Format
100% online
Time Commitment
Part-time
Duration
27 months
Program Start
Fall, Spring, and Summer
Credits
40
Program Overview
The Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) with a concentration in public schools provides students with coursework focused on applying behavior analysis in school contexts across students, classrooms, and systems. Behavior analysts in this specialty area experience unique opportunities to collaborate, apply the science of ABA across highly diverse individuals and groups, engage multiple stakeholders, and uphold our ethical code within these complex systems.
Students in this specialty area learn about the unique interventions that the field of applied behavior analysis can offer in school environments. Applied behavior analytic interventions in schools necessitate function-based interventions for students that fit within the school and classroom environments. Additionally, a strong emphasis on skill building across students, professionals, families, and supervisees is essential in public school settings and can be very useful in direct service and consultative aspects of the role.
Elective coursework will focus on the application of behavior analysis in school settings, including electives in the application of ABA in a public-school special education setting, collaboration in schools, best practices in ABA in schools, child development from a behavioral systems approach, and special topics in ABA in public schools. Special attention is given to the development of skills in interdisciplinary collaboration, in consultation with educational professionals, and with navigating the unique administrative requirements of these settings.
Institute for Applied Behavioral Science
Faculty
Endicott’s ABA Program is led by Mary Jane Weiss, the Dean of the Institute for Applied Behavioral Science, who brings exceptional knowledge and an extensive background in ABA to our students. You will learn from expert, approachable adjunct faculty who share their real-world experience in the classroom, and teach both the technical and soft skills you need to make an impact in the field.
The ABA Career Track is Experiencing Significant Growth
Many factors are converging to create a rising demand for qualified ABA professionals, and the broadening application of behavioral science across multiple industries is contributing to a promising career track.
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Contributing Factors
Around 2008, insurance began to reimburse for behavioral therapy. This created a need to quickly train a large workforce to meet the demand.
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Increased Demand
The Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) reported a 58% increase in jobs requiring a BACB credential from 2023 to 2024 alone, with job postings consistently outpacing the number of certified professionals.
In 2024, there were 103,150 job openings for BACBs nationwide, but only 64,907 certified BACBs available to fill them, indicating a severe and ongoing shortage of qualified professionals, and a huge opportunity for ABA students and future graduates.
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Potential Careers
Possible global careers our program can help you attain:
- Teacher or counselor working with individuals with autism, childhood clinical disorders, or mental health challenges.
- Organizational behavior professional in corporate environment creating analytic models for staff training for performance management, supervision, and systems creation.
- Applying behavior analysis to public school contexts across students, classrooms, and systems.
- Incorporating environmental sustainability into behavior analytic curricula to apply design thinking and other systemic change approaches to address climate change and environmental justice.
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Key States for Career Opportunities
Demand is especially high in states with large populations and developed autism service infrastructures, such as California, Massachusetts, Texas, New Jersey, and Florida.
What Sets Endicott Apart
The Endicott ABA program is one of the premier programs in the country, working in cutting-edge areas that are highly impactful and recognized in the field as important examples of advancing science.
The program teaches the technical side of the science but also focuses on developing the interpersonal skills—collaboration, compassion, cultural responsiveness—that are crucial to becoming effective and supportive partners for the individuals you will work with.
It is our unique curriculum, our deeply knowledgeable and approachable faculty, and our ethical and humane program, led by ABA expert Mary Jane Weiss, that make Endicott one of the leading ABA programs in the U.S.
Flexible, Online, and Tailored to Your Schedule
Endicott’s graduate program is online, flexible, and tailored to your schedule, and you will learn from highly skilled adjunct faculty with real-world experience.
Mary Jane Weiss, Dean of the Institute for Applied Behavioral Science, describes Endicott’s unique program design: “We have created a program that works for people who have so much to offer the field, and our job as the instructional designers and instructors is to make this a high-quality educational experience, and to infuse those active instructional opportunities and high-quality discussions into the course, regardless of the format. I think it’s created an incredibly vibrant and varied intellectual experience for everyone.”
"In any sort of conversation going on in the field, we’ve got players among our faculty and students who are really making a mark."
Mary Jane Weiss, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LABA
Dean, Institute for Applied Behavioral Science
Learn More About Endicott
Enrolling in graduate studies at Endicott means you’re not just a number. You will receive personalized attention throughout your entire enrollment:
- Pre-registration: get guidance from our helpful Admission staff on the right program for you, as well as advice on tuition and financial aid.
- During your courses: connect with professors and peers and access unique experiential learning opportunities.
- Approaching graduation and beyond: gain career and networking support to help you get where you want to go, now and into the future.
Endicott’s graduate programs are taught by highly skilled faculty who have practiced the work they teach and bring real-world experience to your studies, so you don’t just learn from a book; you learn best practices from real-world practitioners.
You will benefit from unique hands-on learning experiences and get the Endicott Experiential Edge, real-world experience and career support that gives you an edge in the competitive job market. And you’ll gain lifelong access to our alumni network and knowledgeable Career Center staff, who are there to help you meet your goals at any stage of your career, now or in the future. Once a Gull, always a Gull!
Want more information about Endicott? We’ll be happy to provide additional materials about your program of interest, our faculty, and upcoming admission events.
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Faculty & Staff
How Endicott is Redefining ABA Education
Dean Mary Jane Weiss shares her passion for instruction and how Endicott became a big name in applied behavioral science.
Program Cost: $30,400*
Endicott is committed to fostering lifelong learning, including making all levels of education accessible to students who are motivated to learn and succeed. *This price includes a one-time $1,000 fee needed to access the BDS modules.
Tuition & Fees
The total cost of attendance reflects the cost-per-credit pricing for the current academic year and depends on how quickly students complete the program. Please visit the link below for more information on tuition and fees, and read our Financial Aid information for ways to fund your education. You may also reach out to one of our helpful graduate school admission staff with any questions.
Financial Aid
Investing in an advanced education is a significant financial commitment, but it is an investment in your future. At Endicott College, we believe in supporting our students through financial aid to ensure success, while maintaining financial stability. Financial aid available for graduate students includes federal Stafford and Graduate PLUS loans, as well as additional private loan options. Please visit this page for more information about financial aid for our graduate programs.
Learn more about advancing your career with Endicott.
Connect with a member of our admission team.
Request Info
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Course Descriptions
We are offering three classes this summer and adding two more in Fall.
Summer 2024:
ABA527: ABA in Public School Special Education
ABA540: Best Practices in ABA in Public Schools
ABA539: Collaboration in Public SchoolsFall 2024:
ABA542: Childhood Development
ABA543: Special Topics in ABA in Public SchoolsDescriptions:
ABA527: ABA in Public School Special Education
This is a Master’s level course that captures both the theoretical basis and applied nature of behavior analytic consultation to school systems. The course will cover schools as consultation site, theoretical models of school consultation, evidence-based practices in schools, functional analysis and behavioral programming in schools, treatment selection and evaluation, understanding stakeholders, staff training, social validity, and maintenance and generalization. Applied issues related to school-based consultation are integrated throughout the course.
Learning Outcomes
- Identify relevant components of the roles of BCBAs in school systems.
- Identify the components of evidence-based interventions for school-wide and individual students.
- Evaluate evidence-based practices as methods of treatment within public schools to address various needs including trauma-sensitive behaviors and social-emotional deficits.
- Design methods of staff training public school staff.
- Create social validity tools to assess treatments for students in schools.
- Understand how to foster ethical decision-making in public schools.
- Identify how special education law applies to the role of BCBAs in schools.
ABA540: Best Practices in ABA in Public Schools
In this course, students will explore the fundamental systems and practices required to effectively apply applied behavior analysis (ABA) in a school environment. Students will gain insights into evaluating, creating, and executing tiered behavioral support protocols tailored for schools. Additionally, the course will cover leadership methodologies pertinent to school-based contexts and effective coaching techniques. Through a blend of lectures, readings, and practical assignments, students will be introduced to the foundational principles and best practices of implementing ABA principles within a school setting.
Learning Outcomes
- Explain the evaluation and intervention methodologies and protocols linked with the three-tier support system.
- Formulate intervention strategies for each tier within the behavioral support framework.
- Describe optimal strategies for Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) functioning in leadership capacities within educational environments.
- Outline and design coaching methodologies aimed at facilitating the implementation of behavioral interventions in a school setting.
ABA539: Collaboration in Public Schools
This is a Master's level course that encompasses the applied nature of behavior analysis and collaboration in public schools. This course will focus on understanding the roles of administration, teachers, paraprofessionals, families and different related service providers and how to effectively collaborate within public school contexts. Students will learn how to gain buy-in from other professions, work together with teams of stakeholders, and learn to proactively problem-solve various disagreements or concerns that might arise using evidence-based and ethical practices.
Learning Outcomes
- Identify key stakeholders in schools from a collaboration standpoint.
- Identify the different related disciplines in public school and their respective roles.
- List and describe different ways to problem-solve disagreements related to student interventions, conceptualization of issues and goal setting.
- Identify methods to build buy-in from various stakeholders.
- Demonstrate how to implement collaboration strategies within public school settings.
ABA542: Child Development- A Behavioral Systems Approach
An initial course in child development within a behavioral systems approach, which combines views of dynamical systems concepts with a behavioral analysis of development. This approach incorporates both person and environment influences and views developmental outcomes as a constant process of reciprocal interactions (or transactions) between nature and nurture. This course will examine a behavior-analytic approach to developmental psychology, with emphasis on process, interaction, environmental influences, and the individual, with an emphasis on a Behavioral Systems Theory view of the process of human development.
Learning Outcomes
- Describe the criteria to evaluate theory in the study of human development.
- Summarize the influence of nature and nurture on development.
- Describe prenatal, birth, and postnatal development in areas of:
- Sensory abilities (vision, auditory sensory integration
- Perceptual abilities
- Reflexes
- Influences of teratogens
- Explain and differentiate the role of operant learning, habituation, and respondent conditioning in development.
- Compare and contrast theories of cognitive development (including):
- Piaget’s Theory
- Vygotsky's Theory
- Behavioral Systems Theory
- Equivalence and Relational Framing
- Explain the development of language and verbal behavior.
- Describe the effects of cultural systems, tools, and other cultural experiences on the child’s development.
- Compare biological and behavioral theories of the development of the personality and the self.
- Describe social, emotional, and moral development.
- Explain the role of family systems on development.
- Identify behaviors associated with relevant childhood behavior disorders, and be able to discuss how they impact the children’s daily school, home, and community functioning.
ABA543: Special Topics in ABA in Public Schools
This masters level course presents the theoretical basis and applied work of behavior analytic consultation in public schools. This course takes a deeper dive into programming considerations and numerous challenges that a BCBA may encounter working in public schools. This includes a review and deeper dive into IDEA, legal requirements when conducting FBAs/writing BIPs, addressing DEIB in public schools, PBIS applications, fine tuning staff training skills, effectively navigating through broken or damaged systemes, and holding difficult conversations.
Learning Outcomes
- Discuss the role of behavior analysts in providing a free and appropriate public education to students with disabilities, and their legal obligations when conducting FBAs/BIPs in public schools.
- Identify and discuss DEIB issues in public schools and relevant skill repertoires behavior analysts must develop to address these.
- Develop criteria and evaluative measures for meaningful mainstream opportunities for students with disabilities in public school settings.
- Design individualized interventions that facilitate social skills, participation, and engagement within their least restrictive learning environment(s) while addressing behavioral challenges.
- Discuss the role of ABA-based interventions in addressing bullying behaviors and restorative justice procedures.
- Collaboratively develop comprehensive and collaborative classroom management plans.
- Develop high-quality training materials to be used in training public school staff to implement behavior interventions with students.
- Identify practice challenges faced by public school staff and discuss practical, collaborative ways to address these challenges.
- Identify challenges and barriers faced by teachers and school staff, how these may impede treatment fidelity, and discuss how behavior analysts may help to ameliorate these.
- Discuss why some groups oppose ABA, how to respond to criticism in a professional and collaborative manner, and how this may manifest itself in public school settings.