Addiction Counseling (M.S.) - Online

The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) requires that programs make certain information publicly available each year.  

This report was generated using data and information from Fall 2025, Spring 2026, and Summer 2026. MSAC is an abbreviation for “Master of Science in Addiction Counseling”; NR = Not Reported. 

Program completion rate is computed based on the retention and graduation of students during the specified academic year: (Currently Enrolled + Graduates) / Total Students. Total Students accounts for: Dismissed + Withdrew + Graduated + Currently Enrolled. 

Employment rate indicates the proportion of students who secured employment within six months of graduation. The credentialing exam pass rate indicates the proportion of graduates who took and passed a counseling licensure or certification exam during the preceding academic year.

Past Year Student Data and Vital Statistics:

• Minimum number of semester credit hours required for the degree: 60
• Total students: 66 
• Currently enrolled in MSAC: 50
• Graduates in 2025-2026: 13
• Annual Program Completion/Retention Rate: 95.5% 
• Employment Rate: 100%
• Credentialing Exam Pass Rate: 100%  

Sources of Data 

• Student performance on final practicum and internship ratings from faculty and site supervisors. 
• Student performance on departmental comprehensive exam and specialty capstone from faculty and program director. 
• Admissions, enrollment, and graduation data from 2025-2026 academic year.
• Follow-up surveys of graduates regarding employment and credentialing.
• Professional Disposition Evaluations (PDE) conducted annually, as well as within clinical courses. 

Program Objectives & Major Program Activities

The program faculty engaged in a number of counseling relevant activities during the 2025-2026 Academic year. The following are highlights of program, student, and faculty accomplishments:

• The MSAC program had seven currently enrolled students designated as Addiction Counseling Fellows through the National Board for Certified Counselors – Minority Fellowship Program. 
• The program is preparing for its CACREP re-accreditation review, scheduled for Fall 2029.
• MSAC faculty published 17 scholarly works and delivered 27 professional presentations at regional, state, and national venues.
• Dr. Derek Lee and Dr. Michelle Shuler contributed to a human trafficking-focused project through the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT) program. 
• Dr. Michelle Shuler was selected as a 2026 University Psychedelic Education Program Faculty Fellow.
• Dr. Sneed continued to serve as the Co-Editor-in-Chief for the Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly.
• The program continued collaboration with the Department of Psychiatry and TCHATT to support counseling workforce development and Adolescent Substance Use programming. 

Program Evaluation and Modifications

The MSAC faculty utilize program evaluation findings to support continuous program improvement and alignment with CACREP standards. The evaluation process incorporates institutional and program data, including feedback from alumni, clinical supervisors, and employers, as well as data documenting student learning outcomes and professional dispositions. The following items describe recent changes, planned improvements, and program responses based on the MSAC program evaluation: 

• During the current year, the MSAC program created new specialty-focused KPIs based on the 2024 CACREP standards.
• The program expanded opportunities for Addiction Counseling students to engage in clinical activities within the department’s clinics.
• In preparation for the CACREP re-accreditation review scheduled for Fall 2029, the program is reviewing curriculum, assessment processes, and program-specific outcomes to ensure continued alignment with the 2024 CACREP Standards and to identify areas requiring refinement prior to the self-study and review process
• All established student learning outcome benchmarks were met during the 2025-2026 academic year. No immediate corrective curricular actions were indicated by the findings; however, faculty will continue to monitor performance across all measures, particularly the Addiction Counseling Specialty Exam, which remained above the established benchmark but represented the program's closest outcome to its target. 

MSAC Program Evaluation Findings 

SLO 1: Knowledge of Addiction Counseling: 

MSAC students will develop the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to practice as qualified addiction counselors in a wide variety of contexts. 

• Measure 1: Departmental Comprehensive Exam
  • Target: 80% of MSAC students will pass the counseling core domains with a score of 70% or higher on the comprehensive exam on their first attempt. Students are also required to complete this exam as a graduation requirement. 
  • Findings: 100% of students that took the exam (n = 17) passed and the average score was 80.20%.
• Measure 2: Addiction Specialization Exam
  • Target: 80% of MSAC students will pass the addiction counseling specialty exam with a score of 80% or higher.
  • Findings: 88.2% of MSAC students (n = 17) passed the specialty exam with an average score of 82.65%. 

SLO 2: Ethical and Pluralistic Practice:  

MSAC students will develop the ability to implement culturally responsive and ethically sound counseling practices throughout their careers.

•  Measure 1: Multicultural Competency
  • Target: 90% of MSAC students will pass, with a score of 3 or higher (out of 5) in the area of Multicultural Competency.
  • Findings: 97.6% of current MSAC students were evaluated in the past academic year and scored a 3 or greater for Multicultural Competency. 
• Measure 2: Professional Ethics
  • Target: 90% of MSAC students will pass, with a score of 3 or higher (out of 5) in the area of Professional Ethics.
  • Findings: 97.6% of eligible students who completed clinicals during the 2025-2026 academic year earned a score of 3 or greater. 

SLO 3: Evidence-Based Practice

MSAC students will demonstrate evidence-based addiction counseling practices in clinical training settings. 

• Measure 1: Supervisory Clinical Evaluation
  • Target: 75% of eligible MSAC students will pass, with a score of 3 or higher (on a scale from 1 to 5), in the area of Evidence-Based Practice Skills. 
  • Findings: 100% of eligible students who completed clinicals (n = 21) during the 20252026 academic year had a mean score of 3 or higher. The average score was 4.32 with a range of 3.0 to 5.0.
• Measure 2: Interprofessional Experience within Counseling Practicum
  • Target: 75% of MSAC students will pass, with a score of 80% or higher.
  • Findings: 100% of MSAC students (n = 17) surpassed this benchmark, with an average score of 97%. 

Summary

Overall, the MSAC program was successful during the 2025-2026 academic cycle and continued to demonstrate growth, strong student achievement, and leadership in addiction counseling education. MSAC remains the largest graduate Addiction Counseling program in Texas, with strong student recognition through the NBCC Minority Fellowship Program and continued faculty productivity in scholarship, funded initiatives, and interprofessional collaboration.

The program also continued to contribute to the TTUHSC mission through partnerships addressing rural behavioral health workforce needs, substance use services, human trafficking, and interprofessional education. Faculty remained active in externally funded projects, scholarly dissemination, professional leadership, and emerging areas of behavioral health education. 

During the year, faculty also continued planning curriculum revisions scheduled for implementation in Fall 2027. These changes are designed to maintain alignment with the 2024 CACREP Standards while strengthening clinical preparation, flexibility, and accessibility for students. Overall, the program continued to demonstrate progress in student success, faculty scholarship, interdisciplinary collaboration, and preparation of the addiction counseling workforce.

Mission

The mission of the Master of Science in Addiction Counseling (MSAC) program at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is to educate students in evidence-based addiction counseling practices in order to produce competent and compassionate counseling and behavioral healthcare professionals. Our focus centers on understanding the unique needs of persons with substance use and behavioral health disorders across their lifespans in the community, workplace, personal relationships and activities.

Goal

The goal of the program is to prepare counselors with the counseling knowledge, attitudes, and skills to assist clients with substance use disorders, behavioral health issues, and/or addictions to use their own resources and opportunities to meet their developmental, educational and interpersonal needs.  To accomplish this goal, the program provides educational and practical experiences that allow students to meet the following knowledge and outcome expectations:

Objective

The objectives of our program are linked to our mission statement. 

They are to provide:

• Knowledge of Addiction Counseling: Educational experiences that facilitate the development of the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to practice as qualified addiction counselors across a wide variety of contexts.
• Ethical and Pluralistic Practice: Learning opportunities to support the ability to implement individually responsive and ethically sound counseling practices throughout their careers, and to advocate for individuals with addiction concerns and the profession.
• Evidence-based Care: Clinical training experiences focused on translating acquired knowledge, attitudes, and skills to evidence-based practice in a wide range of real-world opportunities.

Addiction counselors work in a variety of health care environments including mental health centers, community health centers, prisons, and private practice.

Increased access to health insurance has created a shortage of qualified addiction counselors and contributed to the growth of addiction counseling as a career. Opportunities for employment and professional development in the field are numerous and the demand for highly qualified addiction counselors is especially high.

• The State of Texas has an acute shortage of addiction counselors, a challenge that is projected to worsen over the next 10 years.
• Communities across the country are experiencing a growing need for addiction counseling professionals as more individuals seek support for behavioral health concerns and substance use disorders, including opioid use disorder. This growing demand creates strong career opportunities for counselors trained in recovery-focused approaches that emphasize counseling, treatment, and long-term support.
• The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the need for addiction counselors to continue growing much faster than other occupations.

Program Director: Zach Sneed, PhD, CRC, LCDC, BC-TMH, FNAP