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Master's in Addiction Counseling Hybrid Program

Learn the latest best practices and evidence-based models of care, as instructed in our CACREP-accredited Master's in Counseling, Specialty: Addiction Counseling Hybrid Program.
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Hybrid Program Overview of Master's in Counseling, Specialty: Addiction Counseling

You are drawn to a career in addiction counseling because you want to help individuals and families reclaim their lives from addiction to alcohol or other drugs. The Hybrid degree program has a strong addiction foundation, and is offered evenings and weekends in St. Paul and Center City, Minnesota with additional online courses. Completing our Master's in Addiction Counseling program will prepare you to most-effectively help people with addiction and co-occurring mental health disorders.

Beginning with your first semester, our Master's in Addiction Counseling will blend academic coursework and clinical experience within and outside the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation's addiction treatment system of care. Throughout your graduate studies, you will observe and be a part of the recovery process for many patients whose lives are transformed through the world renowned Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation.

Our graduates are well prepared to become excellent counselors and leaders in the field, whether you plan to pursue a career in addiction counseling, behavioral and mental health counseling, or prevention and education programs.

Through our graduate degree counseling programs, we are committed to educating aspiring addiction counselors in the most-effective treatment modalities and practices in order to help as many people possible find freedom from substance use disorders. We offer competitive tuition costs in order to keep our counseling programs accessible. Learn more about our tuition and fees as well as financial aid and scholarship opportunities.

Start your application today or contact us to speak with an admissions specialist.

Master's in Counseling, Specialty: Addiction Counseling Hybrid Program at a Glance

  • Evening and weekend courses in St. Paul or Center City, MN and online
  • 60-credit accredited graduate degree program
  • Clinical observation beginning your first semester
  • Full-time 20-month counseling program with part-time options available
  • International students are welcome and encouraged to apply for our Hybrid Program. Read the additional requirements for admission.
  • Counseling program simultaneously blends academic studies with evidence-based clinical practice
  • Three convenient start dates each year in January, May and September
  • Faculty members and expert clinicians provide individualized academic advising and clinical supervision
  • Curriculum designed to meet academic requirements for the Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), and Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) credentials in Minnesota
  • Financial aid and grants are available to those who qualify
  • Some students who do not hold bachelor degrees may be eligible to enter the program through an Alternative Admissions Pathway. We recommend that you review our admission requirements before submitting your application.  

Our Master of Arts in Counseling programs are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).  Graduating from a CACREP-accredited program does not guarantee licensure. However, CACREP standards typically meet minimum educational and experiential requirements for state licensure, and some states require graduation from a CACREP-accredited program in order to be eligible for licensure. Learn more about CACREP Accreditation.

Our Master's in Addiction Counseling program has met all the certification requirements and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). We are also accredited by the National Addiction Studies Accreditation Commission (NASAC), which offers a single standard for higher education addiction studies counseling programs and focuses on competent, knowledgeable and evidence-based practices.

Download our full-time and elective course options (pdf).

Strong Sense of Campus Community and Support

You will enjoy being part of an academic cohort while you complete your Master's in Addiction Counseling on campus. Each semester, a new cohort begins their academic journey, and they work together, semester by semester, through the same academic curriculum. You will experience a shared learning environment where you will encourage and support one another's contributions to the group. Cohorts spend a considerable amount of time together and develop lasting friendships. You will likely cultivate professional and personal networks that continue long after you complete your graduate degree at the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School.

Modern Training for Today's Addiction Counselor

To make a strong impact in the addiction field today, counselors need more than a substance abuse treatment certification or an undergraduate degree in counseling. While patients still initially seek counseling for behavioral issues relating to substance abuse, it is becoming more common that once a patient discontinues drug and alcohol use and begins addiction treatment, counselors find that co-occurring disorders such as mental health issues, are present as well.

Based on a scholar-practitioner model, our Hybrid Master's in Counseling, Specialty: Addiction Counseling graduate degree includes both classroom and clinical study in patients' clinical presentation, differential diagnosis, treatment planning, and empirically-supported interventions for addiction and commonly co-occurring conditions.

Program graduates will be prepared to seek certification and licensure in Minnesota as Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors (LPCC) and Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors (LADC). The program's learning outcomes are based on state and national criteria for licensure and certification as an alcohol and drug counselor and/or mental health professional. Licensing and certification requirements may vary from state to state. It is the student's responsibility to check the licensing and certification requirements in your respective state.

Student Outcomes for the Master's in Counseling, Specialty: Addiction Counseling Hybrid Program

  • 2022 graduates: 28
  • 2017-2022 pass rates on credentialing examinations (6 month post-graduation): n=66/67 = 98.5%*
  • completion rates**
  • 2017-2022 job placement rates: n=69/72 = 95.8%***

*Among the student respondents who have taken the exam, what % passed the first time?

**Graduate Rates: This gives the percentage of first-time, full-time students enrolled (11th day) in a given fall semester who graduate within a three year time period.

***Employed at six month post-graduation. What is the % of student respondents seeking employment were gainfully employed at the time of survey?