The ABA Curriculum
- The Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies (CAGS) curriculum consists of 21 credits.
- The Master of Science (MS) curriculum consists of 30 credits.
Behavior Analytic Coursework Required for Certification
The first 21 credit hours taken across seven classes are dedicated to meeting the coursework requirements for certification that are outlined by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board®.
That is, the BACB® sets the specific educational and supervised fieldwork experiences that are necessary for certification, which are specifically reflected in the 21 credit hours. BACB®’s certification exam includes questions that are based on the content of the required courses.
In addition to the 21 credits described above, students enrolled in the master’s program in Applied Behavior Analysis take an additional 9 credits. Three of those credit hours are dedicated to a course in Basic Behavior Analysis.
The remaining credit hours are dedicated to the Thesis or the Systematic Literature Review.
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.
Foundational Knowledge and Skills
The seven classes (21 credits) taken by students enrolled in the both the certificate and master’s programs are:- ABA 600: Conceptual Analysis (3 credits)
- ABA 605: Principles of Behavior (3 credits)
- ABA 610: Ethics (3 credits)
- ABA 615: Applied Behavior Analysis I (3 credits)
- ABA 625: Applied Behavior Analysis II (3 credits)
- ABA 635: Personnel Supervision and Management Interventions (3 credits)
- ABA 640: Research Methods (3 credits)
Additional Courses for the Master's Program
In addition to the seven classes (21 credits) outlined above, students enrolled in the master’s program also take the four following courses (9 credits):
- ABA 545: Basic Behavior Analysis (3 credits)
- ABA 593: Systematic Literature Review (6 credits) OR ABA 599: Thesis (6 credits)