FOCUS: Saint Leo University plans master’s of science in human services here

By Jo-Ann Johnston, Duluth, Ga.  |  Saint Leo University (www.saintleo.edu), a regionally accredited, nonprofit university with a well-established presence in Duluth, will start offering classes for its Master of Science degree in human services administration to the area in early 2017.

Interested professionals should begin learning about the program and application process now. Classes begin the week of March 6, 2017, at the Saint Leo University Gwinnett Center in Duluth at the Clarkson Building, Suite 105, 3555 Koger Boulevard (off Pleasant Hill Road near Interstate-85).

logo_stleoAt the same time, learners who prefer to enroll at the Morrow Education Center, 1590 Adamson Parkway, can participate in classes through Saint Leo’s live video teaching and teleconferencing (VTT) system. The Saint Leo Morrow Education Center is just east of Georgia Highway 54/Jonesboro Road near the interchange with Interstate-75. 

After the first semester, the human services administration classes will be conducted at the Morrow Center with VTT capability back to Gwinnett, and then classes will alternate back and forth between the two Atlanta suburban locations. Each of the Saint Leo University education centers provides modern, comfortable classrooms in accessible locations for busy adult learners.  

The degree is designed for people who are already working in the human services field at one of Atlanta’s many nonprofit or government service agencies, and want to move up to a position with more responsibility and leadership potential. This 36-hour credit program will prepare learners for career advancement. Courses cover the organization of nonprofits; methods for accurately assessing needs for community programs or services; the work involved in obtaining grants; creating sound budgets; understanding fundraising and marketing; working with a board of directors (or trustees); managing human resource functions; understanding key legal issues; and more. A field placement is optional.  

Dr. Susan Kinsella, head of the program as well as dean of the School of Education and Social Services at Saint Leo, says: “Our faculty have served as agency directors, supervised professional workers, and managed large and small programs, so they fully understand the day-to-day responsibilities of operating a nonprofit or public agency, be it one serving children, seniors, the homeless, those in poverty, or those with mental illness.”

More on the program is available on the Saint Leo website, listed under graduate programs. Graduate counselors can be reached at (800) 707-8846 toll-free. Tuition is priced at $500 per credit hour.

The new master’s program is a natural outgrowth of the success Saint Leo University has had with its bachelor’s degree in human services (a more generalized degree) in classroom settings in Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, and Virginia. The faculty in the university’s Human Services Department all have the practical working experience, in addition to solid academic credentials, to successfully prepare the next generation of employees and leaders at organizations such as United Way member agencies or the American Red Cross.

Saint Leo classes are small enough to ensure personal attention from the faculty and to provide students opportunities to collaborate and learn from one another’s experiences. As a Catholic university that is open to everyone, Saint Leo carries on a tradition of servant leadership that is especially pertinent to the human services administration program.

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