Advanced Certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis

Department of Psychology

Queens College

 

Statement of Program Goals

 

The goal of the Advanced Certificate Program in Applied Behavior Analysis is to prepare

people to design, deliver, and evaluate individualized behavioral intervention. The current emphasis is on children and adults with developmental disabilities.  The aim of the certificate program is to provide practitioners with high-quality training and supervision in applied behavior analysis.  To that end, faculty carefully integrate the practicum experiences with didactic course work to provide a meaningful repertoire of behavior analysis skills and to help prepare professionals for the National Behavior Analyst Certification Board Examination.

 

Job Opportunities for Graduates

 

Graduates will have an advantage over other applicants for employment in public and private schools, residential and vocational training facilities, and related human service agencies for individuals in need of behavioral intervention for teaching particular skills and remediating maladaptive behavior.

 

Faculty Expertise

 

The full-time faculty and affiliated professionals are internationally recognized for their expertise in Applied Behavior Analysis. Some course work and supervision will be provided by doctoral-level, professional behavior analysts in off-campus practicum settings.

 

Candidates for Enrollment

 

A certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis will benefit individuals who are working or who wish to work in the area of human services.  Specifically, the program provides a focused sequence of supervised practicum experiences and courses for individuals in fields such as psychology, education, social work, or other related fields, who are seeking training in applied behavior analysis.

 

Admission Requirements

 

Applicants for admission must have earned a B.A. or B.S. with a grade-point average of 3.0 or better in their area of specialization.  Additionally, applicants will be required to have some background in psychology, developmental disabilities, education, or field-based experience.  The Graduate Record Examination is not required, but students for whom English is not a native language must show a score of 600 or higher on the TOEFL.  It is not anticipated that transfer credits will be accepted.  Enrollment begins in the Fall Semester only.

 

To Apply

 

Obtain an application form from the Queens College Graduate Admissions Office at (718) 997-5200, or download the application form from their website.  Submit to the QC Graduate Admissions Office your completed application form, your TOEFL scores if appropriate, your official transcripts, and three letters of reference, and a letter of application outlining your interests in pursuing this certificate program. Transcripts must be mailed directly from the college or university you attended.  It is best to apply no later than June for Fall Admission, as openings are limited.

 

Description of the Curriculum

 

The curriculum for the 22-credit Advanced Certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis includes a set of required, core courses and practicum experiences (13credits) and a specialization (9 credits).

Most of the courses are scheduled for the late afternoon and evening to accommodate students who work during the daytime, but there is no guarantee that this is always possible.  It should be emphasized that this curriculum does not constitute the curriculum for a teaching certificate or specialization.

 

            1. Core Courses

 

The core courses provide 8 credits of didactic instruction in the analysis of behavior and ethical considerations coupled with 5 credits of supervised field-based application of this training as follows:

 

            Psych 730.01--Theory and Method in Applied Behavior Analysis I (3 credits)

Psych 730.05--Practicum in Applied Behavior Analysis I (2 credits)

Psych 771--Ethical Issues in Psychology (1 credit)

Psych 730.02--Theory and Method in Applied Behavior Analysis II (4 credits)

Psych 730.06--Practicum in Applied Behavior Analysis II (3 credits)

 

            2.  Specialization

 

The specialization courses provide in-depth concentration on concepts and

methods related to one specified area: Developmental Disabilities,Education, Special Education, or Educational Administration at Queens College.   Alternatively, students may design and propose their own specialization.  Areas for specialization may include, but are not limited to, business and industry, behavioral medicine, sports psychology.

 

The following is a sample specialization.  The 9 credits toward the specialization in Developmental Disabilities may be selected from the following courses currently offered:

 

Psych 720.01--Developmental Disabilities I (3 credits)

Psych 720.02--Developmental Disabilities II (3 credits)

Psych 720.0--Behavioral Intervention in Developmental Disabilities (3 credits)

Psych 730.03--Behavioral Intervention with Children (3 credits)

 

Progress Monitor

 

Eligibility for Behavior Analyst Certification Board Examination

 

The course work in our program has been approved by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board.

Click here for the content areas defined by BACB for all required courses.

Students who wish to be eligible to sit for the National Behavior Analyst Certification Board Examination should take their 9 credits of specialization in the area of behavior analysis.  They must take a course in Principles of Learning, or Learning and Behavior Analysis, and they may select from the following partial list of additional courses:

 

Fieldwork in Applied Behavior Analysis

Theories of Association

Motivation and Reinforcement

Stimulus Control

Categorization and Concept Formation

 

Faculty

 

The full-time faculty and affiliated professionals are internationally

recognized for their expertise in  Behavior Analysis. Some coursework

and supervision will be provided by doctorate-level, professional behavior

analysts in off-campus practicum settings.

 

Alicia M. Alvero, Assistant Professor, Ph.D., Western Michigan University.

Organizational Behavior Management, Behavioral Safety, Organizational Training and Performance Feedback.

Bruce L. Brown, Professor. Ph.D., Yale University.

Pavlovian conditioning, autoshaping, associative learning, temporal control

of human and non-human animal behavior.

 

Lanny Fields, Professor. Ph.D., Columbia University.

Equivalence class formation, transfer of stimulus control.

 

Nancy S. Hemmes, Professor. Ph.D., University of North Carolina, Chapel

Hill.

Basic and applied learning theory, temporal control of behavior,

instrumental and Pavlovian conditioning in human and animal subjects.

 

Patricia J. Krantz, Adjunct Professor. Executive Director of Princeton Child

Development Institute. Ph.D., University of Kansas.

Autism, early intervention, incidental teaching.

 

Robert N. Lanson, Associate Professor. Ph.D., Columbia University.

Animal psychophysics, stimulus control with humans and non-humans.

 

Lynn E. McClannahan, Adjunct Professor. Executive Director of Princeton

Child Development Institute. Ph.D., University of Kansas.

Autism intervention, language intervention, systems analysis, technology

dissemination.

 

Claire L. Poulson, Professor. Ph.D., University of Kansas.

Experimental analysis of infant and child behavior, applied behavior

analysis, education and treatment of children with autism, development of

language and communication.

 

Marilyn K. Rousseau, Professor. Ph.D., Florida State University.

School-aged children in special education, academic and social learning

problems, classroom management, teaching in correctional facilities.

 

Peter Sturmey, Associate Professor. Ph.D., Liverpool University, UK.

Developmental disabilities, dual diagnosis, challenging behavior, staff and

parent training.

 

For more information about the program contact Program Director Alicia Alvero at alicia.alvero@qc.cuny.edu.