ABA Program summary and Application

The Department of Psychology at Auburn University offers a non-thesis program focusing on Applied Behavior Analysis in Developmental Disabilities within its existing Master’s program. Graduates in this program will earn a Master of Science degree. The full-time program requires three consecutive semesters (12 months) of coursework and practicum training.

Behavior analysis is a science concerned with the behavior of human and non-human organisms that attempts to understand, explain, describe and predict behavior. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) grew out of this science in the 1960s as an effort to apply this growing understanding of behavioral processes to the improvement of individual and social conditions. This science-based technology is now well developed, and applications in the area of developmental disabilities have been especially well established for many years. There has long been a high level of demand for individuals with expertise in this field.

Students are trained to provide programmatic habilitative services to individuals with mental retardation and other developmental disorders, addressing the goals of mastering new skills and ameliorating behavioral problems. Degree requirements focus on integrating foundational and specialized coursework with practical experience.

Course Requirements. Students complete classroom coursework (three courses per semester) totaling 25 semester hours, with formal practicum training adding 18 additional credit hours. Required courses are listed below.

PSYC 8560 Human operant behavior
PSYC 8520 Conceptual and theoretical analysis in psychology
PSYC 7240 Methods for studying individual behavior
PSYC 8550 Applied behavior analysis I and II
PSYC 6960 Seminar: Developmental disabilities
PSYC 8540 Behavioral pharmacology
PSYC 7110 Ethics and problems of scientific and professional psychology
PSYC 6960 Seminar: Special topics in behavior analysis
PSYC 7910 Practicum in psychology (I and II)
PSYC 7980 Applied behavior analysis capstone project

Faculty, professional staff, and doctoral student supervisors. A number of faculty in the Department of Psychology are involved in teaching required courses. The following faculty teach behavior analysis courses or conduct practicum training.

James M. Johnston, Ph.D., BCBA, Director
Christopher Newland, Ph.D.

Jen Gillis, Ph.D., BCBA

In addition, three individuals are employed as full time staff affiliated with the program.

Ken Atkins , MS, BCBA, Practicum Coordinator

Caron Cosse, MS, BCBA, Practicum Coordinator

Ginger Totherow, MS, BCBA, Practicum Coordinator

Finally, two students in the Department's doctoral program in Experimental Psychology who specialize in Applied Behavior Analysis serve as practicum supervisors assigned to particular sites.  Additional individuals employed by agencies serving as practicum sites also serve as on site, BCBA supervisors.

Amy Polick, MS, BCBA

Kim Smith, MS, BCBA

Practicum training. This program requires students to complete an intensive practicum that offers formal training in varied service delivery settings involving individuals with developmental disabilities. The practicum component involves 20 hours per week of on site training during all three semesters.  Practicum settings include public schools; an early intervention preschool for children with autism spectrum disorders; a day program for individuals with mental retardation; parent and in-home training for foster, adoptive, and birth families; and a school-based treatment facility for children with autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities. In addition, practicum training involves a weekly two-hour practicum class, small group supervisory sessions, and ndividual supervisory meetings.   Students receive mastery-based training on a comprehensive set of practical skills and must complete a capstone applied project. More about course work and practicum training.

Certification. This program is designed so that graduates meet both coursework and experience requirements specified by the Behavior Analysis Certification Board®, Inc. (BACB®) for qualifying to take the certification examination to become Board Certified Behavior Analysts. The BACB® has approved both program coursework and experience training as meeting its current requirements. More about Certification.

Admission Requirements.  Applicant's bachelor's degree may be in any field.  Students with grade point averages of at least 3.0 and Graduate Record Examination scores (verbal + quantitative) of at least 1000 will be given priority.  In addition, applicants should be able to identify course work or field experience associated with Applied Behavior Analysis.

Admission. Review of applications will begin on February 15 and will continue until the available openings for the 2008-2009 class are filled.  Interested students are therefore encouraged to complete their applications by February 15, although applications received after this date will be actively considered. Applications to the Graduate School and the Department of Psychology are available on the web .Students will be admitted starting only in the fall term. More about Admission.

Financial Support.  Each year there are a number of Agency Fellowships available to qualified students.  These fellowships are sponsored by public and private human service agencies in Alabama.  The fellowships take the form of one quarter-time assistantships that pay a monthly stipend as well as both in and out of state tuition.  Students accepting these fellowships agree to work for the sponsoring agency for one year immediately following graduation.  The fellowships are not awarded until late in the summer prior to the beginning of the academic year, and assignments to agencies are not determined until an agency interview process is completed late in the Fall term.

Auburn University. Located deep in the rolling hills of East Alabama, Auburn University is one of the South's premier land grant institutions. Auburn is the largest university in Alabama, with an enrollment of approximately 23,000. Students come from all 50 states and nearly 100 foreign countries.

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Last updated on July 12, 2004