2023 Best Online Substance Abuse Counseling Degrees in Kentucky

Louisville’s University of the Cumberlands (UC) is a mid-sized public institution offering an online graduate degree in addiction studies.

• The curriculum for UC's Master of Arts in Addiction Studies helps students develop foundational knowledge in domains, including professional and ethical responsibilities, counseling, treatment planning, and screening. It helps meet the requirements to become a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor in Kentucky. Courses include Psychopharmacology & Addictions, Family Therapy in Addiction Treatment, and Clinical Management of Addictions. Students may also have to complete a practicum and internship to be eligible for licensure.

UC uses Blackboard to facilitate its online learning asynchronously. In addition to providing Blackboard access, UC also provides its remote learners access to student resources, such as career services, counseling services, technology support, the library and bookstore, academic advising, writing services, and tutoring.

Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) is a medium-sized, public university offering one online graduate certificate in addictions counseling online.

• An online 18-credit-hour Graduate Certificate in Addictions Intervention that helps students advance their careers in addiction services. The degree program’s courses include Psychology of Addiction, Alcohol and Drug Treatment, and Crisis Intervention. Graduates may go on to careers like rehabilitation counselors, case managers, and recovery coaches.

At EKU, online students complete coursework delivered asynchronously and synchronously on the learning management system Blackboard. EKU offers online student services — such as free textbooks, tutoring, career services, tech support, counseling, and online libraries.

Mid-sized University of Louisville (UL) is a public institution with an online graduate degree in alcohol and drug counseling.

• The Master of Science in Social Work - Alcohol & Drug Counseling is an online degree that fulfills some of the requirements needed to become a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor in Kentucky. Students must complete 60 credits to graduate, including nine in the counseling concentration. They must also complete 900 hours of supervised practice in a social service organization. The alcohol and drug counseling concentration courses include Motivation and Change: The Process of Change and Strategies to Elicit Intrinsic Motivation, Special Issues in Alcohol and Drug Counseling, and Substance Use and Substance Use Disorders.

Blackboard is UL’s designated learning management system. It provides distance learners asynchronous access to online courses and instruction. UL gives its online student body access to various student resources, including tutoring services, virtual library services, writing center access, exam proctoring, and digital media suite access.

Western Kentucky University (WKU) is a mid-sized, public university with an online graduate certificate in addiction counseling.

• The online Graduate Certificate in Addictions Education equals 15 credit hours. It's designed to prepare students to deliver counseling or educational services to people dealing with addiction issues. Sample courses include Theories of Addiction, Addictions: Assessment, Diagnosis and Treatment Planning, and Counseling Substance and Process Addictions. Future careers for graduates may include health educators, substance abuse counselors, and community health workers.

Blackboard is WKU’s learning management system for asynchronous and synchronous online learning. Online students at WKU can access academic advising, accessibility resources, tutoring, a writing lab, success coaching, an online library, and tech support.

Faith-based Campbellsville University (CU) is a mid-sized, private, nonprofit institution that weaves Baptist traditions and values throughout its academic programming. It offers an online graduate degree in the field of addictions studies.

• The Master of Social Work - Substance Use Disorder is a 69-credit program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. It culminates in 900 hours of field practice. It’s designed for students who’ve earned a Bachelor of Social Work from an accredited program. Full-time students can generally finish in two to three years. Courses include Clinical Diagnosis and Psychopharmacology, Addiction, and Change Theory. This online master’s degree program also offers a 12-credit clinical/substance use disorder focus. Potential careers include clinical social workers, substance use counselors, mental health social workers, and faith-based social workers.

CU delivers online coursework and instruction asynchronously via Moodle, an online learning platform. As part of its online programming, CU provides remote access to student resources, including program and career resources, mental health services, career and financial services, life management coaching, academic advising, military services, and tech support.

Union College (UC) in Barbourville is a small, private, nonprofit, and United Methodist institution offering online degrees in substance use counseling incorporating Christian values. Students may also need to complete faith-based coursework as part of UC’s general education requirements.

• The Bachelor of Science in Substance Abuse Counseling is a 120-credit program, which includes 39 credits of core classes in substance use counseling. Some of these courses include Foundations of Chemical Dependency I & II, Ethical Issues in Chemical Dependency, and Cross-Cultural Psychology. While students must complete a three-credit internship, it’s unclear if this program is accredited or helps meet state certification or licensure requirements. This degree can help students prepare for work in in-patient and out-patient treatment facilities, schools, correctional facilities, and the criminal justice system.
• It’s unclear if the Master of Science in Substance Abuse Counseling is accredited or meets state credentialing or licensure requirements. However, this 60-credit degree does require a practicum in counseling and psychotherapy and a practicum internship to graduate. It takes about two to three years for full-time students to complete. Courses in the curriculum include Foundations of Chemical Dependency Treatment, Psychology of Addiction, and Recovery and Relapse. Graduates may be prepared for career advancement in the substance use counseling field or enrollment in doctoral degree programs.
• The Certificate in Chemical Dependency Counseling is an online graduate certificate that requires a bachelor’s or master’s degree to enroll. However, it’s unclear if the certificate is accredited and helps prepare students for credentialing and licensure. It takes full-time students about a year to complete the required 30 credits through courses such as Ethical Issues in Chemical Dependency, Multicultural & Diversity Issues, and Biological Systems of Chemical Dependence.

UC uses its propriety uLearn software to deliver online curriculum synchronously and asynchronously. However, it’s unclear if counseling students must remotely attend live classes or if they can participate on their own schedule. UC provides distance learners with remote access to student resources, such as behavioral health counseling, tutoring, career planning, the library, and tech support.