If you want to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) in Virginia, you can find graduate options that build your applied behavior analysis (ABA) skills through coursework aligned to the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) standards, plus fieldwork planning and professional preparation.
Popular Virginia options include George Mason University, Mary Baldwin University, Shenandoah University, Liberty University, Old Dominion University, and the University of Virginia, giving you choices that include on-campus and online formats.
Virginia BCBA programs can support careers in schools, clinics, hospitals, community agencies, and organizational settings where data-driven behavior change is essential.
BCBA Programs in Virginia
Listed below are some of the popular schools offering BCBA programs in Virginia:
- George Mason University
- Mary Baldwin University
- Shenandoah University
- Liberty University
- Old Dominion University
- University of Virginia
George Mason University
Master of Education (MEd) in Special Education, Concentration in Behavior Analysis (Online)
The George Mason University MEd in Special Education with a Concentration in Behavior Analysis is a graduate pathway designed for you if you want a master’s degree that integrates special education foundations with behavior-analytic coursework. The program focuses on scientifically grounded methods for describing, predicting, and changing behavior across applied settings.
You complete 36 credits to earn the degree. Coursework is delivered in a 100% online format with asynchronous instruction, which can help you balance graduate study with work and personal responsibilities while maintaining steady progress in a structured curriculum.
The concentration is designed to meet 2027 BACB coursework requirements for eligibility to sit for the BCBA exam under the applicable pathway, while also strengthening your competence in research and professional practice. The program emphasizes both conceptual fluency and applied problem-solving, not only test preparation.
A distinctive feature is the program’s integration of behavior analysis with research expectations. You complete a thesis sequence, which helps you build strong skills in analyzing evidence, using behavior-analytic research methods, and communicating results with clarity and professionalism.
The program is not a teacher preparation pathway and does not lead to teacher licensure. Instead, it is built for students who want behavior-analytic competence that can be applied across populations and environments, including work with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, health and wellness behavior goals, and substance use concerns.
In terms of program length, the structure uses 8-week modules and offers multiple entry points across the academic year. Many students complete the program in about 2 years with consistent enrollment, though your pace can vary based on course load and term planning.
Courses and Curriculum
George Mason’s curriculum is organized so you build competency in layers. You start with graduate-level foundations that support your work in special education and behavior analysis, then progress into the behavior-analytic core where you strengthen skills in principles, research methods, assessment, and intervention design. This sequencing helps you develop strong decision-making habits rather than learning topics in isolation.
A major emphasis is applied measurement and research thinking. You learn how to define behavior precisely, choose measurement systems that fit real settings, and interpret data patterns to guide intervention decisions. The coursework supports the kind of analytic reasoning you need when behavior is complex, environments are dynamic, and stakeholders need clear explanations of what the data show.
The curriculum also emphasizes professionalism and ethical practice in day-to-day work. You study ethical conduct, build communication skills for collaboration, and learn to consider systems-level variables that influence implementation. Group assignments and structured collaboration requirements help you practice professional routines you will use in real service settings.
Some of the core courses that you will take include:
- EDSE 501: Introduction to Special Education (3 credits): You learn core disability categories, service delivery models, and legal and instructional foundations that shape behavior support in schools and related systems. The course helps you connect learner needs, educational planning, and behavior support priorities in practical ways.
- EDSE 517: Computer Applications for Special Populations (3 credits): You explore tools and technology that support instruction, accessibility, and intervention planning. You practice selecting technology supports that improve participation, data routines, and communication for individuals with diverse learning and behavioral needs.
- BEHV 602: Principles of Behavior Analysis (3 credits): You build fluency in reinforcement, extinction, stimulus control, motivating operations, and related principles. The course focuses on how principles translate into intervention logic, including how to select procedures that match learning goals and environmental conditions.
- BEHV 604: Research Methods for Behavior Analysis (3 credits): You learn the research logic and methods commonly used in behavior analysis, including measurement planning, evaluation strategies, and how to judge whether change is meaningful. The course strengthens your ability to read research critically and apply evidence to practice decisions.
- BEHV 606: Assessment of Behavior (3 credits): You develop assessment skills that inform intervention planning, including observation strategies, assessment design, and hypothesis development about behavioral function. You learn how to translate assessment results into clear priorities for teaching and behavior reduction.
- EDSE 664: Ethical and Professional Conduct for Behavior Analysis (3 credits): You strengthen ethical decision-making and professional conduct through applied scenarios. The course emphasizes responsible documentation, scope-of-practice choices, stakeholder communication, and risk reduction strategies that protect clients and support service quality.
- BEHV 607: Organizational Behavior Management (3 credits): You learn how behavior analysis applies to systems and staff performance. You practice concepts such as performance measurement, feedback systems, training design, and treatment integrity supports that help programs run consistently and effectively.
- BEHV 798 and BEHV 799: Thesis I and Thesis II (6 credits total): You complete a structured thesis experience that strengthens your ability to define a problem, connect it to literature, select an appropriate method, and communicate findings. This sequence helps you develop professional writing and analytic skills that support long-term growth in behavior-analytic roles.
Practical Experience
Practical training includes fieldwork completed at approved sites with virtual supervision. This structure can support your ability to build applied skills while remaining in your own community, as long as the site meets program expectations and supervision requirements.
You can use fieldwork to strengthen real-world competencies such as operational definitions, data collection routines, intervention implementation, treatment integrity monitoring, and professional collaboration. Because applied work requires consistent communication, the program also includes mandatory group assignments that help you practice coordination and professional teamwork.
Learning Outcomes
- Apply core behavior-analytic principles to explain and influence socially significant behavior.
- Define behavior precisely and select measurement systems that produce meaningful, usable data.
- Use research and evaluation logic to judge whether interventions are effective and sustainable.
- Conduct behavior assessment activities that inform function-based intervention planning.
- Design intervention plans that emphasize skill-building, context fit, and data-based decision rules.
- Demonstrate ethical and professional conduct in behavior-analytic service delivery situations.
- Use organizational behavior management strategies to improve implementation fidelity and staff performance.
- Communicate behavior-analytic goals, procedures, and outcomes clearly to stakeholders and teams.
Career Preparation & Outcomes
This program prepares you for behavior-analytic roles across educational, clinical, health, and organizational environments where behavior change is a primary service goal. Your training supports competence in assessment-informed planning, measurement and evaluation, ethical decision-making, and systems-level implementation, all of which are important for BCBA-aligned career pathways. The university’s six-year graduation rate is 69.8%.
Admissions Requirements
- Graduate application and fee submitted through the online graduate application system.
- 750 to 1,000 word written statement describing goals and interest in the program.
- Current resume.
- Two letters of recommendation submitted through the online system.
- Transcripts from all previous institutions attended.
- Minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale in baccalaureate study (students below 3.0 are encouraged to address context in the goal statement).
- Additional documentation as required for international transcripts and English proficiency when applicable.
Application Deadlines
Priority deadlines are April 1 (fall), November 1 (spring), and February 1 (summer). Space-available deadlines are August 17 (fall), January 9 (spring), and May 1 (summer).
Mary Baldwin University
Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis (Online)
The Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis at Mary Baldwin University is a fully online graduate program that prepares you for advanced study and applied work in behavior analysis while completing coursework aligned with BACB’s expectations. This online format allows you to complete graduate study from anywhere while working or managing other professional responsibilities.
You complete 30 credit hours of graduate coursework to earn the MSABA degree. The program is designed to be completed in about 2 years when following the structured sequence, though part-time pacing is also an option for professionals balancing work and family priorities.
The curriculum blends foundational principles with evidence-based methods for assessment, measurement, intervention design, and ethical practice. You build analytical skills that help you interpret behavior change data, design effective interventions that fit individual and contextual needs, and communicate professionally with caregivers, teachers, and interdisciplinary teams.
Mary Baldwin’s program emphasizes applied competence and professional readiness. Courses include case analysis examples, project-oriented assignments, and opportunities to reflect on real world decision-making. The online delivery is supported by faculty mentorship and structured feedback to help you progress confidently through the behavior analytic sequence.
The program also supports your planning for supervised fieldwork required for BCBA certification eligibility after completing coursework. You complete practicum planning and professional practice discussions that help strengthen routines such as data collection, behavioral assessment participation, and implementation integrity in community settings.
Courses and Curriculum
Mary Baldwin’s online ABA curriculum begins with core foundations that help you connect conceptual principles with practical service questions. You learn how analysts define behavior, select measurement systems, interpret data patterns over time, and make responsible treatment decisions. These early courses support a strong analytic mindset that you use in more complex planning.
As you move forward, coursework emphasizes applied aspects of behavior analysis such as functional assessment, intervention design, and ethical practice. You also explore systems-level variables such as staff performance and consultation practices that help services run reliably and consistently across settings.
Later courses focus on professional issues in ABA, including supervision considerations, treatment integrity strategies, and applied decision-making in diverse environments such as schools, human services, and community support organizations. Project-based assignments help you practice analytic reasoning and professional documentation skills that employers value.
Some of the core courses that you will take include:
- Foundations of Behavior Analysis: You build a firm understanding of core principles that explain why behavior occurs and how applied methods support skill acquisition and problem behavior reduction. These foundations guide all later decisions within the program.
- Measurement and Data Interpretation: You learn how to select measurement systems, record behavioral data accurately, and interpret outcomes so that your analytic decisions are justified and defensible.
- Functional Behavior Assessment: You study methods that help you identify environmental variables related to behavior, interpret assessment findings, and build intervention priorities tied to function.
- Behavior Change Procedures: You practice designing evidence-based intervention plans that include antecedent strategies, reinforcement systems, and data-based adjustments over time.
- Ethical and Professional Practice: You explore ethical decision-making and professional responsibilities expected in behavior-analytic practice, including boundaries, consent, documentation, and risk reduction.
- Supervision and Consultation in ABA: You learn how to support implementation through consultation, supervision routines, performance feedback, and systems-level approaches that strengthen treatment integrity.
- Single Case Research Design: You examine basic applied research methods used in behavior analysis, including single-case design logic and criteria for evaluating intervention effectiveness.
- Applied Project Seminar: You complete a culminating project that synthesizes curriculum content, applies analytic reasoning to a real-world problem, and demonstrates professional competence in designing and evaluating behavior analytic services.
Practical Experience
While the degree itself is delivered online and does not contain built-in supervised fieldwork hours, the program is structured to help you align your coursework with external supervised experience placements. Faculty mentors help you integrate academic skills such as data collection routines, assessment participation, and treatment integrity procedures into fieldwork planning.
These experiences are typically completed at approved settings such as schools, clinics, or human services agencies and require supervision from a qualified BCBA. You plan site requirements and supervision schedules in consultation with faculty and field supervisors.
Learning Outcomes
- Define core behavior analytic terms and explain how behavior changes across conditions.
- Select measurement systems that produce reliable and meaningful data.
- Conduct functional behavior assessments that guide intervention decision-making.
- Design evidence-based behavior change plans that match assessment findings and contextual constraints.
- Apply ethical decision-making and professional conduct strategies in ABA practice situations.
- Use supervision and consultation strategies that support implementation quality and consistency.
- Analyze behavioral data using single case research logic to evaluate effectiveness.
- Communicate behavior analytic procedures, goals, and outcomes professionally in written and verbal formats.
Career Preparation & Outcomes
Mary Baldwin’s online ABA program prepares you for roles in behavior support, intervention planning, and program coordination in schools, community agencies, and clinical environments. You strengthen skills in assessment, intervention design, data interpretation, consultation, and ethical decision-making that employers value in behavior-analytic settings. The university’s graduation rate is 58 percent.
Admissions Requirements
- Completed graduate application.
- Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution.
- Official transcripts from all prior colleges and universities.
- Minimum GPA requirement (3.0).
- Resume or curriculum vitae.
- Personal statement outlining professional goals
- Two letters of recommendation.
Application Deadlines
Mary Baldwin University accepts applications for fall and spring start terms.
Shenandoah University
Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis (Online)
The Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis at Shenandoah University is an online graduate program structured to provide you with comprehensive instruction in behavior analysis, including assessment, intervention design, ethical conduct, measurement, and professional practice. The curriculum supports preparation for BCBA coursework requirements while allowing you to complete graduate study in a flexible online format.
To earn the degree, you complete 36 credit hours of ABA coursework. The structured online format is delivered through a combination of asynchronous content and regular faculty interactions, which supports steady progress while you manage other responsibilities such as work or family.
The program is designed to be completed in about two years of study when you follow the recommended course sequence. Coursework includes foundational principles of applied behavior analysis, applied measurement and assessment strategies, intervention techniques, ethical practice, and consultation skills that support BCBA-aligned competencies.
Shenandoah’s ABA program emphasizes evidence-based practice, professional communication, and data-based decision-making in applied settings. Each course is structured to help you build applied analytic routines that you can integrate into fieldwork placements or professional service roles.
The curriculum also highlights applied skills such as functional behavior assessment, environmental analysis, and intervention selection. You learn how to gather meaningful data and use that information to plan and adjust intervention strategies that fit learner needs.
Courses and Curriculum
Shenandoah University’s ABA curriculum follows a developmental sequence. You begin with behavior analytic foundations and measurement systems that emphasize operational definitions, reliable data collection, and basic experimental logic. This foundation supports your work in complex clinical and applied settings.
Next, you move into applied coursework that focuses on functional assessment methods, intervention design plans, and ethical decision-making. These courses emphasize how to interpret assessment results and match interventions to behavioral function, which is essential in real-world behavior analytic practice.
Advanced coursework in the sequence includes consultation and supervision skills, organizational behavior management concepts, and advanced intervention systems. Through project-based learning and case analysis, you practice communication with stakeholders, treatment integrity monitoring, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Some of the core courses that you will take include:
- Principles of Applied Behavior Analysis: You study foundational ABA concepts that guide how behavior is explained and changed in applied settings. The course focuses on key principles such as reinforcement, stimulus control, motivating operations, and the logic of behavior change.
- Measurement and Experimental Design: You learn how to select measurement systems, collect precise data, and use experimental design logic to judge whether interventions are producing meaningful change in behavior.
- Functional Behavioral Assessment: You are trained in methods that help you identify environmental variables influencing behavior and develop hypotheses that guide intervention planning.
- Behavior Change Procedures: You examine evidence-based strategies to teach new skills and reduce problem behavior, with emphasis on context fit and procedural integrity.
- Ethics and Professional Conduct: You explore ethical and professional decision-making strategies expected of behavior analysts, including boundaries, documentation, consent, and risk reduction.
- Consultation and Supervision: You develop skills for working with teams, coaching staff, and providing consultation that supports treatment consistency.
- Organizational Behavior Management: You focus on how behavior analysis applies to systems-level performance, staff training, feedback strategies, and environmental design for implementation support.
- Capstone Project in ABA: You complete a culminating project that integrates key elements of the curriculum, demonstrates applied competence, and prepares you for professional challenges in behavior analysis practice.
Practical Experience
Shenandoah’s ABA program is oriented toward academic preparation for BCBA-aligned competencies, and while supervised fieldwork is not embedded within course requirements, the curriculum strengthens your analytic routines and applied decision-making so you can maximize effectiveness in fieldwork placements. Many students arrange supervised experiences in schools, clinics, and human services agencies while enrolled or after completing most coursework.
In these placements, you typically practice operational definition development, direct observation, data collection, intervention implementation, and professional communication routines that strengthen your readiness for BCBA fieldwork expectations.
Learning Outcomes
- Define behavior precisely and select measurement systems that produce reliable data.
- Conduct functional behavior assessments and interpret results to guide intervention planning.
- Design and implement evidence-based intervention strategies appropriate for diverse settings.
- Apply ethical and professional standards to behavior analytic decision-making.
- Use measurement, experimental design logic, and data interpretation to evaluate intervention effectiveness.
- Develop consultation and supervision strategies that support service implementation.
- Apply organizational behavior management strategies to improve staff and system performance.
- Demonstrate professional communication skills for collaboration with stakeholders and interdisciplinary teams.
Career Preparation & Outcomes
Shenandoah University’s ABA program helps prepare you for roles that involve behavior analytic assessment, intervention planning, and consultation in settings such as schools, clinics, and human services organizations. The knowledge and applied analytic routines you build help support future fieldwork planning and performance expectations in BCBA-aligned service roles. The university’s graduation rate is 55 percent.
Admissions Requirements
- Completed online application.
- Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution.
- Official transcripts from all prior colleges or universities.
- Minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale in bachelor’s degree.
- Resume or CV.
- Personal statement outlining professional and academic goals.
- Two letters of recommendation.
Application Deadlines
Shenandoah University admits students for fall, spring, and summer start terms. Prospective applicants should consult the university’s graduate admissions calendar for specific deadline dates to secure their preferred start term.
Liberty University
Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis (Online)
The Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis at Liberty University is an online graduate program created to provide you with academic preparation in behavior analytic principles, research methods, ethical standards, and intervention design aligned with BACB’s coursework expectations. This online format allows you to pursue your degree from any location while balancing work, family, or professional commitments.
You complete 30 semester hours of graduate coursework to earn the MSABA degree. Liberty’s program is designed so you can typically finish in about 2 years if you follow the recommended course sequencing, though part-time pacing is an option depending on your schedule.
The curriculum emphasizes measurable behavior change through applied analytic practices, including direct measurement, functional assessment, intervention planning, and ethical professional conduct. Liberty’s focus on practical application helps you connect coursework to real-world scenarios that reflect behavior analytic service contexts.
A unique feature of this program is the combination of theoretical understanding and application-focused assignments. You engage with case studies, project-based work, and applied problem-solving tasks that guide you through key ABA content areas such as reinforcement systems, behavior measurement, and consultation strategies.
The online delivery uses structured modules with regular faculty interaction and clear expectations for collaboration, which can help you stay connected to instructors and peers even when you are studying remotely. You also have access to academic support services designed to assist with research writing, library resources, and technical needs.
Graduates of Liberty’s MSABA exit with strong analytic foundations and professional readiness for roles that involve behavior support planning, assessment consultation, and program evaluation. The coursework also prepares you to pursue supervised fieldwork placements required for BCBA certification eligibility.
Courses and Curriculum
The curriculum at Liberty University begins with foundational coursework that strengthens your understanding of behavior analytic principles, the history of the field, and conceptual frameworks that guide applied practice. These initial courses help you establish a solid base from which to approach complex analytic tasks such as measurement planning and intervention design.
As you move forward, the sequence focuses on applied skills such as measurement systems, data interpretation, functional assessment, and intervention strategies. You also engage with coursework that strengthens your ethical decision-making and professional conduct, which is essential for responsible ABA service delivery in diverse populations and environments.
Later courses integrate consultation and supervision strategies that support consistency in implementation. These sequences help you develop behavior analytic thinking that considers both the needs of individual clients and the dynamics of service delivery systems such as schools, clinics, and community agencies.
Some of the core courses that you will take include:
- Basic Concepts and Principles in ABA: You learn the core behavioral principles that explain how behavior changes in response to environmental variables. These building blocks support later decisions about intervention strategies and measurement approaches.
- Measurement and Experimental Design: You study how to choose appropriate measurement systems, record behavioral data, and use experimental design logic to interpret whether behavior changes are meaningful and reliable.
- Functional Behavior Assessment: You develop skills in identifying the variables that influence behavior and in selecting assessment tools that help guide intervention planning rooted in data.
- Behavior Change Procedures: You learn to design and implement evidence-based intervention strategies that support skill acquisition and problem behavior reduction, including how to adjust plans when data show unexpected patterns.
- Ethics and Professional Conduct: You explore ethical decision-making frameworks and expectations for professional behavior advocates in ABA contexts, including strategies for consent, documentation, and risk mitigation.
- Supervision and Consultation: You study how to support performance through consultation routines, coaching approaches, and supervision practices that help staff implement behavior analytic strategies with fidelity.
- Organizational Behavior Management: You examine how behavior analytic principles apply to systems-level performance concerns such as staff training, feedback loops, and program evaluation.
- Capstone in Applied Behavior Analysis: You complete a culminating project that synthesizes analytic procedures, data interpretation, and professional decision-making into a coherent demonstration of your mastery.
Practical Experience
Liberty’s MSABA program focuses on academic preparation. Supervised fieldwork is completed externally while you use coursework assignments to strengthen your routines in measurement, assessment participation, intervention planning, and collaboration. Many students arrange fieldwork in schools, clinics, residential programs, or community agencies with supervision approved for BCBA eligibility.
You apply classroom lessons to real-world cases while collecting data, evaluating outcomes, and communicating results with supervisors and stakeholders. These experiences help you build applied competence while meeting the fieldwork clock requirements needed for BCBA certification.
Learning Outcomes
- Define and apply foundational principles of behavior analysis in applied contexts.
- Select and use appropriate measurement systems to evaluate behavior change.
- Conduct functional behavior assessments to inform intervention planning.
- Design evidence-based intervention plans that match learner needs and context constraints.
- Apply ethical and professional conduct standards to service delivery situations.
- Use supervision and consultation strategies that strengthen implementation fidelity.
- Interpret behavioral data using experimental logic to judge intervention outcomes.
- Demonstrate professional communication skills for collaboration with teams and families.
Career Preparation & Outcomes
Liberty University’s online MSABA prepares you for roles such as behavior support specialist, intervention planner, and consultant in educational, clinical, and community environments. The coursework strengthens your applied analytic skills and professional routines that support success in external supervised placements required for BCBA eligibility. The university’s graduation rate is 75 percent.
Admissions Requirements
- Completed online graduate application.
- Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution.
- Official transcripts from all prior colleges and universities.
- Minimum 2.8 GPA on a 4.0 scale in bachelor’s degree.
- Current resume.
- Personal statement outlining professional goals and fit.
- Two letters of recommendation.
Application Deadlines
Liberty University admits new students for multiple start dates throughout the year.
Old Dominion University
Graduate Certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis
The Graduate Certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis at Old Dominion University is designed for students who already hold a master’s degree or who are pursuing a related graduate degree and want targeted training in behavior analysis that aligns with BACB’s requirements. This certificate provides structured ABA coursework that supports your academic preparation to pursue BCBA certification when combined with supervised fieldwork experience.
The certificate requires completion of 21 graduate credit hours delivered in a combined distance learning and online format that follows a predetermined cohort schedule. The program generally spans two years with students completing one course per semester including fall, spring, and summer terms, which supports a manageable pace while balancing professional responsibilities.
The curriculum emphasizes empirically supported methods for identifying, measuring, and modifying socially significant behavior across settings such as schools, clinics, residential programs, and community agencies. You build skills in operational definitions, measurement systems, intervention planning, and ethical decision-making that are foundational to professional ABA practice.
Courses in the sequence are structured to meet the content areas associated with the BACB graduate-level coursework requirement. When combined with supervised fieldwork that meets BACB guidelines, successful completion of this certificate can make you eligible to apply for the BCBA examination. If you complete the coursework but do not complete supervised fieldwork, you may earn the certificate but will not be eligible for the BCBA exam.
The program’s cohort model supports structured engagement and peer learning. Coursework emphasizes professional communication, data-driven decisions, and applied examples that help you link classroom knowledge with expectations in service settings where ABA is implemented.
This certificate is a good option if you already have a graduate-level credential and want a dedicated ABA academic sequence that helps you progress toward BCBA eligibility while maintaining your current professional role.
Courses and Curriculum
Old Dominion University’s ABA certificate curriculum is built around a sequence of seven graduate courses. The structure moves you from foundational concepts into applied assessment and intervention skills, and then into ethical and systems-level considerations that strengthen professional routines.
Early courses ensure you have fluency in behavioral principles and research-related measurement approaches. This foundation helps you interpret data accurately and make defensible decisions in practical service environments. As you move through the sequence, the focus turns toward behavior assessment, intervention planning, and ethical practice expectations.
Later courses integrate organizational and staff performance considerations, such as supervision and systems management, and provide opportunities to think about how behavior analytic routines operate within larger service contexts. Optional fieldwork experiences help you apply analytical frameworks to real clients while receiving supervision from qualified professionals.
Some of the core courses that you will take include:
- SPED 740 – Concepts and Principles in Behavior Analysis: You learn foundational behavioral principles and how these principles explain behavior change across environments. This course emphasizes operational definitions, measurement strategies, and matching procedures to goals.
- SPED 741 – Research Methods in Behavior Analysis: You develop competence in measurement planning, single-case research logic, and data interpretation so you can judge whether interventions are effective and adjust plans responsibly.
- SPED 742 – Ethics in Behavior Analysis: You explore professional conduct expectations and ethical decision-making frameworks that guide responsible service delivery, scope of practice decisions, and documentation duties.
- SPED 743 – Assessments and Interventions I: Positive Behavior Support: You practice developing behavior support plans based on assessment findings. The course emphasizes function-based planning and proactive strategies that build adaptive skills.
- SPED 744 – Theory and Philosophy in Behavior Analysis: You examine the philosophical foundations of the field, including how assumptions about behavior influence research and practice choices in applied settings.
- SPED 745 – Assessments and Interventions II: Verbal Behavior: You focus on verbal behavior concepts and how language analysis can inform communication-focused intervention strategies. This course supports advanced planning for expressive and receptive skills.
- SPED 746 – Organizational Behavior Management: You learn how behavior analysis applies to staff performance and systems-level variables. Topics include feedback systems, training strategies, and performance monitoring to support consistent service delivery.
Practical Experience
The certificate includes an optional supervised fieldwork component that helps you apply classroom knowledge to real-world services under a qualified supervisor. Fieldwork experiences help you build practical competencies such as data collection routines, implementation integrity, treatment planning, and professional communication. Fieldwork can be arranged through partner sites or independently, as long as supervision meets BACB requirements.
During fieldwork, you engage with clients, design and adjust plans based on data, and communicate with caregivers or stakeholders in ways that strengthen both implementation quality and professional routines needed for BCBA eligibility.
Learning Outcomes
- Define core principles of applied behavior analysis and explain how they guide intervention choices.
- Select appropriate measurement systems and collect reliable data that support clinical decisions.
- Conduct functional behavior assessments that inform intervention planning and hypothesis testing.
- Design evidence-based intervention plans that match assessment findings and client needs.
- Apply ethical and professional conduct standards to complex decision-making situations.
- Use organizational behavior management strategies to improve implementation fidelity across teams.
- Interpret behavioral data using research logic to evaluate whether interventions are effective.
- Demonstrate professional communication skills for collaboration with stakeholders and interdisciplinary teams.
Career Preparation & Outcomes
Old Dominion University’s ABA certificate helps prepare you for applied behavior analysis roles such as behavior specialist, intervention planner, clinical support specialist, or consultant in settings including schools, community agencies, and clinics. If combined with supervised fieldwork that meets BACB requirements, the certificate coursework also supports eligibility to sit for the BCBA examination. Old Dominion University’s graduation rate is 78 percent.
Admissions Requirements
- Completed ABA certificate program application provided by the department.
- Master’s degree from an accredited institution or current enrollment in a graduate degree program.
- Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended.
- Resume or curriculum vitae.
- Additional documentation as required by the graduate certificate admissions office.
Application Deadlines
Applications are accepted once per year for fall semester entry. Applicants typically submit materials by May 15 for fall consideration.
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