Academic Program Proposal

Date Proposal Activated	Institution and Proposal	Degree Awarded	Academic Program Name	Objection Deadline	MHEC Final Action	Final Decision Date
	Hagerstown Community College Proposal	Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.)	Substance Abuse Counseling	6/29/2018	Approved	7/12/2018
Substance Abuse Counseling Program Description
The A.A.S. is designed to provide students an avenue to become a licensed Certified Supervised Counselor - Alcohol and Drug (CSC-AD). Students may first seek to become an Alcohol and Drug Trainee while completing the A.A.S. degree, provided they take the required 15 credits and other certification requirements. The trainee status must be renewed every two years for a maximum of six years total. Since the trainee status is limited, students should continue on the path to complete the A.A.S. Once the A.A.S. has been awarded, state licensure as a Certified Supervised Counselor - Alcohol and Drug (CSC-AD) may be sought. The A.A.S. degree prepares graduates to work with clients facing substance dependency or abuse in a variety of clinical settings, both outpatient and residential. Certification for the CSC-AD requires that graduates pass two exams, and complete 2,000 hours of supervised counseling of which 1,000 hours and one-year of counseling will occur after graduating with the associate degree.