Major map compass icon
2024-2025

Interdisciplinary Studies - Human Services (G3 AAS Pathway)

VCU

Community college:
Associate of Applied Science in Human Services (Virginia Community College System)
Virginia Community College System
Associate degree

Associate of Applied Science in Human Services (G3 program)

Completing this AAS degree will waive VCU's general education requirements.

Program description

The Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies: Human Services pathway combines BIS Core courses with coursework, minors, and/or certificates in at least two of four human service clusters: 

  1. Business & Management: for developing managerial skills for profit, nonprofit, and public enterprises, students could complete coursework or a minor in:
    1. Nonprofit management
    2. Public management
    3. General business
    4. Entrepreneurship
    5. Human resources management
  2. Health: for developing knowledge of health and wellbeing for employment in hospitals, rehabilitation, counseling, and public settings, student could complete coursework or a minor in:
    1. Health services
    2. Allied health professions
    3. Psychology
    4. Health education
    5. Recreation and wellness
  3. Society: for developing knowledge of people and to serve specific communities of people, students could complete coursework or a minor or certificate in:
    1. Psychology
    2. Sociology
    3. African American Studies
    4. Gender & Sexuality Studies
    5. Criminal Justice
    6. Urban & Regional Studies
    7. Political Science
    8. Disability Studies
  4. Communications & Computing: for developing communication and computing skills for profit, nonprofit, and public enterprises, students could complete coursework or a minor or certificate in:
    1. Media Studies
    2. Professional Writing & Editing
    3. Fundamentals of Computing

This pathway positions students for a range of human service positions depending on their choice of coursework: the management of social service and correctional agencies, patient advocacy, human resources, health policy, and more. See the IDS website for examples of combinations to meet particular career goals. Some coursework requires declaring a minor to access; some minors require a minimum GPA. The curriculum is flexible. Students, in consultation with their BIS advisor, can make changes to the recommended courses taken at VCU. Upon graduation, students will be awarded the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies and likely 1-2 minors or certificates.

Career opportunities

BIS graduates with a focus in Human Services are well prepared to seek employment in corporate, nonprofit and government agencies.

Bachelor-level job titles
  • Community Coordinator
  • Community Living Manager
  • Daycare Manager
  • Health & Human Services Specialist
  • Health Instructor
  • Healthcare Administrator
  • Human Resources Manager
  • Human Services Program Specialist, Manager, Director, Coordinator, Supervisor
  • Patient Advocate
  • Policy & Grant Writer
  • Residential Program Manager, Director, Coordinator, Supervisor
  • Social and Community Service Manager
Graduate and professional level job titles
  • Attorney
  • Healthcare administrator
  • Higher education administrator
  • Nonprofit director
  • Researcher
  • Social Worker
Contact information

 

VCU Transfer Center

Telephone: (804) 827-1349

Email: transferinfo@vcu.edu

Transfer Advising Request

VCCS Transfer Planning Checklist


Office of Admissions

Telephone: (804) 828-1222 or (800) 841-3638

Email: ugrad@vcu.edu
Apply Here.

Guaranteed transfer admission requirements

No guaranteed admission, but successful applicants will have:

  • Completion of associate degree
  • Minimum GPA of 2.5
  • All courses must be completed with a grade of "C" or better
Degree requirements in Bulletin
Highest level of math required
  • Quantitative Foundations requirement only
Science required
  • Natural Sciences requirement only
Foreign language requirements
  • No
Additional tuition/fees
  • No
GPA requirements (to progress/graduate in the major)
  • 2.0+ cumulative GPA, 2.0+ major GPA

Transfer major map
Visit majormaps.vcu.edu for the online version with links.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost
Major map compass icon
2024-2025

Interdisciplinary Studies - Human Services (G3 AAS Pathway)

Virginia Community College System (Associate of Applied Science in Human Services)

MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
Explore Year 1
  • Schedule an appointment with your community college advisor to map out your associate degree course plan.
  • Enroll in the SDV student success course.
  • Complete your math and english requirements in your first year.
  • Be prepared for academic challenges and utilize tutoring resources to get ahead.
  • Explore community college financial aid resources and submit your FAFSA on time.
  • Check on G3 funding for your AAS program.
  • Identify a mentor in a diversity organization.
  • Attend diversity-focused events on your community college campus and in your community (e.g., international festival).
  • Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
  • Create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Prepare for a career after college by creating a brand for yourself.
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
  • Practice independent living skills such as money and time management, self-care, and personal responsibility.
Experience Year 2
  • Be prepared for academic challenges. Use tutoring resources to get ahead.
  • Be prepared: Once you enroll at VCU, your VCU GPA will be determined by your grades at VCU.
  • Meet with your community college advisor to finalize plans to complete your associate degree.
  • Submit a transfer advising request to the VCU Transfer Center.
  • Research scholarship opportunities and explore your eligibility for the Two-Year College Transfer Grant.
  • Submit the FAFSA on time.
  • Explore the four human services clusters of the Human Services Pathway of the IDS degree.
  • Apply to VCU.
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Research housing options for next year.
  • Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the Interdisciplinary Studies program, consider joining a VCU club, or meeting with VCU students to make professional and personal connections.
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or Interdisciplinary Studies program-related events.
  • Check out the VCU Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) and follow @vcuomsa.
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.

Explore
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Schedule an appointment with your community college advisor to map out your associate degree course plan.
  • Enroll in the SDV student success course.
  • Complete your math and english requirements in your first year.
  • Be prepared for academic challenges and utilize tutoring resources to get ahead.
  • Explore community college financial aid resources and submit your FAFSA on time.
  • Check on G3 funding for your AAS program.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Identify a mentor in a diversity organization.
  • Attend diversity-focused events on your community college campus and in your community (e.g., international festival).
  • Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Prepare for a career after college by creating a brand for yourself.
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
  • Practice independent living skills such as money and time management, self-care, and personal responsibility.

Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Be prepared for academic challenges. Use tutoring resources to get ahead.
  • Be prepared: Once you enroll at VCU, your VCU GPA will be determined by your grades at VCU.
  • Meet with your community college advisor to finalize plans to complete your associate degree.
  • Submit a transfer advising request to the VCU Transfer Center.
  • Research scholarship opportunities and explore your eligibility for the Two-Year College Transfer Grant.
  • Submit the FAFSA on time.
  • Explore the four human services clusters of the Human Services Pathway of the IDS degree.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Apply to VCU.
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Research housing options for next year.
  • Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the Interdisciplinary Studies program, consider joining a VCU club, or meeting with VCU students to make professional and personal connections.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or Interdisciplinary Studies program-related events.
  • Check out the VCU Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) and follow @vcuomsa.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.

Recommended courses
Major map compass icon
2024-2025

Interdisciplinary Studies - Human Services (G3 AAS Pathway)

Virginia Community College System (Associate of Applied Science in Human Services)

Virginia Community College System courses
Course Title Equivalent course Credits Requirements
SDV 100 College Success Skills UNIV 101 1 Elective
ENG 111 College Composition I Note: students with credit for AP English Language and Composition will only receive credit for UNIV 111 at VCU and should take ENG 112 to fulfill the VCU composition requirement. UNIV 111-112 3 General education
MTH 154 Quantitative Reasoning MATH 131 3 General education
SOC 200 Principles of Sociology SOCY 101 3 General education
PSY 230 Developmental Psychology PSYC 304 3 Elective
Complete requirements of the AAS degree VCU equivalents 48 Elective
Community college credits transferred to VCU 61
VCU courses
Course Title Credits Requirements
UNIV 200 Inquiry and the Craft of Argument (unless ENG 112 is taken at community college) 3 General education
IDST 301 Interdisciplinary Theory and Practice 3 Major
IDST 499 BIS Senior Capstone 3 Major
Select courses from one of the following four human services clusters: business and management, health, society, or communications and computing (see VCU advisor for course options) 15 to 18 Major
Select courses from another one of the following four human services clusters: business and management, health, society, or communications and computing (see VCU advisor for course options) 15 to 18 Major
Upper-level electives (300- or 400-level courses) Note: Students must complete a minimum of 45 upper-level credits to graduate from VCU. 14 to 20 Elective
REAL The REAL requirement may be satisfied by successfully completing a 300-level (or higher) course that has received a REAL attribute of Level 2, 3 or 4 or through an approved “REAL” co-curricular experience that has received a REAL attribute of Level 3 or 4. See VCU advisor for options. 0 Major
Credits completed at VCU 59
Minimum credits required for bachelor's degree 120