20 Best Bachelor’s in Addiction/Substance Abuse

Viterbo University — student body: 2,610 — is in La Crosse, WI, blocks away from the Mississippi River. The school dates back to 1890, when it opened as a training facility to prepare Franciscan nuns to teach in elementary schools. Men weren’t allowed to study there until 1971, which helps explain why women still make up 73% of the student body. 

Viterbo offers Substance Abuse Counseling as a minor within its bachelor’s degree in psychology. The program uses “evidence-based training practices” that include video technology (via the university’s digital video lab) so students can hone their counseling skills based on feedback.

The point of the program, according to Viterbo, is to give students the knowledge they need to identify and treat substance abuse and the skills to provide effective intervention or referral services. Students from Wisconsin will be happy to know their coursework meets the state’s requirement for 360 hours of classroom instruction to earn a Substance Abuse Counselor certification.

The curriculum offers a comprehensive overview of issues related to the field, such as psychopharmacology, behavior disorders, interview skills for social work, theories of counseling, and more.

Viterbo requires eight specific substance abuse counseling courses to earn your minor, and students pursuing a BS in psychology must complete one additional course (such as Psychological Testing or Brain and Behavior) that does not count toward the major. 

At $20,457 per academic year, the school is slightly more expensive than the median and average prices for schools on this list, but not by much.

Northwestern State University of Louisiana dates back to 1884, but its hometown of Natchitoches — pronounced “nah-codish” — is best known as the setting for the film Steel Magnolias. The classic tearjerker was filmed there in 1988 and prompted a push to revitalize the central Louisiana town, an effort that continues more than 30 years later. 

Unlike some other bachelor’s programs that offer addiction studies as an emphasis within another degree, Northwestern State offers the full degree: Bachelor of Science in Addiction Studies. Within the degree are three concentrations: Substance Abuse Counselor, Prevention Specialist, and Management.

The program requires 120 credit hours to graduate, with 42 coming from non-major coursework (English, math, humanities, etc.), 60 from addiction studies and psychology, 12 from a concentration, and the remaining ones from electives. Course availability varies by semester and year.

The coursework is tiered by year, with freshman students taking foundation classes like Intro to Addiction Disorders and knocking out their non-degree classes. That continues into sophomore year, along with the addition of major courses like Family Dynamics and Screening, Assessment, and Case Management.

Junior-year students get into the nitty-gritty with courses like Co-Occurring Disorders and Dynamics of Group Counseling. The senior year polishes off electives and higher-level coursework like Pharmacology of Addiction and Abnormal Psychology.

At $10,503 per academic year, Northwestern State is a relative bargain — it costs well below the average and median prices of schools on this list. 

First things first: The mascot of Rhode Island College, located in Providence, RI, is the Anchorman. In the post-2004 world of American pop culture, that means Ron Burgundy, but RIC predates the Will Ferrell movie by 150 years. In this case, the mascot literally means a person handling an anchor. Stay classy, Rhode Island. And by “classy,” we mean “affordable” — RIC’s $9,008 price tag makes it the cheapest bachelor’s in addiction and substance abuse on our list.

RIC offers chemical dependency/addiction studies as part of its psychology major, and the curriculum includes five professional development courses.

The degree requires 68 credit hours of major-related coursework. The bulk comes from 15 psychology courses — four credits apiece — such as Drugs and Chemical Dependency and Physiological Psychology. Students then select two additional courses, one from a module of Adolescent Psychology, Family Psychology, and Psychology of Aging, and a second from another module of courses like Behavior Modification and Psychological Testing.

To enroll in the program, students will need to have earned a “B-” or better in foundation coursework (and a minimum 2.5 GPA overall). To remain in the program, they’ll need to maintain that 2.5 or better and earn at least a “B-” in advanced coursework like Community Psychology. 

Drexel University, in Philadelphia, prides itself on being a leader in “experiential learning” that combines coursework with cooperative education — i.e., hands-on fieldwork. In the case of Drexel’s Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Health Counseling, that means an optional six-month co-op that places students at “major healthcare entities, top hospitals, and major healthcare brands,” per its website. 

This is all part of what Drexel describes as a “competency-based curriculum” that trains students on how to do a “broad range of evidence-based practices,” such as individual and group counseling, recovery treatment, and more. The degree itself requires 180 credits, with 30 hours coming from behavioral health counseling coursework and 39 coming from related electives.

The wide span of electives allows students to tailor the degree to their career interests (including one course called Careers in Behavioral Health, so students know the possibilities). If you’re planning to study substance abuse, check out Recovery and Relapse Prevention, Addictions Counseling with Special Populations, and others.

Drexel’s vaunted program comes at a hefty price: $40,977, more than double the average cost of schools on our list. The school’s financing page breaks down financial aid options, including how financial aid works and how to apply for it.

Keene State College is located in Keene, NH, a small city near the Vermont border in the southwestern corner of the state. A quick online search leads to lots of photos of breathtaking fall foliage set against nearby mountains — and lots of pictures of old colonial-style homes.

It doesn’t get much more “New England” than that, and Keene State College fits in nicely with its modest 3,500-plus student population. (Its $19,494 price tag is also cozily average for our list.) Keene State offers Addiction as one of three concentrations within its Bachelor of Science in Public Health.

The degree takes an interdisciplinary approach, combining courses in health promotion, nutrition, physical activity, biology, chemistry, psychology, and, yes, addiction. Students apply for the program during their first semester of school.

The addiction and pre-professional mental health track requires 120 credits. Classes specific to that emphasis — such as Alcohol and Other Drugs: The Fundamentals and Introduction to Counseling Skills — provide 22 credits. Another 40 credits come from what the school calls Allied Discipline Requirements, a.k.a. required courses for the major.

They run the gamut from human anatomy and physiology to chemistry, statistics, public speaking, and more psychology classes. Electives and other non-major courses account for the remaining credits.

Although the school dates back to 1877, the University of Detroit Mercy’s somewhat awkward moniker is a fairly recent addition. In 1990, the University of Detroit merged with Mercy College of Detroit, uniting the powers of the Jesuits and the Religious Sisters of Mercy for a sort of Catholic Voltron for Michiganders.

The school has a student body of 5,111 with an average age of 25, so it’s not surprising that 77% of them are commuters. In fact, its addiction studies courses are offered in the evening to accommodate working students. Addiction studies is a standalone major that yields a Bachelor of Science degree and requires 63 to 72 credits of major coursework.

The program is interdisciplinary by nature, mixing psychology, biology, and humanities studies for a well-rounded education. It begins with 30 required credits, 21 of which come from foundation courses like Introduction to Addiction Sciences and Family Theory and Therapy, and nine more credits from narrowly focused classes like Substance Use Disorders in Youth and Process Disorders: Gambling and Sexual Addiction.

There are also 24 credits’ worth of supportive courses, from basic stuff like algebra and statistics to more targeted classes that provide introductions to criminal justice and social work. 

Students need to maintain a 2.0 or better GPA and earn a “C” or better in all classes to remain in the program. They’ll also need $20,904 per academic year, which is a little more than average for the programs on our list. 

If you live in Arkansas and want a BS in Addiction Studies, you have exactly one option: the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. It’s the only school in the state that offers the degree — and fairly cheaply, at $14,005 — for a challenge that isn’t abating. As the website notes, “The problems associated with drugs of abuse are expected to be with us for long into the foreseeable future.” 

UCA’s Bachelor of Science in Addiction Studies offers two tracks: Treatment and Prevention. Both begin with nine hours of core courses (Mental Health, Theory and Practice of Prevention, and Drug Education), followed by 17 hours of related requirements (Psychological Statistics, Abnormal Psychology, and Human Anatomy among them).

From there, the tracks split. The Treatment track boasts 29 hours of coursework in everything from First Aid to Addiction Counseling and Legal and Ethical Issues in Addictions. The Prevention track has 25 hours of coursework, such as Community Health Problems and Theoretical Bases of Health Education. 

Each track features some hands-on experience, whether it’s the Practicum in Substance Abuse or Internship in Prevention. It’s all part of the university’s plan to “provide the education, technology, and clinical training” necessary to help graduates succeed when they begin their careers.

Similar to the University of Central Arkansas above, the University of South Dakota is one of only a few places in its region that offers a four-year degree in addiction studies. Considering that Vermillion, SD — home to USD — is near both the Nebraska and Iowa borders, that’s a big region.

Even better: It costs $16,647, below the average and median prices for bachelor’s programs in addiction and substance abuse. It’s also available online because anyplace near the borders of South Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa is bound to be cold.

“Alcohol/other drugs appear to affect every culture, facet, and discipline in life,” notes the program’s website. So USD has designed its curriculum to mix the theoretical with the practical, including a good amount of hands-on experience (like counseling with the guidance of live faculty supervision).

Students must apply for formal admission to the program during their sophomore year, having passed introductory classes with a “C” or better and maintaining a 2.5 or better GPA. They’ll also need to pass a criminal background check.

The BS degree requires 120 hours, 45 of which come from the major. The core coursework comprises 30 hours, covering foundational classes (for individual and group counseling), ethical issues, practicums, and more. Students choose six hours within a specialization of either Treatment or Prevention, then round it all out with nine hours from a long list of 13 electives. 

When it comes to treating addiction and substance abuse, you could do worse than the Franciscan values that define Alvernia University’s curriculum and culture: “unconditional love for all people, compassion, humility, and forgiveness,” says its website.

The school filters these values through the gospels and teachings of Jesus because it was founded by the Bernadine Franciscan Sisters. Still, who’d argue against training addiction counselors to be compassionate?

Alvernia is located in Reading, PA, and has a small student body of just 2,792, per U.S. News & World Report, but it aims high with its Bachelor of Arts in Addictions and Mental Health Treatment.

The curriculum uses “a practice-based emphasis ground in current theory and evidence-based practices,” a bit of word salad that means it draws from theoretical and real-world sources. The coursework includes 400 hours of fieldwork at various agencies so students can bolster their studies with on-the-ground experience.

The degree requires a minimum of 123 credits, with 54 of them coming from the major. There’s a slew of required courses like Foundations of Chemical Dependency and Crisis Intervention, as well as some basic psychology courses. Then there are three elective courses, like Addictive Behaviors and Case Management, and four practicums for 12 credits. 

All of these requirements may be completed online if traveling to Reading isn’t an option for you. However, the $26,895 cost places Alvernia on the pricier side compared to other schools that offer bachelor’s programs in addiction studies.

Here’s a fun fact: Nearly 50% of the population of the United States lives within a day’s drive of Cincinnati, OH. Actually, the top five cities for that particular distinction are in Ohio. Prospective U of C students needn’t wonder if they’re part of the 50%, though, because the school’s Bachelor of Science in Substance Abuse Counseling is only available online. 

Even better: The program can be completed in as little as two years, and the coursework meets the academic standards for a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor in Ohio (and probably other states, depending on their standards).

Because all coursework is completed online, the university designs it for maximum flexibility, with start dates in the summer, fall, and spring semesters. The curriculum draws from 24 courses across a spectrum of topics, including introductory courses in substance abuse counseling and prevention, broader issues (like alcoholism), and theoretical and historical approaches to treatment and prevention.

There are also several practical courses included in the program, such as Crisis Management Skills and Maintenance Strategies for Long-Term Substance Abuse Recovery.

The program requires up to 120 credits — courses generally earn three credits each — and will set students back $21,050 per academic year.

The largest private university in its home state, Indiana Wesleyan University, has 3,188 students on its campus in Marion, IN. If we’re being honest, that doesn’t sound like much, but the university boasts another 10,000-plus students via its online and satellite locations in neighboring states. Take that, DePauw.

As part of the Wesleyan Church, the school describes itself as “an evangelical Christian comprehensive university,” which informs its approach to its Bachelor of Science in Addictions Counseling.

The program teaches the “biological, psychological, social, and spiritual aspects” of addiction, a condition “best understood as a biopsychosocial-spiritual disorder,” according to the “major themes of the addictions counseling program” listed on its website. That said, it still treats addiction as a disease and aims to blend “basic educational theory to innovative, evidence-based practices.”

Students must apply to the program, which requires an application and a formal interview with an advisory committee. The major consists of 45 credit hours: 30 from addiction studies, 12 from psychology, and three from sociology. The addiction coursework emphasizes practical skills, such as Addictions Counseling Skills and Theory and Practice of Group Counseling.

There are also three counseling practicums to get hands-on experience, along with a weekend trip to Chicago to tour treatment facilities and get a better understanding of the struggles of people in different life situations (as part of Urban Encounter for the Helping Profession). 

Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA in all major coursework and a 2.5 cumulative GPA to graduate. They’ll also need to spend $20,008 per academic year, which falls a little over average for schools on our list.

Like so many other universities on our list, Minnesota State opened in the 1800s to train teachers, but some aspects of the school are pretty recent. Until 1998, it was known as Mankato State University, and it didn’t award its first doctorate until 2009.

These days, it has a student body of more than 14,000 from 97 countries, all of them presumably okay with Mankato’s frigid winters. But hey, at $13,704, Minnesota State lies well below the average cost of the best bachelor’s programs in addiction and substance abuse, so they can spend that extra cash on warm clothes.

The university’s Bachelor of Science in Alcohol and Drug Studies takes an interdisciplinary approach, featuring coursework in communications, sociology, psychology, and even public speaking. Students apply to the program after they’ve completed at least 32 credit hours and have a minimum GPA of 2.5. 

Beyond the early interdisciplinary coursework mentioned above, the bulk of the degree’s 120 credits come from required courses like Co-Occurring Disorders, Interpersonal Helping Skills, and Law and Chemical Dependency. Twelve additional credits come from an internship and nine from health science electives, with non-major coursework rounding out the rest. 

Fieldwork is a big part of the curriculum at Minnesota State, and the university notes that students will need to complete a screening process for their internships. They’ll also need to prove they’ve had no chemical dependency problems for two years. The website says that “certain legal charges may limit a student’s ability to practice in the field,” so anyone with a record will want to do some research ahead of time. 

Joliet, IL, isn’t known for much besides being a famous prison. (It’s hard to get much attention with Chicago lurking 35 miles north.) The old Joliet Correctional Center, which opened in 1858, remains the city’s most famous landmark, even though it’s been closed for nearly 20 years. It’s an impressive structure, and these days, it hosts tours and the occasional TV or film shoot. 

Made from the same limestone found in the area as the prison, the University of St. Francis is obviously a much nicer place. The Catholic university turns 100 in 2020; it first opened as a teaching facility for sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate. The sisters remain the university’s “sponsoring congregation,” but these days, the school has a much broader purview.

Its Bachelor of Arts in Substance Abuse Counseling is the only BA addiction program in Chicagoland. Realizing that classroom education needs to be paired with real-world experience, the university designed its curriculum to include two field practicums and a capstone project.

Once students complete the degree, they meet the requirements to take the exam to become a Certified Alcohol and Other Drug Counselor in Illinois. They’ll also have fulfilled the state’s requirements for the Co-Occurring Substance Use and Mental Health Disorder Professional Level 1 Registration. 

That’s all to say: the University of St. Francis’ program gives students enough training to hit the ground running upon graduation. At $18,204, it’s reasonably priced, especially for a private university. 

Barbourville, KY, has a population of just about 3,100, and the school that calls it home is also pretty tiny: 1,138 total students, the majority of them from Kentucky or greater Appalachia.

The school’s location in the southeast part of the state plays a big role in its culture: “Union strives to celebrate our Appalachian heritage and welcomes an environment where the people of this area and their traditions are made an integral part of the institutional mission,” says its website.

As part of Union’s Department of Psychology, the school offers a Bachelor of Science in Substance Abuse Counseling. The full degree requires 120 credit hours, with 39 of them coming from the major. The core coursework of eight classes (24 credit hours, total) gets into the nitty-gritty: Foundations of Chemical Dependence (I and II), Psychology of Addiction, Recovery & Relapse, and more. 

Beyond that are six hours of professional electives (like introductory courses in psychology and criminal justice), capped off by nine hours of supporting electives (Deviance and Criminology, Child Development, Social Psychology, and more).

Students must maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA to graduate. Seems doable, right? Just plan to spend $20,051 per academic year — although 100% of the student receives financial aid, per the university, so you might get some help.

Ohio Christian University opened its doors in 1948 as Circleville Bible College, named after its hometown. The “circle” in Circleville wasn’t figurative, either. When the city was founded in 1810, it used the Hopewell tradition for a circular town layout, with a courthouse in the center. That lasted about 20 years before the novelty wore off for Circleville residents, who then switched to a grid system.

Speaking of names, there’s a reason for the “Christian” designation in the university’s name. It was first a school to train clergy for the Churches of Christ in Christian Union (a denomination headquartered in Circleville), and that spiritual mission remains.

The first objective noted on its Bachelor of Arts in Substance Abuse Counseling website is to “Integrate Christian principles in critical thinking and decision-making to the study of substance abuse counseling.” 

The 49 hours of substance abuse coursework stick to pretty standard stuff: Theories and Techniques of Counseling, Abnormal Psychology, Psychopharmacology, etc. The general coursework for the degree is where students will find courses in religious studies, like 11 hours of Biblical Literature, Religion, and Theology. 

Ohio Christian’s substance abuse counseling program currently exceeds the educational requirements for the state of Ohio, per the university, and the 49 hours of major work offer a hefty load of theory and hands-on experience (like two required chemical dependency counseling practicums).

Speaking of hefty: At $25,232, Ohio Christian is on the pricier end for the best bachelor’s programs in substance abuse and addiction recovery.

The College at Brockport is part of the State University of New York system in upstate New York. The Erie Canal runs through its namesake hometown, which lies just 12 miles south of Lake Ontario and 90 minutes east of Niagara Falls. Like bodies of water? This is the school for you!

The university’s Bachelor of Science in Alcohol and Substance Abuse is part of the Department of Health Care Studies. The major requires 45 credits, and the full degree needs 120. The major coursework is driven by 11 courses, all of whose names end with “Alcohol and Other Drugs”: Introduction to Alcohol and Other Drugs, Dual Diagnosis of Alcohol and Other Drugs, Psychopharmacology of Alcohol and Other Drugs, etc.

It also includes an intern seminar and internship. Beyond that are three suggested electives, which examine grief and loss, criminal justice, and trauma. Addiction and substance abuse studies are not careers for the faint of heart.

The school’s $14,960 price tag is a relative bargain compared to some of the other best programs in addiction and substance abuse studies, and its requirements aren’t especially stringent. Any student can declare the major — no application is necessary — and they only need to earn a “C” or better in all their major courses (and maintain a minimum overall 2.5 GPA). 

Search for alumni of St. Cloud State University, and the results will include a lot of guys in hockey jerseys. St. Cloud lies in central Minnesota, after all, and the school’s logo is almost exactly the same as that of the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens.

Richard Dean Anderson, the original MacGyver, also graduated from St. Cloud State, so its alumni aren’t just a bunch of hockey hosers. Even if they were, the school is among the top five cheapest bachelor’s programs in addiction and substance abuse — $13,684 — so it’d be worth joining them.

The university puts it well on the website for its chemical dependency program: Students “learn to help people at the toughest crossroads of their lives.” The scope is a little broader, too, going beyond alcohol and drugs to include tobacco, gambling, and eating disorders. This is a good reminder that the program reaches farther than students may realize. 

St. Cloud State takes admission to the program seriously. Students must submit three letters of recommendation, be interviewed by staff, and have a 2.0 GPA or better. Once admitted, they’ll need 81 credits in major coursework that aims to provide a wide scope of knowledge, with classes like Multicultural Considerations in Addiction Counseling and Foundations of Addictions.

Also part of the curriculum are a pair of internships for course credit and a psychology lab. 

Phoenix’s Grand Canyon University has followed an interesting path since it opened in 1949.

It started as a Baptist college emphasizing religious studies and eventually grew to become a university in the 1980s, but it nearly went out of business in the early 2000s when new leadership took over and steered the school toward online education. These days, the school is going strong thanks to its hybrid of online and on-campus learning.

Its religious roots remain, too. On the website for its Bachelor of Science in Counseling, it says students “learn to apply the Christian worldview and key concepts of spirituality to understanding and treating addiction.” The degree requires 120 credits, 72 of which come from major coursework.

The classes are all pretty typical for what similar programs offer (psychopharmacology, co-occurring disorders, counseling theory, etc.), though there’s also Spirituality and Addiction, which “focuses on the relationship between spirituality and the development and treatment of addictions.” The course also looks into death, dying, and grief. Again, this degree is not for the faint of heart.

This addiction and substance abuse counseling degree is available online, as well as at the school’s campus in Phoenix, with an annual cost of $20,912.

Located in northern North Dakota, just 60 miles south of the Canadian border, Minot is best known for its namesake air force base. It houses B-52 bombers and, oh, a bunch of nuclear missiles. Hey, there’s a lot of space in North Dakota, and those things have to go somewhere, right? Right?

It’s best not to think about it and instead focus on MSU’s BS in Addiction Studies. Maybe it’s the heartiness of a place with long, cold winters, but the university is frank about the challenges of this career: “Challenges include large workloads, high demand for services, and limited resources. You may have to intervene in crisis situations.” But the school also notes that it’s “extremely rewarding” and “exciting.” 

MSU’s degree requires 120 credits, 66 of which come from the required core coursework. It mixes psychology (Child Psychology, Psychology of Adjustment, Abnormal Psychology), counseling (intro and advanced), and complementary topics (Social Welfare Policy, Social Problems). Students who want to earn a counselor license in North Dakota will also need to complete a six-month “supervised clinical experience.”

Like Indiana Wesleyan University, a couple of states over, Kansas Wesleyan is affiliated with the Wesleyan Church. The school fosters an environment “in which faith and learning are integrated,” its website notes, because an “encounter with the Christian proclamation is an integral part of the life of the University.”

How does that play out with its Bachelor of Arts in Psychological Services? It doesn’t directly, at least judging by the program overview. Addictions and Substance Abuse Counseling is one of six concentrations within the degree, which the university describes as “highly experiential” because it includes a 150-hour internship. 

All six specializations share a “common core” of psychology, human services, and counseling courses for 34 credit hours, then split off to their area of focus. In this case, it’s 15 hours of addiction counseling coursework: Foundations of Addiction, Addiction & the Family, Psychopharmacology, and the aforementioned internship.

The major coursework adds up to 49 credit hours. Students who wish to pursue a counselor’s license will need to complete an additional 400 hours of internship work.

Attending a private school generally costs more than a public one, and that’s true in Kansas Wesleyan’s case. Students will pay $25,631 per academic year, making it the third-most expensive bachelor’s program in addiction and substance abuse studies.