Becoming a Board
Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA)
The Behavior
Analyst Certification Board (BACB) is a nonprofit corporation whose
mission is "to develop, promote, and implement a voluntary international
certification program for behavior analyst practitioners." Below is a
brief overview of the general certification requirements issued by the
BACB as of September 2009, but we recommend that you visit their
website for the official "Standards and Application for Examination."
The BACB also offers an Application FAQ page under their 'Become
Certified' link if you have specific questions regarding the application
process.
I. Overview of BCBA Requirements (as of October 2009)
To be
eligible to sit for the BCBA exam you will need:
a. Master's degree
b.
Coursework: The BACB requires that you complete 225 classroom hours of
graduate level instruction in seven content areas (i.e., ethics,
definitions & principles, assessment, experimental evaluation,
measurement, behavior change procedures, and an 'other' category). The
BACB has approved the following JSU psychology course sequence as meeting
the coursework requirements for eligibility to take the BCBA Examination:
PSY 511, PSY 521, PSY 528, PSY 529, and PSY 530 (see below for more
information).
c.
Supervised Experience: The BACB requires that you complete 1500 hours of
"Supervised Independent Fieldwork under the supervision of a BCBA. During
your experience, you will learn behavior analytic skills listed in the
BACB Task List (3rd Edition) (e.g., developing interventions, conducting
assessments, collecting and analyzing data). This experience must include
at least 75 hours of direct supervision by a BCBA (i.e., the BCBA must
meet with the trainee at least once every two weeks for 5% of the
accumulated hours). Additionally, each meeting with the BCBA must be
documented on the form provided by the BACB. Note: The BACB will not
consider any supervision hours as meeting the 1500-hour requirement until
the student has begun taking one of the five required courses listed
above.
II. JSU's BCBA Coursework
Sequence
The BACB
has approved the following course sequence as meeting the coursework
requirements for eligibility to take the BCBA Examination. Applicants will
have to meet the additional "Supervised Experience" requirement to be
eligible for the exam (see above).
a. PSY
511 Conceptual Foundations of Behavior Analysis (3). Issues underlying the
acquisition, conceptualization, and understanding of valid knowledge in
psychology, including the design, implementation, and interpretation of
research.
b. PSY
521 Functional Assessment (3). The strategies and ethics of functional
assessment are presented in the larger context of behavioral assessment.
Research articles relevant to indirect, descriptive, and experimental
functional assessment approaches and assessment-based interventions are
reviewed.
c. PSY
528 Applied Behavior Analysis I (3). Pre- or Co-requisite: PSY 221 or PSY
504. An introduction to and examination of the theory, principles, and
methods of modern applied behavior analysis.
d. PSY
529 Applied Behavior Analysis II (3). Prerequisites: PSY 528. Diverse
populations commonly served by applied behavior analysts (e.g., substance
abuse, autism, traumatic brain injury) are examined with respect to their
prevalence, defining characteristics, etiology, and current research
trends. The potential for the use of applied behavior analysis in
underserved populations is also discussed.
e. PSY
530 Single-Subject Research Methods (3). Prerequisite: PSY 528.
Examination of the strategies and tactics used in single-subject research
to implement socially important behavior change.
Please
note:
Several of
these courses have prerequisites, so the courses must be taken in the
appropriate sequence. PSY 528 lists PSY 221 or PSY 504 as a pre- or
co-requisite; these courses are the undergraduate (PSY 221) and graduate
(PSY 504) labs in behavior analysis. If graduate students have not passed
PSY 221 at JSU or an equivalent lab at another university, they are
required to enroll in PSY 504 Graduate Behavior Analysis Lab prior to or
in the same semester that they enroll in PSY 528 Applied Behavior Analysis
I.
The five
courses required by the BACB are not offered every semester. We offer PSY
504, PSY 511, PSY 521, and PSY 528 every fall; and we offer PSY 504, PSY
529, and PSY 530 every spring. Currently, there are no BCBA courses
offered in the summer.
III. Applying to JSU to Complete the
BCBA Coursework Sequence
a.If you do not have a master's degree and would like to apply to
the Department of Psychology's master's program, see the 2009-2010
Graduate Bulletin Psychology Department entry for a list of
application materials. More information about these materials is available
on our FAQ page link to web page
b.If you already have a master's degree and
would like to attend JSU only to complete the BCBA coursework sequence in
the psychology department, you can apply to the College of Graduate
Studies as a Professional Development student. See pages 26-27 in the
2007-2009 Graduate Bulletin for application instructions.
IV. JSU's
Supervised Experience Options
The
following practicums may be available for outstanding students who are
interested in pursuing a career in applied behavior analysis. Board
Certified Behavior Analysts may be available to supervise students who
demonstrate acceptable performance on the BACB Task List
(3rd Edition) items.
a. The Learning Tree, Inc.-- a
non-profit organization providing individualized, empirically validated
services to persons with significant educational, medical, and behavioral
challenges (Supervisor: Dr. Paige
McKerchar)
b. JSU Department of Learning Services'
ExSEL program -- an intensive six-week summer
skills-building program that utilizes direct instruction, precision
teaching, and individualized data recording to help prepare some of the
incoming JSU undergraduates (Supervisor: Dr. Steven
Stout)
c. Anniston Middle School --
programs include administration of incentives to improve classroom
behavior and academic performance, classroom direct observation and
intervention, school-wide data management and analysis (Supervisor:
Dr. Steven
Stout)