Addiction Counseling and Prevention Certificate - Online Only

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27 Credit Hours Required

The online Addiction Counseling and Prevention Certificate is an innovative program that prepares addiction professionals to meet the increasingly complex needs of alcohol/drug patients, as well as the increasing educational and professional expectations of employers. The program focuses on science-based addiction education enabling professionals to provide the highest quality addiction counseling to individuals dealing with substance use and addiction.

All courses have been approved by the South Dakota Board of Addiction & Prevention Professionals. Students completing this program will meet the 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.

Admission Requirements

Admission to the program requires:

a Statement of Purpose
a successful criminal background check reviewed and approved by the Health Science background check committee
official high school transcript or GED
ACT or SAT scores*

*If applicant is over the age of 24, ACT or SAT scores are only required if test was taken within the last five years.

To apply for admission to the Addiction Counseling and Prevention Certificate program:

visit http://www.usd.edu/usd-online/applying and click on “Undergraduate Certificate Application”
Download and complete the application and statement of purpose form
Upload the completed application and select your method of payment
Official high school transcripts or verification of GED and ACT or SAT scores (if applicable) must be sent to the University of South Dakota

Certificate Requirements

Courses or Programs Leading to Professional Licensure or Certification

The educational curriculum for your academic program may or may not meet educational prerequisites for professional licensure or certification in states other than South Dakota. If you are planning to apply for licensure/certification in a state other than South Dakota after completion of your program, please review that state and your program on USD’s Licensure-Track Programs webpage. Licensure-Track Programs

If your learning placement course (internship, externship, clinical, rotation, practicum, independent study, study away, etc.) or your online course will be taken outside South Dakota, please reference the USD’s State Authorization webpage.

State Authorization