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Drug abuse technician education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a drug abuse technician. Drug abuse technicians usually study criminal justice, business, or psychology. 36% of drug abuse technicians hold a bachelor's degree, and 30% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 334 real drug abuse technician resumes to see exactly what drug abuse technician education sections show.

The most common colleges for drug abuse technicians are the Western Michigan University and the Western Michigan University.

There are also many online drug abuse technician courses to help get the education required to be a drug abuse technician.

What education do you need to become a drug abuse technician?

What degree do you need to be a drug abuse technician?

The most common degree for drug abuse technicians is bachelor's degree, with 36% of drug abuse technicians earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 30% and associate degree degree at 14%.
  • Bachelor's, 36%
  • Associate, 30%
  • High School Diploma, 14%
  • Master's, 6%
  • Other Degrees, 14%

What should I major in to become a drug abuse technician?

You should major in criminal justice to become a drug abuse technician. 23% of drug abuse technicians major in criminal justice. Other common majors for a drug abuse technician include business and psychology.

Most common colleges for drug abuse technicians

Drug abuse technicians often get their degrees at Western Michigan University, La Roche College, and Washburn University of Topeka. Here are the most common colleges for drug abuse technicians in the US based on their resumes.
Drug abuse technician common collegePercentages
Western Michigan University9.09%
La Roche College6.06%
Washburn University of Topeka6.06%
New York University6.06%
University of Toledo6.06%

Best majors for drug abuse technicians

RankMajorPercentages
1Criminal Justice23.0%
2Business15.1%
3Psychology7.9%
4Nursing6.5%
5Human Services5.0%

Best colleges for drug abuse technicians

The best colleges for drug abuse technicians are Northwestern University, Boston University, and Boston College.

A drug abuse technician with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for drug abuse technicians. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become drug abuse technicians.

1. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

2. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

3. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

5. SUNY College at Plattsburgh

Plattsburgh, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,369

Enrollment

5,229

6. SUNY College at Oswego

Oswego, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,440

Enrollment

7,039

7. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,230

Enrollment

12,161

8. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

9. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

10. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

20 best online courses for drug abuse technicians

Advertising disclosure

1. Drug Discovery

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The University of California San Diego, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Drug Discovery course brings you lectures from both faculty and industry experts. With this course, recorded on campus at UCSD, we seek to share our access to top people in the field who bring an unprecedented range of expertise on drug discovery. In this course you will learn the drug discovery process up to the filing of an Initial New Drug Application or IND. Each week you will learn the steps that...

2. Drug Commercialization

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The University of California San Diego, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Drug Commercialization course brings you lectures from both faculty and industry experts. With this course, recorded on campus at UCSD, we seek to share our access to top people in the field who bring an unprecedented range of expertise on drug commercialization. This course will cover pharmacoeconomic, marketing strategy, intellectual property strategy, portfolio management, managed markets and...

3. Pharmaceutical Industry Drug Regulatory Affairs (DRA)

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Empowering Professionals in the Pharmaceutical Industry: A Comprehensive Online Course in Drug Regulatory Affairs...

4. Alcohol and Drug Addictions: Psychology - ACCREDITED CERT

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5. Drug Development

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6. Drug Development Product Management

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10. Case Studies in Personalized Medicine

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Learn how advances in biomedicine hold the potential to revolutionize drug development, drug treatments, and disease prevention: where are we now, and what does the future hold? This course will present short primers in genetics and mechanisms underlying variability in drug responses. A series of case studies will be used to illustrate principles of how genetics are being brought to bear on refining diagnoses and on personalizing treatment in rare and common diseases. The ethical and...

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12. Certificate Course in Pharmacovigilance

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How to Approach New Customers and Maintain Existing Ones...

20. Customer Service Mastery: Delight Every Customer

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Master Customer Service using this practical customer care course...

Top 10 most affordable universities for drug abuse technicians

The most affordable schools for drug abuse technicians are SUNY Farmingdale, baruch college of the city university of new york, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for drug abuse technicians are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for drug abuse technicians.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

8. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

9. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

10. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for drug abuse technicians

The hardest universities for drug abuse technicians to get into are Northwestern University, Boston University, and Boston College.

Some great schools for drug abuse technicians are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for drug abuse technicians based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

3. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

4. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

5. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

6. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

8. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

9. Brandeis University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

31%

SAT average

1,398

10. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for drug abuse technicians

The easiest schools for drug abuse technicians to get into are Nyack College, ottawa university, and notre dame de namur university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a drug abuse technician without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for drug abuse technicians.

1. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

2. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

3. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

6. Albertus Magnus College

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

58%

SAT average

931

7. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

8. Pennsylvania State University - DuBois

DuBois, PA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,079

9. William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

994

10. Waynesburg University

Waynesburg, PA • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,080

Average drug abuse technician salary by education level

According to our data, drug abuse technicians with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $32,135 annually. Drug abuse technicians with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $27,624.
Drug abuse technician education levelDrug abuse technician salary
Master's Degree$32,135
Bachelor's Degree$27,624

Drug abuse technician education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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