Walden’s online DHS embeds elements of the capstone throughout your program. With strong faculty support, you’ll make progress every term—while still meeting the high standards expected in doctoral-level research and learning.
PERSONALIZE YOUR PATH
Tailor your DHS program to align with your goals—choose one of two specializations and gain expertise you can apply immediately.
BUILD DOCTORAL PRACTICE SKILLS
Build skills in systems thinking, ethics, and evidence-based practice—all critical to human services leadership and impact.
EXPAND YOUR INFLUENCE
Create a professional portfolio showcasing doctoral-level thinking, applied research, and leadership in human services contexts.
Program Details
Your Path to Greater Impact
Learn more about Walden’s doctorate in human services—from our straightforward admissions process to potential tuition savings. Choose from two specializations to shape a career path that inspires you.
Curriculum and Completion Requirements
Channel your passion for helping people into meaningful change. In Walden's online DHS degree program, you’ll gain fresh insights into complex human services problems and build key skills in action research, data analysis, and grant writing.
Featured Doctor of Human Services Courses
Doctoral-level practitioners are often called upon to conduct rigorous evaluations of programs and the results of their evaluations often determine the fate of the programs they evaluate and the clients served by those programs. Therefore, it is important that students learn how to conduct both formative and summative evaluations and how to evaluate the fidelity of program implementation prior to evaluating program outcomes. In this way, program evaluation also tests the theory or logic model on which the program is based. Students will use hands-on activities to develop their ability to develop evaluation plans, provide constructive critical critiques of other students' projects, and accept constructive critical feedback from others. They will also connect with other professionals engaged in evaluation research through various professional forums (e.g., listservs, blogs, and professional associations). In addition, they will explore how the process, pressures, and outcomes of evaluation research could differ in a different culture and across different professions.
As leaders, advanced human services professional practitioners can inhabit many roles: generalist, planner, advanced case manager, advocate, humanitarian, and outreach worker. Throughout this course, students try on these roles in response to authentic human services scenarios in settings within a fictional community. In each scenario, they observe advanced human services professional practitioners applying role-specific strategies, approaches, and theories to help service users. Students also assess their current knowledge, skills, and abilities in relation to each role, as well as the values and experiences they bring to the profession. By the end of the course, students develop and refine a professional identity statement as a leader in the human services profession and examine self-care strategies relevant to the work of an advanced human services professional practitioner.
Human services professional practitioners use statistics in a variety of professional undertakings, such as creating studies to assess human behavior or deciding which programs are most effective for meeting clients' needs. In this course, students explore how statistical methods empower human services professional practitioners to assess human behavior, evaluate program effectiveness, and lead evidence-based change. Students also encounter basic descriptive and inferential statistical methods commonly used in the social sciences, and they work toward developing the skills to write, analyze, and critique social science research. Topics include frequency distributions, measures of central tendency, hypothesis testing, and statistical tests such as single-sample, independent-sample, and related-sample t tests; analysis of variance; correlation; and chi-square tests. This course also introduces the SPSS statistical software package.
Seeing social issues from other viewpoints is the pinnacle of the human services practitioner profession, and it is critical in human services research. In this course, students examine the step-by-step skills of Kurt Lewin's force field analysis research to analyze the problems encountered by families, communities, and organizations. Force field analysis is a tool for understanding how human behavior (i.e., beliefs, attitudes, and cultural norms) influence actions and decisions. The course content outlines how to identify a problem, how to collect data and measure the driving forces and restraining forces that help and hinder the situation, and how to use the data strategically for informing decision makers on possible interventions and strategies toward solving the problem.
Grant writing is a highly marketable skill that requires many nonprofit, educational, and community organizations to secure external funding in order to provide needed services to the community. In this course, students will explore the basic skills needed for non-research grant writing including identifying potential funding sources, creating objectives and a need statement, preparing and justifying a budget, identifying appropriate assessment plans, and writing an executive summary. Course assignments will allow students to directly apply what they are reading and discussing by writing a full grant proposal based on an actual request for proposal (RFP).
Admissions
Work one-on-one with an Enrollment Specialist who’ll guide you through every step—from choosing the right program to paying for your education.
Streamlined Admissions Process
Once you decide to pursue your Doctor of Human Services at Walden, take the next step with our straightforward admissions process. We’ve made it easy with:
No application fee
Easy credit transfer
No test scores or essay required
Doctoral Experience
How will I learn?
YOUR DOCTORAL JOURNEY
Earning an online DHS degree takes drive and ambition. You have what it takes—and knowing what to expect can help you make an informed decision.
DOCTORAL DEGREE COACH®
Map and track your doctoral program milestones, meet weekly targets, connect with faculty, and find support with this personalized digital resource.
CAPSTONE PROJECT
Create a real-world capstone project that demonstrates your ability to turn data into actionable plans that drive sustainable change.
Walden’s Capstone for Professional Doctorates
Instead of happening all at once toward the end of your online DHS degree program, elements of the capstone project are integrated directly into your coursework. Get an early start exploring potential topics, researching, and building your doctoral skill set. Progress toward your final capstone project step by step as you move through your program.
Create a meaningful, purpose-driven capstone project that connects directly to the real work you do every day. Gain practical skills essential to leading in human services and generating actionable solutions for organizations and the communities they serve.
As part of your final course, you’ll also create a scholarly article ready for submission to a professional conference, association newsletter, or peer-reviewed journal—an opportunity to contribute to the broader human services conversation and showcase your expertise.
You’re never on your own—as you progress in your online DHS degree program capstone project, you’ll be guided by a dedicated mentor who helps you stay on track to successfully complete your project. You’ll also have access to Walden’s robust doctoral support resources including 24/7 technical support, academic writing and research assistance, and our extensive digital library.
Tuition Breakdown
We know costs are a big consideration when you’re exploring online Doctor of Human Services degree programs. Walden offers several ways to reduce your total tuition.
Explore these opportunities:
Transfer credit opportunities
Scholarship and federal/state grants
Alumni tuition savings
Stay Inspired. Stay on Track. Save Money.
Discover progress-based savings that inspire you to stay on track to graduation.
*Tuition and fees are subject to change. Books and materials are not included and may cost between $500 and $1,200.
†This assumes students successfully complete their coursework on the first attempt and reflects the minimum time to completion. Time to completion varies by student, depending on individual progress and credits transferred, if applicable. Your actual total program time and costs may vary. Believe & Achieve Scholarship based on current tuition. For additional Believe & Achieve scholarship information, see Grants and Scholarships.
Career Opportunities
With a doctorate in human services, you can turn your passion for social justice and equity into tangible impact.
High Growth
Social and Community Service Manager
Coordinate and supervise programs and organizations that support public well-being.
Expected growth: 6%
Estimated annual wage: $50,020–$100,600
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics | Job outlook | Estimated wage
Bureau of Labor Statistics (as of May 2024). Percentile wage estimates are based on the 10th–75th percentiles. The 10th percentile figure reasonably represents entry-level wages. BLS wages are national estimates and are not specific to graduates of Walden University. Wages may vary by state or region. No guarantee is made that a person who enrolls at Walden will obtain a job or earn the estimated salaries.
Learning Outcomes
Graduates of Walden’s Doctor of Human Services program will be prepared to:
Assess the needs of clients accessing human services programs using a variety of evidence-supported approaches.
Evaluate the effectiveness of the human service programs using a variety of evidence-supported approaches.
Develop strategies for working collaboratively with interdisciplinary teams of professionals to deliver support services to diverse populations.
Design research that contributes to positive social change related to human services.
Advocate for the needs of diverse populations in order to promote positive social change.
Develop an advanced human services practitioner professional identity.
Meet Your Academic Team
Learn about the accomplished Doctor of Human Services faculty at Walden who are committed to supporting your growth and success.
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Doctor of Human Services Online FAQ
Both the Doctor of Human Services (DHS) and the PhD in Human Services provide advanced study of complex social issues affecting individuals, families, and communities. However, the programs differ in focus and intended outcomes.
Walden’s Doctor of Human Services program is a practitioner-focused doctorate designed for professionals who want to apply research, theory, and evidence-based strategies to real-world human services challenges. The DHS emphasizes leadership, program evaluation, advocacy, and systems-level change, preparing graduates to influence policy, improve organizational effectiveness, and drive meaningful impact across community and social service settings.
In contrast, the PhD in Human Services is more academically oriented, designed for those interested in conducting original research, advancing theory, and pursuing scholarly or research-focused careers.
If your goal is to lead change through applied practice, organizational leadership, or policy impact, the DHS may be the better fit. If your primary interest is academic research and theory development, the PhD may be more aligned with your goals.
Walden’s doctorate in human services is designed to be structured and supportive to accommodate the needs of busy working professionals. Time to completion depends on a number of factors, including transfer credits and whether you choose to take a full-time or part-time course load. The Doctor of Human Services program can be completed in as few as 24 months with a full-time course load.
A doctorate in human services can prepare you with the advocacy, program evaluation, and leadership skills to plan or direct the activities of social services programs or community outreach organizations. Some reported job titles include community services director, vocational rehabilitation administrator, and child welfare services director.
The Doctor of Human Services (DHS) and the Doctor of Social Work (DSW) are both applied doctoral degrees, but they differ in focus, audience, and professional outcomes.
Walden’s Doctor of Human Services is designed for professionals working across a wide range of human services and community-based settings. The program is interdisciplinary and prepares leaders to manage, evaluate, and improve programs and systems that serve diverse populations, including children, older adults, families, and veterans. DHS students often come from varied professional and educational backgrounds and are interested in leadership, program evaluation, advocacy, and systems-level change.
In contrast, the Doctor of Social Work is designed specifically for licensed social workers who want to advance their social work practice into leadership, teaching, or advanced professional roles within the social work discipline.
Your doctorate in human services capstone project helps you translate your expertise into real-world impact—whether by developing evidence-based program evaluations or advocating for emerging community needs through policy-focused research. This applied doctoral work is customized to your professional interests, demographic focus, and specialization.
In the Program Evaluation in Human Services Organizations specialization, you'll conduct research to develop program evaluation frameworks that assess local needs and measure outcomes in human services settings. In the Prevention, Intervention, and Advocacy specialization, you'll research and develop a white paper that advocates for recognition of new human services needs in your community.
From start to successful completion, you'll receive comprehensive faculty guidance through a structured five-part course series. Working closely with your doctoral mentor and fellow students, you'll progress through clear milestones in applied research methods, scholarly writing, and capstone planning—ensuring your project achieves both academic rigor and practical impact.
The online doctorate in human services program offers two specializations: Program Evaluation in Human Services Organizations or Prevention, Intervention, and Advocacy. In the program evaluation specialization, you can develop skills related to senior management positions in human services organizations, working with governance boards, and demonstrating evidence of program effectiveness. In the prevention, intervention, and advocacy specialization, you will explore how to support individual, family, and community needs, advocate with community leaders and decision-makers, and crisis management.