University at Buffalo (UB)
"I wanted to help people," said one of our students, explaining why they chose this major. UB's health and human services program is designed for people who care about others in need and want to make a real difference for individuals and communities. At UB, you'll get the science-based knowledge and broad interdisciplinary experience to be an effective advocate for others—whether you want to help children, seniors, people with mental health issues or other groups.
You'll typically start with intro classes in subjects like psychology, human services and medical ethics, then move on to more advanced classes in related areas such as communications, sociology and global gender studies. By your junior year, you’ll usually choose a concentration and focus on electives within that area. Throughout the program, you may also take a number of interdisciplinary courses designed to show you how to combine expertise from different areas to solve complex challenges.
"Take advantage of internship opportunities and get involved with the community," urged one of our students. Here are just a few of the ways you can have fun and work toward your goals outside of class.
Management analyst for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Senior director of hospital operations at the John R. Oishei Children's Hospital. Program manager for a county-wide health education center. These are just a few of the jobs that our grads have held.
In fact, our students have enjoyed careers at a wide variety of private institutions, nonprofit groups and government agencies, including:
Many students also choose to go to graduate school and get an advanced degree in a related field such as social work, public health, health care administration, psychology, counseling or education.
Be prepared to teach grades 5-12 by getting your bachelor's and master's in just five years through our UB Teach program.
Visit the department website (at the top of this page) for more details, or see the UB Teach website for a list of all available majors.
Study community-wide behaviors with expert sociologists. Explore the brain with award-winning psychology professors. Learn from faculty who specialize in bringing together insights across multiple disciplines.
In this program, you'll get to take courses with faculty throughout the university—just one benefit of being in an interdisciplinary major. Of course, your instructors may also include working professionals from various fields and industries who come to UB so they can share their experience (and connections!) with the next generation.
With such a wide range of teachers and mentors, you'll have plenty of opportunities to meet the people who can guide you on your career path, every step of the way.