Ph.D. Behavior Analysis

Application to The Chicago School's Ph.D. Behavior Analysis program is open to any person who has earned a master’s degree as specified below from an institutionally accredited institution and who meets other entrance requirements.

The school admits applicants whom it judges to possess sufficient academic aptitude, as well as the emotional and social maturity to function effectively as a professional behavior analyst. Applicants will be judged on their overall ability to engage in graduate work.

Application requirements to be considered for admission include:

• Application Fee ($50)
• Graduate GPA 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale
• 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.
• Successful work history
• Admission essay(s)
  • Please answer the following two questions in separate documents (approximately 700 words each).
    • Describe the areas of behavior analysis that most interest you and explain how the completion of the doctoral program in Behavior Analysis will facilitate achieving your professional goals.
    • Doctoral students are paired with a faculty advisor in the research areas of interest as much as possible. What area(s) of research are of interest to you and why?
• 3 Letters of recommendation from academic professors or professional or volunteer experience supervisors.
• Admission Interview.
• Master’s degree from an accredited university that includes a master’s thesis or equivalent project such as:
  • Applied Project. The applied project is a demonstration that the student can assess and treat a client effectively and ethically from start to finish, focusing on application rather than experimentation. This is also known as a case study where a student completed an assessment, developed an intervention, monitored the intervention’s effectiveness, and interpreted the results of the intervention.
  • Capstone Project. A major project course is a comprehensive capstone that aims to equip students with the necessary skills and knowledge to conduct research and produce a high-quality research paper or major project. These typically include various topics such as literature reviews, a correlational study, or a survey study.

Applicants for admission to the PhD Behavior Analysis program must also have one of the following:

• Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA®) certification in good standing or eligible for BCBA® certification
• Completion of an ABAI approved degree having an ABAI approved Verified Course sequence (VCS)
  • If you are unsure whether your master’s degree is from a qualified VCS, please check the VCS directory to locate your program at https://www.abainternational.org/vcs/directory.aspx
• Completion of an ABAI Tier 1 or Tier 2a approved program, or Tier 2b recognized program
  • If you are unsure whether your program is an ABAI Tier 1 accredited, Tier 2a, or Tier 2b recognized program, please check the following website to locate your program: https://accreditation.abainternational.org/apply/accredited-programs.aspx

For information on whether the Behavior Analysis doctoral program at The Chicago School meets or does not meet licensure eligibility requirements for the state in which you wish to be licensed, please visit our licensure disclosures page.

While not a requirement of the in-person and online Behavior Analysis Ph.D. program, you will have the opportunity to engage in internships to prepare for a career in culturo-behavior science.

Residencies

Students enrolled in the online Ph.D. Behavior Analysis program at our Online Campus must attend three Residency sessions at The Chicago School. The multiple day residencies focus on special topics in behavior analysis and research methodology. Residencies provide in-depth learning and opportunities for face-to-face mentoring for dissertation work and program learning. Residencies also build relationships between students in the cohorts and are an opportunity for students to meet faculty.

Comprehensive Examination

Students are required to take and pass a written comprehensive examination and an oral defense before they are allowed to propose their dissertation research to the Institutional Review Board (IRB). Students have two chances to pass the comprehensive examination (a third attempt may be allowed under extenuating circumstances). When the written and oral components of the comprehensive exam are passed, the student becomes a Doctoral Candidate and can proceed to their dissertation research.

Dissertation

Students are also required to complete a dissertation. The dissertation must be a data-based empirical evaluation that marks an original contribution to the published literature. The Ph.D. Behavior Analysis course sequence facilitates student completion of the dissertation with a carefully designed course sequence that has the necessary steps toward dissertation completion embedded into the required coursework.

Below are a few examples of courses offered to students enrolled in the Ph.D. Behavior Analysis program.

To view a complete list of courses offered, visit our Catalog.

Advanced Behavioral Research

This course prepares students for their dissertation by teaching them how to conduct applied behavioral research. The course begins with the theoretical background for behavioral research, and students are then responsible for implementing a hands-on project demonstrating their application of behavioral research methods. At the end of this course, students will have completed a pre-proposal project leading towards their dissertation.

Ethics, Diversity, and Multiculturalism in Behavior Analysis

This course involves exploration and discussion of contemporary issues in diversity, equity, and inclusion within the field of behavior analysis. Students will learn more about advocacy, ethics, education, and committed actions to promote positive sustainable change.

Organizational Behavior Management

Organizational behavior management is the application of principles and tactics from behavior analysis to the management of performance in organizational settings. In addition to the foundations of organizational behavior management, we will cover advanced issues in organizational behavior management such as behavioral systems analysis, behavior-based safety, goal setting and feedback topics.

Upon successful completion of this in-person and online Behavior Analysis Doctorate program, you will be able to:

• Assess, design, and apply advanced behavior-analytic interventions, and train others to do the same.
• Translate cultural competency into client solutions.
• Ethically evaluate behavior, communicate and collaborate effectively with clients,and lead advocacy efforts for clients, agencies, and groups.
• Design, conduct, synthesize, and evaluate original behavior-analytic research.

The Chicago School is dedicated to keeping our professional degree programs accessible to anyone regardless of financial status. In addition to the scholarships that may be available, our Financial Aid Department will provide you with information to determine what financial arrangements are right for you.

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