MS Applied Behavior Analysis

Return to: Programs of Study

Los Angeles - Anaheim - San Diego - Chicago - Dallas - Washington DC - Online

Program Overview

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is the ethical evaluation, design, and implementation of environmental changes to produce socially significant improvements in behavior. The MS Applied Behavior Analysis program incorporates the content areas and practicum requirements for eligibility to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst® (BCBA®) by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board® (BACB®) in addition to providing a solid foundation in the philosophy, science, and application of behavior analysis. Please see further information about professional licensure and certification below.  

The aim of the program is to prepare students for a rewarding career in the rapidly growing field of Applied Behavior Analysis. Graduates serve many different populations including children, adults, and seniors and may work in residential, school, and community-based settings. Individuals served may have no diagnoses (e.g., school children in a regular education class or teachers seeking to be more effective) or may have diagnoses such as autism, behavioral difficulties, developmental disabilities, mental illness, and a variety of geriatric conditions.

The MS Applied Behavior Analysis program develops students into professionals who can support individuals and organizations as well as select, implement, and manage effective systems to improve outcomes across a variety of settings. The program provides students with a solid understanding of the science and philosophy of Behavior Analysis as the foundation that informs applied behavior analysis, the experimental analysis of behavior, and service delivery domains to produce graduates who rely on the science of behavior to contribute to the betterment of society.

The Master of Science (MS) in Applied Behavior Analysis - Chicago Campus version (semester based) is accredited by the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) effective November 20, 2019.

The Master of Science (MS) in Applied Behavior Analysis - Online program version (term-based) is accredited by ABAI effective July 2022.

Program Philosophy

The program is designed to prepare students in a wide variety of specialization areas within ABA. Although it is common for lay people to assume that ABA is relevant only to individuals with autism or other developmental and/or intellectual disabilities, behavior analysis can be applied to any population or problem. Thus, students can focus not only on issues related to the assessment and treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders, but also on the assessment and treatment of severe behavior problems, instructional design, organizational behavior management, and applications with non-traditional populations such as geriatric, individuals with traumatic brain injury, and regular and special education. Thus, while ABA techniques are typically associated with application to individuals with disabilities, they are also invaluable to individuals in the general population and in solving societal problems that require behavior change.

The curriculum is designed to infuse the scientist-practitioner model across these domains and teach students to be consumers of new research findings, evaluators of their own interventions and programs using empirical methods, and researchers, producing new data from their own settings and reporting these data to the applied and scientific community.

In summary, the program’s mission is to provide students with the scientific, analytical, and conceptual tools they need to provide effective, ethical, and practical behavior-analytic interventions to the diverse populations that they serve. The vision of the program is to provide the most comprehensive and effective graduate training in ABA, and to that end, the faculty provide the students with the most up-to-date information and research, and encourage critical analysis of the research with an emphasis on using it to drive practice. The program emphasizes not only knowledge of the research and assessment and intervention techniques, but sound understanding of the basic concepts and principles of behavior analysis, so that students will have the conceptual and scientific underpinnings necessary to understand why interventions work, how to measure their effects, and to make appropriate program modifications when they do not. Because ABA is based on a rapidly developing and evolving behavioral technology grounded in research, the knowledge base is constantly changing. It is the program’s mission to remain at the forefront of the development of this field.

Program Learning Outcomes 

Upon successful completion of this program students will be able to:

Professional Practice 

• Students will design, train, and evaluate interventions by applying basic behavioral principles and assessment techniques to effect socially significant behavior change. 

Diversity 

• Students will evaluate the impact of historical barriers to equity and inclusion across diverse populations and advocate for change. 

Professional Behavior 

• Students will evaluate ethical dilemmas in accordance with behavior-analytic ethical guidelines, and communicate effectively with clients, stakeholders, and other professionals. 

Scholarship 

• Students will critically evaluate behavior-analytic and other psychological research and apply best practices in conducting research effectively and ethically. 

Licensure

For information on where The Chicago School meets, does not meet, or has not determined if the program meets licensure eligibility requirements for the state in which you wish to be licensed, please visit: https://www.thechicagoschool.edu/admissions/licensure-disclosures/.

Admission Requirements

*The Chicago School is not currently enrolling new students in this program at the San Diego Campus.

For information on where The Chicago School is currently authorized, licensed, registered, exempt or not subject to approval, please visit https://www.thechicagoschool.edu/why-us/state-authorization/

Application to The Chicago School’s MS Applied Behavior Analysis program is open to any person who has earned a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution and who meets other entrance requirements.  Applicants will be judged on their overall ability to do graduate work.

Factors that are considered in admission will include:

• Completed application and $50 application fee.   
• Generally, an undergraduate GPA 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale.  
• Official Transcripts 
  • Students must submit official transcripts from all schools where a degree was earned. 
  • It is recommended that transcripts are submitted from all schools where credit was received to enhance their applications. 

Applicants with a cumulative GPA below 3.0 are required to submit additional documentation:  

• 3 Letters of Recommendation from academic professors or professional or volunteer experience supervisors 
• Essay answering the following questions (approximately 500-750 words). Essay must specifically address the program/specialization for which you are applying. 
• In an essay format, please describe: 
  • Why you chose this particular program/specialization Cite specific experiences and examples.  
  • Why it is important to you to study this discipline at a school that emphasizes cultural awareness, competence, and understanding of diversity. 
  • Your professional career goals as they relate to this specialization. 
  • Why you believe this program will assist you in reaching these goals.  

Standardized Testing

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is not required for master’s level applicants.  Scores should be sent directly to the school (GRE School Code:  1119) for consideration.  Please see the application for detailed instructions and information regarding application requirements, application deadlines, and letters of recommendation.

Applicant Notification

The Chicago School reviews applications on a rolling basis. Once review begins, complete applications will be considered by the Admission Committee and applicants will be notified regarding the admission decision. The Chicago School does not share information or provide any feedback regarding admission decisions.

If a student is offered admission and in order to secure a place in the incoming class, a non-refundable tuition deposit of $250 will be required by the deposit deadline indicated in the offer of admission. The non-refundable deposit will be applied in full toward the student’s tuition upon enrollment.

Degree Completion Requirements:

• Research Track
  • Successful completion of 39 credit hours
  • Successful completion of Advanced Research Project
• Practitioner Track
  • Successful completion of 38 credit hours
  • Successful completion of Advanced Applied Project

Policies

The following policies are located under Academic Policies and Procedures : Academic Calendar, Admissions Requirements, Attendance, Satisfactory Academic Progress, Service Learning, and Transfer Credit/Course Waiver. 

Articulation Agreements

The Chicago School has also established agreements between the MS Applied Behavior Analysis program and the programs listed below to allow qualified students to receive transfer credit for courses taken in other The Chicago School programs that can be counted toward degree completion requirements for either program.Click on the link of the program that interests you for details

MS Applied Behavior Analysis and MA Applied Behavior Analysis   

Ethical Guidelines

Students are expected to learn and to follow the ethical guidelines of the American Psychological Association and the Behavior Analyst Certification Board® during and after their work at The Chicago School. A class in ethics is required, and student adherence to ethical codes is evaluated both formally and informally.

Advanced Research Project OR Advanced Applied Project

Students are also required to complete a thesis (Advanced Research Project, in the Research Track) or a non-thesis option (Advanced Applied Project, in the Practitioner Track). The thesis must be a data-based empirical evaluation, but does not necessarily need to mark an original contribution to the published literature (it may be a replication and extension). The primary function of the Master’s thesis is to demonstrate that students are actively learning to function as scientist-practitioners who are continually engaged in making data-based assessment and treatment decisions. The applied project is a demonstration that the student can assess and treat a client effectively and ethically from start to finish. The applied project process is as stringent as the thesis option and demonstrates similar skills but focuses on application rather than experimentation. The course sequence facilitates student completion of theses and applied projects with a carefully designed course sequence that has the necessary steps toward thesis and project completion embedded into the required coursework. Any student considering going on to a Ph.D. program should choose the Research Track.

Training

Practicum courses meet the experiential learning requirements of the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI), and accounts for a portion of the supervision hours required by the BACB® . For a full explanation of supervision requirements, please visit the BACB® website. This is three credits in the Research Track and six credits in the Practitioner Track.

Each online program version student is responsible for identifying potential practicum/internship sites.

Students registered in this program incur a one-time $195 Experiential Learning Technology Fee.