MA in Human Services Counseling – Addictions and Recovery Help Other Work Through Addiction

30
Credit Hours
Online,* 8-week courses
Transfer in up to 50% of the degree total
Help Others Break Out of the Addiction Cycle with an Online Counseling Degree for Human Services – Addictions and Recovery
Liberty University’s 100% online Master of Arts (MA) in Human Services Counseling – Addictions and Recovery degree program is designed for human services professionals who need additional graduate-level training for career advancement.
Our online counseling degree for human services can also help create new opportunities for students who are just entering the human services and mental health support field. This non-licensure human services substance abuse degree does not require any on-campus visits and has no thesis requirement, so you can fit the flexible online courses into your current schedule.
As a Christian university, Liberty is committed to training human services professionals who can apply the best available scientific research and clinical tools to their practice with a biblical worldview. As such, the online master’s in human services counseling can equip you to better serve your clients who struggle with the challenges of life by addressing their social, psychological, and spiritual needs.
The recovery and addiction studies specialization for the online Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling can teach you diagnosis and treatment methods for clients who want to break out of the cycle of addiction. This training seeks to give you a thorough understanding of the biological and mental aspects of addiction and the recovery process so you can help guide clients through their journey to better mental health and overall well-being.
Your officially conferred degree name will be Master of Arts (MA) in Human Services Counseling – Addictions and Recovery.
*Some exclusions apply. Please refer to our exclusions page for more information.








Backed by a brick-and-mortar campus ranked among Niche.com's Top 5 College Campuses in America
What Sets Us Apart?
- Private Nonprofit University
- 600+ Online Degrees
- No Standardized Testing for Admission
- Transfer in up to 75% of an Undergrad Degree
- Transfer in up to 50% of a Grad/Doctoral Degree
Why Choose Our MA Degree in Human Services Counseling – Addictions and Recovery?
Do you have a passion for studying the human mind and finding the best way to help people improve their lives by changing their behavior? With the online Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling, you can embark on the fascinating study of human behavior and psychology while applying this knowledge to help solve specific, real-world problems in the counseling, private practice, and mental health field.
Liberty’s Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling online program provides a balance of field-tested practice and cutting-edge research in behavioral sciences, so you can be confident that your approach to treatment will be backed by scientific study. By earning your degree from a Christian university, you will complete coursework that integrates a biblical worldview into all aspects of your degree.
If you are a human services professional and want to branch out into the addiction and recovery care field, you may need training in substance abuse counseling or sexual addiction counseling. If you want to launch your career in the human services field and assist in substance abuse counseling or sexual addiction therapy, the addictions and recovery track can give you a graduate-level credential and specialized training to help you find new employment opportunities. The addictions and recovery area of study for the Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling can help you apply your expertise in human thought and behavior to assist clients in overcoming substance use disorders.
If you’re interested in pursuing a non-licensure counseling career in human services or simply want to learn more about human services counseling, the MA in Human Services Counseling – Addictions and Recovery may be for you. While this degree program can help prepare you for human services counseling jobs in social service settings, it is not designed to meet Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC) licensing requirements.
If you are interested in becoming licensed to provide addiction treatment or substance abuse counseling, you may want to consider our online licensure-track addiction counseling degree: the Master of Arts in Addiction Counseling (MAAC).
What Will You Study in the Masters in Human Services Counseling Degree Online?
The core content of the online Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling degree provides a balanced overview of important theories in psychology and specific, real-world counseling practices.
Throughout our online master’s in human services counseling, you will study the development of the human mind from childhood to adulthood and learn how multicultural issues impact individual and group situations. As a Christian university, Liberty brings the study of human thought and behavior into the light of a Christian worldview and demonstrates how biblical principles inform these science- and evidence-based practices.
The addictions and recovery area of study builds on the core content of the Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling to teach you how to address drug addiction, chemical dependency, and sexual addiction. You can learn how to identify and diagnose addiction, how biological and chemical aspects influence addiction, and how these factors impact treatment.
With the addictions and recovery specialization, you can become prepared to use evidence-based counseling practice and behavioral science to help clients in a non-licensure addiction recovery care setting.
Please note that the online Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling is not designed to fulfill clinical counseling requirements. You can view Liberty University’s licensure-track Master of Arts in Addiction Counseling for more information about counseling licensure.
Potential Career Opportunities
- Case manager
- Managed care specialist
- Mental health services manager
- Non-licensed counselor
- Rehabilitation counselor*
- Substance abuse counselor*
*This career may require licensure, which the MA in Human Services Counseling does not provide.
Featured Courses
Degree Information
- This program falls under the School of Behavioral Sciences.
- View the Graduate Behavioral Sciences Course Guides (login required).
Degree Completion Plan

Not sure what to choose?
Speak to one of our admissions specialists to help you choose the program that best fits your needs.
Tuition & Aid
Your success is our success, which is why we are committed to providing quality academics at an affordable tuition rate. While other colleges are increasing their tuition, online undergraduate tuition rates have been frozen for the last 10 years!
Graduate Full Time | $565/Credit |
---|---|
Graduate Part Time | $615/Credit |
Military Graduate | $275/Credit |
Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.
All Tuition & Fees
Financial Aid & Scholarships
Admission Information for the MA in Human Services Counseling
Admission Requirements
- Apply online or over the phone with an admissions counselor by calling (800) 424-9596.
- A non-refundable, non-transferable $50 application fee will be posted on the current application upon enrollment (waived for qualifying service members, veterans, and military spouses – documentation verifying military status is required).
- Send official college transcripts (mailed as sealed, unopened copies or sent via a direct electronic transcript system). A regionally or nationally accredited bachelor’s degree with at least a 2.0 GPA is required for admission in good standing. Applicants who have earned a master’s degree or at least 12 graduate credits from an accredited institution will be assessed on the basis of the master’s-level degree work.
- Unofficial transcripts can be used for acceptance purposes with the submission of a Transcript Request Form.
- Applicants whose native language is other than English must submit official scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or an approved alternative assessment. For information on alternative assessments or TOEFL waivers, please call Admissions or view the official International Admissions policy.
Preliminary Acceptance
If you are sending in a preliminary transcript for acceptance, you must:
- Be in your final term and planning to start your master’s degree after the last day of class for your bachelor’s degree.
- Complete a Bachelor’s Self-Certification Form confirming your completion date. You may download the form from the Forms and Downloads page or contact an admissions counselor to submit the form on your behalf.
- Submit an official/unofficial transcript to confirm that you are in your final term. The preliminary transcript must show a minimum of 105 completed credit hours.
- If you are a current Liberty University student completing your undergraduate degree, you will need to submit a Degree/Certificate Completion Application.
- Send in an additional, final official transcript with a conferral date on it by the end of your first semester of enrollment in the new master’s degree.
Dual Enrollment
Please see the Online Dual Enrollment page for information about starting graduate courses while finishing your bachelor’s degree.
Transcript Policies
Unofficial College Transcript Policy
Unofficial transcripts combined with a Transcript Request Form can be used for admission. Official transcripts are required within 60 days of the admissions decision or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first, and will prevent enrollment into future terms until all official transcripts have been received.
Before sending unofficial college transcripts, please make sure they include the following:
- Your previous school’s name or logo printed on the document
- Cumulative GPA
- A list of completed courses and earned credit broken down by semester
- Degree and date conferred (if applicable)
Official College Transcript Policy
An acceptable official college transcript is one that has been issued directly from the institution and is in a sealed envelope. If you have one in your possession, it must meet the same requirements. If your previous institution offers electronic official transcript processing, they can send the document directly to luoverify@liberty.edu.
If the student uses unofficial transcripts with a Transcript Request Form to gain acceptance, all official transcripts must be received within 60 days of the admissions decision or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first. Failure to send all official transcripts within the 60-day period will prevent enrollment into future terms until all official transcripts have been received.
Admissions Office Contact Information
Liberty University Online Admissions Verification
1971 University Blvd.
Lynchburg, VA 24515

Ready to Apply?
Submit your application online or over the phone.
Military
Liberty University is dedicated to providing world-class educational experiences to military students across the globe.
Who May Qualify?
- Active Duty
- Reserve/National Guard
- Veterans/Retirees
- Spouses of Service Members and Veterans/Retirees
- Current Department of Defense Employees
Available Benefits:
- Tuition discounts – $275 per credit hour for graduate courses*
- Additional discount for veterans who serve in a civilian capacity as a First Responder (less than $625 per course)**
- 8-week courses, 8 different start dates each year, and no set login times (may exclude certain courses such as practicums, internships, or field experiences)
*These rates are reflective of academic year 2024-2025.
**Not applicable to certificates.
Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the benefits of pursuing Liberty’s human services degree online?
- Complete your coursework on a schedule that fits your life with Liberty’s award-winning online learning environment.
- Study a balanced perspective on the theological principles that underlie psychology, giving you effective addiction counseling techniques with a firm biblical worldview.
- Be mentored by professors with real-world experience in human services and counseling while you explore cutting-edge scholarship and methods for addiction recovery care.
- See best practices put to action by observing group meetings in your own community.
How does graduating with a MA in Human Services help my career?
Graduating with an online Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling degree can provide you with mental health support and counseling skills useful for your work in private, public, and nonprofit human services. You could pursue roles in Christian counseling ministry, community service agencies, group homes, outreach services, in-home mental health support services, probation agencies, and other settings where counseling skills are needed.
Inner Navigation
- Overview
- What Sets Us Apart?
- Why Choose Liberty?
- What Will You Study?
- Tuition & Aid
- Admission Information
- Military
- FAQs
Have questions?