The minor in addiction studies is designed for students interested in working with persons experiencing addictive disorders. The minor may fulfill the educational requirements for licensure as a chemical dependency counselor. Courses cover all levels of alcohol and drug use, as well as other behavioral addictions; their symptomatology, personal and social impacts, and treatment.

Effective September 1, 2017, HB 1508 created new laws that require entities that provide educational programs leading to an occupational license to notify all applicants and enrollees of the implications of a felony conviction which may make you ineligible for a license upon program completion. The law requires that this information be provided to all persons who are enrolled or apply in a counseling or related program without regard to whether the person has been convicted of a criminal offense.

You may review current guidelines used by the Texas Education Agency to determine the eligibility of the person to be licensed on the TEA’s website at https://tea.texas.gov/Texas_Educators/Investigations/National_Criminal_History_Checks-FAQs/. You also have a right to request a criminal history evaluation letter from the TEA and the process and form available online at https://tea.texas.gov/Texas_Educators/Investigations/Preliminary_Criminal_History_Evaluation-FAQs/