CERTIFICATION IN
BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS
Department of Psychology
ABOUT BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS
The field of Behavior Analysis grew out of the
scientific study of principles of learning and
behavior.
 Two branches

Experimental Analysis of Behavior: A natural science
approach to the study of behavior as a subject matter
founded by Skinner.
 Applied Behavior Analysis: This science in which
tactics derived from the principles of behavior are
applied to improve socially significant behavior.

ABOUT THE BEHAVIOR ANALYST
CERTIFICATION BOARD (BACB)
The Behavior Analyst Certification Board is a
nonprofit corporation established in 1998 to meet
professional credentialing needs identified by
behavior analysts, governments, and consumers
of behavior analysis services.
 The BACB adheres to the national standards for
boards that grant professional credentials.
 Certifications from the BACB are national.

WHAT IS A BOARD CERTIFIED ASSISTANT BEHAVIOR
ANALYST AND BOARD CERTIFIED BEHAVIOR
ANALYST?
Board Certified assistant Behavior Analyst
BCaBA) is a Behavior Analyst Certification
Board (BACB) bachelors level certification.
 Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) is a
BACB Masters level certification.

WHAT DOES A BCaBA DO?
Conducts descriptive behavioral assessments
 Interprets results from assessments
 Designs ethical and effective behavior-analytic
treatment plans for clients
 Oversees implementation of programming in
familiar cases (e.g., similar to those encountered
during their training)
 Teach others to carry out interventions once the
BCBA has trained the BCaBA

BCaBAs must be supervised by a BCBA
SKILLS REQUIRED TO WORK AS A BCABA
 BCaBAs
must be able to work in a variety
of settings comfortably dealing with
people with behavior problems.
 Must be a team player (many times
behavior analysts are part of treatment
teams)
 They must be good observers, detailoriented, compassionate, and possess
excellent written and communication
skills.
WHERE DO BCaBAS WORK?
 Clinics
 Private
family homes
 Group homes
 Foster homes
 Residential facilities
 Assisted living facilities
 Schools
 Hospitals
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
 Board
Certified assistant Behavior
Analysts are in demand.
 BCaBAs can work as consultants or
employees.
 BCaBA consultants in Miami are typically
paid approximately $25 to $35 an hour.
 BCaBA employees in Miami are typically
paid a salary of approximately $30,000 to
$40,000 a year.
HOW DO I BECOME CERTIFIED?
You need to meet three requirements to become
ELIGIBLE to take the BCaBA certification exam.
1. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited
university
2. 135 hours of coursework in behavior analysis
3. 1000 hours of independent supervised
fieldwork
 Upon completing the requirements for the
certification exam, you must apply to take the
exam, and then pass the exam to become board
certified.

BACB COURSEWORK REQUIREMENT

The applicant must complete a total of 135
classroom hours of instruction in behavior
analysis. These hours must be allocated as per
the BACB requirements in specific content areas:
Ethical considerations – 10 hours
 Definition & characteristics and principles, processes &
concepts - 40 hours
 Behavioral assessment and selecting intervention outcomes
& strategies - 25 hours
 Experimental evaluation of interventions, & measurement
of behavior and displaying & interpreting behavioral data 20 hours
 Behavioral change procedures and systems support 40
hours

FIU UNDERGRADUATE BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS
COURSE SEQUENCE
FIU offers a BACB-approved university course
sequence. These courses meet all the course
content requirements for the certification exam.
 These courses are as follows:


EAB 3002: Introduction to Experimental Analysis of
Behavior (3 credits)
EAB 3765: Behavior Analysis of Child Behavior
Problems (3 credits)
EAB 4034: Advanced Behavior Analysis – Lecture (2
credits)
EAB 4034L: Advanced Behavior Analysis – Lab (3
credits)
EAB 4794: Behavior Modification (3 credits)
For more information regarding the FIU course sequence, please visit
http://casgroup.fiu.edu/behavior
WHO TEACHES THESE COURSES?
As per BACB requirements, all courses are
taught by Board Certified Behavior Analysts.
 The behavior analysis faculty include:

Dr. Jacob Gewirtz, Ph.D., BCBA-D
 Dr. Maricel Cigales, Ph.D., BCBA-D
 Dr. Anibal Gutierrez, Ph.D., BCBA-D
 Dr. Yaneris Leon, Ph.D., BCBA
 Dr. David Lubin, Ph.D., BCBA
 Paloma Pedraza, M.S., BCBA, Ph.D. Candidate
 Adam Ventura, M.S., BCBA
 Sara Richardson, M.S., BCBA
 Alejandro Dominguez, M.S., BCBA

BACB FIELDWORK REQUIREMENT




Applicants must complete 1000 hours of Supervised
Independent Fieldwork in behavior analysis.
The distribution of Supervised Independent
Fieldwork hours must be at least 10 hours per week,
but not more than 30 hours per week, for a minimum
of 3 weeks per month.
Applicants must be supervised at least once every 2
weeks for 5% of the total hours they spend in
Supervised Independent Fieldwork. A supervisory
period is two weeks.
Applicants may not start accumulating experience
until they have begun the behavior analysis
coursework.
BACB FIELDWORK REQUIREMENTS
Total hours required
1000
% of supervision of total
hours
5%
Total number of
supervision hours
50
Frequency of supervisor
contact
Once every two weeks
BACB FIELDWORK REQUIREMENT
 How
do I find a site to accumulate my
fieldwork hours?

There are several agencies in Miami that
have created paid internships to meet the
BACB fieldwork requirements.
 Can
I have multiple supervisor?
 The BACB encourages applicants to
have experiences in multiple sites and
with multiple supervisors.
BACB FIELDWORK REQUIREMENT

What activities are appropriate for Independent
Supervised Fieldwork?
Conducting assessment activities related to the
development of behavioral interventions
 Designing, implementing, and monitoring behavior
analysis programs for clients
 Overseeing the implementation of behavior analysis
programs by others
 Other activities normally performed by a behavior
analyst that are directly related to behavior analysis
(e.g., researching the literature related to the
program)

BACB FIELDWORK REQUIREMENT

Where does supervision occur, and does it need to
be documented?
The supervisor (i.e., BCBA) must observe the
applicant engaging in behavior-analytic activities in
the natural environment at least once every two
weeks. The supervisor must provide specific
feedback to applicant on his/her performance. Half of
the supervision meetings can be via webcam or in
small groups.
 Supervisors are responsible for providing
documentation for each supervisory period on a
feedback form provided by the BACB.

WHEN CAN I TAKE THE EXAM?
 Exams
are administered three times per
year: March, August, and November.
 Exams are computer-based and offered
at various testing sites.
 Upon meeting the requirements for the
certification exam, you can choose the
exam administration you wish to apply
for.
MASTERS IN APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS
The Behavior Analysis Masters Program at
Florida International University is a program
that leads to a Master of Science in Psychology
and eligibility to become a Board Certified
Behavior Analyst®.
 The scientist-practitioner based teaching model
offers students a focus on the experimental,
theoretical, methodological, and applied analysis
of the behavior of individuals across a range of
clinical problems and diverse populations.

UNIQUE BENEFITS OF OUR PROGRAM
Personalized student support and advising
 Completion of practicum hours needed for
Behavior Analyst certification
 On-campus as well as off-campus placement
opportunities
 Supervision by highly-experienced BCBAs
Completion of all requirements for the BCBA
exam upon graduation
 Research opportunities

ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS
A grade point average of 3.0 during the last two
years as an upper division student.
 Foreign students whose native language is not
English must take the Test of English as a
Foreign Language (the TOEFL) and obtain a
score of 550 or higher on the paper based version
or 213 or higher on the computer-based version
 Undergraduate degree in psychology or
completion of a psychology research methods
class and a statistics class.

HOW TO APPLY
Send to the University Admissions Office:
 FIU graduate application form
 Certified transcripts of all college level work
 Graduate Record Examination Scores (GRE):
Scores on the mathematical and verbal aptitude
sections of the General GRE, taken within the
previous five years
 TOEFL: All students whose native language is
other than English will be required to submit
scores on the Test of English as a Foreign
Language.
HOW TO APPLY
Send to the Psychology Department c/o The
Graduate Secretary:
1.
Curriculum vita or a resume: pertinent information on previous
experience, education, honors, awards, interests, community
service, and achievements.
2.
A statement of intent: including a discussion of education and
career objectives and the specific relationship of the Master’s
degree to the achievement of those objectives. Statements
should not exceed three typewritten double-spaced pages.
3.
Letters of Recommendation: Three letters of recommendation
from persons who are in position to evaluate the applicants
professional, and particularly, academic performance, and his or
her potential for success in the Master’s program.
BCBA CERTIFICATION
Upon completion of the masters program you will
be eligible to take the board exam.
 BCBAs are also in high demand
 They can work independently and supervise the
work of BCaBAs and behavior therapists.
 They work in the same settings as BCaBAs.
 In Miami, BCBAs make between $40-60 per hour
 They make salaries of about $50,000-$70,000 per
year
 Many BCBAs work as consultants and have their
own practice.

BACB INFORMATION
 For
more information regarding the
BCaBA and BCBA certification, please
visit: www.BACB.com.