Last reviewed February 15, 2022 by PSY Staff

Online Behavior Analysis Degrees

Consider a featured online psychology program currently taking applications.
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University Program Admissions
University of Texas Permian Basin Online BA in Psychology
Program provides a broad foundation of psychological science knowledge and emphasizes vital written communication and research skills that can inform and assist you in helping professions.
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Concordia University - Saint Paul MAHS in Forensic Behavioral Health
Get the skills you need for a career at the intersection of behavioral health, criminal justice and the legal system.
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Pepperdine University Online Master's in Applied Behavior Analysis
ABAI-Verified, 15-Month Online ABA from Pepperdine. Prepare to sit for the board certified behavior analyst (BCBA) exam.
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View more featured 100% online psychology programs accepting applications for 2024.

Find Behavioral Analysis Degree Programs

Behavior Analysis degree programs were developed to help students learn the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis for application in the field. Applied Behavior Analysis is a science that utilizes the analysis of behavior to improve socially significant behaviors in multiple settings and with diverse clients.

Applied Behavior Analysis also uses experimentation to systematically identify different variables that may be responsible for changing behaviors. Learning within Behavior Analysis degree programs often includes studies into both the applied nature of this field, as well as the experimental concepts included in its practice.

One of the most prominent behaviors that may be studied and analyzed within Behavior Analysis is learning. Behavior Analysts seek to utilize the principles of effective learning, such as positive reinforcement, to increase positive social behaviors in students in educational systems. Online Applied Behavior Analysis Masters degrees can be a great way for you to gain the skills necessary for changing, influencing, or teaching new behaviors.

If you are enrolling in an online Behavior Analysis Master's program to pursue your license, you should prepare to engage in a clinical experience as part of your learning. Students enrolled in this online program can locate a placement for their experience, gain in-person hours under the supervision of a licensed behavior analyst, and apply what they have learned through their education experience in this setting.

The Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) allows students in behavior-analytic degree programs to begin their supervision requirements after starting their first class, so you can begin seeking out a placement from the very beginning.

Behavior Analysis Degree Summary

Degree programs in this field may introduce learners to the diverse populations that can be served through Applied Behavior Analysis, which can include clients diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injury, or clients with observed behavioral issues and disorders.

Behavior Analysis degree programs can also teach learners more about how Applied Behavior Analysis can be applied in settings such as organizations, teams, and households to produce higher motivation and an increase in desired behaviors.

This field offers multiple levels of certification and licensing, making it important to identify your career goal and the educational requirements outlined to achieve it. Each degree offering can help you develop the skills you need to pursue a career at that level.

Start with a Bachelor of Applied Behavior Analysis or Bachelor of Psychology Degree

The online Bachelor's in Applied Behavior Analysis can provide you with a basic skill set related to the application of behavioral science in the field. Learners graduating with this degree can potentially qualify for licensing as a Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCABA).

The Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) states that applicants for the BCABA distinction must complete an approved bachelor's degree program and complete around 180 classroom hours of behavior analytic coursework to meet the learning requirements for this certification option.

Many online Bachelor's in Applied Behavior Analysis can provide you with access to the course work required to meet the behavior analytic course requirement for this option. Students from alternative bachelor's programs such as the Bachelor's in Psychology will be required to engage in the outlined course work prior to beginning their supervision component.

The Online Master of Applied Behavioral Analysis

The online Master's in Applied Behavior Analysis is a graduate level degree option that helps learners meet the educational requirements for certification as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). This degree program allows you to explore the fundamental principles of both Applied Behavior Analysis in a clinical setting and experimentation in this field.

Learners from bachelor's degree programs focused on education, teaching, and psychology can be accepted into Behavior Analytic degree programs at the master's level. All of the course work required for certification as a BCBA can be presented in BACB-approved online master's programs.

The highest level of degree available to learners in Behavior Analysis can be found at the doctoral level. Online Ph.D. in Applied Behavior Analysis programs can provide learners with a setting that encourages the experimental analysis of behavior, program development focused on behavior analytic principles, and advance practice.

The BACB reserves its highest certification option for learners that have completed doctoral level programs approved by their organization. The BCBA-D credential can be achieved after graduation from the online Ph.D. in Applied Behavior Analysis and completion of all fieldwork requirements outlined in the BCBA certification requirement list.

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University of West Alabama Online Psychology and Counseling Degrees
Multiple programs: Bachelors in Psychology, Master's in Experimental Psychology (Clinical, Healht & Sports Psych), Family Counseling, Guidance and Counseling, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and more.
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Maryville University Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
The online BA in Psychology from Maryville University will prepare you with a strong foundation in the theoretical frameworks of modern psychology. No SAT or ACT scores required.
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Pepperdine University Online Master of Psychology
Choose your path at Pepperdine: pursue licensure as either an LMFT or LPC and serve diverse clients with our online master’s in clinical psychology.
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Methodist University Online Bachelor of Science in Psychology
Gain the skills for diagnosis, clinical interview procedures, behavior analysis, and more.
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University of Texas Permian Basin Online BA in Psychology
Program provides a broad foundation of psychological science knowledge and emphasizes vital written communication and research skills that can inform and assist you in helping professions.
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Who should consider a behavior analysis degree?

If you have an interested in psychology, but are not drawn to counseling-based fields, Behavior Analysis could be an excellent field to consider. Behavior Analysis allows you to collect data about target behaviors and utilize that data to create meaningful and relevant behavior intervention plans.

Behavior Analysis is an incredibly analytic field that draws upon the science of behavior to make conclusions about the cause of behaviors. Learners entering into these degree programs may be interested in the science of behavior change and the effectiveness of relevant interventions on problem behavior and delayed learning.

Applicants to Behavior Analysis degree programs may often be from educational backgrounds in addition to those from psychology-based undergraduate options. A large number of teachers, teaching assistants, and education specialists seek out certification in Behavior Analysis to contribute to the quality of education for students with increased needs.

When looking at online Behavior Analysis degree programs, you might notice a focus on clients diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injury, and other learning disorders that may impair their ability to benefit from the standard educational curriculum. However, Behavior Analysis can be applied with clients in all age groups and with clients with a wide range of diagnoses.

This field welcomes a wide range of personalities to help diversify its reach and include multiple angles of thought in positive behavior change. If you have an interest in changing behaviors through systematic behavior programs, this could be an excellent degree program for you to pursue.

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What Do You Learn?

The Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) outlines specific learning outcomes for future certificants in Behavior Analysis. Each degree program may target these requirements through the offering of a diverse curriculum, all while meeting the expectations of their approval as a BACB-approved degree option.

The first focus area in the course content requirements focuses on professional and ethical conduct in Behavior Analysis. The BACB provides learners with access to an ethics code that can guide learning in this content area.

Within your courses, you may be provided with scenarios involving clients in the clinical setting, professional advertising, and the appropriate use of credentials. Through guidance from your instructor, you can learn to make ethical decisions based upon the ethics code outlined for analysts in your field.

Courses within your Behavior Analysis program may also focus on research methods popular in this field. Your courses in this area may focus on behavior measurement using Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence data sheets, Interval Recording, Scatterplots, or Discrete Trial Training measurement.

Experimental design can include a look at the organization of approved research and multiple research designs such as Single-Subject, Multiple-Baseline, and Alternative Treatments designs. Courses within experimental research can allow you to organize mock research utilizing these types of experimental designs.

The BACB also requires that approved degree programs include course work that focuses on the principles of Behavior Analysis. Courses in this subject area can provide you with insight into the birth of Behavior Analysis, as well as groundbreaking studies and discoveries from popular researchers such as B.F. Skinner and John Watson.

The principles of Behavior Analysis can help you build a foundation in popular subject areas like Radical Behaviorism, Verbal Behavior, and variable manipulation for later use in applied course work.

A wealth of information pertaining to actual practice in the field can be gained through the Applied Behavior Analysis course work required within your approved degree program. This aspect of the course content requirements includes the most classroom hours and can provide you with the knowledge and skills needed to provide services in the clinical environment.

In the Applied Behavior Analysis course content, you may have the opportunity to explore behavior using the ABC (Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence) method. Observations of what happens behavior, during, and after a behavior can provide valuable insight into the purpose of behavior and possible variable to modify for behavior change.

Students can learn more about how environment and antecedent events can trigger or influence behavior. Through the observation of target behaviors in the natural environment, analysts can train parents, teachers, or involved parties on how to prevent target behaviors using relevant interventions.

You may also have the opportunity to explore consequences and how they influence the prevalence of future behaviors. How speaking out in a classroom gets attention, tantrums during chores leads to escape, and how reward systems like allowance and increase good grades are all concepts learned through these courses.

Part of the learning in Behavior Analysis degree programs also involves the creation of Functional Behavior Assessments. These assessments include multiple instances of observation in different environments, interviews with clients, parents, and teachers, and the identification of the function of target behaviors.

Students can learn to classify functions of behavior into 4 major categories – Attention, Escape, Access, and Sensory. Classification of behavior function helps to identify functional interventions for effective behavior change.

Using the Functional Behavior Assessment data and results, students within Behavior Analysis degree programs can then learn to write effective Behavior Intervention Plans for implementation in the client’s environment. These plans can be used by families in the home environment, teachers in schools, or even leadership professionals within businesses and organizations.

Reliable and High-Quality Programs

Upcoming students interested in pursuing their online Behavior Analysis Masters degree may be focused on finding programs that can meet their needs, as well as programs that meet the standard of their certification board. The Behavior Analysis Certification Board (BACB) currently certifies online degree programs suitable for their licensure requirement. Since the BACB approves both on-campus and online programs, you are free to choose online programs without any lapse in quality. Behavior analysis programs found online could potentially be better than programs located within your area, so you should seek out programs online in order to expand your opportunities for learning in this field.

The Online Degree Experience

Once you have enrolled in an online Behavior Analysis Masters degree program, you may find that the classroom is a great place for resources and planning. Most online courses provide students with complete access to the syllabus, due dates, and referral literature to use along the way. Online degree program courses also come equipped with an email tool and discussion board to use during the course of your studies. One of the many advantages associated with online degree programs is that students can have constant access to the course features, as well as the communication with instructors.

Example Programs and Costs

Before you take the next step and enroll in an online Behavior Analysis Masters program, you should consider what aspects of your program are most important to you. Quality is definitely an important factor to consider when choosing a program in this field, especially since BACB-approved programs are required for licensure. Another influencing aspect of online degree programs is the costs. As you look through the example programs below, you should consider financial aid options such as federal loans or scholarships that may be available for you to use.

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology

$1,164 per credit hour – 1 year full-time, 2 years part-time
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology can provide students with a BACB-approved program completely online. During an experience in this program, students can learn more about Behaviorism and its influence in socially-significant behaviors, as well as key assessment and treatment methods that can be successfully used in the field.

Capella University

$21,825 – $29,100 for the entire program – 2 years full-time
Capella University offers a BACB-approved online Behavior Analysis Masters program for students interested in online education. This program can introduce students to the field of behavior analysis, methods for developing relevant and accurate assessments, research methods that can produce results, and planning methods for success.

List of Programs

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University Level Program Admissions
University of Texas Permian Basin
Bachelor Online BA in Psychology Website
Concordia University - Saint Paul
Master MAHS in Forensic Behavioral Health Website
Pepperdine University
Master Online Master's in Applied Behavior Analysis Website
Concordia University - Saint Paul
Bachelor BA in Psychology Website
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