A new agreement between the Springfield College School of Human Services (SHS) and Health Communications, Inc. (HCI), parent company of U.S. Journal Training and “Counselor, The Magazine for Addiction Professionals,” will allow persons training through HCI for careers as mental health and addiction services professionals throughout the United States to receive academic credit toward their bachelor’s degrees at SHS.

Springfield College will award up to 16 undergraduate credits to persons who enroll in the SHS after earning certificates of specialization through U.S. Journal Training (USJT), which offers distance learning programs and professionally accredited conferences.

SHS offers bachelor’s and master’s degree programs at its main campus in Springfield, Mass. and at regional campuses in Boston, Mass.; Los Angeles and San Diego, Calif.; Wilmington, Del.; Tampa Bay, Fla.; Manchester, N.H.; Charleston, S.C.; St. Johnsbury, Vt.; and Milwaukee, Wis.  A Houston, Texas campus will open this September.   

For more than 30 years, HCI has been the premiere publisher of pamphlets, magazines and books for recovery and addiction treatment professionals. It has won awards for its books, and distributes for the esteemed recovery publisher, Hazelden. HCI also runs its own conference and magazine division. Through USJT.com online, students and working professionals can earn individual continuing education credits and specialized certificates. With more than 200 lectures, accessible 24 hours a day, it is the most comprehensive site available on the Web.

 According to Stephanie Muller, editor/director of professional publishing for “Counselor, The Magazine for Addiction Professionals,”  “We are pleased that Springfield College, with a national reputation as a leader in human services education, has recognized the quality of USJT certificate of specialization programs by certifying them for undergraduate credit. Combining our expertise, HCI and Springfield College can equip future professionals in these fields with the latest knowledge and skills.”  

Robert J. Willey, Jr., dean of the Springfield College School of Human Services, said, “This is an ideal partnership between two institutions committed to preparing excellent professionals in mental health and addiction services, and to serving their communities in the process.  We welcome the experience that students with HCI education will bring to our learning environment and look forward to providing the additional education to complete their bachelor’s degrees.”

Springfield College, founded in 1885, is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.  The undergraduate programs of its School of Human Services are professionally accredited by the Council for Standards in Human Service Education.

Programs of the School of Human Services are designed for adults working in human services.  The school holds classes on weekends, and awards undergraduate credit for work experience that is equivalent to college-level learning and for courses successfully completed at other regionally accredited institutions of higher learning.  With these credits, students usually complete their degrees in 16 to 24 months.

For the Springfield College bachelor’s degree in human services, students must complete 120 undergraduate credits, including at least 48 earned at a Springfield College campus.  The master’s degree programs include 36-credit and 60-credit options.  The school offers undergraduate concentrations in addiction studies, criminal justice, community youth development, and early childhood education, and graduate-level concentrations in organizational management and leadership, community counseling and psychology, and mental health counseling.

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