Human Services: Chemical Dependency

Prepares students for a variety of mid-level positions within the human services chemical dependency field.

As the demand for Chemical Dependency Professionals has grown in the human services profession; we have tailored this program’s hours for the working chemical dependency professional.  This option is for those students who have extensive work experience and/or credits in chemical dependency or already have a degree.  It is ideally suited for the working human services professional.  For those students who do not have a degree or extensive work experience, they should choose the Human Services Generalist Degree and add on the Chemical Dependency Certificate.

Students are introduced to basic concepts related to chemical dependency prevention and treatment.

Students will participate in day, evening, online classroom instruction and a community-based internship experience with a local chemical dependency services provider. Students are responsible for choosing their own internship placement and primarily eligible for employment in the area in which they choose and complete their internship experience.

This accelerated associates degree program can be completed in as few as four quarters, but may take up to eight quarters in length, depending on the time students need to satisfactorily complete all graduation requirements. Students attend courses on the main campus in Lakewood as well as at community-based internship sites throughout the program.

The Human Services Chemical Dependency courses are offered Wednesday evenings from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and online.  A grade of C- or below means the student must repeat the class in order to satisfy the Human Services program requirements for graduation.

The required degree coursework covers most of the content areas required for the chemical dependency professional credential issued by the Washington State Department of Health (See RCW 246.811 Washington Administrative Code [WAC] Chapter 246-811).

In addition to the program course requirements, students must also complete the general education requirements for the degree they seek to obtain. The two degree options in this program are the Associate of Applied Technology (AAT) or the Associate of Applied Science–T (AAS-T) the different requirements for each degree are listed below:

AAT Degree General Education Requirements (20 credits):

1. ENGL& 101 English Composition
2. CMST& 220 Public Speaking
3. MAT 108 Business Mathematics
4. PSYC& 100 General Psychology

AAS-T Degree General Education Requirements (25 credits):

All AAS-T degrees must have a minimum of 20 credits of transferable general education. These credits replace the academic courses required for the AAT degree. Required credits include:

1. 5 credits in Communication: ENGL& 101

2. 5 credits in quantitative reasoning: MATH 110, MATH& 141, MATH& 142, MATH& 146, or MATH& 151

3. 10 credits in social science, humanities or science (choose two from the following): PSYC& 100 PSYC& 200 PSY 210 PSYC& 220 SOC& 101 ART& 100 MUS& 105 ASL& 121 BIOL 118 BIOL& 241 BIOL& 242 CHEM& 121 CHEM& 110 GEOL& 110 PHYS& 121 ECON 101 ECON& 201, or ECON& 202

4. CMST& 220 Public Speaking

Students pursuing an AAT or AAS-T degree must complete all college degree requirements prior to graduation. This includes courses that meet the capstone project, diversity, and computer literacy requirements.

Prerequisites: Students must attend a mandatory orientation/advising meeting with the Instructors. Must be a High School graduate or have a GED to enter the program.

Students must consent to and receive a “No Record on File” related to Crimes Against Persons.

Admission Dates: Fall and Spring quarters

Program Requirements

Students will take a minimum of 5 credits of electives from the options below:

To review course descriptions, please click here.