SEATTLE (PRWEB)
March 12, 2021

Addiction-Counselor is proud to announce the release of its Top 75 Addiction Counseling and Substance Abuse Counseling degree programs (https://addiction-counselor.org/degrees/best-addiction-counseling-schools/). The website is confident that this list will help aspiring addiction counselors find the perfect program for them. To narrow down the top 75 programs from the hundreds available nationwide, Addiction Counselor analyzed each college according to a set of key educational statistics.

In particular, researchers evaluated each addiction counseling degree program on the basis of its retention rate, graduation rate, cost of education, and expected earnings, among other factors. The researchers’ goal was to rank the substance abuse counseling programs based on objective measures that students can use when choosing the best college or university for them. When armed with the most analytical and objective educational research, students can weigh their personal goals against those findings.

The Addiction Counselor researchers factored in the cost of education for each program. These days students are more sensitive than ever to the short and long-term costs of their college education. Researchers weighed cost against the other purely academic factors to determine the overall value presented by each addiction counseling college program. Researchers dove deeper into the numbers and evaluated both the gross costs and the net price for each school.

One key metric the researchers relied on was each institution’s retention rate. This number reflects the percentage of first-time, full-time students who return to a college or university after their first year. When students return for a second year it’s assumed that both they and their families are happy with the school’s academics, campus life, and even the student body. Each of the top institutions on the website’s list, starting with University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, boasts very high retention rates.

Researchers also evaluated each addiction counseling program based on its graduation rate. When they weighed the retention rate against the graduation rate, they could determine how committed students were to their education goals. If a school reports both strong retention and graduation numbers, it can be assumed that students are fully engaged with their degree programs for the entire duration of their undergraduate and graduate education. The researchers also found another interesting statistic that complimented many school’s graduation rate.

The graduation rate for many schools is accompanied by their transfer-out rate. While this may seem like a strike against an institution, it can also reflect how well the school has prepared students for success. That is, most students are known to transfer to schools that offer the same or better academics. Thus, without a firm academic foundation, they couldn’t transfer.

It’s this complete, objective view that Addiction Counselor’s researchers hope students will weigh against their personal needs. For instance, if a small private school is financially and academically comparable to a large public university, students can focus on other factors. Some may prefer a larger student body and the wide variety of social possibilities that entails. Once finances are considered equal, some may make their final decision based on campus amenities such as a fitness center or they may prefer one school’s location over that of another.

It’s also important to weigh each student’s long-term goals when reviewing Addiction Counselor’s list of the top 75 substance abuse counseling programs. While it’s hard to tell how many students applied their addiction counseling degrees to a position in the mental health field, the team did evaluate the average reported salaries for each school’s graduates. This figure can further inform students and their families when evaluating each program’s financial impact.

Ultimately, any student’s academic choices should be based on what feels best for them and makes the most sense from an objective perspective. Some students may love a particular school’s approach to academics, the professors, and their fellow students. Other students may need an entirely different approach simply due to their personal needs.

Addiction Counselor’s list of the nation’s top addiction counseling degree programs will guide students toward their best academic choice. These objective measures can inform all the various subjective factors that are involved when evaluating a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree program. Students and their families are encouraged to visit Addiction Counselor at https://addiction-counselor.org.

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