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Program Overview
M.S. in Applied Behavior Analysis (40-Credits)
Develop an in-depth understanding of autism spectrum disorders and a broad understanding of the principles and procedures of applied behavior analysis.
The Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) was developed as an option for students interested in completing the requirements to sit for the Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) exam in an accelerated format. This 40-credit degree includes required core academic courses which meet the requirements to sit for the BCBA exam.
ABA programs offered through 91ºÚÁÏÍø:
- Prepare students for careers applying ABA to a wide variety of human problems in diverse educational and therapeutic settings
- Multiple concentrations available including: Autism, Childhood Clinical Disorders, Mental Health, Organizational Behavior Management, as well as a general track.
- No GRE required
- Consistent adjunct faculty with real-world experience
- Rolling admissions, three start dates per year
- Free exam test prep course
- Meets the educational requirements that allow students to sit for the BCBA exam
Students in the ABA programs are charged a one time fee of $1,000 in their first semester. This fee is used to cover subscriptions to online learning tools used throughout the program. Please contact the program director if you have any questions about this fee.
91ºÚÁÏÍø's 2023 pass rate of first time candidates for the Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA®) exam was 71%.
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Curriculum
Curriculum Requirements - Total Credits Required: 40
Required Curriculum - 28 Credits
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ABA 511Â -Â Behaviorism and Philosophical Foundations (Cr: 3)
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ABA 512Â -Â Verbal Behavior (Cr: 3)
Or
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ABA 532Â -Â Motivation and Reinforcement (Cr: 3)
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ABA 513Â -Â Concepts and Principles (Cr: 3)
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ABA 515Â -Â Experimental Design, Measurement, and Interpretation (Cr: 3)
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ABA 517Â -Â Behavioral Assessment (Cr: 3)
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ABA 518Â -Â Behavior Change Procedures (Cr: 3)
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ABA 519Â -Â Ethical and Professional Issues in Behavior Analysis (Cr: 3)
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ABA 538Â -Â Personnel Supervision and Management (Cr: 3)
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ABA 572Â -Â Thesis II: Investigation and Report Writing (Cr: 0)
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ABA 585Â -Â Thesis I: Thesis Proposal & Development (Cr: 3)
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ABA 698Â -Â Thesis III: Presentation & Defense (Cr: 1)
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ABA 699Â -Â Comprehensive Review (Cr: 0)
General Electives - 12 Credits
Students who do not choose a track will choose 5 courses from the below list.Â
Note: Students may choose a variety of electives from this list OR specialize in one of four tracks below.
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ABA 501Â -Â Collaboration in Childhood Clinical Disorders (Cr: 3)
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ABA 502Â -Â Social Skills for Learners with Emotional Behavioral Disorders (Cr: 3)
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ABA 503Â -Â Collaboration in Mental Health Settings (Cr: 3)
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ABA 504Â -Â Skill Building for Adults with Psychiatric Disorders (Cr: 3)
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ABA 505Â -Â Organizational Behavior Management (OBM): Translating Behavior Analysis to the Organization (Cr: 3)
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ABA 512Â -Â Verbal Behavior (Cr: 3)
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ABA 521Â -Â Evidence-Based Curriculum Development (Cr: 3)
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ABA 523Â -Â Intro to ABA and Psychiatric Disorders (Cr: 3)
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ABA 524Â -Â Variations and Applications of Functional Analysis Procedures (Cr: 3)
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ABA 527Â -Â ABA in Public School Special Education (Cr: 3)
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ABA 530Â -Â Documenting and Maintaining Client Records (Cr: 1)
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ABA 531Â -Â Cultural Responsiveness and Diversity (Cr: 3)
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ABA 532Â -Â Motivation and Reinforcement (Cr: 3)
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ABA 533Â -Â Progressive Applications in ABA (Cr: 3)
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AUT 537Â -Â Developing Individualized Goals for Learners with Autism (Cr: 3)
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AUT 540Â -Â Adolescents and Adults with ASD: Transition and Meaningful Engagement (Cr: 3)
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AUT 570Â -Â Understanding and Remediating Communication Deficits in Learners with Autism (Cr: 3)
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AUT 571Â -Â Understanding and Remediating Social and Play Skill Deficits in Learners with Autism (Cr: 3)
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AUT 574Â -Â Evidence-Based Practice (Cr: 3)
Childhood Clinical Disorders
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ABA 501Â -Â Collaboration in Childhood Clinical Disorders (Cr: 3)
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ABA 523Â -Â Intro to ABA and Psychiatric Disorders (Cr: 3)
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ABA 527Â -Â ABA in Public School Special Education (Cr: 3)
The following courses are optional (must choose 1):
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ABA 502Â -Â Social Skills for Learners with Emotional Behavioral Disorders (Cr: 3)
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ABA 521Â -Â Evidence-Based Curriculum Development (Cr: 3)
Organizational Behavior Management
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ABA 505Â -Â Organizational Behavior Management (OBM): Translating Behavior Analysis to the Organization (Cr: 3)
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ABA 506Â -Â Performance Management (Cr: 3)
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ABA 509Â -Â Applied OBM (Cr: 3)
The following courses are optional (must choose 1):
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ABA 507Â -Â Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) in Clinical Practice (Cr: 3)
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ABA 508Â -Â OBM in Business (Cr: 3)
Mental Health
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ABA 503Â -Â Collaboration in Mental Health Settings (Cr: 3)
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ABA 504Â -Â Skill Building for Adults with Psychiatric Disorders (Cr: 3)
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ABA 523Â -Â Intro to ABA and Psychiatric Disorders (Cr: 3)
The following courses are optional (must choose 1):
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ABA 522Â -Â Treatment of Severely Challenging Behavior (Cr: 3)
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ABA 524Â -Â Variations and Applications of Functional Analysis Procedures (Cr: 3)
Public School
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ABA 527Â -Â ABA in Public School Special Education (Cr: 3)
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ABA 539Â -Â Collaboration in Public Schools (Cr: 3)
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ABA 540Â -Â Best Practices in Behavior Analysis in Public Schools (Cr: 3)
The following courses are optional (must choose 1):
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ABA 542Â -Â Child Development: A Behavioral Systems Approach (Cr: 3)
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ABA 543Â -Â Special Topics in ABA in Public Schools (Cr: 3)
Autism
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AUT 527Â -Â Introduction to Autism Spectrum Disorders (Cr: 3)
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AUT 578Â -Â Effective Collaboration Across Disciplines (Cr: 3)
*Note: Students in the concentration will choose 2 electives from the below list, including at least one AUT course:
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ABA 505Â -Â Organizational Behavior Management (OBM): Translating Behavior Analysis to the Organization (Cr: 3)
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ABA 506Â -Â Performance Management (Cr: 3)
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ABA 512Â -Â Verbal Behavior (Cr: 3)
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ABA 522Â -Â Treatment of Severely Challenging Behavior (Cr: 3)
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ABA 523Â -Â Intro to ABA and Psychiatric Disorders (Cr: 3)
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ABA 524Â -Â Variations and Applications of Functional Analysis Procedures (Cr: 3)
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ABA 527Â -Â ABA in Public School Special Education (Cr: 3)
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ABA 531Â -Â Cultural Responsiveness and Diversity (Cr: 3)
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ABA 533Â -Â Progressive Applications in ABA (Cr: 3)
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ABA 560Â -Â Topical Seminar (Cr: 3)
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AUT 537Â -Â Developing Individualized Goals for Learners with Autism (Cr: 3)
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AUT 540Â -Â Adolescents and Adults with ASD: Transition and Meaningful Engagement (Cr: 3)
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AUT 550Â -Â Supervision, Training and Organizational Management in an Autism Service Provision Context (Cr: 3)
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AUT 570Â -Â Understanding and Remediating Communication Deficits in Learners with Autism (Cr: 3)
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AUT 571Â -Â Understanding and Remediating Social and Play Skill Deficits in Learners with Autism (Cr: 3)
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AUT 574Â -Â Evidence-Based Practice (Cr: 3)
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this program, students will:Â
- Articulate and act within the principles of radical behaviorism
- Solve challenging problems using the concepts and principles of ABA
- Research using disciplinary methods including measurement, data analysis, and experimental design
- Conduct practice and research in accordance with disciplinary methods
- Apply ethical decision making across all areas of clinical practice including skill and behavioral assessment, supervision and training, and individual and systems interventions
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ABA 511Â -Â Behaviorism and Philosophical Foundations (Cr: 3)
M.S. in Applied Behavior Analysis
Affordable and accelerated graduate program.
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AutismThis concentration is for students who wish to satisfy the educational requirements to sit for the BCBA exam and would like to work with children with autism spectrum disorder. Elective coursework will focus on the application of behavior analysis to children and adults with autism, including electives in goal setting, adolescent and adult issues, social skills, communication, and collaboration within settings that serve children with autism spectrum disorder.
Required Course - 6-credits
Choose three electives from the below list:
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ABA and Childhood Clinical Disorders
This concentration is for students who wish to satisfy the educational requirements to sit for the BCBA exam and would like to work with children with clinical disorders outside the realm of autism. Elective coursework will focus on the application of behavior analysis to children with childhood clinical disorders, including electives in evidence-based curriculum, the use of ABA in a public school special education setting, and collaboration within settings that serve children with childhood clinical disorders.
Courses include:
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ABA and Mental Health
This concentration is for students who wish to satisfy the educational requirements to sit for the BCBA exam and would like to work with adolescents and adults with psychiatric disorders and/or developmental disorders. Elective coursework will focus on the application of behavior analysis to those with mental health disorders, including electives in severe challenging behaviors, specialized functional analysis procedures, and collaboration within mental health settings.
Courses include:
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ABA and Organizational Behavior Management
This concentration is for students who wish to satisfy the educational requirements to sit for the BCBA exam and would like to work in a business or human resources setting. Elective coursework will focus on the application of behavior analysis to business and clinical practice, including electives in introduction to OBM, performance management, and the application of OBM to a variety of different settings.
Courses Include:
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ABA and Public Schools
The Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) with a concentration in public schools provides students with coursework that focuses on applying behavior analysis to school contexts, across students, classrooms, and systems. Behavior analysts in this specialty area experience unique opportunities regarding collaboration, applying the science of ABA across highly diverse individuals and groups, accessing multiple stakeholders, and applying our ethical code within these complex systems.
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ABA General Track
For students who wish to satisfy the educational requirements to sit for the BCBA exam, but do not wish to select a concentration can remain in our general track. Students in this track are able to gain a wide breadth of knowledge regarding different areas of the field of ABA by taking electives from any of our different concentration areas (mental health, OBM, childhood clinical, autism).
For specific specific courses please view the Curriculum Tab.