Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling

Types of Degrees Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many substance abuse/addiction counseling graduations there were in 2021-2022 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Basic Certificate	1,963
Associate Degree	1,314
Undergraduate Certificate	1,191
Bachelor’s Degree	467

What Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to substance abuse/addiction counseling and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling Majors

Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

Skills for Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling Majors

When studying substance abuse/addiction counseling, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Abilities for Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling Majors

As a substance abuse/addiction counseling major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling?

The major attracts more women than men. About 72% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of substance abuse/addiction counseling majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	11
Black or African American	220
Hispanic or Latino	207
White	726
International Students	9
Other Races/Ethnicities	141

Geographic Diversity

Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling appeals to people across the globe. About 0.7% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling

Some careers associated with substance abuse/addiction counseling require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to substance abuse/addiction counseling have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	0.8%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	1.1%
Some College Courses	4.0%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	8.5%
Bachelor’s Degree	26.4%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	3.5%
Master’s Degree	45.1%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	1.7%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	9.0%
Doctoral Degree	1.5%

Online Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	147	16
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	186	26
Bachelor’s Degree	68	22
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	44	16
Post-Master’s	19	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	3	1
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Trades Related to Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to substance abuse/addiction counseling.

Major	Number of Grads
Mental Health Counseling/Counselor	8,344
Other Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions	3,697
Marriage and Family Therapy/Counseling	3,683
Clinical/Medical Social Work	2,864
Psychiatric/Mental Health Services Technician	2,762
Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling	2,419
Genetic Counseling/Counselor	299
Clinical Pastoral Counseling/Patient Counseling	217
Trauma Counseling	104
Medical Family Therapy/Therapist	12
Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy	12
Hospice and Palliative Care	3

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.