This program is pending Chancellor’s Office approval.
The Master of Science (MS) degree in Applied Behavior Analysis, offered by the Department of Psychology , is designed to provide the student with the necessary theoretical and practical training to function as Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) providing clinical services. This is a summer-start, cohort-based program. Students will learn to conduct assessment and interventions that are empirically supported and well-grounded in behavioral theory. The program prepares students to work in a variety of settings (e.g., in-home services, schools, clinics). The required academic coursework meets the Behavior Analyst Certification Board’s Task List (i.e., graduates of the program will have completed all necessary academic coursework to become a BCBA). The program contains a robust fieldwork element, and students will also need to obtain an additional supervised experience and pass the BACB certification examination to meet BCBA licensing requirements
To be eligible for admission into the Applied Behavior Analysis program, you must:
1. Meet all of the University graduate admission requirements.
2. Have completed a Bachelor’s degree with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
3. Provide evidence of 100 hours of volunteer or work experience that establishes the ability to develop interpersonal and professional competencies required of practicing behavior analysts (as supported by a letter of recommendation from a supervisor and discussion of how the experience informs applicant’s development as a behavior analyst in their personal statement).
4. Complete college-level coursework that provides a background in foundational aspects of psychology. Note: Students may be provisionally admitted to the program under conditional classified standing if this coursework is in progress at the time of application and will be completed prior to the start of the program.
Additional recommended qualifications for admission include:
5. Accruing at least 100 hours of work and/or volunteer applied experience in behavior analysis.
6. Completing college-level coursework in behavior analysis.
Undergraduate Courses in Psychology Required for Admission
The successful applicant will have taken the following courses or their equivalent:
1. General or Introduction to Psychology (SJSU course PSYC 1 )
2. Elementary Statistics (SJSU course STAT 95 )
3. Introduction to Research Methods (SJSU course PSYC 18 or PSYC 118 or PSYC 120 ) Students may be offered conditional classified admission to the program if this coursework is in progress at the time of application and will be completed prior to the start of the program.
Undergraduate Courses in Psychology Recommended for Admission Applicants are strongly recommended to take the following additional courses before applying to the program:
4. Human Learning (SJSU course PSYC 155 )
5. Applied Behavior Analysis (SJSU course PSYC 156 )
Although not strictly required to gain admission into the MS ABA program, these two courses provide a strong foundation for success in the program. Having successfully completed these courses will be considered a positive factor in the admissions process.
1. The student must complete a total of 36 units in behavior analysis as specified in the table below.
2. Candidates must demonstrate satisfactory performance on a capstone project involving a comprehensive write-up and related oral examination.
3. The University requires that all graduate students complete the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) as a condition for advancement to candidacy. Courses that satisfy the GWAR are listed in the course requirements for the program
Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement
At SJSU, students must pass the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) .
Culminating Experience
Students will complete a capstone project as their culminating experience. There are two options for this project. Option A is a systematic literature review on a topic related to behavior-analytic practice. Option B is a research project that involves novel collection of experimental data to answer a behavior-analytic research question. Students wishing to continue to a PhD program in behavior analysis are advised to complete Option B. The final written product of either version of the capstone project will be an APA-style manuscript of quality suitable for publication in a peer-reviewed behavior-analytic journal. Students will complete an oral exam (defense) with a faculty committee after submitting the written portion of their capstone.
Grade Requirements
To graduate from the program, students are required to complete each course in the curriculum with a B or higher (for letter-graded courses) or credit awarded (for courses graded on a credit/no-credit basis).
