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Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling

Types of Degrees Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling Majors Are Earning

Those studying Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	1,162
Associate’s Degree	1,259
Bachelor’s Degree	475
Master’s Degree	2,792
Doctor’s Degree	7

What Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling Majors Need to Know

Programs in Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.5 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
EcoLogic ADAM Indoor Air Quality and Analytical Data Management	Data base user interface and query software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Turning Technologies TurningPoint	Multi-media educational software	—
InteractElsevier Netter’s 3D Interactive Anatomy	Medical software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling graduates include:

• Pharmacy Teacher
• Podiatric Medicine Professor
• Lecturer
• Gastroenterology Professor
• Faculty Member
• Assistant Professor
• Medical Assistant Instructor
• Nutrition Teacher
• Gastroenterology Teacher
• Speech Therapy Teacher
• Mental Health Aides Teacher
• Dietetics Teacher
• Correctional Therapy Teacher
• Recreation Therapy Aides Teacher
• Optometry Teacher

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	44.7%
Doctoral degree	20.0%
Post-doctoral training	15.4%
Bachelor’s degree	10.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.6%
Postsecondary certificate	2.3%
Post-master’s certificate	1.4%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.8%
First professional degree	0.6%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 69.8% of Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	4,282	69.8%
Men	1,853	30.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	3,290	53.6%
Asian	74	1.2%
Hispanic or Latino	1,157	18.9%
Black or African American	991	16.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	147	2.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	14	0.2%
Two or More Races	252	4.1%
Race Unknown	182	3.0%
International Students	28	0.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$46,066
4 years	$46,824
5 years	$52,641

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $52,641 — roughly 14% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	28	14
Bachelor’s	17	6
Master’s	18	4
Doctoral (Research)	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling graduates earn a median of $46,824 four years after completion — roughly 23% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions	33,946
Mental Health Counseling/Counselor	10,855
Marriage and Family Therapy/Counseling	4,476
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions, Other	3,545
Clinical/Medical Social Work	3,296
Psychiatric/Mental Health Services Technician	2,601
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions, Other	2,445
Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling	2,298
Genetic Counseling/Counselor	378
Advanced General Dentistry	238
Clinical Pastoral Counseling/Patient Counseling	187
Trauma Counseling	161

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.