MS Applied Behavior Analysis Courses

This course teaches foundational concepts and principles of applied behavior analysis. Students will learn a range of principles such as mechanisms of learning, respondent conditioning, and operant conditioning. This course will also explore how basic principles of learning are applied to issues of social significance.

This course teaches ethical principles and standards of responsible professional conduct that apply to the implementation of applied behavior analysis, as specified by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board. This course also addresses legal and social policy issues affecting service delivery to people with disabilities.

This course teaches methods of measuring behavior and developing measurement procedures. Students learn to create and interpret visual data displays. Students develop knowledge and skills of experimental design to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions and interpret articles from the behavior-analytic literature. Prerequisite: PSY 613 (or may be taken concurrently with PSY 613).

Building on foundational knowledge of the concepts and principles of applied behavior analysis, this course teaches fundamental elements of behavior change, specific behavior-change procedures, and skills of developing intervention plans based on assessment results and the best available scientific evidence. Prerequisites: PSY 613 and 615.

This course covers the knowledge and skills for identifying client problems, communicating behavioral concepts in nontechnical language, and collaborating with others who support and/or provide services to one's clients. Students learn to design and implement individualized behavioral assessment procedures and organize, analyze, and interpret observed data. Prerequisites: PSY 613 and 615.

This course develops understanding of using applied behavior analytic strategies to provide effective training to caregivers and staff, as well as to provide supervision and management both at the individual and organizational levels and when providing mentorship to future behavior analysts. Prerequisites: PSY 613 and 615.

This course examines the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) using a developmental approach that emphasizes how clinical presentation changes with age. Students will review a range of evidence-based therapeutic interventions including intensive early interventions, social skills building, and interventions for older adults. Diversity factors, barriers and challenges to accessing and implementing treatment, and the role of advocacy will also be incorporated.

This course focuses on professional development, discussion of ABA field placement cases, and case presentation skills. Students must register for PSY 620 for 2 units each term, over a period of three consecutive terms, for a total of 6 units. Students must obtain a placement in an approved ABA setting, with a signed, written agreement, prior to the first class meeting. Supervised hours gained while enrolled in practicum count toward certification requirements of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board. Prerequisites: PSY 613, 615, and 630.

Building on foundational knowledge of the concepts and principles of applied behavior analysis, this course teaches how to design individualized behavior change protocols to address challenging behavior and skill acquisition needs. The course further explores specialized areas such as treatments for social skills, feeding disorders, and attention disorders. Prerequisites: PSY 613, 614, 615, 616, and 617.

This course aims to increase the understanding of radical behaviorism, the philosophy that provides the basis for the tenets of the experimental analysis of behavior and applied behavior analysis. Prerequisites: PSY 613 and 615.

This course prepares students for their clinical fieldwork experience at ABA-based agencies and during their practicum courses. The course addresses common questions and concerns students have prior to beginning clinical work at their practicum sites. Students are taught the requirements for entering practicum such as obtaining site and supervisor approval, signing contracts for supervision, displaying appropriate conduct during practicum, and using fieldwork tracking tools provided by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board®. Students must register for PSY 630 at least one term before beginning Practicum in ABA (PSY 620).

This course prepares students to work with diverse populations. The course addresses a variety of topics including gender, trauma, cross cultural supervision, application of the behavior analyst certification board (BACB) Ethics code when working with diverse populations, education on various cultures, beliefs, expectations, how they best or least interact with other cultures/ethnicities, ASD and culture, bias, LGBTQIA+, working with low socioeconomic status (SES) populations, use of translators, and the neurodiversity movement. 

This course reviews the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of mental health disorders, as defined in the DSM system. A range of treatment approaches (e.g., individual, group, psychopharmacological, systemic) are discussed, with an emphasis on evidence-based interventions and sociocultural considerations. Principles of recovery-oriented mental health care are reviewed. Students learn intake and treatment planning skills. Prerequisite: PSY 657

This course examines the application of psychological instruments to the assessment of individuals, couples, and families. Fundamentals of psychological assessment are reviewed, including standardized and nonstandardized testing approaches, basic statistical concepts, and ethical and cultural considerations in assessment. Students gain experience in the administration, scoring, and interpretation of selected tests as well as in report writing.

Multicultural factors, including those related to race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, spirituality, sexual orientation, gender, and ableness, are reviewed as they relate to individual, couple, and family treatment procedures. Issues of poverty, financial, and social stressors with individuals, couples, families, and communities are addressed.

This course covers basic concepts in statistics, research design, and program evaluation for mental health professionals, including experimental and correlational design methods, levels of measurement, central tendency, dispersion, correlation, and the use of inferential statistics for hypothesis testing. Students are also introduced to methods of evaluating programs and clinical outcomes while considering systemic and sociocultural influences. Emphasis is given to helping students become knowledgeable consumers of research, including the use of research to inform evidence-based practice.

This course examines a wide range of brain-behavior relationships with specific emphasis on aspects of psychological development and clinical practice. The long-term effects of childhood trauma, the effects of head injury, and the neurological aspects of disorders such as autism, schizophrenia, and depression are also discussed.

This survey course examines the historical and conceptual perspectives on psychopathology and the manner in which these perspectives interface with therapeutic strategies.

Students study the biological, psychological, and socio-emotional development of individuals and families throughout the life span. The impacts of experiences such as having children and parenting, adolescence, marriage, divorce, grief and loss, and aging and long-term care on individuals and families are explored. Cultural understandings and contextual considerations (e.g., SES, social position, social stress, educational level, housing, poverty, etc.) of human development are addressed.

This course provides students with the theoretical foundation of industrial and organizational psychology. It introduces students to organizational inquiry leading to a deeper understanding of theories and practices impacting the individual, groups, and organizations in a variety of work settings. Students research, analyze, apply, and explore such topics as team dynamics, the role of emotional intelligence at work, personnel selection, assessment, training, performance management, multiculturalism, and organizational leadership theories.

This course provides an overview of issues and therapeutic methods relevant to the treatment of children and adolescents. Issues distinguishing working with youth as opposed to adults are examined, along with relevant legal and ethical concerns, assessment strategies, major theoretical approaches to treating children and adolescents, and treatment strategies for common forms of childhood psychopathology. Emphasis is placed on using therapeutic methods with established efficacy and on incorporating parents, family, and other contextual factors into treatment. Prerequisite: PSY 658.