Applied Behavior Analysis (M.Ed.)

Designed for licensed special education teachers who want to practice ABA in educational settings or are specifically interested in training focused on school-based applications that integrate best ABA and SPED practices.

campus

Join a community of scholars whose mission is to deliver high-quality behavioral services under challenging, real-world conditions and develop and extend behavioral technology to improve the lives of individuals with disabilities. The program is housed within the U.S. News & World Report No. 1 ranked Department of Special Education, home to groundbreaking research, innovative practices, and widely used methods.

Program Overview

Our Association for Behavior Analysis International-verified course sequence and fieldwork opportunities are grounded in educational research and technology and challenge students to integrate applied behavior analysis into educational practice.

In addition to coursework, you'll have opportunities to apply the principles, concepts, and skills you acquire through fieldwork placements in school, clinic, and home settings. You'll can also collaborate on and assist with research projects led by our esteemed faculty in special education and ABA. And you'll join a supportive professional community that facilitates continuing education and development.

Careers

There's a growing need for Board Certified Behavior Analysts. According to the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, annual demand has grown each year since 2010, with job postings increasing by 190 percent from 2018 to 2021 alone.

The Peabody Difference

  • Our Association for Behavior Analysis International-verified course sequence and fieldwork opportunities are grounded in educational research and technology and challenge students to integrate applied behavior analysis into educational practice.
  • Our master’s students collaborate on and assist with research projects led by our esteemed faculty in special education and ABA.
  • Students also participate in fieldwork opportunities in school, clinic, and home settings and network with others who share the goal of improving the lives of individuals with disabilities and their families through research-based practice.

Program Facts

Program Director: Johanna Staubitz
Admissions Coordinator: Kelly Limina
Admission Term: Fall
Credit Hours: 30-31

Application Dates

  • Application Deadline 1

    January 3

  • Application Deadline 2

    February 3

  • Rolling Admissions

    After February 3*

    *Applications received after the Feb 3 second deadline are reviewed on a rolling basis and accepted as space and funds allow.

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Program Curriculum

The ABA master’s degree program stresses both classroom and field-based learning and is designed to meet degree and coursework requirements set by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB). You'll plan your program of study, which includes our Association for Behavior Analysis International-Verified Course Sequence, in consultation with your faculty advisor and based on your track within the program. You may participate in one of four special education emphasis tracks (i.e., early childhood special education, high incidence disabilities, severe disabilities, or visual disabilities), which include additional coursework in the selected special education emphasis area (see coursework below). If you are a licensed special education teacher, you have the additional option of participating in a general track, in which you will select electives as supplements to the ABA sequence.

Field-based learning occurs in two semester-long internships with ABA service providers and is designed to contribute toward, although not meet, the fieldwork requirements set by the BACB. You will complete remaining hours on your own* (e.g., via employment as a Registered Behavior Technician ®). Students typically complete required fieldwork within six months to one year following graduation. Completing fieldwork marks the completion of all three requirements to apply for the Board Certified Behavior Analyst certification examination (i.e., master’s degree, BACB-required coursework, and BACB-required fieldwork).

*International students on F-1 visas should expect to complete fieldwork hours required by the BACB during Optional Practical Training (OPT).

Coursework

  • Courses by Specialization

    Early Childhood Special Education

    • SPED 7400 Management Procedures for Academic and Social Behavior
    • SPED 8400 Experimental Analysis of Behavior
    • SPEDE 7400 Instruction and Learning in Early Childhood Special Education
    • SPEDE 7450 Screening and Assessment in Early Childhood Special Education
    • SPED 8810 Intro to Single Case Research Methodology
    • SPEDH 7600 Advanced Procedures in Classroom Management and Social Skills
    • SPEDE 7800 Speech and Language for Exceptional Learners
    • SPED 7981 Theory in Behavior Analysis
    • SPED 7430 Administering Ethical Behavior Analytic Services
    • SPED 7980 ABA Practicum

    High Incidence Disabilities

    • SPED 7400 Management Procedures for Academic and Social Behavior
    • SPED 8400 Experimental Analysis of Behavior
    • SPEDH 7620 Intensive Intervention - Behavior
    • SPED 8810 Intro to Single Case Research Methodology
    • SPED 7981 Theory in Behavior Analysis
    • SPED 7100 Trends and Issues (LD or BD)
    • or SPED 7200
    • SPEDH 7610 Intensive Intervention - Academic
    • SPED 7430 Administering Ethical Behavior Analytic Services
    • SPED 7600 Advanced Procedures in Classroom Management and Social Skills
    • SPED 7980 ABA Practicum

    Severe Disabilities

    • SPED 7400 Management Procedures for Academic and Social Behavior
    • SPED 8400 Experimental Analysis of Behavior
    • SPEDS 7250 Methods of Instruction for Students with I/MD
    • SPEDS 7700 Characteristics of Students with I/MD
    • SPED 8810 Intro to Single Case Research Methodology
    • SPED 7981 Theory in Behavior Analysis
    • SPED 7430 Administering Ethical Behavior Analytic Services
    • SPED 7600 Advanced Procedures in Classroom Management and Social Skills
    • SPED 7980 ABA Practicum

    Severe Program Elective Note: Selected from list below by student and advisor and approved by Director of Professional Studies; may include additional 1-hr practicum

    • SPED 7710 - Current Issues in Autism and Severe Disabilities
    • SPEDS 7000 - Advanced issues in Family Intervention
    • SPEDS 7300 - Advanced Procedures for Transition to Adult Life
    • SPEDS 7100 - Augmentative and Alternative Communication
    • SPEDS 7200 - Advanced Access to General Education and Teaching Functional Academics
    • SPEDS 7600 - Teaching Reading to Students with Severe Disabilities

Our Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Throughout our courses, we highlight the importance of advocating and promoting equity among students with special needs. We focus on including all students, no matter their background, needs, or skills level. We do this by teaching our scholars to be strong team members and collaborators, by having high expectations while developing their professional dispositions, and by providing field experiences in high-need schools with diverse learners.

Selected Faculty Research

Jeannette Mancilla-Martinez, associate professor of special education and associate dean for graduate education

Jeannette Mancilla-Martinez, associate professor of special education and associate dean for graduate education

Professor Mancilla-Martinez's program of research focuses on advancing student's language and reading comprehension, including those of students from Spanish-speaking, low-income homes. Her studies build on her earlier research in reading development and the central importance of supporting student's language comprehension to mitigate later reading comprehension difficulties.

Faculty

ABA program faculty have years of experience designing and evaluating function-based interventions for the challenging behavior of individuals with disabilities. All are themselves Board Certified Behavior Analysts.

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