Master of Science - Applied Behaviour Analysis

Program Description

Culminating in a region-wide career event, the MS in applied behavior analysis is distinctive as the nation's only classroom-based, Behavior Analyst Certification Board-approved course sequence program at a Research I university, including 1,500+ supervised practicum hours imbedded into its curriculum across diverse fieldwork with paid placements in the Phoenix area.

Offered by the Department of Psychology, this MS program in applied behavior analysis is a full-time, scientifically based, two-year program that meets the Behavior Analyst Certification Board fourth edition task list for coursework with more than 270 classroom hours and 1,500 hours of practicum fieldwork. Successful graduates will be able to sit for BACB certification and once certified, they will be eligible for state-licensure. The program's learning outcomes include mastery across three major areas as identified by the BACB: basic behavior-analytic skills, client-centered responsibilities and foundational knowledge.

Applied behavior analysis training in the Department of Psychology at ASU includes supervised experience and instruction in:

• Behavior analytic attitudes such as determinism, empiricism and parsimony
• Fundamental elements of behavior change and behavior change procedures
• Identification, assessments and interventions for behavioral excesses, deficiencies and challenging behavior
• Professional ethics and conduct of ABA
• Training others in the science and practice of ABA
• Use of different behavioral measurement types and systems
• Use of experimental designs to determine relationships among and between measurement, relevant variables and behavior