|
1. Mission
|
|
The program has a mission which is its specific purpose for existing.
|
|
1-100
|
The program articulates its mission, together with a set of objectives to accomplish it, in a mission statement.
|
|
1-101
|
The mission of the program is congruent with the mission and goals of ABAI and the institution where it resides, and appropriate to the science and practice of behavior analysis.
|
|
1-102
|
The mission statement of the program is readily available to the public. The mission statement must be readily understandable by prospective students, parents, the public, and other educational programs.
|
|
|
2. Curriculum
|
|
The program implements a clear and coherent curriculum plan that provides the means whereby all students can demonstrate substantial understanding and competence in areas pertinent to the program’s mission, and recognize the value of life-long learning.
|
|
2-100
|
The curriculum promotes knowledge of contemporary issues in the field, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and mastery of technologies necessary to conduct research.
|
|
2-101
|
The program’s education, training, and socialization experiences are characterized by mutual respect, courtesy, and professionalism.
|
|
2-102
|
The faculty regularly reviews student learning outcomes to evaluate student progress.
|
|
2-103
|
The faculty regularly reviews student learning outcomes to evaluate and improve the program.
|
|
2-104
|
Program duration is appropriate for the level of degree offered.
|
|
2-105
|
The program encourages the faculty’s innovation and creativity in the methods of instruction and modes of delivery.
|
|
2-106
|
Practicum environments, including arrangements for supervision, are sufficient in number and quality to support the achievement of student learning outcomes and program objectives.
|
|
2-107
|
Written agreements for practicum agencies are current, specify expectations for all parties, and ensure the protection of students.
|
|
2-108
|
Research environments are sufficient in number and quality to support the achievement of student learning outcomes and program objectives.
|
|
2-109
|
The program provides adequate training and supervision by behavior analysts with expertise in the subject and methods of the research.
|
|
2-110
|
The program evaluates and considers awarding proper academic credit for courses taken at institutions that are accredited by organizations recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation or other international authorities that satisfy current program course requirements.
|
|
2-111
|
The program makes its policies on transfer of credit readily accessible to prospective and enrolled students.
|
|
|
3. Outcomes Assessment
|
|
Essential to the accreditation review process are the outcomes of the program’s training efforts. Fair and reasonable outcomes assessment protects the interests of the program and the public. The program’s overall outcomes are assessed in the context of various outcome measures.
|
|
3-100
|
Time to completion for all students entering the program.
|
|
3-101
|
Graduation rates and attrition.
|
|
3-102
|
Success rate on Behavior Analyst Certification Board examination.
|
|
3-103
|
Success rate on state licensing examinations.
|
|
3-104
|
Admissions data: numbers of students who applied, were admitted, and enrolled. For admitted students, scores on standardized tests and undergraduate grade point average.
|
|
3-105
|
Job placement of graduates.
|
|
3-106
|
List of final projects (if required by the program), undergraduate or master’s theses (if required by the program), and dissertations (if required by the program), including the title, and the supervising faculty member. If the work is in a language other than English, provide an English version of the title and abstract.
|
|
3-107
|
List of publications (in APA format) with students as authors or co-authors. If the work is in a language other than English, provide an English translation.
|
|
3-108
|
List of conference presentations (in APA format) with students as authors or co-authors. If the work is in a language other than English, provide an English translation.
|
|
3-109
|
Public online posting of items 3-100 through 3-104 is achieved in a format provided by the ABAI Accreditation Board.
|
|
|
4. Administration
|
|
The program is an integral part of its sponsoring institution and it is governed by its faculty as led by a qualified core member of the faculty.
|
|
4-100
|
The program is an integral part of the mission of the academic department, college, school, or institution in which it resides.
|
|
4-101
|
The program may consist of, or be located under, a single administrative entity (institution, agency, school, department, etc.) or may take the form of a consortium. A consortium is comprised of multiple independently administered entities which have, in writing, formally agreed to pool resources to conduct a training or education program. Written consortial agreements should articulate:
|
|
|
4-101-00
|
The nature and characteristics of the participating entities.
|
|
|
4-101-01
|
The rationale for the consortial partnership.
|
|
|
4-101-02
|
Each partner’s commitment to the training/education program, its philosophy, model, and goals.
|
|
|
4-101-03
|
Each partner’s obligations regarding contributions and access to resources.
|
|
|
4-101-04
|
Each partner’s adherence to central control and coordination of the training program.
|
|
|
4-101-05
|
Each partner’s commitment to uniform administration and implementation of the program’s training principles, policies, and procedures addressing trainee/student admission, financial support, training resource access, potential performance expectations, and evaluations.
|
|
4-102
|
The program has an organized administrative structure and decision-making process that incorporates the program faculty and input from its students.
|
|
4-103
|
The coordinator is a doctoral-level behavior analyst and a full-time member of the core faculty, whose training and experience equip them to lead the program. The coordinator has adequate time and resources to fulfill the role’s responsibilities.
|
|
|
5. Resources
|
|
The program has fiscal, physical, and learning resources adequate to fulfill its mission.
|
|
5-100
|
Fiscal resources are sustainable, sufficient to ensure the achievement of the student learning outcomes and program outcomes, and commensurate with the resources of the governing organization.
|
|
5-101
|
Physical resources, including research, teaching, and practical training facilities, are sufficient to ensure the achievement of program outcomes and meet the needs of the faculty and students.
|
|
5-102
|
Stipends for student assistantships and fellowships, if available, are awarded on a fair and consistent basis.
|
|
|
6. Faculty
|
|
Program faculty are sufficient in number and quality to fulfill the program’s mission.
|
|
6-100
|
The faculty consists of behavior analysts who document their expertise in the applied, experimental, or conceptual analysis of behavior. The core faculty consists of full-time doctoral-level behavior analysts. Other program faculty, full- or part-time, have master’s or doctoral degrees in behavior analysis or a related field.
|
|
6-101
|
Faculty obtain appropriate student evaluation of teaching for the purpose of course development and program improvement.
|
|
6-102
|
Faculty engage in ongoing professional development.
|
|
|
7. Student Services
|
|
Students enrolled in the program have the academic credentials, experience, and skills necessary to successfully complete the program in a timely fashion. Policies and procedures facilitate completion of the program.
|
|
7-100
|
The program provides students with accurate information about admission, retention, financial obligations, disciplinary procedures, and program accreditation status prior to enrollment. If the program trains professional behavior analysts, the information provided to prospective students includes the alignment of the program’s offerings with applicable certification and licensing standards.
|
|
7-101
|
Programs offering master’s or doctoral degrees give students offered stipends an April 15 deadline to accept them, if the program institution is a signatory of the April 15 Resolution of the Council of Graduate Schools.
|
|
7-102
|
The program policies for students are publicly accessible and consistently applied. Justification for variances is documented.
|
|
7-103
|
The program offers academic advising services to students: students receive meaningful feedback about their progress in the program at regular intervals; the program assists students who are experiencing difficulty in progressing satisfactorily. In master’s or doctoral degree programs, the advisor is a member of the program’s core faculty.
|
|
7-104
|
The program encourages students to participate in professional development activities.
|
|
7-105
|
The program ensures that student complaints receive due process and maintains records of resolution.
|
|
7-106
|
The program abides by institutional policies with respect to diversity and nondiscrimination of ethnicity, gender, disability, and veteran status.
|
|
|
8. Public Disclosure
|
|
The program demonstrates its commitment to public disclosure by providing written materials and other communications that appropriately represent it to the relevant parties.
|
|
8-100
|
The program makes public its goals, objectives, and training model; its requirements for admission and graduation; curriculum; its faculty, students, facilities, and other resources; its administrative policies and procedures; the kinds of research and practicum experiences it provides; its education and training outcomes; and if the program trains professional behavior analysts, the alignment of the program offerings with the applicable certification and licensing standards.
|
|
8-101
|
This information should be presented in a manner that allows applicants to make informed decisions about the program.
|
|
8-102
|
As stated in the Mission Standard, the mission statement of the program, its purpose, and its supporting objectives are readily available to the public. The mission statement must be expressed in terms that can be readily understood by prospective students, parents, the public, and other educational programs.
|
|
8-103
|
The program discloses information about the achievement of learning outcomes and the success of graduates.
|
|
8-104
|
Accredited programs disclose their accreditation status in advertising and all relevant materials. Programs undergoing review for accreditation do not disclose their status as indicated in the Policy on Advertising of Accreditation Status.
|
|
|
9. Degree Programs
|
|
Programs are accredited at the doctoral, master’s, and bachelor’s level. Each program has objectives appropriate to its level as well as requirements for instruction in specific content areas. In each area the scope of training is expressed in terms of hours of contact with the instructor. Programs are allowed flexibility in terms of how they achieve the prescribed contact hours.
|
|
9-100
|
Faculty provide descriptive syllabi including learning objectives, methods of assessment, and assignment of grades for all the components in the curriculum. Distance education components meet the same standards as conventionally delivered components.
|
|
|
Doctoral Degree Programs
|
|
9-101
|
Standards.
|
|
|
9-101-00
|
The students demonstrate a systematic understanding of a field of study and mastery of the skills and methods of research associated with that field.
|
|
|
9-101-01
|
The students conceive, design, implement, and adapt a substantial process of research with scholarly integrity.
|
|
|
9-101-02
|
The students contribute through original research that extends the frontier of knowledge by developing a substantial body of work, some of which merits national or international refereed publication.
|
|
|
9-101-03
|
The students engage in critical analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of new and complex ideas, and can communicate with their peers, the larger scholarly community, and society in general about their areas of expertise.
|
|
9-102
|
Content Areas.
The program requires 585 hours of instruction, including course work and supervised experience. The work done in a master’s program may be counted in fulfillment of these doctoral degree requirements. For the doctoral degree, a dissertation is required; a thesis or equivalent is optional.
Principles of Behavior
Contact hours: 45
Purpose: To develop students’ competence in the use of technical terminology pertaining to the concepts and principles of behavior analysis.
Research Methods
Contact hours: 90
Purpose: To develop competence in measurement of behavior, data collection analysis and graphic representation, experimental design with particular emphasis on single subject design, and applicable statistical procedures.
Conceptual Analysis
Contact hours: 90
Purpose: To develop competence in the history and philosophy of behaviorism, theoretical approaches to understanding behavior, and interpretation of behavior in terms of the concepts and principles of behavior analysis.
Applied Behavior Analysis
Contact hours: 90
Purpose: To develop competence in the application of the principles of behavior and multiple areas of investigation and practice.
Basic Behavior Analysis
Contact hours: 90
Purpose: To develop competence in understanding how principles of behavior are discovered and described in the context of basic research.
Ethics
Contact hours: 45
Purpose: To understand legal constraints and ethical guidelines as pertinent to behavioral research and practice.
Specialized Elective
Contact hours: 45
Purpose: To develop competence in one or more specialized areas of behavioral investigation.
|
|
9-103
|
Supervised Experiential Learning.*
Hours of supervised experience: 90
Purpose: To develop skill in professional practice or research. Work to complete a thesis (or equivalent) and/or a dissertation may fulfill this requirement.
|
|
9-104
|
Thesis or Equivalent (Optional for Doctoral Degree Programs).
Contact hours as required by the institution.
Purpose: To develop competence in defining a research problem, designing a method to address the problem, and conducting and reporting an investigation that carries out the method to conclusion.
See the Board's guidance document (revised August 2023).
|
|
9-105
|
Dissertation.
Contact hours as required by the institution.
Purpose: To demonstrate independent scholarship in the context of an investigation that produces an original contribution to the basic, applied, or conceptual analysis of behavior.
|
|
|
Master’s Degree Programs
|
|
9-106
|
Standards.
|
|
|
9-106-00
|
The students demonstrate knowledge and understanding founded upon bachelor’s-level studies.
|
|
|
9-106-01
|
Program extends and/or enhances knowledge typically associated with bachelor’s-level degree programs, and provides a basis or opportunity for originality in developing and/or applying ideas, often within a research context.
|
|
|
9-106-02
|
The students apply their knowledge and understanding and problem solving abilities in new or unfamiliar environments within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to their field of study.
|
|
|
9-106-03
|
The students communicate their conclusions, and the knowledge and rationale underpinning these, to specialist and non-specialist audiences clearly and unambiguously.
|
|
|
9-106-04
|
The students study in a manner that may be largely self-directed or autonomous.
|
|
9-107
|
Content Areas.
The program requires 405 hours of instruction, including course work and supervised experience.
Principles of Behavior
Contact hours: 45
Purpose: To develop students’ competence in the use of technical terminology pertaining to the concepts and principles of behavior analysis.
Research Methods
Contact hours: 45
Purpose: To develop competence in measurement of behavior, data collection analysis and graphic representation, and experimental design with particular emphasis on single subject design.
Conceptual Analysis
Contact hours: 45
Purpose: To develop competence in the history and philosophy of behaviorism, theoretical approaches to understanding behavior, and interpretation of behavior in terms of the concepts and principles of behavior analysis.
Applied Behavior Analysis
Contact hours: 90
Purpose: To develop competence in the application of the principles of behavior and multiple areas of investigation and practice.
Basic Behavior Analysis
Contact hours: 45
Purpose: To develop competence in understanding how principles of behavior are discovered and described in the context of basic research.
Ethics
Contact hours: 45
Purpose: To understand legal constraints and ethical guidelines as pertinent to behavioral research and practice.
|
|
9-108
|
Supervised Experiential Learning.*
Hours of supervised experience: 90
Purpose: To develop skill in professional practice or research. Work to complete a thesis or equivalent may fulfill this requirement.
|
|
9-109
|
Thesis or Equivalent.
Contact hours as required by the institution
Purpose: To develop competence in defining a research problem, designing a method to address the problem, and conducting and reporting an investigation that carries out the method to conclusion.
See the Board's guidance document (revised August 2023).
|
|
|
Bachelor’s Degree Programs
|
|
9-110
|
Standards.
|
|
|
9-110-00
|
The students demonstrate knowledge and understanding in a field of study that builds upon their general secondary education, supported by advanced readings.
|
|
|
9-110-01
|
The students apply their knowledge and understanding in a manner that indicates a professional approach to their work or vocation, and have competencies typically demonstrated through devising and sustaining arguments and solving problems within their field of study.
|
|
|
9-110-02
|
The students gather and interpret relevant data (usually within their field of study) to inform judgments that include reflection on relevant social, scientific, or ethical issues.
|
|
|
9-110-03
|
The students communicate information, ideas, problems, and solutions to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.
|
|
|
9-110-04
|
The students have learning skills necessary to continue further study with a high degree of autonomy.
|
|
9-111
|
Content Areas.
The program requires 315 hours of instruction and supervised experience.
Principles of Behavior
Contact hours: 45
Purpose: To develop students’ competence in the use of technical terminology pertaining to the concepts and principles of behavior analysis.
Research Methods
Contact hours: 45
Purpose: To develop competence in measurement of behavior, data collection analysis and graphic representation, and experimental design with particular emphasis on single subject design.
Conceptual Analysis
Contact hours: 45
Purpose: To develop competence in the history and philosophy of behaviorism, theoretical approaches to understanding behavior, and interpretation of behavior in terms of the concepts and principles of behavior analysis.
Basic Behavior Analysis
Contact hours: 45
Purpose: To develop competence in understanding how principles of behavior are discovered and described in the context of basic research.
Applied Behavior Analysis
Contact hours: 45
Purpose: To develop competence in the application of the principles of behavior and multiple areas of investigation and practice.
Ethics
Contact hours: 45
Purpose: To understand legal constraints and ethical guidelines as pertinent to behavioral research and practice.
|
|
9-112
|
Supervised Experiential Learning.*
Hours of supervised experience: 45
Purpose: To develop skill in professional practice or research.
|