Human Services Education in Oklahoma
Part of the Midwest, the State of Oklahoma has many universities, hospitals, a vast school system and non-profit agencies that need human services workers. Whether you work as a child life specialist in a hospital in Oklahoma City, or as a marriage and family counselor in Tulsa, there are tremendous opportunities for the well-educated human services worker in the State of Oklahoma. If you want to help your community in Oklahoma, then being a well-educated human services worker is an excellent field to work in.
In life there are few decisions you will make that will have as big an impact as choosing your career path. When making a decision of that importance you want to study your options carefully. We have worked hard to create a great resource here at humanservicesedu.org, and you can use it to your advantage. If you delve into our database of career overviews, you can learn about many features of your possible careers including: potential earning power, educational requirements, expected tasks and responsibilities and required licensure. With this information you will be able to find a career that works well for you and understand what the educational requirements will be. Below you will find a list of various jobs in the human services sector that you can find in Oklahoma sorted by educational requirement.
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After you have earned your Bachelor’s degree from a Oklahoma college or university human services program, you can apply for one of the following professions:
- Juvenile Court Liaison (Bachelor of Social Work, Sociology, Psychology or Criminal)
- The single best resource for those interested in this professional sector is the Department of Corrections:
- Oklahoma Substance Abuse Counselor (Bachelor of Sociology, Social Work or Psychology)
Justice)- The best source of information on Addiction Counseling certification is the official state web page which you can find here:
- Licensed Social Work Associate (Bachelor of Social Work from a CSWE accredited program)
- We have a detailed breakdown of the regulations for licensure in Oklahoma in our article here:
- Licensed Social Worker (Bachelor of Social Work from a CSWE accredited program)
- You can learn more about the rules and laws surrounding licensure in Oklahoma in our article here:
- Licensed Social Worker – Administrative (Bachelor of Social Work from a CSWE accredited program)
- Rehabilitation Case Worker (Bachelor of Social Work, Sociology, Psychology)
- The primary employer for members of this profession is the Department of Rehabilitation Services:
- Community outreach worker (Bachelor of Social Work, Sociology, Psychology)
- Behavioral management aide (Bachelor of Social Work, Sociology, Psychology)
- With over 537 different school districts across the state there are always need for Behavioral Management Aides to assist children in the healing they need to be successful in school. You can learn more about working with children in this and other capacities at the Oklahoma Department of Education:
- Probation officer (Bachelor of Sociology, Social Work, Psychology or Criminal Justice)
- Case management aide (Bachelor of Social Work, Sociology, Psychology)
If you decide to continue your schooling until you graduate with a Master’s degree from a Oklahoma college or university human services program, you will be eligible to begin a career as one of the following professions:
- School social worker (Master of Social Work from a CSWE accredited program)
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker Master of Social Work from a CSWE accredited school + field experience )
- Child welfare case manager (Masters in Business Administration, Social Work, Psychology or Sociology)
- Licensed Master 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)
- Social and community service manager (Masters in Business Administration, Social Work, Psychology or Sociology)
Some people will feel called to continue their studies until they earn a doctorate in a human services discipline. By doing so, you will open up many career options for yourself. Some examples of career options once you have a doctorate include: opening your own private psychology practice, joining a leadership team in a government agency, teaching in academia, or leading a clinical research team studying human behavior. One of the biggest differences between a Ph.D. and other levels of education is your expert status in your field. Of course one of the most compelling reasons to earn your doctorate is the vast increase in your earning potential. For some, a career in academia or research is appealing and worth investing the considerable time and effort to earn a Ph.D. While the journey to getting your doctorate may seem daunting, the benefits you gain from this level of education are hard to overstate.
When planning your educational future, it is wise to begin at the end point. By first deciding on your career, the education component goes from a dizzying amount of options to a clear and simple matter of finding a school with a program that will allow you to work in the career of your dreams. By browsing our section on career overviews you will be given enough information to not only know about the job, its pay and impact on society, but also the educational and licensure requirements. By matching a career to your natural talents and interests, you will be able to find a career that is fulfilling on many levels. Once you know what your educational requirements are you can look at our database of schools and find an online, or Oklahoma based university, that has an accredited program that matches your needs. Contacting your school is always wise as different schools have different expectations around applicants to their programs. Also, if you wish to have a career that requires advanced licensure it is smart to have some idea of your post-graduate employment. That way you can meet the field experience requirements of the license you want.