Addictions Counseling Master’s Degrees and Other Graduate-Degree Options in Substance Abuse Counseling
Addiction is a broad psychosocial phenomenon, but in both practice and in the public eye, addiction today is mainly tied to substance use disorders.
Although the larger issues of treating substance abuse disorders (SUD) are tied to the same psychological and social factors as any other sort of addiction, they also come with an extra dimension that makes them even more complicated: physiological addiction.
It’s not a small problem. The National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics estimates that at least half of Americans used an illicit drug at some point in their lives. And some 60 million have done so within the past year.
That might not be surprising to most, but what shocks even the most seasoned addiction professional is the 70,000 overdose deaths that occur every year, to say nothing of the untold costs to public health and society.
Is There a Difference in Degrees for Substance Abuse Counseling Versus Addiction Counseling?
Addiction counseling, in general, deals with any sort of neuropsychological urge to engage in behavior despite potential negative consequences. Drugs and alcohol can be some of the most compelling and damaging objects of addiction, but addiction counselors also help with problems like excessive gambling, video games, or even sex addiction.
Though the roots of the brain function behind them are often similar, as a practical matter, substance abuse addiction counseling is often treated as a separate matter from other kinds of addiction.
In part, this is because of the physiological components of that addiction, the chemical dependencies that rewire the brain. But it’s also reflective of the complicated psychosocial nature of drug addiction, which may require different types of treatment and rely on different resources for assistance.
You can expect that any addiction counseling program would cover all of the above. Broadly speaking, the terms ‘addictions counseling’ and ‘substance abuse counseling’ are used interchangeably in degree titles.
Still, it’s important to note that in other degree fields like social work and clinical mental health counseling, where degrees can include a concentration in addictions, the focus tends to be more narrowly on substance use disorders since that’s the most common addiction disorder that people seek treatment for, and the one that those fields most often intersect with.
Still, it’s worth mentioning, that master’s-educated social workers whose degrees included an addictions focus would be well-suited to treat most any addiction, at least at a high level.
Because the need for substance use disorder treatment is so prevalent across the spectrum of counseling and human services, degrees in adjacent fields, from mental health counseling to social work, are offered with a specialized focus on substance abuse counseling.
But whether in one of these fields or in a dedicated addictions treatment role, graduate studies are the natural destination for clinical addiction counselors and supervisors, as well as independent practitioners.
Across the board, a master’s degree with the right coursework meets the requirements for advanced state-level credentials in addictions counseling, including those aligned with the IC&RC’s AADC (Advanced Alcohol & Drug Counselor) and NAADAC’s MAC ((Licensed)) Master Addiction Counselor).
Master’s Degrees Specifically in Substance Abuse and Addiction Counseling
You can find schools around the country offering master’s degrees under a variety of titles expressly designed to prepare graduates for advanced roles in substance use disorder counseling, but it might surprise you to learn that something like a Master of Science in Substance Abuse Counseling is relatively rare.
Instead, you’re more likely to encounter graduate programs with a more general course of study in addiction science through an MA or MS in Addiction Counseling.
Although the course of study can apply to any kind of addiction therapy, the reality is that most graduates will end up treating substance use disorders, the most prevalent addiction disorder that people seek treatment for. Under any of these degree titles, you would find all the necessary counseling classes to be effective in providing treatment:
- Pharmacological Actions of Alcohol and Other Drugs
- Medication Assisted Treatment
- Advanced Legal and Ethical Issues in Substance Abuse Counseling
You’ll get exposure to different specialties and population focus areas in the field too, through courses like Adolescent Addiction Assessment and Treatment or Substance Abuse Issues in the Criminal Justice System.
You’ll also find plenty of internship placements as part of these programs, giving you first-hand experience working at government agencies focused on drug treatment and prevention, along with community clinics, and private rehab facilities.
Building Real-World Experience During Your Substance Abuse Graduate Program
Just about all human services and health-related degree programs lean into experiential learning as a part of the coursework. So practicum and internship options will be available more often than not in any master’s degree program related to addictions counseling.
Even if you’ve been working in the field of addictions treatment for years, advanced credentials in clinical practice and supervision will require a significant number of experience hours performing duties consistent with the higher level role you are seeking.
Since you are required by most states to accumulate anywhere between 1,500 and 6,000 hours of supervised experience in those roles, it can give you a real jump on meeting the requirement by getting started in a formal practicum during your graduate studies.
In many states, simply holding a graduate degree can reduce your total required hours of experience for advanced licensure or certification.
Clearly, dedicated addiction studies degrees will offer the most relevant clinical substance use disorder treatment placements. But many other types of programs, can put you into acceptable roles as well, such as social work or mental health counseling master’s degrees that place you in a clinical counseling role.
A Graduate Program in Addictions Will Wrap-Up With a Final Project Where You Contribute Original Ideas
Another common characteristic of master’s programs in general is the culminating experience required for graduation.
Traditionally, this has been the master’s thesis project: a research project selected and driven by the student leading to a scholarly paper presenting their findings and conclusions.
Some graduate programs allow you to choose between thesis track or capstone project options for graduation.
Many master’s-level addiction counseling programs today lean toward replacing the thesis with an applied capstone project. These can also involve some research, but typically are more hands-on and practice-oriented in nature.
Substance Abuse Counseling Master’s Degrees Can Come in Different Packages, But Align on Similar Training and Curriculum
Master’s Degrees in psychology, social work, mental health counseling, MFT, and other human services fields offer specialized tracks in addiction counseling.
In many states, the scope of practice for Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW), Licensed Mental Health Counselors (LMHC), and licensed psychologists, among other similar counseling licenses, includes addictions counseling.
In some cases, advanced clinical skills, including those in medication-assisted treatment and clinical supervision, still require advanced credentials in substance use disorder treatment specifically, in which case LCSWs and LMHCs would simply pursue dual-credentials.
A master’s degree is the standard educational requirement for independent clinical SUD counselors according to the SAMHSA Model Career Ladder for the SUD treatment workforce. Not every state requires a master’s degree for independent clinical addiction counseling credentials, but most do.
Since a master’s degree is the standard to practice independently, or to supervise and guide other addiction counselors, it’s usually what professionals who make a serious career in substance use disorder treatment eventually end up with. Those degrees come in a lot of different variations, though.
- Graduate Degrees in Psychology with a Focus in Substance Abuse and Addiction Counseling
- Graduate Degrees in Clinical Counseling with an Addictions Focus
- Graduate Degrees in Marriage and Family Therapy with a Focus in Substance Abuse and Addiction Counseling
- Master of Social Work Degrees with a Focus in Substance Abuse and Addiction Treatment
- Graduate Degrees in Human Services with a Substance Abuse and Addiction Counseling Focus
- Graduate Degrees in Vocational Counseling for Addiction Issues With Drugs or Alcohol
- Graduate Degrees in Health Sciences and Healthcare Fields with a Focus in Substance Abuse and Addiction Counseling
- Graduate Certificates in Substance Use Disorder and Addictions Treatment Can Fill Gaps in Curriculum
- Doctoral Degrees for Substance Abuse and Addiction Counseling
- Graduate Degrees in Substance Abuse and Addiction Counseling Lead to the Highest Levels of State Licensure and Certification
- Substance Abuse Counselor Salary with a Master’s Degree
- Choosing a School for Your Master’s in Substance Abuse and Addiction Counseling
- Online Addiction Counseling Degrees Make Perfect Sense for Graduate Students
Graduate Degrees in Psychology with a Focus in Substance Abuse and Addiction Counseling
A master’s in psychology is a go-to graduate degree for people heading for addiction studies. In fact, since practicing psychologists are one of the groups that are typically allowed to treat addiction without a separate license in most states, this is a path that offers a couple of branches for SUD counseling professionals.
The emphasis in something like a Master of Science in Addiction Psychology or a Master of Addiction Counseling in Psychology will usually be broader than a focused substance abuse graduate degree. They are trying to solve the problem of addiction primarily through traditional psychological interventions, so coursework will lean toward advanced theories of behaviorism, co-occurring disorders, and psychopathology.
Counseling practices that are taught are in the general range of the professional psychologist’s toolkit, like CBT and humanistic/experiential therapy. However, you can definitely find these degrees that include state-specified SUD therapy classes as well. And hands-on practicum courses are always heavily emphasized in clinical psychology programs.
Of course, a master’s in psychology with the right coursework in addictions counseling meets the requirements for master’s level credentials in substance use disorder counseling. In all states, full authority psychologist licensure requires a doctorate degree (PhD or practice-focused PsyD) accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA), and in all cases, the scope of that license will cover addictions counseling.
Graduate Degrees in Clinical Counseling with an Addictions Focus
Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC) and Licensed Mental Health Counselors (LMHC) have the authority to treat substance use disorders without additional licensure specific to substance abuse counseling. A Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with Substance Use Disorders emphasis will prepare you for counseling licensure.
Counseling is a field that can address any sort of mental health issue from a practical perspective, so it’s a particularly good choice for working with patients who have co-occurring disorders… which came to over 9 million people in 2023 according to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics.
CACREP, the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, offers accreditation for master’s programs in mental health counseling that can include a focus in addictions, and that lead to state licensure as a LMHC, LPC or similar credential.
Graduate Degrees in Marriage and Family Therapy with a Focus in Substance Abuse and Addiction Counseling
Someone who has gone through the education to become a marriage and family therapist brings a unique perspective and useful tools to offering SUD counseling in family and couples contexts.
Degrees like a Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy with Addiction Treatment concentrations are not common, but put graduates in an elite group with graduate-level training in this tough specialty. Other MFT master’s grads may have to stack their degree with a certificate program to get the required SUD training coursework in, but the degree itself fills requirements for SUD counseling licensure.
COAMFTE, the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education, offers accreditation for master’s programs in family counseling that can include a focus in addictions counseling, and that lead to state licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT).
Master of Social Work Degrees with a Focus in Substance Abuse and Addiction Treatment
With drug addiction and alcohol dependency twisting and tearing at the fabric of society, it’s no surprise that many of the issues that social workers deal with from day to day are rooted in substance abuse. Dealing with the problem at some level or another has naturally led to the development of specialized training for clinical social workers such as a Master of Social Work Addictions Counseling concentration.
These programs often focus on the bigger picture of addiction treatment systems and social enablers, and are a solid choice for anyone interested in developing broad, lasting interventions. However, they are also fully-equipped in clinical treatment skill-building and may have state-required SUD coursework built in, so they can also lead to qualifications as independent clinical SUD counselors. Some LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Workers) may hold both credentials alongside one another.
CSWE, the Council on Social Work Education, offers accreditation for Master of Social Work (MSW) programs that can include a focus in addictions counseling, and that lead to state licensure as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW), or similar credential.
Graduate Degrees in Human Services with a Substance Abuse and Addiction Counseling Focus
In a similar vein, the human services field is where administrators, program managers, and other policy developers in the SUD treatment space can emerge from. This is a field that offers big benefits in leadership training and understanding the overall system and resources for treating substance abuse in the United States. It may also offer unique opportunities to explore treatments in carceral environments and a better understanding of how the criminal justice system overlaps with drug treatment.
It’s relatively rare to find human services degrees that come with addiction treatment training built in, but something like a Master of Arts in Family and Human Services with Addiction Counseling Emphasis, or a Master of Arts in Human Services with an Alcohol and Substance Abuse concentration can get you all the qualification you need for advanced credentials as a clinical SUD counselor.
Graduate Degrees in Vocational Counseling for Addiction Issues With Drugs or Alcohol
There is actually a separate kind of counseling graduate degree that in some cases can also offer a road to substance abuse counseling: vocational, or rehabilitation, counseling.
This is distinct from mental health counseling in that it commonly focuses on functional as well as psychological aspects of recovery. Most vocational or rehab counselors work with individuals with disabilities. Yet there are a lot of practical crossovers between such cases and addiction rehab. So degree programs such as a Master of Education in Rehabilitation Counseling – Alcoholism Counseling and Addiction Services specialization can develop your skills in SUD therapy while combining it with practical aspects of case management, skills training, and job placement services that many SUD patients can really use.
Graduate Degrees in Health Sciences and Healthcare Fields with a Focus in Substance Abuse and Addiction Counseling
Finally, the rise in available medical interventions for substance use disorders has also created more demand for medical and healthcare professionals who also understand and can treat the psychology of substance abuse.
A Master of Health Science in Addiction Studies helps fill this gap. There are also graduate certificates designed to build on medical professional training, such as a Substance Use and Addictions Nursing Certificate that helps RNs and APRNs better serve patients with substance abuse issues. These programs all help integrate the medical model of care with traditional SUD treatment options.
Graduate Certificates in Substance Use Disorder and Addictions Treatment Can Fill Gaps in Curriculum
Most state-level certification and licensure for SUD treatment professionals is fairly inclusive when it comes to accepting graduate degrees that meet qualifications. Often, the requirements stated on licensing applications refer to “any related field” as being acceptable.
But if you haven’t pulled down one of the specific degrees listed above, you are probably missing out on the necessary training hours and some vital coursework in SUD-specific subjects.
But with an undergraduate degree in nearly any field, it’s entirely possible to get your skillset up to snuff for state credentialing with a Graduate Certificate in Substance Abuse Counseling. Most of these programs are designed to lead to intermediate certification or licensure, though not the type of advanced clinical licensure that’s typically reserved for those with a master’s degree. This differs by state, so in some cases a graduate certificate would suffice for the highest levels of substance use disorder licensing.
Doctoral Degrees for Substance Abuse and Addiction Counseling
Finally, there are doctoral programs in the field, such as a PhD in Interdisciplinary Research on Substance Abuse. As you might guess from the title, most of these degrees are primarily aimed at academics and researchers. However, they are graduate programs, and still fit the requirement for active clinical counseling licenses.
Just as at the master’s level, these can be in related disciplines like psychology and counseling, such as a PsyD in Substance Abuse Treatment. In fact, it’s most common to find doctoral degrees that are more broadly oriented at addiction treatment, like a PhD in Addictive Disorders and Recovery Studies, not substance abuse particularly.
Because of this, if you haven’t covered the educational coursework in SUD treatment by the time you reach that level, you’ll almost certainly have to build a certificate program into your plans to qualify for clinical practice with a PhD.
Graduate Degrees in Substance Abuse and Addiction Counseling Lead to the Highest Levels of State Licensure and Certification
In addition to the education they offer, the most important thing about any of these degrees is whether or not they will qualify you to work as a SUD counselor in your state.
For independent clinical practice credentials, these states require a master’s degree:
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There are also a number of states where a master’s degree is the minimum requirement to perform any kind of clinical practice in drug addiction treatment:
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Each state has different, if similar, standards for coursework. Many of them, either directly through state agencies, or through delegated certification boards, have some specific language on exactly what coursework they will accept.
For licensing in social work, mental health counseling, or marriage and family therapy, degrees holding specialty accreditation will be the main factor:
- Social work licensure: CSWE – Council on Social Work Education
- Professional counselor licensure: CACREP – Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs
- Marriage and family therapist licensure: COAMFTE – Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education
Your master’s program is not required to hold any specialized program-level accreditation if you are only pursuing advanced state-level credentials in addictions counseling, including those aligned with the IC&RC’s AADC (Advanced Alcohol & Drug Counselor), and NAADAC’s MAC ((Licensed)) Master Addiction Counselor).
However, it is worth mentioning that NASAC, the National Addiction Studies Accreditation Commission run by NAADAC, does offer voluntary accreditation that some schools choose to participate in. At this time, only a handful of schools offer master’s degrees that hold this accreditation.
Substance Abuse Counselor Salary with a Master’s Degree
On top of influencing your employment prospects through licensure, a graduate degree is often the ticket to higher salary levels. In fact, the qualifications may put you in the top ten percent of all substance abuse counselors in the payroll department.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, that meant an annual salary of more than $98,210 per year in 2024. That’s a bump of almost $10,000 over the level the year before, so you can see that demand and compensation are both rising quickly.
Choosing a School for Your Master’s in Substance Abuse and Addiction Counseling
While having your graduate degree accepted for licensure may be the most important consideration, it’s far from the only one that will drive your choice of school. Naturally, you need a school that offers the major you are most interested in. It’s not uncommon for colleges to have a few different graduate programs which could lead to SUD counseling qualifications.
To find the right fit, you’ll want to look closely at factors such as:
- Faculty qualifications and experience
- Academic counseling and career support
- Connections between the program and community treatment organizations
You may also find yourself weighing choices between public and private universities. Private schools can be more costly, but may be better resourced and carry more cachet. On the other hand, public universities are often more accessible and affordable for in-state students.
Online Addiction Counseling Degrees Make Perfect Sense for Graduate Students
Something else that may sway your choice is whether or not the school offers your graduate program in an online format.
Online studies are becoming as popular in addiction and substance abuse counseling as any other field. Particularly at the graduate level, where many students are already employed, starting families, or have other obligations that make relocating tough, they can be an excellent choice.
There’s also a lot of flexibility in attendance for most online degrees. Many have asynchronous courses, where you can stream lectures or interact with professors and classmates on your own time, not just at certain hours.
Finally, there is a lot of money to be saved by avoiding a regular commute or having to move to attend school. By staying close to home, you keep your expenses low. And the option to study when and where you want means you can keep working at your current position.
No matter how you get there, equipping yourself with a graduate degree in substance abuse treatment opens up a secure career in addiction counseling. It also gives you the experience and tools needed to give your clients their best chance at getting back to a stable and meaningful life.
2024 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary and employment figures for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors reflect national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed June 2025.