Online MA in ABA

The Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) requires students pursue certification to complete practical fieldwork in applied behavior analysis under a qualified supervisor. The BACB offers two types of supervised fieldwork. USF follows the Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork pathway wherein students must accrue 1,500 hours. For more information on fieldwork, check out the BACB’s BCBA Fieldwork Requirements.

A Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) or Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral (BCBA-D) who has been certified for at least one year and has meet the supervision requirements outlined by the Behavior Analyst Certification
Board can provide you with supervision. If you are not currently supervised by a BCBA/BCBA-D and are looking to find a supervisor, check out some of the resources below:

• BCBA Registry
• Current USF Sites

Yes, there are supervisors approved throughout Florida and across the United States. You can see some of the approved sites here.

We are very willing to work with any qualifying BCBA/BCBA-D to become an approved supervisor for USF students. If your current supervisor is not currently USF approved, that’s ok! The Online MA in ABA Program Coordinator will reach out to the supervisor to begin the approval process once an applicant is admitted to the program.

Fill out the Practicum Supervisor Form and then upload the document to your online application.

Absolutely! You can begin your application now, but keep in mind that you need to complete your application, including submission of the Practicum Supervisor Form, by the application deadline.

Applicants can switch agencies and/or supervisors during the application process and while they are current students in the program. 

Practicum Seminar guides student in accruing the needed experience hours to sit for the Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) exam. Seminar also includes professional training, current industry news, a forum to share your experience in the field, and a place to present data on behavior change. Practicum Seminar is taken every semester and students must accrue a minimum of 250 experience hours each semester to pass the course.

Students must accrue 1,500 Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork hours in order to graduate. This means students will also be eligible to sit for the BCBA exam upon graduation. Given this, students should accrue about 20 hours every week in order to graduate in 5 semesters. Students are required to accrue a minimum of 250 concentrated supervised fieldwork experience hours, but this is a minimum and students should be accruing 300 hours each semester in order to graduate in 5 semesters.

Yes, if there is a BCBA with supervisor training who is willing to provide you with Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork you could complete your experience hours where you work. These can be paid, unpaid, or a combination of paid and unpaid hours. It is up to the site to work this out with the student.