Online Bachelor of Science in Substance Abuse Counseling

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.

What Is Substance Abuse Counseling?

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.

Program Offerings

• 100% online
• Financial aid available
• Graduate in 2-4 years
• Designed for full- or part-time students
• Start dates in spring, summer, and fall
• Graduates will meet Academic Requirements for Licensure
• Transfer-friendly

What will I learn?

Your curriculum for an online bachelor's 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.

• An overview of the field of substance abuse counseling and its graduate-level academic trajectories (counseling, social work, psychology).
• Pharmacology explored through the lens of substance use disorders.
• Individual, family, and societal factors that are associated with individual substance use.
• Clinical assessment and diagnostic processes in substance abuse counseling.
• How to develop advanced cultural competencies that are essential in substance abuse counseling practices.
• Fundamental skills necessary for individual counseling of clients with a substance use disorder.
• About the group process, leadership, and practice for substance abuse counseling.
• How to help individuals with substance abuse with strategies to prevent relapses and promote recovery.

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).

A day in the life of 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, and 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.

Is Substance Abuse Counseling right for me?

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.

Delivering a world-class experience for students seeking online flexibility

The University of Cincinnati Online is dedicated to providing a world-class educational experience that provides flexibility for busy professionals, lifelong learners, and students from around the world.

All of UC Online’s programs are led by nationally recognized faculty and combine innovation with freedom of intellectual inquiry to create an inclusive environment tailored towards the needs of UC Online students.

With each course, students will receive the tools, skills, and education to further their skill set, expand their opportunities, and enrich their local communities.

Create an academic path that suits your lifestyle and goals.

The University of Cincinnati Online provides high-quality, online academic programs from a premier research and higher learning institution located in the heart of Cincinnati, Ohio. The University of Cincinnati was one of the first institutions to offer online courses. Innovation in education is at the forefront of what we do.

Our flexible programs allow you to create an academic path that suits your lifestyle and career goals.

The UC Online Experience

We are here at every step for the student and are fully integrated into the University of Cincinnati. We work hard to ensure that prospective students become students and eventually University of Cincinnati graduates.

We are sure you can agree with us when we say that education is important. However, it’s not always easily accessible, especially for working professionals.

Well, until now!

Why UC Online?

Online learning allows for flexibility and convenience for students who are trying to balance life while also getting a degree. If you are someone who is motivated and able to work independently, online courses may be the right fit for you! With online learning, you are joining a community online and meeting people virtually.