Graduate Certificate Addiction Studies | Office | Website

The Graduate Certificate in Addiction Studies is intended for students who already have a graduate professional degree, or are pursuing one at the University of Detroit Mercy.

The certificate provides students with course work and experience that, along with their professional degree, enables them to work effectively in the prevention of, intervention into, or treatment of chemical dependence.

The certificate will be awarded to those who have completed a professional degree in a field related to prevention and treatment of drug abuse problems. Some of these fields are social work, psychology, medicine, nursing, education, counseling, law, the judiciary, law enforcement, probation, pastoral ministry, human resources, employee assistance, business and health care administration. Because of the education and professional training a student brings to the program, it is possible to provide a curriculum of course work and field experience in addiction studies totaling 18 or more credit hours. This experience will prepare the student to work effectively on behalf of those threatened by or suffering from addiction. The course of study can be completed in one calendar year.

State Certification
The State of Michigan sponsors the Certified Addictions Counselor (CAC) credential. The CAC is compulsory for most professionals who counsel chemically dependent clients in Michigan and many other states. UDM's Addiction Studies Certificate program provides all the educational and practicum hours required for the CAC should the student choose to pursue this credential. The additional requirements (state examinations and clinical hours) are the responsibility of the graduate.

• 1. Admission to graduate studies at University of Detroit Mercy.
• 2. Admission to certificate program: Applicants submit to the Graduate Programs, College of Liberal Arts and Education, the following documents: a. A program application accompanied by a statement of personal career goals. b. Three letters of recommendation attesting to the applicant’s qualifications.
• 3. A personal interview with the department chair or a designated faculty member.
• 4.Applicants who are recovering from chemical dependence must demonstrate total abstinence for two years from all mood rewarding drugs via association with a recognized recovery program.

To accommodate students who are employed during the day, all courses are taught after 5:00 p.m. weekdays and on Saturday. Personal academic advising is provided to each student. Classes are small and are taught by instructors well acquainted with both the theory and application of the subject matter. The course of study can be completed in one calendar year.

The curriculum has three components:

3. An applied component, totaling three hours, to be fulfilled as a field placement of 300 hours in the student's profession (ADS 588 ) or a culminating seminar in which the student is directed in field research in his/her chosen area of concentration(ADS 571 ).

Total Semester Hours Required: 18