Individuals who have received specialized training in behavior analysis may qualify to become Board Certified Behavior Analysts. The Behavior Analyst Certification Board®, Inc. (BACB®) is a nonprofit 501(c) corporation established to meet professional credentialing needs identified by behavior analysts, state governments, and consumers of behavior analysis services. The BAC's mission is to develop, promote, and implement a voluntary national and international certification program for behavior analyst practitioners. The BACB® has established uniform content, standards, and criteria for the credentialing process that are designed to meet the legal standards established through state, federal and case law; the standards for national certification programs as established by the National Organization for Competency Assurance, and the National Commission for Certifying Agencies; and the "best practice" and ethical standards of the behavior analysis profession.
Certification is offered at two levels:
- Board Certified Behavior Analyst™ (BCBA®) and
- Board Certified Associate Behavior Analyst™ (BCABA®)
Eligibility to sit for the BCBA® certification examination generally requires three things: 1) possession of a minimum of a bachelor's and a master's degree from an accredited institution of higher education, 2) 315 classroom hours of graduate level instruction, and 3) supervised experience. The coursework must be in the following content areas and for the number of hours specified:
- BACB Compliance Code and Disciplinary Systems; Professionalism - 45 hours
- Philosophical Underpinnings; Concepts & Principles - 90 hours
- Measurement, Data Display and Interpretation; Experimental Design - 45 hours
- Behavior Assessment - 45 hours
- Behavior-Change Procedures; Selecting and Implementing Interventions - 60 hours
- Personnel Supervision and Management - 30 hours
Revised BACB experience requirements include various options for obtaining supervised field experience ranging from 1300-2000 total hours under specied conditions of supervision. Options and definitions are described on the BACB® web site.
Certification by the BACB is the defining standard for professional expertise in Behavior Analysts. This is particularly true in the field of developmental disabilities, where certification constitutes a minimum set of professional competencies that are individually verified by examination. Employers use certification to identify individuals who have acquired these competencies.
Auburn University's ABA Program coursework and experience training is approved by the BACB and ABAI to meet the 5th edition standards for the BCBA certification under the 1500 hour Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork option. Check out our pass rates! (On-Campus VCS only, not affiliated with distance/campus VCS)
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