Program Director: Eileen Whelan, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Overview

The 32 unit Master of Arts in Applied Behavior Analysis includes the necessary coursework to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). The program courses are a Verified Course Sequence (VCS) approved by the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI). The program will prepare you to assist people to learn new behaviors, increase or reduce existing behaviors and teach individuals when to use new behaviors. The scope of these services ranges from addressing challenging behaviors of an individual to changing the behavior of an entire organization. There is an increasing demand for BCBA certificate holders in the schools and the private sector working with adults and children in areas such as: behavioral treatment of autism, organizational behavior management, brain injury rehabilitation, behavioral sports psychology, and behavioral pediatrics. Successful completion of this Master of Arts degree and the required supervised hours prepares you to sit for the BCBA examination.

Program Student Learning Outcomes

1. Philosophical Underpinnings: Candidates will apply the philosophical underpinnings of applied behavior analysis in the effective use of research, data and scientific reasoning. 

2. Concepts and Principles: Candidates define and provide examples of the concepts and principles of behavior analysis. 

3. Measurement, Data Display, and Interpretation: Candidates will use the tools effectively as they use measurement, data display and interpretation.

4. Experimental Design: Candidates engages in experimental design processes such as external and internal validity, dependent and independent variables, features of single subject experimental design, etc. They will demonstrate skills using a single subject research design.

5. Ethics: Candidates will apply the ethical standards of the behavior analytic discipline to decisions about their practice and articulate the basis of that reasoning to clients, staff, community and the BACB. Candidates will behave in accordance with the Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts.  

6. Behavior Assessment: Candidates will apply knowledgeable skills in behavior assessment in their work. They will effectively conduct functional behavior assessments, preference assessments,  skill strength and deficient assessments, and descriptive assessments. The candidate will demonstrate an understanding of the prioritization of socially significant behavior change goals as they determine the needs for behavior analytic services.

7. Behavior Change-Procedures: Candidates will effectively use proven intervention strategies and behavior change procedures They will use a wide range of behavior change strategies and techniques. 

8. Selecting and Implementing Interventions: Candidates will select and implement behavior interventions with integrity and skills using data to make decisions about services. They will collaborate with others who support those services. 

9. Personnel Supervision and Management: Candidates will demonstrate leadership in the field of behavior analysis, guiding practitioners in supervision and management in their daily applied work. They will effectively evaluate, train, monitor, provide feedback, and reinforcement to support improvement of personnel performance. 

Locations Offered

Bakersfield, Merced, North Fresno, Visalia, and Synchronous Online

Program Length/Semester Starts

Cohorts begin in Fall, Spring, and Summer

Degree Pathway

Applied Behavior Analysis MA Degree Pathway  

 

 

The Association for Behavior Analysis International has verified the following courses toward the coursework requirements for eligibility to take the Board Certified Behavior Analyst® or Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® examination. Applicants will need to meet additional requirements before they can be deemed eligible to take the examination.