Human Services Education in Texas
Texas has a tremendous need for human services workers. Whether you live in the Houston metro area or another of Texas’ cities or many smaller towns and municipalities, there is need for workers to provide human services. It might be in the form of helping patients fill out Medicaid applications as a medical social worker in Houston, working within Dallas’ school system as a school social worker, or acting as a mental health therapist in San Antonio, there are a wide variety of jobs for the well-educated human services worker. If you want to give back to your community, human services is an excellent sector to make your career in.
When you choose your career you are making a decision that will influence your life for many years. This is an important decision and one that deserves careful thought and consideration. Fortunately, we have developed a resource here at Humanservicesedu.org to help you to make this critical life choice that much easier to make. With our database of career overviews, state-by-state licensure laws and school programs, we have compiled a huge amount of information to help make your decision making process easier. Below we have a list of some of the more common jobs you can find in Texas, along with their educational requirements.
Sponsored School(s)
After you have attained a Bachelor’s degree from a Texas university or college Human Services program, you can begin to look for work in one of the following positions in Texas:
- Licensed baccalaureate social worker (Bachelor of Social Work from a CSWE accredited school)
- If you are planning on becoming a licensed Social Worker in Texas you will need to have a thorough and detailed understanding of the licensure process. We have an article that breaks down the process which you can access here:
- Community outreach worker (Bachelor of Social Work, Sociology, Psychology)
- Few professions in Human Services have such a diversity of potential employers as the Community Outreach Worker. For example, you could work with the Texas government on the Texas Children’s Health Plan here:
- Behavioral management aide (Bachelor of Social Work, Sociology, Psychology)
- With an incredible 1050+ school districts, Texas has tremendous need for well-educated Behavioral Management Aide’s. You can learn more about Texas Education Agency at their website:
- Probation officer (Bachelor of Sociology, Social Work, Psychology or Criminal Justice)
- The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is very large and is routinely in need of new workers in both of these professions. You can learn more here:
- Case management aide (Bachelor of Social Work, Sociology, Psychology)
- The Texas Health and Human Services Commission employs many people in this position as part of its support staff, click here:
- Juvenile court liaison (Bachelor of Social Work, Sociology, Psychology or Criminal
- Texas Substance Abuse Counselor (Bachelor of Sociology, Social Work or Psychology)
- Addiction Counseling is a protected profession in Texas and requires certification which you can learn about here:
- Rehabilitation case worker (Bachelor of Social Work, Sociology, Psychology)
Justice)- The Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services is the major employer of this profession and you can learn more about them here:
When you have completed your studies and been awarded a Master’s degree from an Texas college or university human services program, you can begin applying for jobs in a human services career of your choosing. Here are some examples:
- Social and community service 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)
- Child welfare case manager (Masters in Business Administration, Social Work, Psychology or Sociology)
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker (Master of Social Work from a CSWE accredited school + field experience)
- School social worker (Master of Social Work from a CSWE accredited program)
- Marriage and Family Therapist (Master’s in Counseling, Psychology or Marriage and Family Therapy)
If a career in research or academia in the human services sector interests you, then you will definitely want to earn your doctorate. Or perhaps you would like to move directly into management in a human services agency? Would you like to attain the highest levels of licensure and open a private mental health practice? If you answered yes to either of those questions, you will want to continue your schooling until you have earned your Ph.D. Getting your doctorate will bring you many advantages, and not just in career choice. You also will be considered an expert in your field and vastly increase your earning power. It is a long journey towards getting your doctorate but the payoff is tremendous.
To start on your academic journey, you will first need to determine what your goal for a final occupation is. By exploring our career overviews section, you can learn in-depth information about potential careers in human services. You will find not only a description of how the job impacts society, the individual and the family, but also information on salaries, educational and licensure requirements. Once you have this information you can make an informed decision on what career is the best fit for you, given your natural talents and interests. When you know what education is required for your career, you can check our database of online and local schools in Texas for an accredited program that meet your needs. You will most likely want to contact your school to learn about its specific application process. Remember, if you plan on getting an advanced license, you will want to know what the field experience requirements are and make a plan for your post-graduate employment.