The University of Arizona

Graduate Programs
  • By College
    • College of Agriculture & Life Sciences
    • College of Applied Science and Technology
    • College of Architecture, Planning & Landscape Architecture
    • College of Education
    • College of Engineering
    • College of Fine Arts
    • College of Humanities
    • College of Law
    • College of Medicine, Phoenix
    • College of Medicine, Tucson
    • College of Nursing
    • College of Pharmacy
    • College of Public Health
    • College of Science
    • College of Social & Behavioral Sciences
    • Eller College of Management
    • Graduate College/GIDP
    • James C. Wyant College of Optical Sciences
  • By Degree
    • Certificate
    • Doctorate
    • Masters
    • Masters (Accelerated)
    • Minor
  • By Campus
    • Arizona Global Direct - Online
    • Arizona Online - Online
    • Community Campus - Community Campus- Outreach
    • Distance Campus - Chandler
    • Distance Campus - Distance
    • Distance Campus - Douglas
    • Distance Campus - Flowing Wells
    • Distance Campus - Gilbert
    • Distance Campus - Nogales
    • Distance Campus - North Valley-Paradise Valley
    • Distance Campus - Yuma
    • Global Microcampus - Ajman - Gulf Medical Univ
    • Global Microcampus - Amman - PSUT
    • Global Microcampus - Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham
    • Global Microcampus - Lima - UPC
    • Global Microcampus - Online
    • Global Microcampus - Shenzhen Finance Institute
    • Global Microcampus - Tianjin - Hebei Univ of Tech
    • Phoenix Campus - Phoenix
    • Southern Arizona - Desert Vista
    • Southern Arizona - Sierra Vista
    • University of Arizona - Main - Oro Valley
    • University of Arizona - Main - Tucson
  • Other Information
    • Request More Information
    • Apply to a Program
    • Dual Degree Programs
    • Online Programs
  • APPLY NOW

Program Details

Graduate Program: Special Education (MA) - Applied Behavior Analysis

General Information

Request Information
Program/Degree
Special Education (MA) - Applied Behavior Analysis  
Program Description

This program delivers a flexible but rigorous fully online education to prepare students interested in working with people with problem behavior, and/or delays in communication, social, and adaptive skills. Our program prepares students to provide evidence-based services in applied behavior analysis in clinical, school, and home setting. This program is comprised of 36 units and includes the seven courses (21 units) verified by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) that provides the didactic requirements to take the Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) examination. This program does not lead to teacher certification, but provides a path to Board Certification as a Behavior Analyst (BCBA).

Advisor:  Dr. Rebecca Hartzell at hartzell@email.arizona.edu 
 
 
Department/Academic Unit(s)

Dept of Disability & Psychoeducational Studies

The Department of Disability and Psychoeducational Studies is committed to research about and teaching of students with disabilities and special abilities. The department’s research, teaching, and service address current issues in special education, rehabilitation, school psychology, and deaf studies. The Department of Disability and Psychoeducational Studies (DPS) is dedicated to advancing human and economic development through the empowerment and effective inclusion of culturally diverse individuals with disabilities and special abilities of all ages. This is accomplished by conducting research to further knowledge and understanding of abilities, disabilities, adaptations, interventions, and support systems; preparing professionals to educate and facilitate the development of individuals with disabilities and special abilities; and providing leadership at the local, state, national, and international levels. To accomplish our mission, the department offers nationally recognized undergraduate, master's, educational specialist, and doctoral-level degrees to prepare teachers, counselors, specialists, administrators, school psychologists, school counselors, and researchers and educators in special education, rehabilitation, school psychology, gifted education, sign language and deaf studies, and educational interpreting.

 
College

College of Education

 
Campuses where offered

Arizona Global Direct - Online

University of Arizona - Main - Tucson

Arizona Online - Online

 
Contacts
Admissions Contact
Elizabeth A Pina
520-621-5164
Graduate Program Coordinator
Elizabeth A Pina
520-621-5164
Director of Graduate Studies
Vanessa Perry
520-621-5552
Graduate College Degree Counselor
Tammy Tran
520-621-0119
 
Tuition and Fees
Please refer to the UA Bursar's Office Tuition and Fees Calculator for up-to-date information about tuition and fees. 
Please refer to the UA Registrar's's Office Special Course Fees for up-to-date information about special course fees. 

Admissions Information

Admissions Requirements

The Graduate College requires an Application for Admission submitted online, along with an application fee.

The department requirements for admission are:

  • Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university
  • Minimum 3.0 grade point average
  • Three letters of recommendation from persons who have direct knowledge of your academic and/or professional performance and potential for graduate study. These letters should be recent. It is preferable to have letters of recommendation that are specific to admission to our program and your recommenders will be able to upload letters through this venue
  • Personal Statement an autobiographical essay - 1-2 pages, double spaced
  • Unofficial Transcripts of all previous college work from each college or university previously attended must be uploaded with your application.  Applicants recommended for admission will be required to submit final official transcripts to the Graduate College admissions office
  • International students must provide a TOEFL score of minimum 79, and scores cannot be older than two years. The institutional code for the University of Arizona is 4832No GRE required

Your application will be considered once you have submitted all required documentation. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed and will be automatically denied. Once your application has been submitted, you may check the status of your application at any time by logging in to this account and opening this application. Please do not call the department regarding the status of your application. You will be notified via email as soon as a decision has been reached.

 
Standardized Tests
International applicants only
Please review our English Proficiency information to verify your need to submit an English proficiency test.

Minimum TOEFL: 79 (IBT) 550 (PB) or
Minimum IELTS: Composite score of 7 (no subject area below a 6)

 
Funding Opportunities

http://www.coe.arizona.edu/scholarships

 
Admissions Deadlines

Domestic Applicants:
Admission Term: Fall - July 15, Start Date: August
Admission Term: Spring - November 15, Start Date: January
Admission Term: Summer - April 1, Start Date: June

International Applicants:
Admission Term: Fall - July 1, Start Date: August
Admission Term: Spring - November 1, Start Date: January
Admission Term: Summer - March 1, Start Date: June

 
International Conditional Admission

International applicants will not be considered for conditional admission by this program.

Other Information
The GRE Institution Code for The University of Arizona is 4832

Completion Requirements

Minimum Credit Units

36 

Core Coursework Requirements

Prerequisites:
1. BA from an accredited institution
2. Experience with and access to persons with disabilities
3. Must not be seeking state certification as a special education teacher

Program students must complete these 12 3-unit courses:

SERP 500 (or equivalent) - Foundations of Special Education and Rehabilitation (3 units)
Provides beginning graduate students with an overview of issues surrounding the fields of special education and rehabilitation, including legal principles, concepts of assessment; and principles of teaching and counseling. Students will examine and develop their personal philosophies regarding assessment of, services to and intervention with individuals with exceptionalities.

SERP 502 - Behavior Principles and Disability:  Assessment and Intervention (3 units)
Grounds participants in the basic behavioral principles and techniques needed to successfully complete effective Functional Behavior Assessments (FBA), function-based interventions, and Behavior Intervention Plans (BIP).  Participants complete an FBA, develop an intervention based on the results, and design a BIP.

SERP 503 - Special Services in the Schools (3 units)
Information to aid teachers in dealing with responsibilities and concerns in school settings with regard to P.L. 94-142. Education for All Handicapped Children Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, and other legal issues.

SERP 504 - Cultural and Linguistic Diversity in Exceptional Learners (3 units)
Provides a theoretical base and practical approach to the study of special needs of students with language and cultural differences; basic premises of bilingual special education and the interface of the two fields.

SERP 529A - Advanced Positive Behavioral Support I (3 units)
Addresses environmental factors that affect student behavior and continues to develop competency in FBAs, function-based interventions, and effective BIPs.  Participants complete a second FBA, develop and test a function-based intervention, complete a BIP, implement and monitor the intervention, and make data-based decisions about whether to continue or revise the intervention based on their data.

SERP 529B - Advanced Positive Behavioral Support II (3 units)
Addresses other factors that can affect development and implementation of interventions such as legal issues, crisis intervention, and teaming and collaboration issues.  Participants complete two FBAs and develop and monitor two function-based interventions and BIPs.  A certificate identifying skills learned is awarded at the end of the three course sequence.

SERP 552 - Issues in Applied Behavior Analysis (3 units)
Addresses advanced skills and knowledge in applied behavior analysis and the factors that affect the application of behavior principles within school settings. Topics examined include reinforcement, punishment, extinction, stimulus control, self-management, verbal behavior, and functional analysis.

SERP 553 - Ethical Issues in Behavior Analysis (3 units)
Enables students to explain the need for ethical guidelines, identify appropriate ethical standards and guidelines of behavior analysis and their own profession, if different, and apply the ethical guidelines to real-life situations.

SERP 555 - Applied Behavior Analysis: Personnel Supervision and Management (3 units)
Basic concepts essential in applying applied behavior analysis in personnel supervision and management of employees, parents, and other professionals.

SERP 556 - Research Methods in Education (3 units)
Basic concepts essential to the comprehension of research in education, including measurement principles and descriptive statistics.

SERP 590 - Single Subject Research Design (3 units)
Addresses the advantages and disadvantages of various research designs and how to select a research design appropriate to a given scenario. Participants learn to critically evaluate professional research that incorporates single subject research designs, create data graphs, and develop a comprehensive research proposal.

SERP 909 - Master’s Project (3 units)
An original applied project in an area of behavior analysis. Projects are supervised by individual faculty and are conducted in lieu of a master’s thesis.

 
Elective Coursework

N/A

 
Additional Requirements

N/A

 
Student Handbook

Please refer to the Graduate Student Handbook for students who are pursuing this program of study.

 

Persistent link: https://grad.arizona.edu/catalog/programinfo/SPECMAABA
Last revised 05 May 2022
The University of Arizona Graduate College
  • Graduate Catalog & Programs of Study
  • Graduate Admissions
  • Graduate Student Academic Services
  • Funding Resources
  • The Graduate Center
  • Policies
  • GradApp (Future Students)
  • GradPath (Current Students)
  • Toolkits
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
All content © 2013 - 2022 Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona
Arizona's Commitment to Equity
University Information Security & Privacy