The emergence of the human service profession as a field of endeavor responding to the changing needs and values of society is discussed. The purpose of the service professional will be to provide a range of human services to the individual, thereby eliminating indifferent and fragmented service; to help the individual seeking service to reach a stage where he or she no longer needs that service, or to help the individual become sophisticated and knowledgeable enough to negotiate the system and provide his or her own future service. The goal of the human service profession is to encourage the establishment of a service-oriented society in which caring for people is rewarding both to the giver and receiver of service in terms of the quality of life and the meaningfulness of work. Education for this kind of profession is discussed in this document, and a graduate-level program of preparation is described. (JD)