Human Services Education in North Dakota
Bordering Canada and solidly in the northern Midwest North Dakota is beautiful country. North Dakota is also a state that is in need of human services workers to help fulfill critical functions. From its hospitals, universities, schools systems, non-profits to government agencies there are many organizations in need of human services workers. Whether you are a substance abuse counselor helping a recovering alcoholic get his life together, or a Gerontology specialist helping elders cope with aging, there are many ways to give back to your community through your career.
There are some decisions in life that will continue to have a huge impact on you for decades. Choosing your career path and its required education are one of those decisions. If you want to make a really excellent decision, then you will want to do plenty of research and careful consideration of your options. We have created a resource here at humanservicesedu.org specifically designed to help you navigate your way through the myriad options laid out before you. With this resource you should be able to find the career that is the best fit for you. By browsing our section on career overviews you will learn about how different jobs impact the community, individual and family. You will learn of the career’s specific duties. You will also learn about its educational and licensure requirements. You will see below some of the possible careers in North Dakota sorted by educational requirement.
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Once you have been awarded your Bachelor’s degree from a North Dakota university or college human services program, you will be able to apply for work in the following positions:
- Licensed Social Worker (Bachelor of Social Work from a CSWE accredited program)
- To understand all the specific rules and regulations regarding Social Work licensure in North Dakota you will want to read our detailed report on licensure which you can find here
- Licensed Certified Social Worker (Bachelor of Social Work or higher degree from a CSWE accredited program + current employment in Social Work)
- Different levels of licensure will have requirements unique to their level, you can learn more about licensure in North Dakota here:
- North Dakota Substance Abuse Counselor (Bachelor of Sociology, Social Work or Psychology)
- The North Dakota Board of Addiction Counselor Examiners is the board regulating this profession and you can find details on certification here:
- Child life specialist (Bachelor of Science; Child Life Specialist)
- North Dakota has over 42 major hospitals. Some hospitals can have departments that are specialized in working with children that employ Child Life Specialists. For example, the Sanford Children’s Hospital:
- Rehabilitation case worker (Bachelor of Social Work, Sociology, Psychology)
- Those interested in this career track will find the Office of Voc. Rehab to be a treasure trove of useful information on the sector:
- Community Outreach Worker (Bachelor of Social Work, Sociology, Psychology)
- Gerontology Specialist (Bachelor of Science; Gerontology)
- Case Management Aide (Bachelor of Social Work, Sociology, Psychology)
- This career is part of the Case Work cluster of jobs that are found within state’s Department of Human Services. By helping to facilitate the work of Case Workers and Eligibility Workers you gain on the job experience that can help give you the skillset to promote into either career track.
- Juvenile Court Liaison (Bachelor of Social Work, Sociology, Psychology or Criminal
- Both of these careers work within the Justice System and usually find employment through the Department of Corrections. Here is a resource base for Juvenile Court Liaison:
- Behavioral Management Aide (Bachelor of Social Work, Sociology, Psychology)
- With over 250 school districts, North Dakota has plenty of opportunities for Behavioral Management Aide’s to help children with their emotional and behavioral problems to heal and resolve them so they can return to school. You will find the Department of Education’s website:
- Probation Officer (Bachelor of Sociology, Social Work, Psychology or Criminal Justice)
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After you have completed your studies and have graduated with your Master’s degree from a North Dakota college or university Human Services program, you will have eligibility for some of the following positions:
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker (Master of Social Work from a CSWE accredited school + field experience)
- Marriage and Family Therapist (Master’s in Counseling, Psychology or Marriage and Family Therapy)
- School Social Worker (Master of Social Work)
- Social and Community Service Manager (Masters in Business Administration, Social Work, Psychology or Sociology)
- Child Welfare Case Manager (Masters in Business Administration, Social Work, Psychology or Sociology)
If you want higher earning potential, expert status in your field and the maximum possible number of career choices within your specialty, you will want to continue your studies until you have earned your doctorate. You will have many additional career options with a Ph.D. Some examples include: leading a clinical research team to study sociological questions with scientific polling, opening a private psychology practice, joining a board of directors for a non-profit directly after school and becoming a professor teaching counseling at a local university. With a Ph.D. you will have maximized your potential and be able to craft your own career. While the road to a doctorate is long and hard, the rewards at journey’s end are substantial indeed.
In order to accurately plan out your educational future, you will want to determine what your final goal is, that is what career you envision for yourself. By browsing our career overviews section you will be able to learn a great deal about many of the most common careers in human services. You will be able to find a job that resonates with you in terms of your interests and natural skills. You will also learn about salary ranges, educational and licensure requirements. With this information you will be able to search our database of schools, both online and located in North Dakota to find an accredited program that meets your needs. Once you have found your school it is always wise to contact the school directly. You can learn more information about the program you are interested in and what the protocol is for applications. One final factor to take into account is post-graduate field experience. This is required for many advanced licenses in human services. Keeping this in mind will help you to plan for the final component in your career, your advanced licensure.