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St. Cloud State University

St. Cloud State University

Graduate Bulletin Table of Contents

Applied Behavior Analysis (CPSY)
Education Building

Offered through the Department of Educational Leadership and Community Psychology
in the College of Education
A232 Education Building
Phone: 320.308.2160
Fax: 320.308.3216
Department E-mail: elcp@stcloudstate.edu
Department Web site: www.stcloudstate.edu/elcp
Department Graduate Handbook: PDF

Department Chairperson: Dr. Niloufer Merchant
Department Secretary: Ms. Sandra (Sandy) Radzak
Graduate Coordinator: Dr. Kim Schulze
BACB Coordinator: Dr. Eric Rudrud
Graduate Faculty: Daneshpour, Edrisinha, Jorgensen, Mason, M. Mayhew, Merchant, Mills Novoa, Rapp, Rudrud, Schulze, Vesely

This program is offered on-campus and is also available for completion on-line.

Accreditation Specific to the Program

  • This program is accredited by the Association for Behavior Analysis (ABA)
  • Coursework is approved by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board

Program Overview

This master of science program is designed for those students who desire advanced academic and professional training in behavior analysis. Students may specialize by taking electives in areas such as: autism spectrum disorders, developmental disabilities, behavior therapy, functional analysis, chemical dependency, or the experimental analysis of behavior.

Employers

Graduates are prepared to find employment in a variety of agencies, private practice, or consulting. Job settings may include: behavior therapist in clinical settings, behavior support specialists in educational settings, behavioral medicine, intensive behavior therapy programs for children with autism, residential and vocational programs serving persons with developmental disabilities and persons with mental illness, and behavior analyst III/supervisor at regional Minnesota treatment centers.

Graduates may also elect to pursue doctoral training in fields such as experimental or applied analysis of behavior, professional scientific psychology, educational psychology, and school psychology.

Admission Deadline Specific to the Program

  • Fall semester, spring semester and summer sessions: March 1

Length of Program — Measured by Semesters

  • Part-time student: six semesters taking six credits per semester.
  • Full-time student: four semesters taking nine credits per semester.
  • Distance student: six semesters taking six credits per semester.
  • Students must apply and be accepted as either a distance student or an on-campus student.
  • All students must complete a 600 clock-hour internship.

Graduate Assistantship Overview

  • Generally two graduate assistantship positions for on-campus students are available both fall and spring semesters.
  • Graduate assistants assist faculty members with research projects and teaching activities.

Degrees and Plans Offered

  • Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis: Plan A (Thesis) 39 credits
  • Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis: Plan B (Written Comprehensive Examination) 36 credits
  • Course sequence for BACB (CPSY 630, 641,634, 597, and either 530 or 633)

Master of Science — Applied Behavior Analysis

Plan A, 39 credits; Plan B, 36 credits

Research courses
Plan A, 12 credit minimum; Plan B, 6 credit minimum

  • CPSY 641. Single Case Design, 3 credits
  • CEEP 678. Introduction to Graduate Statistics, 3 credits
  • CPSY 699. Thesis (Plan A only), 6 credits

Core courses
Plan A or B, 18 credit minimum

  • CPSY 597. Practicum in Behavior Analysis, 3 credits
  • CPSY 630. Advanced Applied Behavior Analysis, 3 credits
  • CPSY 633. Behavior Therapy I, 3 credits
  • CPSY 634. Behavioral Assessment, 3 credits
  • CPSY 635. Behavior Therapy II, 3 credits
  • CPSY 643. Social Bases of Behavior, 3 credits

Internship course
6 credit minimum

  • CPSY 697. Supervised Internship in Behavior Analysis, 6 credits

Electives
Plan A, 3 credit minimum; Plan B, 6 credit minimum

  • CPSY 530. Seminar, 3 credits
  • Plan B only: (electives are to be approved by adviser), 3 credits

Internship/practicum experience

All students are required to complete a 600-hour clinical internship in an applied setting agreed upon by the student and the faculty advisor. Internship activities are under the direction of a faculty supervisor and an on-site supervisor. On-site supervision will be provided by a Licensed Psychologist (or equivalent) and or a BCBA certified behavior analyst or equivalent.

Students are required to obtain malpractice insurance during their internship. Information regarding malpractice insurance can be obtained from the American Psychological Association at www.apa.org or the American Counseling Association at www.counseling.org.

On-campus graduate expenses
On-campus graduate tuition for 2007-2008 is $267.20 a credit for Minnesota residents plus a student services/technology fee of $28.32 a credit.

Online graduate expenses
Online graduate tuition for 2007-2008 is $343.25 a credit plus a technology fee of $4.28 a credit.