Glen Ellyn, April 01, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The College of DuPage Human Services program recently received national reaccreditation from the Council on Standards in Human Service (CSHSE).
The five-year reaccreditation comes after a year-long process during which Human Services program faculty members compiled an extensive written portfolio showcasing their dedication to best practices in human services education.
“We are incredibly proud to maintain this accreditation, especially given that COD now has the longest-running accredited Human Services program in the country,” said Jason Florin, Human Services associate professor. “The standards set by the CSHSE have become more rigorous, but that only increases our enthusiasm for following through and demonstrating the high quality of the program.”
The Human Services program, which first received accreditation in 1984, has repackaged its degrees and certificates, strengthening and streamlining course offerings over the last several years to include two Associate in Applied Science degrees: the Human Services Generalist and Addictions Counseling, as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree through the 3+1 program in partnership with National Louis University. During the first three years of the program, students complete their associate’s degree and additional general education credits at COD’s tuition rate. The fourth year, students complete an additional 30 credit hours of courses taught by NLU professors on COD’s campus at a reduced tuition rate.
COD’s Human Services program continues to offer the following certificates: Applied Gerontology, Corrections Counseling, Developmental Disabilities, Domestic/Family Violence, Fund Development, Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Residential Child Care and Veterans Counseling.
Additionally, the program offers an online Master’s Track Addictions Counseling certificate for students who have earned, or are in their second year of earning, a clinical master’s degree in Counseling, Human Services, Psychology, Social Work or a substantially similar field of study. Upon completion, students are eligible to sit for the exam offered by the Illinois Certification Board to become Certified Alcohol and Other Drug Counselors (CADC).
“The Master’s Track Addictions Counseling certificate is a big draw for our program, and it brings a lot of recent graduate students and working professionals,” Florin said. “The Council’s approval of our reaccreditation is a testament to our efforts to provide our students the best educational experiences that are relevant to the job market and industry-wide standards.”
For more information about the Human Services program, call (630) 942-2043, email florin@cod.edu, or visit http://www.cod.edu/programs/human_services.
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