Curriculum Overview

Our innovative curriculum integrates human service and addiction studies in an academic medical center environment, allowing for a unique perspective on managing addictive disorders at the point-of-care. The program has designed its curriculum to provide a comprehensive education in addictive disorders. Students are required to take at least 39 credit hours, 18 of which are in core courses, and additional credits are required for the individual educational tracks — clinical or research. Students have access to unlimited electives from within the program and across other programs in the graduate school, as approved by course faculty.

The Addiction Research and Clinical Health program provides three distinct tracks, with a core curriculum that is required of students in all tracks:

Clinical Track

This track is designed to prepare students to seek the Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist (LCAS) licensure upon completion, allowing a graduate to practice as a clinical addiction specialist in the state of North Carolina. The degree requires a minimum of 39 credit hours, including a minimum of 600 hours of internship with a site supervisor; full-time students may complete the degree in 4 terms across ~16 months.

Human Services Track

This track is designed to support students who are seeking to expand their understanding of human development, addictions, helping skills, and diversity and inclusion in clinical environments, allowing them to submit more competitive applications to additional professional degree programs, e.g, PsyD, PhD in clinical psychology, MD, DO, MMS (PA), MSW, MA in counseling. The degree requires a minimum of 30 credit hours, including a minimum of 6 capstone project credit hours on a topic agreed upon by the student and their advisor; full-time students may complete the degree in 3 terms across ~12 months.

Research Track

This track is designed to support students who are preparing for entrance to the non-clinical workforce, or wish to pursue PhD-level study in Neuroscience or Addictions. The degree requires a minimum of 39 credit hours, including a minimum of 9 capstone project credit hours on a research topic agreed upon by the student and their advisor; full-time students may complete the degree in 4 terms across ~16 months.

Core Curriculum and Required Courses

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Courses are typically held on Tuesday and Thursday afternoon and evenings, in recognition of the needed flexibility required by working professionals. A diagram shown below offers a graphic that visually describes the impact of the ARCH program on the multiple areas of practice in which formalized addiction training can improve care for patients.