25 Best Bachelor’s in Addiction Counseling

Those who have a heart of ser­vice, expe­ri­ence with addic­tion, or who are inter­est­ed in some type of coun­sel­ing career may have like­ly asked the ques­tion, should I get a degree in sub­stance abuse coun­sel­ing? That ques­tion, more often than not, leads to the inquiry about how to get a degree in addic­tion coun­sel­ing. These are both good ques­tions, and like most answers, hope­ful­ly, that infor­ma­tion will lead to bet­ter and more informed deci­sions. Deci­sions that can help answer those ques­tions like should I get a degree in sub­stance abuse counseling?

Begin­ning the road to becom­ing a sub­stance abuse coun­selor will begin by find­ing accred­it­ed addic­tion coun­sel­ing pro­grams. These accred­it­ed sub­stance abuse coun­sel­ing pro­grams can be found at col­leges and uni­ver­si­ties across the coun­try. In most cas­es, a pro­gram accred­i­ta­tion for sub­stance abuse coun­sel­ing will still require tak­ing a cer­ti­fi­ca­tion exam.

Methodology: Ranking the Best Addiction Counseling Degrees in America

Bachelor’s Degree Cen­ter wants to lead prospec­tive sub­stance abuse coun­selors to pro­grams that will actu­al­ly make a pos­i­tive impact on their career. That’s why we fea­ture only accred­it­ed, trust­ed insti­tu­tions, rank­ing pro­grams accord­ing to prac­ti­cal con­sid­er­a­tions like tuition cost, stu­dent reviews, and poten­tial salary.

1. Purdue University

Pur­due University’s Col­lege of Health & Human Sci­ences offers a bac­calau­re­ate addic­tions coun­sel­ing degree that is ranked among the best addic­tion coun­sel­ing degrees in the mar­ket­place. Stu­dents enrolled in Pur­due University’s degrees in addic­tion coun­sel­ing will be required to com­plete a min­i­mum of 120 semes­ter cred­its to meet grad­u­a­tion require­ments. Class­es for this under­grad­u­ate degree in addic­tion coun­sel­ing include sub­stance abuse in soci­ety, treat­ment mod­els of sub­stance abuse, coun­sel­ing issues in sub­stance abuse, and the­o­ries of per­son­al­i­ty, to name a few.

Estab­lished in the late 1860s by John Pur­due, Pur­due Uni­ver­si­ty now oper­ates as a sea, space, and land-grant research school. While school began with only 39 stu­dents, Pur­due Uni­ver­si­ty is now home to near­ly 46,000 under­grad­u­ate and grad­u­ate degree stu­dents each year.

What We Like: Pur­due Uni­ver­si­ty holds the dis­tinc­tion of hav­ing the fourth-largest pop­u­la­tion of inter­na­tion­al students.

Degree: Human Ser­vices — Addic­tion Stud­ies Concentration

Pur­due Uni­ver­si­ty Human Ser­vices — Addic­tion Stud­ies Concentration

2. Colorado State University

Col­orado State Uni­ver­si­ty offers a BS in Psy­chol­o­gy with an aca­d­e­m­ic spe­cial­ty addic­tions coun­sel­ing degree pro­gram that requires degree can­di­dates to com­plete 120 under­grad­u­ate semes­ter cred­its. Course­work for Col­orado State University’s addic­tion coun­sel­ing degrees includes basic coun­sel­ing skills, prin­ci­ples of human phys­i­ol­o­gy, psy­chobi­ol­o­gy of addic­tions, psy­cho­log­i­cal mea­sure­ment, and cog­ni­tive neu­ro­science lab, to name a few. In addi­tion, Col­orado State Uni­ver­si­ty (stu­dents with these degrees in addic­tion coun­sel­ing pro­grams will also be required to com­plete an addic­tion-relat­ed field placement.

Col­orado State Uni­ver­si­ty (CSU) was found­ed as an agri­cul­tur­al col­lege in 1870 under the Mor­rill Land Grant Act. Col­orado State Uni­ver­si­ty is rec­og­nized to be the state’s flag­ship uni­ver­si­ty with a stu­dent enroll­ment that exceeds 34,150 stu­dents each year.

What We Like: Col­orado State University’s eight col­leges offer more than 100 degrees at the bachelor’s, mas­ter and doc­tor­al levels.

Degree: Psy­chol­o­gy BS — Addic­tion Counseling

Col­orado State Uni­ver­si­ty BS in Psychology

3. University of Houston — Clear Lake

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Hous­ton — Clear Lake offers a BS in addic­tions coun­sel­ing degree pro­gram to pre­pare stu­dents to improve lives through solv­ing social issues. UHCL’saddiction coun­sel­ing degrees require stu­dents to com­plete at least 120 under­grad­u­ate semes­ter units. Class­es for these degrees in addic­tion coun­sel­ing include phar­ma­col­o­gy of addic­tion, group process, addic­tions coun­sel­ing the­o­ries, fam­i­ly dynam­ics, sui­cide, and vio­lence assess­ment, plus an addic­tion practicum, to name a few.

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Hous­ton (UHCL) is a pub­lic uni­ver­si­ty that was estab­lished in the 1970s. The Uni­ver­si­ty of Hous­ton, Clear Lake main­tains branch cam­pus­es in Pearland and at the Texas Med­ical Cen­ter, with an aca­d­e­m­ic staff that nears 750. The Uni­ver­si­ty of Hous­ton was devel­oped to meet the need for sci­en­tists in near­by NASA.

What We Like: Sev­er­al astro­nauts proud­ly call the Uni­ver­si­ty of Hous­ton in Clear Lake their alma mater.

Degree: Addic­tions Coun­sel­ing B.S.

Uni­ver­si­ty of Hous­ton — Clear Lake BS in addic­tions counseling

4. Texas Tech University

Texas Tech University’s Col­lege of Human Ser­vices offers a Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence degree pro­gram (BS) in Com­mu­ni­ty, Fam­i­ly, & Addic­tion Sci­ences (CFAS) that is ranked as a nation­al pro­gram for degrees in addic­tion coun­sel­ing. Course­work for Texas Tech University’s addic­tions coun­sel­ing degree pro­gram includes finan­cial coun­sel­ing, sub­stance abuse pre­ven­tion & treat­ment, pro­gram devel­op­ment, addic­tive behav­ior, fam­i­ly ther­a­py, and human sex­u­al­i­ty, plus a practicum, to name a few. Stu­dents enrolled in Texas Tech University’s addic­tion coun­sel­ing degrees must main­tain a 2.5 Grade Point Aver­age for all upper-divi­sion course­work to meet requirements.

Found­ed in the 1920s as a tech­ni­cal col­lege, Texas Tech Uni­ver­si­ty is one of five mem­bers of the state’s tech sys­tem. More than 40,150 stu­dents attend class­es online and on the school’s campus.

What We Like: Texas Tech Uni­ver­si­ty is orga­nized into thir­teen colleges/schools that offer more than 140 programs.

Degree: BS in Com­mu­ni­ty, Fam­i­ly, & Addic­tion Sciences

Texas Tech Uni­ver­si­ty BS in Com­mu­ni­ty, Fam­i­ly, & Addic­tion Sciences

5. University of North Dakota

The Uni­ver­si­ty of North Dakota’s Depart­ment of Social Work offers an addic­tions coun­sel­ing degree pro­gram with a minor in the sub­ject that is designed and approved as an Addic­tion Coun­selor Train­ing Pro­gram in the state. Course­work for UND’s minor in degrees in addic­tion coun­sel­ing require minor can­di­dates to com­plete twen­ty semes­ter units. Class­es for the Uni­ver­si­ty of North Dakota’s addic­tion coun­sel­ing degrees include Dynam­ics of Addic­tion, Health and the Amer­i­can Indi­an Cul­tures, Drugs & Soci­ety, Sub­stance Use & Abuse, and Read­ings in Phar­ma­col­o­gy, Phys­i­ol­o­gy, and ther­a­peu­tics, among oth­er classes.

Found­ed in the mid-1880s, the Uni­ver­si­ty of North Dako­ta (North Dako­ta) was devel­oped about five years before North Dako­ta became a state. The Uni­ver­si­ty of North Dakota’s urban cam­pus is home to approx­i­mate­ly 13,550 stu­dents each year.

What We Like: The Uni­ver­si­ty of North Dako­ta is home to the state’s only med­ical and law schools.

Degree: Chem­i­cal Depen­den­cy Minor

Uni­ver­si­ty of North Dako­ta Chem­i­cal Depen­den­cy Minor

6. University of St. Francis

The Uni­ver­si­ty of St. Fran­cis offers a BA in Sub­stance Abuse Coun­sel­ing that ranks among Illi­nois’ most inno­v­a­tive degrees in addic­tion coun­sel­ing. Addi­tion­al­ly, the Uni­ver­si­ty of St. Francis’s addic­tions coun­sel­ing degree pro­gram is the only Bach­e­lor of Arts degree of its kind in the greater Chica­go vicin­i­ty. The Uni­ver­si­ty of St. Francis’s addic­tion coun­sel­ing degrees have received accred­i­ta­tion from the state’s cer­ti­fi­ca­tion board (IAODAPCA.org) and region­al­ly accred­it­ed by the High­er Learn­ing Commission.

The Uni­ver­si­ty of St. Fran­cis (St. Fran­cis) was found­ed in 1920 as a pri­vate insti­tu­tion of high­er edu­ca­tion that is affil­i­at­ed with the Roman Catholic Church. The Uni­ver­si­ty of St. Fran­cis main­tains mul­ti­ple cam­pus­es through­out the coun­try, with about 1,250 stu­dents enrolled online or at the Joli­et main campus.

What We Like: The Uni­ver­si­ty of St. Fran­cis began as a high school that grew to become a nor­mal school upon a merg­er with anoth­er school years later.

Degree: BA in Sub­stance Abuse Counseling

Uni­ver­si­ty of St. Fran­cis BA in Sub­stance Abuse Counseling

7. LeTourneau University

LeTourneau University’s School of Psy­chol­o­gy & Coun­sel­ing offers a Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence degree pro­gram (BS) in Coun­sel­ing Psy­chol­o­gy that is among the Lone Star State’s most acces­si­ble degrees in addic­tion coun­sel­ing. This addic­tions coun­sel­ing degree pro­gram from LeTourneau Uni­ver­si­ty requires degree can­di­dates to com­plete 120 under­grad­u­ate semes­ter cred­its. Course­work for LeTourneau University’s addic­tion coun­sel­ing degrees includes group ther­a­py, human growth & devel­op­ment across the lifes­pan, tech­niques of coun­sel­ing, basic coun­sel­ing skills, and ado­les­cent inter­ven­tions, plus a practicum, to name a few.

LeTourneau Uni­ver­si­ty (LeTourneau) was found­ed in the 1940s as a pri­vate high­er learn­ing tech­ni­cal insti­tu­tion affil­i­at­ed with the Chris­t­ian Church on an inter­de­nom­i­na­tion­al basis. The university’s urban cam­pus and online plat­form are home to about 3,000 stu­dents each year.

What We Like: LeTourneau Uni­ver­si­ty was devel­oped to help edu­cate vet­er­ans return­ing from the sec­ond world war.

Degree: BS in Coun­sel­ing Psychology

LeTourneau Uni­ver­si­ty BS in Coun­sel­ing Psychology

8. Indiana Wesleyan University

Indi­ana Wes­leyan Uni­ver­si­ty offers a BS in Addic­tions Coun­sel­ing that is one of Indiana’s best degrees in addic­tion coun­sel­ing com­ple­tion pro­grams that can be com­plet­ed in only 22 months. Appli­cants to Indi­ana Wes­leyan University’s addic­tions coun­sel­ing degree pro­gram must have already com­plet­ed a min­i­mum of six­ty-semes­ter cred­its that are eli­gi­ble for trans­fer. Core course­work for Indi­ana Wes­leyan University’s addic­tion coun­sel­ing degrees includes addic­tions the­o­ry, prin­ci­ples of addic­tions coun­sel­ing, the­o­ries of per­son­al­i­ty, phys­i­o­log­i­cal psy­chol­o­gy, coun­sel­ing addict­ed & dys­func­tion­al fam­i­ly sys­tems, plus an addic­tions coun­sel­ing practicum, to name a few.

Indi­ana Wes­leyan Uni­ver­si­ty is one of sev­er­al cam­pus­es in this Chris­t­ian, evan­gel­i­cal-based edu­ca­tion sys­tem. The Mar­i­on cam­pus of Indi­ana Wes­leyan Uni­ver­si­ty serves about 3,000 stu­dents from its online plat­form and sub­ur­ban campus.

What We Like: Indi­ana Wes­leyan University’s Mar­i­on cam­pus began as a teacher’s train­ing school in 1890.

Degree: BS in Addic­tions Counseling

Indi­ana Wes­leyan Uni­ver­si­ty BS in Addic­tions Counseling

9. Drexel University

The Nurs­ing & Health Pro­fes­sions Col­lege at Drex­el Uni­ver­si­ty offers a BS in Behav­ioral Health Coun­sel­ing that is among Pennsylvania’s most inno­v­a­tive degrees in addic­tion coun­sel­ing. Grad­u­ates from Drex­el University’s addic­tions coun­sel­ing degree pro­gram find reward­ing careers in the fields of cri­sis inter­ven­tion, addic­tions coun­sel­ing, psy­chi­atric reha­bil­i­ta­tion, and family/child sup­port ser­vices, to name a few. Stu­dents must com­plete at least 181 quar­ter cred­its to meet Drexel’s grad­u­a­tion cri­te­ria. Course­work in Drexel’s addic­tion coun­sel­ing degrees that includes coun­sel­ing with spe­cial pop­u­la­tions, cognitive/behavioral coun­sel­ing, group coun­sel­ing, behav­ioral dis­or­ders, and genet­ics & men­tal health, to name a few.

Drex­el Uni­ver­si­ty (Drex­el) was found­ed in the ear­ly 1890s by financier Antho­ny Drex­el as an insti­tute for tech­nol­o­gy. The school’s online plat­form and Philadel­phia cam­pus serve approx­i­mate­ly 15,450 stu­dents each year.

What We Like: Drex­el Uni­ver­si­ty is often named among the most inno­v­a­tive schools in the Unit­ed States.

Degree: BS in Behav­ioral Health Counseling

Drex­el Uni­ver­si­ty BS in Behav­ioral Health Counseling

10. Midwestern State University (TX)

Mid­west­ern State Uni­ver­si­ty offers a BS in Sub­stance Abuse Coun­sel­ing that has been rec­og­nized to be one of the more inno­v­a­tive degrees in addic­tion coun­sel­ing that can be com­plet­ed entire­ly online. Mid­west­ern State University’s addic­tions coun­sel­ing degree pro­gram requires degree can­di­dates to com­plete 120 semes­ter units to meet Mid­west­ern State University’s grad­u­a­tion cri­te­ria. Stu­dents grad­u­at­ing from Mid­west­ern State University’s addic­tion coun­sel­ing degrees are pre­pared to obtain Chem­i­cal Depen­den­cy licen­sure, com­plete class­es in fam­i­ly dynam­ics, sub­stance abuse the­o­ries, and treat­ment plan­ning for relapse pre­ven­tion, to name a few.

Mid­west­ern State Uni­ver­si­ty (MSU Texas) is a pub­lic insti­tu­tion of high­er edu­ca­tion that was estab­lished in the ear­ly 1920s. More than 6,000 under­grad­u­ate and grad­u­ate stu­dents attend class­es offered by Mid­west­ern State Uni­ver­si­ty Texas.

What We Like: Mid­west­ern State Uni­ver­si­ty holds the dis­tinc­tion of being the only pub­lic lib­er­al arts school in the Lone Star State.

Degree: Sub­stance Abuse Coun­sel­ing BS

Mid­west­ern State Uni­ver­si­ty BS in Sub­stance Abuse Counseling

11. Minot State University

Minot State Uni­ver­si­ty offers a BS in Addic­tion Stud­ies that is rec­og­nized as one of the top degrees in addic­tion coun­sel­ing in North Dako­ta. Minot State University’s addic­tions coun­sel­ing degree pro­gram requires the com­ple­tion of a min­i­mum of 120 under­grad­u­ate semes­ter units. Core course­work for Minot State University’s addic­tion coun­sel­ing degrees includes foun­da­tions of psy­chol­o­gy, psy­chol­o­gy of adult­hood and aging, pro­fes­sion­al rela­tions and ethics, psy­chophar­ma­col­o­gy, and intro­duc­tion to per­son­al­i­ty the­o­ries, plus a practicum, among others.

Minot State Uni­ver­si­ty (MSU) is a space-grant school that is a mem­ber of the state’s uni­ver­si­ty sys­tem. Found­ed as a pub­lic school for teacher train­ing, Minot State Uni­ver­si­ty now serves more than 2,100 stu­dents online and on its rur­al cam­pus in Minot.

What We Like: Minot State Uni­ver­si­ty is rec­og­nized to be North Dakota’s third-biggest high­er learn­ing institution.

Degree: Addic­tion Stud­ies BS

Minot State Uni­ver­si­ty BS in Addic­tion Studies

12. Minnesota State University — Mankato

Min­neso­ta State Uni­ver­si­ty — Manka­to offers a BS in Alco­hol & Drug Stud­ies that is among Minnesota’s NASAC-accred­it­ed degrees in addic­tion coun­sel­ing. Grad­u­ates of Min­neso­ta State University’s under­grad­u­ate addic­tions coun­sel­ing degree pro­gram have com­plet­ed the cours­es required to pur­sue the LADC cre­den­tial or the Board-Cer­ti­fied Coun­selor in North Dako­ta. Stu­dents enrolled in UM Mankato’s addic­tion coun­sel­ing degrees include class­es like ethics/professionalism for addic­tions pro­fes­sion­als, theories/methods for addic­tions pro­fes­sion­als, co-occur­ring dis­or­ders, and group pro­ce­dures, plus an intern­ship, to name a few.

Min­neso­ta State Uni­ver­si­ty (MSU) was estab­lished as Minnesota’s sec­ond nor­mal school for teacher train­ing in the late 1860s. Addi­tion­al­ly, Min­neso­ta State Uni­ver­si­ty in Manka­to is the flag­ship cam­pus with a stu­dent enroll­ment of 17,250 under­grad­u­ate and grad­u­ate stu­dents each year.

What We Like: Min­neso­ta State Uni­ver­si­ty Manka­to is rec­og­nized to be the sec­ond-largest in Min­neso­ta and the sec­ond old­est with­in the state’s uni­ver­si­ty system.

Degree: Alco­hol and Drug Stud­ies BS

Min­neso­ta State Uni­ver­si­ty — Manka­to BS in Alco­hol & Drug Studies

13. Eastern Washington University

East­ern Wash­ing­ton Uni­ver­si­ty offers a BA in Addic­tion Stud­ies that is con­sid­ered as one of Washington’s most inno­v­a­tive degrees in addic­tion coun­sel­ing. East­ern Wash­ing­ton University’s addic­tions coun­sel­ing degree pro­gram includes cours­es in coun­sel­ing the­o­ries for the addic­tion pro­fes­sion­al, alcohol/drug group coun­sel­ing, ado­les­cent addic­tion assess­ment, and treat­ment, law & ethics for addic­tion pro­fes­sion­als, med­ica­tion-assist­ed treat­ment, and com­mu­ni­ty pre­ven­tion meth­ods, to name a few. Addi­tion­al­ly, degree can­di­dates in EWU’s addic­tion coun­sel­ing degrees may also choose to com­plete a practicum or an addic­tion stud­ies sem­i­nar to meet the requirements.

East­ern Wash­ing­ton Uni­ver­si­ty (East­ern Wash­ing­ton) was estab­lished as a state nor­mal school in the ear­ly 1880s. The university’s col­lege-town cam­pus in Cheney is home to more than 12,300 students.

What We Like: EWU offers pro­grams through many loca­tions in the state of Wash­ing­ton includ­ing Spokane.

Degree: BA in Addic­tion Studies

East­ern Wash­ing­ton Uni­ver­si­ty BA in Addic­tion Studies

14. SUNY College at Brockport

SUNY Col­lege at Brock­port offers an under­grad­u­ate degree in Alco­hol & Sub­stance Abuse Stud­ies that is among New York’s best addic­tion coun­sel­ing degrees that have received accred­i­ta­tion from the Asso­ci­a­tion for Addic­tion Pro­fes­sion­als. SUNY Brockport’s addic­tions coun­sel­ing degree pro­gram has also been rec­og­nized by the state for excel­lence in addic­tion edu­ca­tion and pro­gram­ming. Core course­work for SUNY Brockport’s degrees in addic­tion coun­sel­ing includes dual diag­no­sis of alco­hol & oth­er rugs, ethics for alcohol/drugs, group coun­sel­ing skills and the­o­ries of alco­hol and drugs, plus an alcohol/drug intern­ship, to name a few.

The Col­lege at Brock­port is a mem­ber school of SUNY – New York’s uni­ver­si­ty sys­tem that oper­ates as a lib­er­al arts col­lege. SUNY Brock­port was estab­lished in 1841 and was open to women and men, unusu­al at that time in history.

What We Like: More than 7,000 under­grad­u­ate and grad­u­ate stu­dents attend class­es online and on the school’s upstate New York sub­ur­ban cam­pus, which is about twen­ty miles from Rochester, New York.

Degree: Alco­hol & Sub­stance Abuse Studies

SUNY Col­lege at Brock­port Alco­hol & Sub­stance Abuse Studies

15. University of New Mexico

The Psy­chol­o­gy Depart­ment with­in the Uni­ver­si­ty of New Mex­i­co offers a BS in Psy­chol­o­gy with a BAC (Basics in Addic­tion Coun­sel­ing) aca­d­e­m­ic track that is among New Mexico’s degrees in addic­tion coun­sel­ing. UMN’s addic­tions coun­sel­ing degree pro­gram pre­pares grad­u­ates to sit for their LSAA or LADAC cre­den­tial upon board approval. The Uni­ver­si­ty of New Mexico’s addic­tion coun­sel­ing degrees includes class­es like drugs and behav­ior, alco­holism, treat­ment of addic­tions, learn­ing & mem­o­ry, and psy­cho­log­i­cal research tech­niques, plus an applied clin­i­cal expe­ri­ence in addic­tions coun­sel­ing, among others.

The Uni­ver­si­ty of New Mex­i­co (UMN) is a space-grant high­er learn­ing insti­tu­tion that was estab­lished in the late 1880s. The university’s Albu­querque cam­pus cov­ers more than 500 urban acres and serves more than 26,450 stu­dents each year.

What We Like: The Uni­ver­si­ty of New Mex­i­co was found­ed decades before New Mex­i­co joined the union.

Degree: Psy­chol­o­gy BS — Basics in Addic­tion Counseling

Uni­ver­si­ty of New Mex­i­co BS in Psy­chol­o­gy — Basics in Addic­tion Counseling

16. University of South Dakota

The Uni­ver­si­ty of South Dakota’s Addic­tions Coun­sel­ing Depart­ment offers a Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence degree pro­gram (BS) in Addic­tion Coun­sel­ing and Pre­ven­tion that is ranked among South Dakota’s most inno­v­a­tive degrees in addic­tion coun­sel­ing. The Uni­ver­si­ty of South Dakota’s addic­tion coun­sel­ing degrees requires enrolled stu­dents to com­plete a min­i­mum of 120 under­grad­u­ate semes­ter units to meet USD’s require­ments. Core class­es for this addic­tions coun­sel­ing degree pro­gram include evi­dence-based deci­sion-mak­ing, group addic­tion coun­sel­ing, ethical/legal issues in the addic­tion pro­fes­sion, druse use and addic­tion, plus a three-cred­it intern­ship, to name a few.

The Uni­ver­si­ty of South Dako­ta was estab­lished as a pub­lic school in 1862, when South Dako­ta was still con­sid­ered a ter­ri­to­ry. The school’s rur­al cam­pus and online plat­form are home to near­ly 10,000 under­grad­u­ate and grad­u­ate stu­dents each year.

What We Like: The Uni­ver­si­ty of South Dako­ta is the old­est insti­tu­tion of high­er learn­ing in the state and is locat­ed about 40 miles from Sioux Falls.

Degree: Addic­tion Coun­sel­ing and Pre­ven­tion BS

Uni­ver­si­ty of South Dako­ta Addic­tion Coun­sel­ing and Pre­ven­tion BS

17. Eastern Kentucky University

East­ern Ken­tucky Uni­ver­si­ty offers a BS in Psy­chol­o­gy with an aca­d­e­m­ic sub­stance abuse con­cen­tra­tion that is among the best degrees in addic­tion coun­sel­ing in Ken­tucky that can be com­plete on-cam­pus or online. Grad­u­ates of East­ern Ken­tucky University’s addic­tions coun­sel­ing degree pro­gram are pre­pared to fur­ther their edu­ca­tion to enter the work­force in social or men­tal health ser­vices in a vari­ety of capac­i­ties. Appli­cants to East­ern Ken­tucky University’s addic­tion coun­sel­ing degrees can trans­fer up to 90 semes­ter units if the cred­its meet eli­gi­bil­i­ty requirements.

East­ern Ken­tucky Uni­ver­si­ty (EKU) was found­ed in the mid-1870s as Cen­tral Uni­ver­si­ty. East­ern Ken­tucky Uni­ver­si­ty now main­tains var­i­ous cam­pus­es through east­ern Ken­tucky in the towns of Man­ches­ter, Corbin, Haz­ard, and Lan­cast­er. Near­ly 16,000 stu­dents attend class­es online or on one of East­ern Ken­tucky University’s campuses.

What We Like: East­ern Ken­tucky University’s alum­ni include Lee Majors, Rex Ryan (NFL Head Coach), and many pro­fes­sion­al athletes.

Degree: B.S. in Psy­chol­o­gy (Sub­stance Abuse Concentration)

East­ern Ken­tucky Uni­ver­si­ty BS in Psy­chol­o­gy — Sub­stance Abuse Concentration

18. Metropolitan State University of Denver

The Met­ro­pol­i­tan State Uni­ver­si­ty of Den­ver offers a BS in addic­tions coun­sel­ing degree pro­gram that is among Denver’s top pro­grams. Met­ro­pol­i­tan State Uni­ver­sit Denver’s degrees in addic­tion coun­sel­ing have received accred­i­ta­tion from the NASAC, with most require­ments ful­filled to reach for a CAS or CAT cre­den­tial. In addi­tion, the Met­ro­pol­i­tan State Uni­ver­si­ty of Denver’s addic­tion coun­sel­ing degrees is accred­it­ed by the Coun­cil for Stan­dards in Human Ser­vice Edu­ca­tion. In addi­tion to an intern­ship, class­es include fam­i­ly sys­tems, small group dynam­ics, and psy­chopathol­o­gy, and the men­tal health clin­i­cian, to name a few.

The Met­ro­pol­i­tan State Uni­ver­si­ty of Den­ver (Met State) was estab­lished in the mid-1960s as a pub­lic, state-run col­lege. The school’s cam­pus is shared with UC Den­ver and a com­mu­ni­ty col­lege. More than 20,050 stu­dents attend class­es each year offered by Met­ro­pol­i­tan State Uni­ver­sit Denver.

What We Like: The Met­ro­pol­i­tan State Uni­ver­si­ty of Den­ver is orga­nized into five schools/colleges that offer pro­grams in edu­ca­tion, hos­pi­tal­i­ty, arts/sciences, busi­ness, and pro­fes­sion­al studies.

Degree: Addic­tion Stud­ies BS

Met­ro­pol­i­tan State Uni­ver­si­ty of Den­ver Addic­tion Stud­ies BS

19. University of Detroit Mercy

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Detroit Mer­cy offers a BS in Addic­tion Stud­ies that is con­sid­ered among the first estab­lished addic­tion coun­sel­ing degrees. Stu­dents grad­u­ate from the Uni­ver­si­ty of Detroit Mercy’s addic­tions coun­sel­ing degree pro­gram after com­plet­ing a min­i­mum of 120 semes­ter units. Class­es for UDM’s degrees in addic­tion coun­sel­ing include indi­vid­ual coun­sel­ing assess­ment of sub­stance use dis­or­ders, fam­i­ly theory/therapy, pre­ven­tion, and inter­ven­tion of sub­stance abuse, plus an advanced addic­tions intern­ship, to name a few.

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Detroit Mer­cy was estab­lished by the Soci­ety of Jesus in the late 1970s. The Uni­ver­si­ty of Detroit Mer­cy remains affil­i­at­ed with the Catholic Church and serves more than 5,000 under­grad­u­ate and grad­u­ate stu­dents yearly.

What We Like: The Uni­ver­si­ty of Detroit Mer­cy main­tains three cam­pus­es to serve its online and on-cam­pus students.

Degree: BS in Addic­tion Studies

Uni­ver­si­ty of Detroit Mer­cy BS in Addic­tion Studies

20. Clarks Summit University

Clarks Sum­mit Uni­ver­si­ty offers a BS in Coun­sel­ing with an aca­d­e­m­ic con­cen­tra­tion in Sub­stance Abuse Spe­cial­ist that is among the best Chris­t­ian-based estab­lished addic­tion coun­sel­ing degrees. Grad­u­ates of Clarks Sum­mit University’s addic­tions coun­sel­ing degree pro­gram find reward­ing careers as sub­stance abuse coun­selors, ther­a­peu­tic sup­port staff, guid­ance coun­selors, or reha­bil­i­ta­tion direc­tors, to name a few. This 123 semes­ter-cred­it degrees in addic­tion coun­sel­ing includes class­es in ethics and pro­fes­sion­al­ism, per­son­al­i­ty the­o­ry, cri­sis coun­sel­ing, and mar­riage & fam­i­ly dynam­ics, to name a few.

Clarks Sum­mit Uni­ver­si­ty (CSU) was found­ed as a bible col­lege in the ear­ly 1930s in upstate New York. The sub­ur­ban cam­pus is locat­ed near Scran­ton and serves about 500 stu­dents each year.

What We Like: Clarks Sum­mit Uni­ver­si­ty moved from New York to Penn­syl­va­nia in 1968.

Degree: BS in Coun­sel­ing — Sub­stance Abuse Specialist

Clarks Sum­mit Uni­ver­si­ty BS in Coun­sel­ing — Sub­stance Abuse Specialist

21. Georgian Court University

Geor­gian Court Uni­ver­si­ty, in part­ner­ship with the Rut­gers School of Health Pro­fes­sion­als, offers a BS in Psy­chi­atric Reha­bil­i­ta­tion and Psy­chol­o­gy that is among the few joint addic­tion coun­sel­ing degrees in New Jer­sey. Stu­dents com­plete the first five semes­ters of this addic­tions coun­sel­ing degree pro­gram and fin­ish it at the Strat­ford or Scotch Plains Rut­gers cam­pus. Class­es for Geor­gian Court University’s degrees in addic­tion coun­sel­ing include an intro­duc­tion to psy­chol­o­gy, the­o­ries of per­son­al­i­ty, bio­log­i­cal psy­chol­o­gy, and an intro­duc­tion to applied behav­ior analy­sis, to name a few.

Geor­gian Court Uni­ver­si­ty (Geor­gian Court) was found­ed in 1908 as a women’s col­lege by the Sis­ters of Mer­cy. Geor­gian Court Uni­ver­si­ty now oper­ates as a space-grant and sea-grant school with a stu­dent enroll­ment that exceeds 1,500 stu­dents each year.

What We Like: The cam­pus is the for­mer estate owned by the son of a rail­road tycoon. The name of the estate was Geor­gian Court.

Degree: B.S. in Psy­chi­atric Reha­bil­i­ta­tion and Psy­chol­o­gy (col­lab w/ Rut­gers School of Health Professions)

BS in Psy­chi­atric Reha­bil­i­ta­tion and Psychology

22. Life Pacific University

Life Pacif­ic Uni­ver­si­ty offers a BA in Human Devel­op­ment and Psy­chol­o­gy that is among California’s most inno­v­a­tive Christ-cen­tered addic­tion coun­sel­ing degrees. Grad­u­ates of Life Pacif­ic University’s addic­tions coun­sel­ing degree pro­gram enter the work­force as case man­agers, school coun­selors, or sub­stance abuse coun­selors, to name a few. Course­work for Life Pacif­ic University’s degrees in addic­tion coun­sel­ing pro­gram includes ethics in the help­ing pro­fes­sions, human sex­u­al­i­ty, child wel­fare, research meth­ods, plus an intern­ship, to name a few.

Life Pacif­ic Uni­ver­si­ty (LPU) was found­ed as a pri­vate bible col­lege in 1923. The uni­ver­si­ty is the flag­ship school for the Inter­na­tion­al Church of the Foursquare Gospel. More than 500 stu­dents attend class­es offered each year.

What We Like: Life Pacif­ic University’s fac­ul­ty to stu­dent ratio is t to 11.

Degree: B.A. in Human Devel­op­ment & Psychology

Life Pacif­ic Uni­ver­si­ty BA in Human Devel­op­ment and Psychology

23. Mid-Atlantic Christian University

Mid-Atlantic Chris­t­ian Uni­ver­si­ty offers two of the best addic­tions coun­sel­ing degree pro­grams with its Bach­e­lor of Arts or Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence degree pro­grams in Coun­sel­ing with an aca­d­e­m­ic major in psy­chol­o­gy. Mid-Atlantic Chris­t­ian University’s addic­tions coun­sel­ing degree pro­gram includes course­work in coun­sel­ing the­o­ries, ethics and legal issues, marriage/family coun­sel­ing, and cross-cul­tur­al coun­sel­ing, plus a coun­sel­ing intern­ship, to name a few. Stu­dents enrolled in Mid-Atlantic Chris­t­ian University’s degrees in addic­tion coun­sel­ing pro­gram have nine elec­tives to com­plete the addic­tion stud­ies and psy­chol­o­gy degree.

Mid-Atlantic Chris­t­ian Uni­ver­si­ty was found­ed in the late 1940s by the Church­es of Christ – a part of the Restora­tion Move­ment. The school’s cam­pus is home to about 200 students.

What We Like: Mid-Atlantic Chris­t­ian Uni­ver­si­ty oper­ates a sec­ond cam­pus in the Com­mon­wealth of Virginia.

Degree: Coun­sel­ing and Psy­chol­o­gy Major — BA or BS

Mid-Atlantic Chris­t­ian Uni­ver­si­ty Coun­sel­ing and Psy­chol­o­gy Major — BA or BS

24. Johnson & Wales University

John­son & Wales Uni­ver­si­ty offers a 3 + 2 BS/MS in addic­tion coun­sel­ing that is one of the best accel­er­at­ed addic­tions coun­sel­ing degree pro­grams in the mar­ket. John­son & Wales’s BS/MS addic­tions coun­sel­ing degree pro­gram offers an accel­er­at­ed pro­gram that helps reduce tuition costs by reduc­ing one year of study­ing. Stu­dents enrolled in John­son & Wales’s degrees in addic­tion coun­sel­ing pro­gram enter the pro­gram dur­ing their junior year and fol­low a cohort through­out their stud­ies until graduation.

John­son & Wales began as a busi­ness school in 1914. Its name is derived from its founders – Gertrude John­son and Mary Wales. More than 12,650 stu­dents attend class­es across John­son and Wales’s mul­ti­ple cam­pus­es in North Car­oli­na and Rhode Island.

What We Like: The found­ing cam­pus of John­son and Wales is in Prov­i­dence, Rhode Island.

Degree: Coun­sel­ing Psychology

John­son & Wales Uni­ver­si­ty BS/MS in addic­tion counseling

25. Curry College

Cur­ry Col­lege offers a bach­e­lor’s degree in psy­chol­o­gy with a sub­stance use coun­sel­ing con­cen­tra­tion that is among the top addic­tions coun­sel­ing degree pro­grams in New Eng­land. Cur­ry College’s addic­tions coun­sel­ing degree pro­gram meets part of the state’s require­ments for an MBSACC cer­ti­fi­ca­tion. Stu­dents enrolled in Cur­ry College’s degrees in addic­tion coun­sel­ing pro­gram must com­plete a min­i­mum of fif­teen cred­it units to meet Cur­ry College’s psy­chol­o­gy con­cen­tra­tion requirements.

Cur­ry Col­lege (Cur­ry) was found­ed as an elocution/expression school in the late 1870s. The school was orig­i­nal­ly locat­ed on Com­mon­wealth Avenue in Boston but now oper­ates from its 125+ acre cam­pus near the state’s Blue Hills Reser­va­tion. Cur­ry Col­lege serves more than 4,550 stu­dents each year online and on-campus.

What We Like: The Boston-based TMZ often includes stu­dents in its pro­duc­tion as it has an office on Cur­ry College’s campus.

Degree: Sub­stance Use Counseling

Cur­ry Col­lege Sub­stance Use Counseling

Why Should I Get a Degree in Addiction Counseling?

Here are a few facts and con­sid­er­a­tions regard­ing careers in sub­stance abuse coun­sel­ing that may help answer some of the questions.

• The medi­an pay in 2020 for addic­tion coun­selors was $47,660 per year
• Job growth in the addic­tion and men­tal health field is esti­mat­ed at 25% (far high­er than most fields)
• Most entry-lev­el posi­tions for sub­stance abuse and men­tal health coun­selors require cer­ti­fi­ca­tion and or a bach­e­lor’s degree 
• Tools like the State Board Direc­to­ry from the NBCC (Nation­al Board for Cer­ti­fied Coun­selors) can help with the process of becom­ing a coun­selor or with find­ing accred­it­ed and approved cer­ti­fi­ca­tion exam sites in your state

These answers, as dis­cussed ear­li­er, will also lead to the ques­tion, how to get a degree in addic­tion coun­sel­ing. Once you have answered the ques­tion for your­self, should I get a degree in sub­stance abuse coun­sel­ing, the next step will be all about where to begin.

Is There Accreditation for Addiction and Substance Abuse Counseling Degrees?

Addic­tion coun­sel­ing accred­i­ta­tion should always be con­firmed with any pro­gram attend­ed, includ­ing approved and accred­it­ed addic­tion coun­sel­ing cer­ti­fi­ca­tion exams.

Addic­tion coun­sel­ing accred­i­ta­tion sim­ply ver­i­fies the author­i­ty and legit­i­ma­cy of the pro­grams, schools, and cer­ti­fi­ca­tion sites that train, teach, and devel­op new coun­selors and accred­it­ed addic­tion coun­sel­ing pro­grams. Once the field of options has been nar­rowed to the best accred­it­ed sub­stance abuse coun­sel­ing pro­grams for you, it is time to eval­u­ate each program.

Beyond ver­i­fy­ing pro­gram accred­i­ta­tion for sub­stance abuse coun­sel­ing, each pro­gram should be eval­u­at­ed from a prac­ti­cal stand­point. Are the class sched­ules work­able? Does the pro­gram offer evening or online class options? Along with these con­sid­er­a­tions are the stan­dard aspects of every pro­gram such as tuition costs, mate­ri­als, and finan­cial assis­tance options among oth­er impor­tant factors.

Final­ly, after con­firm­ing accred­i­ta­tions, eval­u­at­ing each pro­gram and the intan­gi­bles, and weigh­ing per­son­al con­sid­er­a­tions and needs, it is time to select a pro­gram. On the oth­er end of this jour­ney is a world of oppor­tu­ni­ties to help oth­ers, to make an excel­lent income, and to make a difference. 

What Can I Do with a Bachelor’s in Addiction Counseling?

There is great news for grad­u­ates who have earned an accred­it­ed addic­tion coun­sel­ing bach­e­lor’s degree and who have passed the addic­tion coun­selor cer­ti­fi­ca­tion exam. A sub­stance abuse coun­sel­ing job can look very dif­fer­ent depend­ing on the roles, respon­si­bil­i­ties, and details of the posi­tion, and there are plen­ty of sub­stance abuse coun­sel­ing jobs to choose from.

Jobs in sub­stance abuse coun­sel­ing can also be found in a vari­ety of set­tings and sce­nar­ios. There are sub­stance abuse coun­sel­ing jobs in hos­pi­tals, clin­ics, reha­bil­i­ta­tion cen­ters, and even pri­vate prac­tices. Any­one who is con­sid­er­ing pur­su­ing an addic­tion coun­sel­ing bach­e­lor’s degree, now may be the time because this is an oppor­tune time for any­one seek­ing a sub­stance abuse coun­sel­ing job.

The pro­jec­tions for future jobs in sub­stance abuse coun­sel­ing are equal­ly as strong as the cur­rent job mar­ket, if not stronger, and that is only one more rea­son to con­sid­er a career as an addic­tion coun­selor. There is also the unseen and unspo­ken ben­e­fits of being a sub­stance abuse coun­selor, that can’t be mea­sured by dol­lars and cents, or even the time, hours, and effort invest­ed to become a counselor.

Sub­stance abuse coun­selors get a first-row seat, and often play an intri­cate and vital role in turn­ing lives around, restor­ing fam­i­lies, and hope. Addic­tion coun­selors are com­pen­sat­ed well, but they may be reward­ed even more hand­some­ly with the joy and knowl­edge of pro­vid­ing a ser­vice and doing a job that counts. 

Those with a bach­e­lor’s degree in addic­tion coun­sel­ing can work in the roles of fam­i­ly and court liai­son, cri­sis inter­ven­tion spe­cial­ists, addic­tion coun­sel­ing ther­a­pists, and more. Good luck in your edu­ca­tion­al pur­suits and with all your career endeavors.

Relat­ed Rankings:

15 Best Online Bach­e­lor’s in Addic­tion Counseling

10 Fastest Online Bach­e­lor’s in Addic­tion Counseling

10 Most Afford­able Bach­e­lor’s in Addic­tion Counseling