Human Servies Education in Wisconsin
Part of the Great Lakes region with a truly unique culture and economy, Wisconsin is a great state to live and one that has tremendous need for human services workers. There are many different organizations you can find employment in as a human services worker, they include: universities, school systems, hospitals, corporations, non-profits and government agencies. You may feel called to help at-risk youth as a juvenile court liaison or school social worker in Milwaukie. Perhaps you would rather work as a marriage and family therapist helping couples mend their marriages in Madison. Regardless of what career appeals to you, there are many ways you can give back to your community in Wisconsin with a degree in a human services field.
Choosing your career track is one of the most important decisions you will ever make. In order to make an informed decision you will need to gather information on potential careers to help you find a perfect fit for you. We here at humanservicesedu.org have created a tremendous resource that will facilitate you in making an informed decision about your career. Within our section on career overviews you will find a variety of valuable information including: job descriptions, salary ranges, impact of the job on individuals, families and society along with the educational and licensure requirements of each career. You will find a sample of some of the jobs available in Wisconsin below.
Sponsored School(s)
Once you have earned your Bachelor’s degree from a Wisconsin university or college human services program, you will be able to apply for work in the following positions:
- Certified Social Worker (Bachelor of Social Work from a CSWE accredited program)
- To review the rules and regulations for Social Work licensure in Wisconsin you can read our article here:
- Wisconsin Substance Abuse Counselor (Bachelor of Sociology, Social Work or Psychology)
- To learn more about the rules around certification as a Substance Abuse Counselor read the state webpage on that:
- Child Life Specialist (Bachelor of Science; Child Life Specialist)
- Wisconsin has over 110 major hospitals, many of them have pediatric wards or are even entirely dedicated to children and therefore employ between them most of the state’s Child Life Specialists. For example, there is the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee:
- Rehabilitation Case Worker (Bachelor of Social Work, Sociology, Psychology)
- The largest employer of workers in this field is the Office of Voc. Rehab and their website is also an excellent resource for prospective workers:
- Community Outreach Worker (Bachelor of Social Work, Sociology, Psychology)
- Gerontology Specialist (Bachelor of Science; Gerontology)
- If you enjoy working with the elderly and the job security that comes from living during the biggest demographic shift in 30 years, then you might find a career in Gerontology to be very rewarding. You can learn more about this sector at the state website for the aging, here:
- Case Management Aide (Bachelor of Social Work, Sociology, Psychology)
- Juvenile Court Liaison (Bachelor of Social Work, Sociology, Psychology or Criminal
- You will find a wealth of information and opportunities for employment at the State Department of Corrections:
- Behavioral Management Aide (Bachelor of Social Work, Sociology, Psychology)
- With over 475 school districts Wisconsin has many children who would benefit greatly from the help of a Behavioral Management Aide. You can learn more about Wisconsin’s school system and find potential job opportunities through the State’s Department of Public Instruction website:
- Probation officer (Bachelor of Sociology, Social Work, Psychology or Criminal Justice)
Justice)
If you decide to continue your studies until you graduate with a Master’s degree from a Wisconsin college or university Human Services program, you will have eligibility for some of the following positions:
- Certified advanced practice social worker (Master of Social Work from a CSWE accredited school)
- Certified independent social worker (Master of Social Work from a CSWE accredited school)
- 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)
You may feel called to teach the subject you love to future generations. If you do, then you will want to earn your doctorate so you can go into a career in academia. By attaining your Ph.D., many career opportunities will present themselves. From a career doing clinical research, to joining the management team in a human services agency and opening your own private mental health practice, there are unlimited career opportunities available once you have a doctorate in your field. You will also demand a top salary with your skills and have immediate status as an expert in your field once you have attained your doctorate. While the journey towards earning your Ph.D. will require tremendous effort, the benefits you achieve from earning your doctorate are well worth the effort.
When it comes to making a wise decision in planning your education, you will need to know what your end goal is before you make any decisions. To help you find a career that is a great fit for you we have provided a database of job overviews with lots of useful information. Within it you will find detailed information on a variety of the most common jobs in human services, including info on: salary ranges, job descriptions, educational requirements, and the job’s impact on society. We also have a section with state-by-state licensure requirements. Armed with this information, you will be able to find a job that closely matches your interests and talents. Once you know what your educational needs are, you will be able to browse our section on schools. Our school database has information on schools, both online and located in Wisconsin, that have accredited programs to meet all your educational needs. When you have selected a school that is a good fit for you, it is wise to contact the school directly and find out about their individual application process. If you are interested in a career that requires advanced licensure, you will want to keep in mind that many of them require you to have field experience. Planning your post-graduate employment is a good idea if you wish to attain advanced licensure.