Advanced Graduate Certificate in Addiction Studies

The Department of Educational and Clinical Studies offers Advanced Graduate Certificates in Addiction Studies. The certificate program is designed for individuals already holding master’s degrees in counseling who are seeking to enhance their professional counseling practice and licensure options.

The Advanced Graduate Certificate in Addictions Studies meets the needs of health professionals such as marriage and family therapists, community counselors, rehabilitation counselors, school counselors, physicians, psychologists, social workers, and behavioral health therapists by providing graduate addiction training to help them address client needs.

Faculty members in the Department of Educational and Clinical Studies endeavor to promote excellence in counselor education and counseling research. Our graduate counseling programs prepare students to:

1. Serve as professional counselors, advocates, and leaders who maximize opportunities for individuals, groups, and communities with a particular emphasis on helping underserved and oppressed client populations;
2. Address developmental, academic, career, mental health, socio-cultural, and wellness needs of clients seeking counseling;
3. Help individuals, groups and communities strive to find meaning, involvement, worth, and dignity in their lives;
4. Engage in action research and program evaluations to further the knowledge base and best practice initiatives of the counseling profession; and
5. Advocate with local, state, and national organizations to promote client and societal wellbeing.

Certificate Requirements

The certificate program is two pronged:

1. The certificate program for students already enrolled in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program, consists of 12 additional credits or four courses, these are taken after the core degree requirements are met;
2. For students with a masters degree in another counseling specialty (i.e., School Counseling, a counseling degree from another university, or a degree in a related mental health discipline), the certificate program would consist of 24 credits, or eight courses.

Students complete a Final Project as part of their enrollment in CED 787 - Individual Research  . Once admitted, certificate students are considered members of the counselor education community.

To earn a certificate, students must have a grade point average of 3.00 or better in each course. Students who receive an F or more than two Cs will be separated from the program. A minimum of six semester hours of credit must be taken each semester, including summer.