UB Programs At-A-Glance

Health and Human Services

Office of Interdisciplinary Degree Programs

203 Clemens Hall
North Campus
Buffalo, NY 14260-4670

Phone: 716.645.2245
Fax: 716.645.3640
Web: cas.buffalo.edu/programs/idp/ugrad/

Lee Dryden
Director

About the Program

The Health and Human Services concentration of the Social Sciences Interdisciplinary major is an academic program exploring health care and human services from an interdisciplinary perspective. Students may concentrate in early childhood, community mental health, or social gerontology. Each specialization features an internship or practicum. For more information please see the Social Sciences Interdisciplinary Degree Programs.

About Our Degrees

Acceptance Criteria

Minimum GPA of 2.0 overall.
Minimum grade of "C" in PSY 101 and SSC 103.

Acceptance Information for Health and Human Services

Deadlines: Rolling
Number of accepted majors 2004-2005:
Community Mental Health - 99
Early Childhood - 137
Social Gerontology - 14

Total number of majors currently enrolled:
Community Mental Health - 139
Early Childhood - 297
Social Gerontology – 24

Degree Requirements

Please see the Undergraduate Catalog.

About Our Courses

Each of the interdisciplinary degree programs offers a curriculum that allows students to combine coursework from three or more departments in the College of Arts and Sciences. In addition, a number of interdisciplinary and special-interest courses are offered through the IDP. There are also options to incorporate courses from other areas of the university, allowing students to obtain a broad range of skills and education.

The typical class size for:

Freshman/introductory courses is: 40-200
Sophomore/intermediate courses is: 40-50
Upper level/advanced courses is: 40-50

In the IDP concentration, what do teaching assistants (TA's) do?

Many courses in the social sciences interdisciplinary program's curricula originate in other departments, where teaching assistants may be assigned instructional or grading duties.

Suggested Introductory Courses

  • APY 105 Introduction to Anthropology or SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology or PHI 107 Introduction to Ethics
  • BIO 129 Perspectives in Human Biology
  • PSY 101 Introduction to Psychology
  • SSC 103 Introduction to Health and Human Services
  • A basic statistics course



For course descriptions, please see the Undergraduate Catalog.

About Our Faculty

The IDP faculty, though limited in number, not only teach courses applicable to the program's degree tracks, but are also involved in the advisement of IDP majors, a function that is vitally important for students selecting courses from a number of different departments.

Practical Experience and Special Academic Opportunities

The IDP's concentrations offer an opportunity to focus studies on a particular topic whose breadth and diversity overlap several departments in the faculty. Students in the Health and Human Services concentration may choose to concentrate their studies in early childhood education, community mental health, or social gerontology.

Internships

The Interdisciplinary Degree Program in Health and Human Services includes an opportunity for practical fieldwork in an internship experience. The primary academic emphases of these internships notwithstanding, many graduates have found these experiences beneficial when seeking employment.

Extracurricular Activities

See the UB Student Association.

Complementary Programs and Courses

Majors that Complement Health and Human Services


Minors that Complement Health and Human Services

Career Information and Further Study

While the IDP degree tracks were not developed primarily to train students for specific careers, they are intended to provide an academic background relevant to a wide range of occupations and fields of graduate study.

Alumni in Health and Human Services reported being employed in the following ways:

Social Gerontology:

  • Crime victims specialist at the Jewish Association for the Aging
  • Social worker at Autumnview Healthcare Facility
  • Assistant activity director at Grandville Senior Living Community
  • Director of the Adult Care Center at the Health Association of Niagara County
  • Social services director at Greenville Nursing Home
  • Marketing representative at Healthcare Plan
  • Admissions representative at Beechwood Residence



Community Mental Health:

  • Program Director at the Bob Lanier Center
  • Family Partner at Holy Cross Head Start
  • Social Worker at Kazabee, Inc.
  • Mental health specialist at Baker Victory Services
  • Case manager at Buffalo Adolescent Pregnancy Program
  • Outpatient representative at Catholic Health Services
  • Resident counselor at Transitional Services, Inc.
  • Life skills trainer at Community Services for the Developmentally Disabled
  • Cancer information specialist at Roswell Park Cancer Institute
  • Teacher's aide at Wyndham Lawn Home for Children



Early Childhood:

  • Team coordinator at the United Cerebral Palsy Association
  • Head Pre-school Teacher at Doodlebugs Daycare
  • Early Intervention Teacher's Assistant at the Alcott School
  • Job Coach at Heritage Centers
  • Residential Counselor at Living Opportunities of DePaul
  • Instructor at Progressive Christian Academy
  • Assistant director at Huntington Learning Center
  • Service coordinator at People, Inc.



Alumni in Health and Human Services reported being accepted into graduate programs in the following fields:

Social Gerontology:

  • School counseling at Purdue University
  • Physician's assistant at SUNY Stony Brook
  • Social work at Columbia University
  • Social work at SUNY College/Brockport



Community Mental Health:

  • School counseling as St. Bonaventure University
  • Executive leadership and change at Daeman College
  • School counseling at Fordham University
  • Social work at University at Buffalo
  • Counselor education at Canisius College
  • Student Personnel at Buffalo State College
  • Health services administration at D’Youville College
  • Law school at Queens College
  • Social work at Case Western Reserve



Early Childhood:

  • Elementary education at Hofstra University
  • Occupational therapy at U. of Illinois/Chicago
  • Early childhood education at Buffalo State College
  • Elementary education at University at Buffalo
  • Medicine at St. Georges University School of Medicine
  • Elementary education at Queens College
  • Early childhood inclusive education at Nazareth College
  • Social work at University at Buffalo
  • Counseling at Hofstra University
  • Student personnel administration at Buffalo State College
  • School psychology at University of Connecticut
  • Social work at San Diego State University



What percentage of graduates goes on to graduate school?

35-40%

What percentage of graduates goes on find related employment?

55-60%

Links to Further Information About This Program

Last Modified: Tuesday, 7-Nov-2006 10:26:10 EST