political development of human service policies and organizations in the United States and can apply this analysis to comprehensive study of formulation and implementation of Massachusetts policy in a particular area.
3 Credits

HMS G 602
Ethics in Human Services

Students will understand some of the chief ethical conflicts and their ethical and political underpinnings in the delivery of human services, including the centrality of these conflicts to the evaluation of organizational structure, program design, professionalism, and the relationship between worker and client.
3 Credits

HMS G 603
Race, Culture, and Ethnicity in Human Services

Students will be able to identify and analyze oppression based on race, sex, culture, or ethnic group in the values, attitudes, behaviors, policies, and practices of human services systems, agencies, or providers (personnel); and to develop appropriate interventions/methods to address this oppression.
3 Credits

HMS G 606
Research Methods

Students will learn the basic principles of social science research and various qualitative and quantitative research designs. Using this knowledge, students will critically evaluate existing research as reported in professional journals, as well as design a research study.
3 Credits

HMS G 609
Supervision of Human Service Workers

Students will be able to explain the interrelationship between organizational behavior and the supervisory role in organizations and to use organizational behavior theoretical constructs to distinguish good supervision practice from poor supervision practice. The ultimate outcome of this competency is that students will be able to identify, diagnose, and resolve critical issues that arise in facilitating the work of others.
3 Credits

HMS G 613
Training Human Service Workers

The student will show an understanding of the purpose and limits of staff training as well as the elements that go into it. The student will be able to set up a training program and discuss the theory(ies) of learning on which the training is based.
3 Credits

HMS G 620
Leadership and Organizational Development

Students will analyze a variety of theories, issues and models of leadership and to select those that are appropriate for application in human services organizations.
3 Credits

HMS G 621
Human Resources Administration

Students will be able to design effective human resource policies and systems, involving all internal and external constituencies, appropriate to particular public or non-profit human service organizations.
3 Credits

HMS G 622
Marketing Human Services

Students will be able to develop appropriate marketing strategies for public and non-profit human service organizations.
3 Credits

HMS G 623
Financial Management of Non-Profit Organizations

Students will learn to perform the basic financial tasks of a non-profit organization. These tasks include recording financial transactions, preparing financial statements, retrospective evaluation ratio analysis, prospective planning including budgeting, cost analysis, and revenue generation, budget execution, and preserving the integrity of the financial operation.
3 Credits

HMS G 625
Public Sector Budgeting

Students will understand the public budgeting process and be able to carry out the financial management tasks associated with the development and implementation of a budget for a state-funded human service agency. They will also be able to analyze the impact of the political system on the public budgeting process.
3 Credits

HMS G 626
Strategic Planning for Public and Nonprofit Organizations

Students will be able to identify strategic planning needs, to develop and implement a strategic planning process, and to develop an operational plan for short-term implementation. In addition to recognizing the value of strategic planning, managers and planners will also be able to determine when strategic planning is not practical or desirable. In such situations, students will be able to take appropriate action to prepare the organization for strategic planning.
3 Credits

HMS G 627
Performance Monitoring and Evaluation

Students will be able to use performance monitoring as a results-oriented management tool. They will be able to conduct periodic measurement of progress toward explicit short- and long-term objectives and report the results to decision makers. Students will understand how performance monitoring can help managers make better decisions. They will also know the kinds of problems that arise in developing and implementing performance monitoring systems, and how to address these challenges. The ultimate goal is that students will be able to oversee the design and implementation of effective performance monitoring systems.
3 Credits

HMS G 628
Legal Issues in Human Services

Students will acquire a theoretical legal framework, develop experience in applying these principles to real situations, and acquire skill in finding and using law important to their work or area of interest. This knowledge will help students develop strategies to comply with and also change the law, and to advocate for their agency and its consumers.
3 Credits

HMS G 630
Human Services Planning

Students will utilize planning theory and methodology to prepare a comprehensive plan addressing a specific human service problem at the community, organizational, or service delivery level.
3 Credits

HMS G 631
Human Services Needs Assessment

Students will understand and utilize a range of research methods for conducting needs assessments and will be able to design and analyze needs assessments for human service issues.
3 Credits

HMS G 632
Evaluation Research

Students will understand the basic issues involved in planning evaluation research and will be able to design and analyze an evaluation for a specific policy program.
3 Credits

HMS G 633
Fund Raising and Grant Seeking

Students will describe and analyze the range of funding options available to human service organizations and be able to develop a plan for implementing a fund-raising strategy for a particular human service program or organization.
3 Credits

HMS G 634
Information Technology for Management and Planning

Students will be able to use information technology to leverage existing data systems and to create new ones. Students will be able to ensure the appropriate selection and deployment of technology to meet the organization’s specific needs. They will be able to apply the data-information-knowledge-action transformation process to managing and planning human services. The ultimate goal is that as managers and planners, students will use information technology to improve management and overall organizational functioning.
3 Credits

HMS G 648
Comparative Social Policy and Practice

Students will, through analysis of appropriate literature and field research, analyze a human service system in another country and make informed comparisons between it and a comparable system in the United States.
3 Credits

HMS G 649
Program Development

Students will develop an implementation plan for a human service program, based on a needs assessment and current research and theory, which utilizes appropriate resources and anticipates barriers to implementation.
3 Credits

HMS G 655
Capstone Project

Students will integrate the content of their learning through a research or action project focused on management or planning. Students will participate in a seminar as part of the capstone experience.
3 Credit