Post-Bachelor's Certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis

• Application
• Application fee ($50)
• GPA 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
• Resume
• One letter of recommendation
• Application essay
• Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited university

Each applicant is reviewed holistically, taking factors such as personal and professional experience and accomplishments into consideration. Applicants are encouraged to contact the Office of Admissions to discuss their unique qualifications.

Accreditation

To learn more about The Chicago School's institutional and programmatic accreditations, visit our Accreditation page.

Licensure

For information on whether a 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 required part of the program, each applicant has the opportunity to earn three credits of field-based clinical training to be held at The Chicago School-approved sites. Visit BACB.com to learn more about supervision requirements.

Below are a few examples of courses offered to students enrolled in the in-person and online ABA certificate program.

Concepts and Principles in Behavior Analysis

Behavior analysis is a natural science approach to the prediction, control, and understanding of behavior. Students will first be introduced to the philosophical assumptions of determinism, empiricism, parsimony, and pragmatism. Students will then learn to identify and describe the basic concepts and principles of behavior analysis. These will include operant conditioning, positive and negative reinforcement, basic schedules of reinforcement, extinction, positive and negative punishment, using primary and establishing secondary reinforcers and punishers, establishing stimulus and motivational control, and establishing discrimination and generalization training procedures. In addition, students will learn to identify, describe, and apply common behavior change procedures including shaping, chaining, and differential reinforcement.

Measurement and Design in Behavior Analysis

This course addresses the measurement of behavior, data display, interpretation of data, and experimental design. Aspects of measurement including behavior definition, measurable dimensions of behavior, measurement systems and their selection, and data collection, graphing, and interpretation will be covered. Students will learn how to evaluate the validity and reliability of measurement procedures including interobserver agreement, social validity, and treatment integrity. This course also covers the uses and defining features of single-subject experimental designs as well as their advantages and limitations.

Professional Ethics and Issues in Behavior Analysis

In this course, professional, ethical, and legal issues related to the practice of psychology and behavior analysis, based on the ethical standards of these fields are critically examined. Issues considered include privacy, privilege, confidentiality and its limitations, informed consent, clients’ rights, malpractice, client-therapist relationships, and regulation influencing the practice of therapy.

This program prepares you to become Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts^® (BCaBAs^®), which is an undergraduate-level certification in behavior analysis. Professionals who are certified at the BCaBA^® must be supervised by someone certified at the BCBA/BCBA-D level, but BCaBAs can supervise the work of Registered Behavior Technicians, and others who implement behavior-analytic interventions.

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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