Master of Science with a Major in Human Service Delivery and Administration

The University of North Georgia (UNG) offers a 35-semester-hour Master of Science with a major in Human Services Delivery and Administration (HSDA) degree in order to serve qualified, professionally-oriented college graduates who aspire employment in the public and non-profit sector. The HSDA program is designed to serve students who are currently employed in the human services field at the entry-level and are seeking professional advancement. The HSDA program uses a flexible hybrid model (on-line instruction supplemental by limited in-person instruction) to accommodate the busy lives of working adults. Applications are accepted in the spring for entrance in the fall semester.

For additional information, call the Department of Sociology and Human Services, (678)717-3878 or e-mail hsda@ung.edu.

Graduate Admissions Procedures

Applications may be obtained from Graduate Admissions or from the UNG website. Applicants must pay a one-time, non-refundable application fee. Admission requirements are listed below. When all application material has been reviewed by Graduate Admission, the applicants will be notified and a copy of all material will be forwarded to the program. Upon review, a letter from the HSDA program will be mailed to the applicant verifying acceptance or denial.

Students who are admitted but do not enroll without three semesters of acceptance must reapply to the program by submitting to Graduate Admissions a new application for readmission. Students who were previously enrolled but have not been in attendance within three semesters must also reapply to the program by submitting to Graduate Admissions a new application for readmission. All documents and materials submitted to fulfill the application requirements for entry to a program at UNG become the property of the university and will not be returned. Materials are kept for one year for incomplete application files and for three years for complete application files.

HSDA Admission Requirements

The following documents must be received prior to admission:

1. Baccalaureate from an accredited institution (as defined under Accredited Institutions in the Academic Information section of the Graduate Catalog) with at least a cumulative grade point average of 2.75 (4.0 scale) calculated in accordance with Graduate Admissions procedures.
2. General Record Exam (GRE) score of not less than 290 (verbal and quantitative combined) or Miller Analogies Test (MAT) score of not less than 400. You may exempt the GRE or MAT with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 (4.0 scale) calculated in accordance with Graduate Admissions procedures or with evidence of a master’s degree in any field from a regionally accredited institution.
3. Prepare a written statement focusing on the following guidelines. Do not exceed 5 typed pages, double spaced with size 12 font. The statement should address the following:
   1. What are your career objectives? Please state your specific interest in the field of human services as well as what life experiences have contributed to these objectives. What do you wish to accomplish with your graduate education?
   2. How have your field practicum, service-learning, work, and/or volunteer experiences shaped your interest in the field of human services and your desire to work with people? What experiences have you had working with diverse populations?
   3. Describe the population of individuals you are interested in working with and the issue that matters to you related to this population. Why this issue? What are the possible causative factors and potential solutions?
   4. Describe an experience in which you have been given help and how it has contributed to your desire to enter the field of human services.
   5. What do you consider your personal strengths and limitations in the field of Human Services and what area would you like to strengthen?
4. Three UNG recommendation forms from individuals able to address academic potential, professional experiences in the helping professions, and non-academic experiences that add breath in understanding the human condition.

Provisional Admission

Students not meeting the entrance criteria for the program may qualify for provisional admission. To qualify for provisional admission, an individual must:

1. Hold an earned baccalaureate from an accredited institution (as defined under Accredited Institutions in the Academic Information section of the Graduate Catalog) with at least a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 (4.0 scale) calculated in accordance with Graduate Admissions procedures.
2. GRE General Test score of not less than 290 (verbal and quantitative combined) or Miller Analogies Test score of not less than 400.

Their status will be reviewed to determine eligibility for regular admission following the completion of one semester. A student who earns a grade of B or higher in all HSDA courses completed will be given regular admission status in the program. Provisionally admitted students who earn a grade of C or lower in any graduate-level HSDA course taken during the provisional period would not be allowed to continue in the program. A student who has been removed because of a deficient grade may reapply to the program after three semesters from the date the student was removed by submitting to Graduate Admissions a letter of appeal addressed to the Sociology & Human Services department head and a new application for readmission. Provisionally admitted students are not eligible for financial aid.

Appeal of Graduate Admission

A candidate whose application is denied because the graduate admission cumulative grade point average is below the minimum requirement for the program or because an acceptable test score for an appropriate entrance exam was not earned has the right to appeal the decision. An appeal must be made in writing to the Master of Science with a major in Human Services Delivery and Administration Program, Department of Sociology and Human Services, P.O. Box 1358, Gainesville, Georgia 30503. The letter should clearly state the grounds for appeal. A student whose appeal is accepted will be admitted provisionally and is not eligible for financial aid while enrolled with this status. Students may not appeal for regular admission.

HSDA Transfer Residency Requirement

To be awarded a Master of Science with a major in Human Services Delivery and Administration degree, students must earn a minimum of 29 semester hours of graduate degree requirements in residence. In addition, no more than six semester hours of transfer credit may be applied toward meeting the HSDA degree requirements. All course requirements, including transfer credit, must be completed within a six-year period. Transfer credit will not be given for any course in which a grade of C or lower was earned. To apply for transfer credit, a student must complete the transfer of graduate credit form (myUNG—password required) and submit the form to the HSDA program coordinator for approval.

HSDA Academic Policies

Satisfactory Progress

Students must earn a grade of C or higher in all required coursework.

Incomplete Grades

The HSDA program adheres to the uniform grading system in the Academic Information section of the Graduate Catalog. No student carrying two incomplete (“I”) marks either of which has been extended over one semester, may enroll in additional course work without the written consent of the HSDA Program Coordinator. In completes which are not finished by the beginning of the second semester will automatically become an F grade. No degree will be conferred on a student who has an unresolved “I” mark remain on his/her transcript.

Repeated Courses

Students may only repeat one class one time during enrollment in the HSDA program in order to improve a grade.

Academic Standing Policy

HSDA students who have been regularly admitted and whose academic performance is unsatisfactory will be subject to the following:

1. Probation – Student will be placed on probation for any of the following reasons:
   1. Student’s cumulative grade point average falls below 3.0.
   2. Student earns a U or any other grade of C or lower.
   3. Student earns any third grade below a B (including a U).

No student may be a candidate for the degree while on probation due to a grade point average below 3.0. Probation will be removed when a student’s grade point average reaches 3.0 or higher. Students who are on probation may not register until advised.

2. Suspension – Student will be placed on suspension for any of the following reasons:
   1. Student earns more than two grades of C (including U’s).
   2. Student has already served three consecutive semesters on academic probation.

The period of suspension will consist of one semester (fall, spring, or summer). No student may enroll in graduate courses at UNG while on suspension. Courses taken at another institution during the period of suspension will not be recognized for transfer credit. If suspended, a student must reapply to the program by to Graduate Admissions a new application for readmission. A student seeking reinstatement in the HSDA program must petition the HSDA program coordinator in writing presenting a rationale for reinstatement. The student will be readmitted only upon approval of the Dean of the College of Arts & Letters and the HSDA program coordinator.

Academic and Professional Integrity Policy

Students are expected to perform in accordance with the regulations stated in the Academic Information section of the Graduate Catalog. At the end of each semester, the program faculty or HSDA program coordinator may intervene to establish a plan of action for any student in the program whose competency is in question for reasons including unprofessional, disruptive, or unethical behavior in the classroom or applied setting. The plan should be signed by the student and the HSDA program coordinator with copies forward to the Dean of the College of Arts & Letters.

Academic Integrity

The University of North Georgia recognizes honesty and integrity as being necessary to the academic functioning of the university. UNG graduate students are expected to uphold the university regulations addressed in the Student Code of Conduct, Article 3, Rule 2.

Professional Integrity

The HSDA program adheres to the university’s definition of professional integrity as described in the Academic Information section of the Graduate Catalog. In addition, students must adhere to the professional standards and Code of Ethics established by the Council for Standards in Human Services Education (CSHSE). Students who fail to meet these standards will be subject to the Human Services Program Fitness for the Profession policy: https://ung.edu/sociology-and-human-services/hsda/fitness-for-profession.php. Students in the Human Services Delivery and Administration program will be evaluated every semester with reference to the professional and personal attributes, as well as the academic performance as it related to their growing professional skills.

HSDA Degree Requirements

Graduation for the Master of Science with a major in Human Services Delivery and Administration student include:

1. Completion of 35 designated semester hours of core courses.
2. Cumulative grade point average of 3.0, with no more than two courses with a grade of C.
3. Successful completion of the field practicum requirements.
4. Complete at least 29 semester hours of graduate degree requirements in residence with no more than six semester hours of transfer credit.
5. Complete all degree-related course requirements, including any transfer credit, within a six-year period.