Applied Behavior Analysis Certificate

The Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA) certificate  prepares students with training in the science of learning and behavior and prepares them to work as Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts (BCaBA).   Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a scientific approach to the study of behavior.  Behavior analysts work directly with individuals to improve their social, educational, health, adaptive skills, and behavioral outcomes through the development of programming based upon the principles of ABA.  Behavior analysts are trained to describe behavior, explain, predict, and analyze the occurrence and non-occurrence of behavior in the context of the environment, and change behavior through the development of programming based on ABA strategies and tactics.

Through coursework firmly grounded in theory, with an emphasis on the application of theory to socially significant and effective practice, the BCaBA certificate program provides students with an excellent foundation to meet the proficiencies mandated by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB).  Students will be prepared to complete the required supervised field work and sit for the Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA) examination. Pass-rate data for University of Michigan-Dearborn candidates are not available at this time.  Pass-rate data are not published for sequences with fewer than six first-time candidates in a single year or for sequences within their first four years of operation. Pass-Rate Data for students who have completed the program are available at the BACB website.  BaCBAs provide services within mental health, educational, and human services environments that may include collecting and analyzing data, writing and evaluating behavior intervention plans, training others to implement components of treatment plans, and overseeing the implementation of treatment plans, under the supervision of Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA).  BCaBAs are qualified to provide services to individuals with a variety of needs such as academic performance deficits, adaptive skill deficits (e.g., communication, self-care, and other functional skills), and problem behavior (e.g., aggression, self-injurious behavior), and social interactions.  BCaBAs also provide supervision to Registered Behavior Technicians (RBT).

For more information:  313-593-5090, cehhs-oss@umich.edu

Certificate Program Goals

After completion of the certificate courses, the student will:

  1. Describe and provide examples of the critical concepts and principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA);
  2. Describe and apply research methodology and measurement strategies used in the implementation and management of ABA;
  3. Describe and apply the principles of ABA in relation to individuals with a variety of disabilities in a range of clinical, educational, pre-vocational/vocational, home and community settings;
  4. Describe and apply behavioral assessment procedures, including identification of target behaviors, developing operational definitions, conducting functional behavior assessment/functional analysis;
  5. Accurately graph, visually analyze and interpret behavioral data, including functional analysis data;
  6. Describe ethical issues related to ABA service delivery with individuals with developmental disabilities and other mental health needs;
  7. Describe and apply principles of experimental design including single-subject research methodology; and
  8. Develop Behavior Intervention Plans based upon the results of functional analysis.

The Association for Behavior Analysis International has verified the following courses toward the coursework requirements for eligibility to take the Board Certified Behavior Analyst® or Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® examination. Applicants will need to meet additional requirements before they can be deemed eligible to take the examination.

Certificate Requirements

Required Courses:
EDC 306Applied Behavior Analysis I3
EDC 307Applied Behavior Analysis II3
EDC 308Intro Dev Disabilities3
EDC 350Intro to Ethics for ABA1
EDC 402Research Methods Beh Analysis3
EDC 471Prog Impl, Super, & Management3
EDC 480Behavioral Assessment3
Total Credit Hours19

1. Completion of this academic certificate leads to, but does not equate to certification through the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB).

In order to become a Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA) a student must complete the required courses of this certificate, obtain supervision in an ABA setting, and successfully pass the BCaBA exam.

●    ONSET OF EXPERIENCE: Supervisees may not start accumulating experience hours until they have done all of the following: • Started qualifying coursework (may begin accruing hours after attending first class meeting of a course within the Verified Course Sequence) • Passed the Experience Standards Training Module • Secured a qualified supervisor

●    DURATION OF EXPERIENCE: The start and end dates of the experience may not be more than five years apart.

●      ACCRUAL OF EXPERIENCE: For all categories, no fewer than 10 hours but no more than 30 hours, including supervision hours, may be accrued per week. Supervisees may accrue experience in only one category per supervisory period.   

2. In order to be eligible to take the BCBA exam and complete practicum hours, a student must complete all the required courses with a C or better.

3. More information regarding Behavior Analyst Certification can be found at https://www.bacb.com/.