Health and Human Services

Begin your Health and Human Services career or major at Black Hawk College

The Health and Human Services Department at Black Hawk College offers a variety of health career programs as well as career and transfer options in education and criminal justice.

Health and Human Services Careers

Students enrolled in Health and Human Services programs and courses go on to many different careers:

  • Paramedics
  • Physical therapist assistants
  • Teachers and day care workers
  • Surgical technologists
  • Criminal justice professionals

They go on to work in hospitals, schools, nursing homes, physicians’ offices, or community agencies. These programs can also provide the foundation for further education in this large and exciting field.

Areas of Focus

Students planning to transfer can prepare for their health and human services majors at BHC. Here are a few sample transfer plans:

Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement (PDF)
Early Childhood Education
Elementary Education
Sport & Fitness Management (PDF)

Where do you want to transfer?

If you already have a transfer school in mind, your advisor will customize a transfer plan for that college or university. BHC also has many transfer guides and agreements already established with four-year institutions in a variety of majors.

Transfer Guides and Agreements »

Transfer from Career Programs »


Department Highlights

Surgical Tech students working together in scrubs

Hands-On Training

Many programs have internships that allow and encourage you to get involved in the community and experience immediate hands-on application of what you are learning in the classroom. In addition, BHC has state-of-the-art facilities that offer hands-on learning in specialized fields.

  • Health Sciences Center – Three-story facility with eight highly specialized labs.
  • Forensics lab

Student Clubs and Events

Here are just a few of the student clubs and events going on at the Quad-Cities Campus.

  • BHC 5K Hustle
  • Health Career Exploration Days
  • Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society

Scholarship Opportunities

  • The Black Hawk College Foundation has many scholarships for students studying health and human services. These and many others can be found at the BHC scholarships page.
  • BHC Presidential Scholarship: In-district high school seniors in the top 10% of their graduating class at the end of seven semesters are eligible for the Black Hawk College Presidential Scholars Award.
  • Transfer scholarships are also available at many transfer institutions.

Career and Transfer Program Information

If you plan to go right into the workforce after graduation, you can earn a certificate or Associate in Applied Science degree by enrolling in one of the career programs offered through the department. If you plan to transfer to a four-year institution, you can earn an Associate in Arts or Associate in Science degree.

Program Name Code Award Credits Category Department Keywords
Program Name Code Award Credits Category Department Keywords
Associate in Science 1645 AS Degree 60 AgricultureArt, Design and Performing ArtsBusiness, Computer and Engineering TechnologyEnglish, Reading & CommunicationESL, Languages, Humanities, Philosophy & SpeechHealth and Human ServicesMathematicsNatural Sciences & EngineeringPsychology and SociologySocial Sciences
Associate in Arts 1145 AA Degree 60 AgricultureArt, Design and Performing ArtsBusiness, Computer and Engineering TechnologyEnglish, Reading & CommunicationESL, Languages, Humanities, Philosophy & SpeechHealth and Human ServicesMathematicsNatural Sciences & EngineeringPsychology and SociologySocial Sciences
Criminal Justice Certificate 5749 Certificate 30 Trade and Technical Career Programs Health and Human Services law
Criminal Justice Technology (AAS) 5149 AAS Degree 60 Trade and Technical Career Programs Health and Human Services law, law enforcement
Early Childhood Educator Certificate 5363 Certificate 30 Early Childhood Education Career Programs Health and Human Services
Assistant Teacher Certificate 5761 Certificate 18 Early Childhood Education Career Programs Health and Human Services
Early Childhood Education (AAS) 5362 AAS Degree 60 Early Childhood Education Career Programs Health and Human Services early childhood education, teaching, teacher
Surgical Technology (AAS) 5173 AAS Degree 61 Health Sciences Career Programs Health and Human Services surgical technology, surg tech, health sciences
Patient Care Assistant Certificate 5965 Certificate 24 Health Sciences Career Programs Health and Human Services
Physical Therapist Assistant (AAS) 5179 AAS Degree 72 Health Sciences Career Programs Health and Human Services
Medical Coding Specialist Certificate 5684 Certificate 33 Health Sciences Career Programs Health and Human Services
Medical Assisting Certificate 5864 Certificate 30 Health Sciences Career Programs Health and Human Services
Health Information Management (AAS) 5392 AAS Degree 60 Health Sciences Career Programs Health and Human Services
Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic Certificate 5639 Certificate 50 Health Sciences Career Programs Health and Human Services EMT
Associate in Applied Science EMS-Paramedic (AAS) 5039 AAS Degree 70 Health Sciences Career Programs Health and Human Services