Mar 29, 2024  
2018-2019 Graduate Catalog 
    
2018-2019 Graduate Catalog [Archived Catalog]

Addiction Counseling and Prevention Department


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Department Chairperson and Graduate Program Director: Frank Zavadil, M.A., LAC
Program Advisor: Amy Orr, M.A., LAC, NCC

Department of Addiction Counseling and Prevention (ACP)
Julian Hall, Room 304
Phone: 605-658-5950
Fax: 605-677-6591

ads@usd.edu
www.usd.edu/ads  

FACULTY

 Assistant Professors:

John Korkow, Ph.D., LAC, SAP, University of South Dakota.
Diane Sevening, Ed.D., LAC, University of South Dakota.
Frank Zavadil, M.A., LAC, University of South Dakota.

Lecturer:

Mary Merrigan, Ed.D., LPC, LAC, University of South Dakota.

Online Faculty:

Iris Craver, Ed.D., LAC, University of Kansas-Lawrence.
Melissa Dittberner, Ph.D., CPS, University of South Dakota.
Erin Nielsen, J.D., LAC, CSW, University of South Dakota.
Mary Rogers, Ph.D., LAC, University of North Dakota.

DEGREE

Master of Arts  

SPECIALIZATION

Co-Occurring (emphasis can be met by taking ADS 745 and ADS 757)

CERTIFICATE

Addiction Studies   

Master of Arts in Addiction Studies Program Description

The ACP department is accredited through the National Addiction Studies Accreditation Commission (NASAC).

All courses required for South Dakota state licensing are provided at the University of South Dakota by the Addiction Counseling and Prevention Department.

The online Master of Arts (M.A.) in Addiction Studies prepares substance abuse professionals for advanced levels of competency to address current and future addiction/prevention challenges in society. Practicing professionals need graduate-level knowledge to address the complexities of today’s client. Graduates of the degree will be eligible to the highest level of addiction/prevention credentialing through the South Dakota Board of Addiction and Prevention Professionals (BAPP). Participants should contact their state addiction and prevention certification/licensure board to assure courses meet their qualifications. Requirements may differ from state to state. For details regarding South Dakota’s licensing standards, please refer to the Standards Manual of the South Dakota Board of Addiction and Prevention Professionals.

The M.A. can be completed in as little as 33 credit hours, or as many as 45, depending on addiction credentials and academic background.

MASTER OF ARTS ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

  1. Completed Graduate Application form found at: https://apps.usd.edu/academic/gradapp/login.cfm and a non-refundable application fee of $35.
  2. Official transcript(s) verifying receipt of an undergraduate degree and previous graduate credit (in English or with translation) must accompany an application for all students. The USD Graduate School and/or academic units retain the right to require credential evaluations from organizations, such as Educational Credential Evaluators/World Education Services (ECE/WES), for a student if such an evaluation is deemed necessary.
  3. Baccalaureate degree must be from an institution with full regional accreditation for that degree. A minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 on conferred degree and/or graduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better, based on a 4.0 scale, on all graduate coursework is required for full admission. Each graduate program may admit students on provisional status per university policy.
  4. Applicants with degrees from countries other than the United States who have obtained an undergraduate or graduate degree from a regionally accredited American college or university are not required to submit an approved English proficiency exam score. For all other applicants, a minimum score of 79 on the Internet-Based TOEFL (iBT) or 550 on the Paper-Based TOEFL (PBT), a minimum IELTS score of 6.0, or a minimum PTE score of 53 is required for graduate admission. Applicants from or who have obtained an undergraduate or graduate degree from English-speaking countries are not required to submit an approved English proficiency exam score if their academic records after review indicate that English was the classroom language for their schoolwork.

Additional Program Admission Requirements:

  1. Three (3) professional letters of recommendation are required.
  2. One year professional experience and/or supervised clinical/volunteer experience preferred. Each applicant will be reviewed on a case by case basis.
  3. Applicants must complete the Supplemental Application found at: https://www.usd.edu/health-sciences/addiction-counseling-and-prevention/graduate.
  4. Resume.
  5. Applicants must provide a copy of a photo ID.
  6. Applicants must complete a successful criminal background check from Verified Credentials, Inc. prior to matriculation. Verified Credentials, Inc. will require you
    to provide identifying information as well as a payment source. Results will be certified and returned to you as well as the ACP department.

Upon acceptance students are required to show proof of personal health insurance.

Subject to faculty approval, those who do not meet all of the criteria above may be admitted on a provisional basis.

Addiction Studies Graduate Certificate Program Description

The online certificate in Addiction Studies is an innovative 15 credit hour program that prepares addiction professionals to meet the increasingly complex needs of addiction patients, as well as the increasing educational and professional expectations of employers. Additionally, ADS courses are offered for graduate credit and may be used as supporting course credit or as electives.

The program focuses on evidence-based addiction education enabling professionals to provide the highest quality addiction counseling to individuals dealing with substance use disorders. The completion of this certificate program prepares addiction professionals to meet fifteen (15) of the twenty-seven (27) credit hours required for South Dakota State Certified Addiction Counselor status. Participants should contact their state addiction and prevention certification/licensure board to assure courses meet their qualifications. Requirements may differ from state to state. 

GRADUATE CERTIFICATE ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

  1. Completed Graduate Application form found at: https://apps.usd.edu/academic/gradapp/login.cfm and a non-refundable application fee of $35.
  2. Official transcript(s) verifying receipt of an undergraduate degree and previous graduate credit (in English or with translation) must accompany an application for all students. The USD Graduate School and/or academic units retain the right to require credential evaluations from organizations, such as Educational Credential Evaluators/World Education Services (ECE/WES), for a student if such an evaluation is deemed necessary.
  3. Baccalaureate degree must be from an institution with full regional accreditation for that degree. A minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 2.7 on conferred degree and/or graduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better, based on a 4.0 scale, on all graduate coursework is required for full admission. Each graduate program may admit students on provisional status per university policy.
  4. Applicants with degrees from countries other than the United States who have obtained an undergraduate or graduate degree from a regionally accredited American college or university are not required to submit an approved English proficiency exam score. For all other applicants, a minimum score of 79 on the Internet-Based TOEFL (iBT) or 550 on the Paper-Based TOEFL (PBT), a minimum IELTS score of 6.0, or a minimum PTE score of 53 is required for graduate admission. Applicants from or who have obtained an undergraduate or graduate degree from English-speaking countries are not required to submit an approved English proficiency exam score if their academic records after review indicate that English was the classroom language for their schoolwork.

Additional Program Admission Requirements:

  1. Three (3) professional letters of recommendation are required.
  2. Applicants must complete the Supplemental Application found at: https://www.usd.edu/health-sciences/addiction-counseling-and-prevention/graduate.
  3. Applicants must complete a successful criminal background check from Verified Credentials, Inc prior to matriculation. Verified Credentials, Inc will require you to provide identifying information as well as a payment source. Results will be certified and returned to you as well as the ACP department.


Upon acceptance students are required to show proof of personal health insurance.

Subject to faculty approval, those who do not meet all of the criteria above may be admitted on a provisional basis.

Programs

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