School of Psychology

Applied Behavioral Analysis Program

Program Information

The mission of our M.S. Behavior Analysis Degree Programs is to produce competent behavior-analytic practitioners and consultants, who are solidly grounded in basic principles derived from the experimental analysis of behavior (EAB), who approach the world from a radical behaviorist perspective, who will continue to inform their practice with current research findings, contribute to behavioral research, who attain BCBA certification, and who are prepared to enter doctoral programs.

 

The mission of our Ph.D. Behavior Analysis Degree Program is to produce competent behavior-analytic researchers, instructors, and practitioners who are solidly grounded in basic principles derived from the experimental analysis of behavior (EAB). We expect graduates of our doctoral program to approach the world from a radical behaviorist perspective, continue to contribute to behavioral research, inform their practice with current research findings, obtain academic and professional positions, and effectively manage behavior analysts under their supervision.

 

Florida Tech offers four different graduate degrees in behavior analysis:

(1) Masters of Science (M.S.) in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), which focuses on clinical and educational applications

(2) M.S. in Organizational Behavior Management (OBM), which focuses on business and industry applications

(3) M.S. in ABA plus OBM, which focuses on both

(4) Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Behavior Analysis

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)

Locations and Schedule

The ABA clinical program is available in two locations: Melbourne, FL and Orlando, FL

 

Main Campus in Melbourne, FL

Our main campus offers a traditional weekday schedule for classes and other activities.

Melbourne is located on the central east coast of Florida. The area offers a delightful year-round subtropical climate and is 10 minutes from the ocean and beaches. Kennedy Space Center and the massive NASA complex are just 45 minutes north of Melbourne.

 

Orlando Graduate Center

The ABA degree program is also offered at our satellite campus in the Baldwin Park area of Orlando. Classes are mostly on Friday afternoons and Saturdays. The satellite program is geared to meet the needs of working professionals and/or those who live close enough to commute to Orlando without moving there.

Most of the faculty members based at the main campus commute to Orlando on Fridays and/or weekends to work with students there. In addition, two part-time ABA faculty members are based at the Orlando Graduate Center.

The city of Orlando is about one hour west of Florida Tech’s main campus. For directions to the Orlando Graduate Center click here.

 

Schedule

Students are expected to be full-time at both locations

Students typically complete the program in four regular semesters plus the intervening summer.

 

Admission Requirements

An applicant should hold a bachelor' degree in psychology, education, or other related fields, although graduates from other fields are encouraged to apply. In order to qualify, an applicant should have a grade point average of 3.0 (B) or higher out of a 4.0 scale. Applicants should submit the following materials:

1) Graduate Application and fee

2) A curriculum vitae

3) A statement of career objectives

4) Three letters of recommendation

5) Graduate Record Examination General Test scores

6) Official transcripts of undergraduate and graduate courses

All applications should be submitted to the Graduate Admissions Office by February 15 for the following Fall semester, but will be accepted throughout the year. Preadmission visits to the campus and conferences with faculty and students are strongly encouraged.

To request information, complete an online inquiry, or submit an online application, please access the Graduate School Admissions web site.

To ask questions of the ABA program that are not covered on this web site, click here.

 

Prerequisites

A student without a bachelor's degree in psychology may be required to complete up to nine credit hours of psychology course work at the undergraduate level before registering for graduate-level courses. A student, who has not completed a class either in basic principles of learning (or conditioning), in basic principles of behavior or an introductory class in behavior analysis, or the equivalent, may not be able to register for ABA core classes until such a pre-requisite is completed. A student, who has not completed a physiological psychology class or the equivalent, may not enroll in either PSY 5105 (Biological Foundations of Behavior) or PSY 5511 (Clinical Psychopharmacology). These courses are in addition to the 42-credit degree requirement. A student with no previous behavior analysis-related experience may be required to obtain such experience prior to enrolling in practicum.

 

Program Requirements

2010 - 2012 admitted students must meet a minimum of 48 semester credit hours. Requirements include completing the following:

(1) Behavior analysis core curriculum (16 credit hours), all courses for a letter grade must be passed with a grade of B or better,

(2) Additional course work related to clinical and educational applications of ABA,

(3) Intensive practical training (12 credit hours),

(4) Either a capstone project or a thesis,

(5) A final program examination*

Students admitted for a start date in 2013 must meet a minimum of 44 semester credit hours. Requirements include the following:

(1) Completing the behavior analysis core curriculum (24 credit hours),

(2) A course covering biological foundations of behavior/behavioral pharmacology (3 credits),

(3) Intensive practical training (9 credit hours),

(4) Either a capstone project course and five credits of pre-approved electives or a thesis, thesis preparation, and one credit of elective (8 credits),

(5) A final program examination*.

* The final program examination for all students consists of a multiple-choice examination simulating the Behavior Analyst Certification Board’s certification examination at the behavior analyst (BABA) level. Typically, the final program examination will be administered toward the end of the student’s final semester of residency.

 

Master's Degree Program Plan

Organizational Behavior Management (OBM)

Location

The OBM degree program is only offered at our main campus in Melbourne, FL.

Melbourne is located on the central east coast of Florida. The area offers a delightful year-round subtropical climate and is 10 minutes from the ocean and beaches. Kennedy Space Center and the massive NASA complex are just 45 minutes north of Melbourne.

 Note: Students in the OBM program may do their first year at the Orlando site and apply for transfer to the main campus site for their second year.

 

Schedule

Our main campus offers a traditional weekday schedule for classes and other activities.

Students are expected to be full-time.

Students typically complete the program in four regular semesters plus the intervening summer.

 

Admission Requirements

An applicant should hold a bachelor' degree in psychology, education, or other related fields, although graduates from other fields are encouraged to apply. In order to qualify, an applicant should have a grade point average of 3.0 (B) or higher out of a 4.0 scale. Applicants should submit the following materials:

1) Graduate Application and fee

2) A curriculum vitae

3) A statement of career objectives

4) Three letters of recommendation

5) Graduate Record Examination General Test scores

6) Official transcripts of undergraduate and graduate courses

All applications should be submitted to the Graduate Admissions Office by February 15 for the following Fall semester, but will be accepted throughout the year. Preadmission visits to the campus and conferences with faculty and students are strongly encouraged.

To request information, complete an online inquiry, or submit an online application, please access the Graduate School Admissions web site.

To ask questions of the ABA program that are not covered on this web site, click here.

 

Prerequisites

A student without a bachelor's degree in psychology may be required to complete up to nine credit hours of psychology course work at the undergraduate level before registering for graduate-level courses. A student, who has not completed a class either in basic principles of learning (or conditioning), in basic principles of behavior or an introductory class in behavior analysis, or the equivalent, may not be able to register for ABA core classes until such a pre-requisite is completed. A student, who has not completed a physiological psychology class or the equivalent, may not enroll in either PSY 5105 (Biological Foundations of Behavior) or PSY 5511 (Clinical Psychopharmacology). These courses are in addition to the 42-credit degree requirement. A student with no previous behavior analysis-related experience may be required to obtain such experience prior to enrolling in practicum.

To request information, complete an online inquiry, or submit an online application, please access the Graduate School Admissions web site.

To ask questions of the ABA program that are not covered on this web site, click here.

 

Program Requirements

2010 - 2012 admitted students must have a minimum of 42 semester credit hours is required. Requirements include completing the following:

(1) The Behavior Analysis core curriculum (16 credits) with a grade of B or better in each core course,

(2) Additional coursework related to OBM,

(3) Either a thesis or an intensive practical training and a capstone project,

(4) A final program examination*

Students admitted for a start date in 2013 and beyond must have a minimum of 42 semester credit hours is required. Requirements include completing the following:

(1) The Behavior Analysis core curriculum (16 credits) with a grade of B or better in each core course,

(2) Additional coursework related to OBM,

(3) Either a thesis or intensive practical training and a capstone project,

(4) A final program examination*

* The final program examination for all students consists of a multiple-choice examination simulating the Behavior Analyst Certification BoardÒ certification examination at the behavior analyst (BCBAÒ) level and covers material from the Behavior Analysis Core courses. The final program examination is administered toward the end of the student’s second Spring semester.

Master's Degree Program Plan

2010 - 2012 Student Program Plan:

Applied Behavior Analysis + Organizational Behavior Management (ABA + OBM)

Location

The ABA + OBM degree program is offered at our main campus in Melbourne.

Melbourne is located on the central east coast of Florida. The area offers a delightful year-round subtropical climate and is 10 minutes from the ocean and beaches. Kennedy Space Center and the massive NASA complex are just 45 minutes north of Melbourne.

Note: Students in the ABA + OBM program may do their first year at the Orlando site and apply for transfer to the main campus site for their second year.

 

Schedule

Our main campus offers a traditional weekday schedule for classes and other activities.

Students are expected to be full-time.

Students typically complete the program in four regular semesters plus the intervening summer.

 

Admission Requirements

An applicant should hold a bachelor' degree in psychology, education, or other related fields, although graduates from other fields are encouraged to apply. In order to qualify, an applicant should have a grade point average of 3.0 (B) or higher out of a 4.0 scale. Applicants should submit the following materials:

1) Graduate Application and fee

2) A curriculum vitae

3) A statement of career objectives

4) Three letters of recommendation

5) Graduate Record Examination General Test scores

6) Official transcripts of undergraduate and graduate courses

All applications should be submitted to the Graduate Admissions Office by February 15 for the following Fall semester, but will be accepted throughout the year. Preadmission visits to the campus and conferences with faculty and students are strongly encouraged.

To request information, complete an online inquiry, or submit an online application, please access the Graduate School Admissions web site.

To ask questions of the ABA program that are not covered on this web site, click here.

 

Prerequisites

A student without a bachelor's degree in psychology may be required to complete up to nine credit hours of psychology course work at the undergraduate level before registering for graduate-level courses. A student, who has not completed a class either in basic principles of learning (or conditioning), in basic principles of behavior or an introductory class in behavior analysis, or the equivalent, may not be able to register for ABA core classes until such a pre-requisite is completed. A student, who has not completed a physiological psychology class or the equivalent, may not enroll in either PSY 5105 (Biological Foundations of Behavior) or PSY 5511 (Clinical Psychopharmacology). These courses are in addition to the 42-credit degree requirement. A student with no previous behavior analysis-related experience may be required to obtain such experience prior to enrolling in practicum.

 

Program Requirements

2010 - 2012 admitted students must meet a minimum of 57 credit hours is required for this program. Requirements include completing the following:

(1) Behavior analysis core curriculum (16 credit hours) with a grade of B or better in each core course

(2) Additional course work related to clinical and education applications of applied behavior analysis

(3) Additional course work related to organizational behavior management

(4) Intensive practical training in both areas (16 credit hours)

(5) A capstone project in each of the areas

(6) A final program examination*

Students admitted for a start date in 2013 and beyond must have a minimum of 50 credit hours for this program. Requirements include completing the following:

(1) The behavior analysis core curriculum (19 credit hours) with a grade of B or better in each core course,

(2) Additional coursework related to clinical and education applications of applied behavior analysis,

(3) Additional coursework related to organizational behavior management,

(4) Intensive practical training (9 credit hours),

(5) A capstone project in both ABA and OBM and an approved elective OR a thesis and thesis preperation,

(6) A final program examination*

* The final program examination for all students consists of a multiple-choice examination simulating the Behavior Analyst Certification Board’sTM Certification Examination at the behavior analyst (BCBA) level. Typically, the final program examination will be administered toward the end of the student’s final semester or residency.

 

Master's Degree Program Plan

2010 - 2012 Student Program Plan:

Applied Behavior Analysis Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Location and Schedule

The Ph.D. program is only offered at our main campus in Melbourne, FL.

Melbourne is located on the central east coast of Florida. The area offers a delightful year-round subtropical climate and is 10 minutes from the ocean and beaches. Kennedy Space Center and the massive NASA complex are just 45 minutes north of Melbourne.

 

Schedule

Classes are offered mostly on weekdays, but some evening and weekend commitment is required.

 

Admission Requirements

A doctoral applicant must submit the following:

(1) A graduate application and fee

(2) A statement of career objectives

(3) A curriculum vitae and supplemental form

(4) Three letters of reference

(5) Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test scores (Verbal and Quantitative)

(6) Official transcripts of all previous coursework beyond high school.

All applications should be submitted to Graduate Admissions by January 15. Admission to the doctoral program is typically granted to between two and five students per year. Preadmission contact with the faculty is strongly encouraged.

 

Prerequisites

A doctoral applicant should have all of the following:

(1) A Master’s degree in Behavior Analysis or a degree in a related field with an emphasis in behavior analysis (applicant should be close to completing the degree if they have not already)

(2) Active certification as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst

(3) A graduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.6 (on a scale of 4.0) or higher

(4) An undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (on a scale of 4.0) or higher

(5) A combined verbal and quantitative score of 297 or higher, with the Verbal Reasonging score not being below 153 and Quantitative Reasoning score not being below 144 , on the most recent updated Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test. 

 

To request information, complete an online inquiry, or submit an online application, please access the Graduate School Admissions web site.

To ask questions of the ABA program that are not covered on this web site, click here.

 

Program Requirements

2010 - 2012 admitted students must meet a minimum of 83 semester credit hours. 42 credit hours must be completed at Florida Tech. If a doctoral student who has completed a Master’s degree is not a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and does not meet the supervision requirements to sit for the BCBA exam, he or she may be required to take up to 12 credits of BEH 5250 Intensive Practical Training in Applied Behavior Analysis. Requirements also include completing (1) at least 15 semester hours of graded credit in additional program courses, (2) 6 credits of supervised research, and (3) at least 18 credits of dissertation. All course work must be completed with a grade of B or better. Doctoral students must also demonstrate competency in research, teaching, supervision and consultation, pass a comprehensive examination, present a completed dissertation manuscript, and successfully defend the results of their dissertation.

Students admitted for a start date in 2013 and beyond must meet a minimum of 87 semester credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree, of which at least 44 semester credit hours must be completed at Florida Tech with no grades lower than B. Students must demonstrate competency in research, teaching, supervision and consultation, and pass a comprehensive examination, before being admitted to candidacy. Candidates must present a completed dissertation manuscript and successfully defend the results to the dissertation committee.

If a doctoral student has completed a master’s degree but is not a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA®) or does not meet the supervision requirements to sit for the BCBA examination, the student may be required to take up to 9 credit hours of Intensive Practical Training in Behavior Analysis (BEH 5251).

In addition, students must complete at least 15 semester credit hours of graded coursework in program courses, six credits of supervised research and at least 18 credits of dissertation. Students with a master’s degree from another institution may be required to complete additional coursework if an equivalent course was not completed.

Admission to candidacy requires the successful completion of the following components.

  1. A minimum of 18 semester credit hours beyond the master’s degree.
  2. Certification as a board-certified behavior analyst.
  3. Approval of either of the following by a committee that is identical to the dissertation committee:
    • A literature review paper that is deemed acceptable for submission for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Submission is required for admission to candidacy. The topic of this paper must be distinct from the topic of the dissertation.
    • Completion of a grant application that is deemed by the committee to be acceptable for submission to a granting agency.