UC Online’s Bachelor’s degree in Substance Abuse Counseling prepares graduates for rewarding careers helping those who are struggling with drug and alcohol addictions. Put your passion for helping others to work and learn how to treat America’s most harmful disorders. With summer, fall, and spring start dates available, it’s easy to begin earning your degree right away.
There is an epidemic of substance abuse addiction and overdose deaths in the United States. Substance abuse counseling is a high-demand profession that can make a real difference in your community. Counselors are needed to help people who struggle with drug and alcohol addictions learn to modify their behavior to lead them on the road to eventual recovery.
UCO’s Substance Abuse Counselor Degree Online is a cutting-edge, research-oriented program that offers proven practical course content and is designed to help you learn how to become a qualified clinician. The degree is designed to help full-time students as well as career professionals gain the knowledge, competencies, and skills needed to begin a career working with addicted persons or to advance their professional credentials.
Whether you’re looking to advance your current career or are looking for an opportunity to learn to treat one of America’s most harmful disorders, our BS in Substance Abuse Counseling can help you get there.
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Your curriculum for an online bachelor degree in addiction counseling will teach you how to guide patients to maintain their sobriety and lead you to a successful career in substance abuse counseling.
See all courses to learn more.
Upon completion of our addictions counselor program, you may meet academic requirements for licensure in many states. Due to specific state-by-state requirements, students will need to research their individual state chemical dependency licensure boards for state-specific information on levels of licensure, certificates available, and reciprocity across states.
Graduates of our degree in addiction counseling will have met academic requirements for a chemical dependency license under the Ohio Chemical Dependency Professionals Board’s guidelines for Licensed Chemical Dependency counselor III (LCDC III).
You can learn more about the counselor pathway in our Complete Guide to Becoming a Substance Abuse Counselor.
A substance abuse bachelor’s degree prepares graduates for rewarding careers helping those who are struggling with drug and alcohol addictions. Your job might be to work with individuals in a crisis situation at a hospital or a private clinic, or you may choose to meet regularly one-on-one or in a group setting throughout the recovery process.
Armed with a passion to help others and a non-judgemental approach, Substance Abuse Counselors assess and counsel individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs), provide counseling to family members who are affected by SUDs, provide life skills training including stress management, relapse prevention, and relationship skills and prepare and lead outreach and other community interventions to prevent and remediate SUDs and their effects.
Careers for substance abuse/addiction counselors are flourishing, due to the rise in demand as addiction and mental health counseling services are increasingly covered by insurance policies. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the occupation is projected to grow 25% from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations.
Students who graduate with a substance abuse counselor degree online can go on to pursue such careers as:
Graduates of the online substance abuse counseling degree are also well prepared to continue their studies in advanced degree programs such as mental health counseling, social work, psychology, and criminal justice.
Are you concerned about the current substance abuse epidemic and want to help individuals affected by it? Are you a good listener with a strong motivation to help others? Do you possess excellent communication skills and are also calm under pressure/in a crisis? Then substance abuse counseling may be a good career fit for you.
This program is also a great next step if you already have experience in social work, counseling, nursing, or psychiatry.
Interested in the program, but want to know a little more about what you’ll learn? Check out our webinar below, featuring Associate Professor and Program Coordinator, George B Richardson.
If you are an employee or member of one of our partner organizations, you may be eligible for a tuition scholarship.
“UC Online's BS in Substance Abuse Counseling was the only bachelors’ program I found that focused strictly on substance abuse counseling. Studying online is the perfect fit for me.I find interacting with everyone to be quite easy. Even though we don’t see each other in person, I developed a camaraderie with some of my UCO peers, especially those in my last three semester classes. I find it to be much easier than I expected. Once you get into the flow of the courses, it is surprisingly easy to stay on track. Everything I learn at UCO informs my current role. My focus on prioritizing education and certification rewards me every day.”
All courses are designed to give you the tools needed to meet the demands of today’s workforce. Careers
Yes. Many of our students qualify for some type of financial aid.
Sources of aid:
Programs can be completed full-time or part-time. Many programs are set up to be part-time, with most containing fewer than 10 credit hours in any given semester. We know you have a lot going on, so want to make sure that school can fit into your schedule. Note: There are some exceptions.
There are a variety of payment options depending on your eligibility for Financial Aid. Please make sure you work with Financial Aid to understand your eligibility.
Additional resources to support you from start to finish.
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