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Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling

A program that prepares individuals to help prevent substance abuse, counsel individuals and families with drug and alcohol problems, and perform intervention and therapeutic services for persons suffering from addiction. Includes instruction in individual and group counseling skills, psychology of addiction, sociology, crisis intervention, substance abuse identification methodologies, substance abuse treatment modalities, substance abuse prevention and treatment resources, pharmacology and behavioral aspects of abused substances, treatment evaluation, patient observation and education, group dynamics, professional standards and ethics, and applicable law and regulations.

Types of Degrees Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling have the option of earning 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

Coursework for 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

The skill set 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

Innate 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 Word	Word processing software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Healthcare common procedure coding system HCPCS	Medical software	—
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Material safety data sheet MSDS software	Compliance software	—
Medical condition coding software	Medical software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

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

• Faculty Member
• Assistant Professor
• Childbirth Teacher
• Pharmacology Teacher
• Dental Laboratory Technology Teacher
• Radiologic Technology Teacher
• Professor
• Hygiene Teacher
• Otolaryngology Teacher
• Health Records Technology Teacher
• Chiropractic Teacher
• Occupational Therapy Aides Teacher
• Respiratory Therapy Instructor
• Obstetrics Teacher
• Opticianry Teacher

What Can You Do With a Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary	10.7%	$46,663	$40,304–$53,022
Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors	3.3%	$52,157	$41,936–$62,378

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

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?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow 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 tracked 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?

Strictly by 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.