Master’s Degree in Applied Behavior Analysis
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Master’s Degree in Applied Behavior Analysis
October 23, 2024 @ 6pm
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The Caldwell University master’s degree in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is designed to fulfill the growing demand for ABA professionals with expertise in the areas of developmental services and special education. Accredited by the Association for Behavior Analysis International Accreditation Board, this ABA graduate program offers a direct path to your career as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst® (BCBA).
Master’s Degree in Applied Behavior Analysis
The Caldwell University Master of Arts in Applied Behavior Analysis focuses on the principles and procedures of basic and applied behavior analysis practice, primarily the application of behavior analysis and behavioral support in complex environments (i.e., home, school, work, other community settings, and institutional settings). The program is centered on research, allowing you to learn the conceptual and theoretical underpinnings of advanced topics in behavior analysis and develop independent research through a master’s thesis.
The mission of the Caldwell University Master of Arts program in Applied Behavior Analysis is to: (1) produce highly skilled scientist-practitioners, (2) expand access to behavior analytic services for individuals in NJ and surrounding areas by increasing the number of highly qualified Board Certified Behavior Analysts, and (3) conduct and disseminate quality research that contributes to the advancement of our field and ultimately improves individual and social conditions. To accomplish this mission, graduates of the Caldwell University Master of Arts program in Applied Behavior Analysis will demonstrate proficiency in: (1) rigorous coursework grounded in the science of behavior, (2) designing and conducting impactful research that will be suitable for publication in peer-reviewed journals, and (3) the skills and experience necessary to pass the BCBA exam.
The Department of Applied Behavior Analysis at Caldwell University also offers a combined B.S. in Psychology/M.A. degree in ABA, a post-master ABA certification, and a Ph.D degree.
BCBA Exam Pass Rate
In 2022 the BCBA exam pass rate was 100%.
Caldwell University Center for Autism
What sets Caldwell’s Applied Behavior Analysis program apart is the Caldwell University Center for Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis. Situated on our campus, the Center provides assessment and intervention services for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities. Led by a team of Doctoral-level Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA-Ds), who also instruct our courses, the Center serves as a central component for clinical training that fulfills the supervision and field work required by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board. Graduate students have the valuable opportunity to take practicum at the Center, learning skills in assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with ASD.
wanted to be. I liked seeing the energy of the people that work there and how
enthusiastic everyone was. I knew this was the spot to set me up for where I want
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Master’s Degree Admissions
At Caldwell University, the application deadlines for the ABA graduate program are:
- April 1 to begin in the Summer semester
- August 15 to begin in Fall
- December 1 to begin in Spring.
Application Requirements for Master’s Degree in ABA
Applicants for the master’s degree in applied behavior analysis should have a bachelor’s degree or higher, preferably in a related field such as psychology, education, or special education, as well as a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.3.
Required application materials include:
- Official undergraduate/graduate transcripts
- Two letters of recommendation for graduate study
- Writing sample: at least 10 pages of a research-based paper in psychology or education that was previously submitted as part of an undergraduate or graduate course. Other subject matter may be considered if the candidate has had limited prior psychology or education work.
- Personal statement: 2-3 pages describing the reasons for pursuing graduate study in applied behavior analysis at Caldwell University.
- Personal Interview
- Please note: applicants who qualify for an interview will be contacted by the ABA department.
Admissions Process for Master’s Degree in ABA
- Apply online to Caldwell Graduate Studies.
- Official electronic transcripts are welcomed at graduate@caldwell.edu, if the transcript is sent to Caldwell University by the institution or an approved third party such as Parchment or eSCRIP-Safe.
- Supporting application documents can be sent via standard mail to:
Caldwell University, Graduate Admissions,
120 Bloomfield Ave., Caldwell, NJ 07006
OR via email to graduate@caldwell.edu
GRADUATE PROGRAM IN APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a well developed scientific discipline that entails the comprehensive use of empirically validated principles of learning to develop, implement, and evaluate practical strategies to enhance the abilities and self-direction skills of both children and adults in the context of community, home, and educational settings. Although the principles and procedures developed within ABA have been successfully applied in areas such as psychology, traditional and special education, business, industrial safety, addiction, self-management, and rehabilitation, ABA has been most publicly successful in its application to skill development and behavior change for people with developmental disabilities, such as those with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual developmental disorder.
Caldwell University Center for Autism
What sets Caldwell’s Applied Behavior Analysis program apart is the Caldwell University Center for Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis. Situated on our campus, the Center provides assessment and intervention services for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities. Led by a team of Doctoral-level Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA-Ds), who also instruct our courses, the Center serves as a central component for clinical training that fulfills the supervision and field work required by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board. Graduate students have the valuable opportunity to take practicum at the Center, learning skills in assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with ASD.
RETENTION FOR ALL PROGRAMS IN ABA DEPARTMENT
Students may only earn one grade below B for the graduate level courses. This course may be repeated to earn a higher letter grade. Any student who receives a grade below B in a second graduate level course will be dismissed from the program.
ACADEMIC OPTIONS
- Ph.D. in Applied Behavior Analysis (Accredited by ABAI Accreditation Board)
- M.A. in Applied Behavior Analysis (Accredited by ABAI Accreditation Board)
- Combined B.S. in Psychology/M.A. in Applied Behavior Analysis
- Post-Master Program in Applied Behavior Analysis
- Undergraduate Pathways to ABA including the Combined Minor in Applied Behavior Analysis / MA in Applied Behavior Analysis
As a capstone requirement for the MA in Applied Behavior Analysis, students must complete either Thesis in ABA I and ABA II (650, 651) or Master’s Project in ABA I and ABA II (ABA 750, ABA 751). If additional courses are necessary, students take ABA 656 Thesis in ABA Continuation or Master’s Project in ABA Continuation. The primary purpose of these courses is to develop competency in designing procedures to evaluate research/clinical questions. In both tracks, students a) submit an APA-style written proposal to the student’s committee, b) implement procedures approved by the committee, and c) submit an APA-style written final paper to the student’s committee. Students who may pursue doctoral studies are advised to complete the Master’s Thesis. Students employ an experimental research design and formally defend the proposal and final thesis to their committee. The final thesis should be a scholarly work of professional presentation and/or publication quality.
Students who are pursuing a terminal Master’s degree and are interested in a career as a practitioner (not as an academic and researcher) are advised to complete the Master’s Project. Students employ an experimental or quasi-experimental research design to solve a problem of social importance using techniques of applied behavior analysis. The final project should be a formal clinical report of professional quality.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
…
M.A. Applied Behavior Analysis Admission Requirements
Note: The application deadlines for the MA in ABA are:
April 1 – Summer • June 1 – Fall • December 1 – Spring
- A minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.3
- Bachelor’s degree or higher, preferably in a related field such as psychology, education, or special education
- Official undergraduate/graduate transcripts
- Two letters of recommendation for graduate study
- Writing sample: a research-based paper in psychology or education of at least ten pages that was previously submitted as part of an undergraduate or graduate course. Other subject matter may be considered if the candidate has had limited prior psychology or education work.
- Personal statement of several pages in length describing reason for pursuing graduate study in ABA at Caldwell University
- Personal Interview
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS (42 credits)
Required Courses (42 credits)
Course Code : ABA 526
Course Description :
Provides an introduction to behavior analysis and the learning principles on which ABA is founded. Everyday behavior and how it changes is explained by learning principles derived from an analysis of scientific research. Students learn procedures that derive from behavioral principles and practice implementing those procedures in computer simulations. Principles and procedures in the course curriculum include reinforcement, extinction, differential reinforcement, punishment, stimulus control, issues of discrimination and generalization, shaping, fading, prompting, concept formation, stimulus equivalence, respondent learning, conditioned reinforcement, schedules of reinforcement, and behavioral definitions.
Credit : 3
Course Code : ABA 534
Course Description :
This course will provide an overview of applications of research methodology involving direct observation and single-subject designs. This class will consist of a systematic investigation into the major research methods and related issues relevant to identifying functional relationships among environmental and behavioral variables in behavior analysis. The course content is primarily geared to cover the following major content areas: Measurement, Data Displays, and Interpretation; Experimental Design. Specific topics will include independent and dependent variables, various research designs (including withdrawals, reversals, alternating-treatments, multi-element, changing-criterion, and multiple-baseline designs), considerations in using various designs, identifying dimensions of behavior (e.g., rate, duration, latency, or inter-response times), operational definitions, measurement procedures, inter-observer agreement, reliability and validity, Standard Celeration Charts, and making treatment decisions using data displayed in various formats.
Course Code : ABA 537
Course Description :
This course is designed to provide an introduction to applying the basic principles of behavior to address issues of social significance. The purposes of this class are to review defining characteristics of applied behavior analysis and define basic principles of behavior (reinforcement, punishment, extinction, motivating operations, discrimination/generalization) through an applied lens. Thereafter, students will identify how these principles can be used in the development of applied interventions to establish or strengthen behaviors (e.g., prompting, shaping, chaining, differential reinforcement), decrease behavior (e.g., extinction, punishment), promote generalization and maintenance, and design/employ other applied technologies (e.g., token economies, group contingencies, behavioral contracts). A discussion of basic verbal operants and diversity, equity, and inclusion will also be included.
Course Code : ABA 556
Course Description :
This course, which is a continuation and expansion on the principles learned in ABA 537 Intro to ABA, will examine strategies to promote generalization of learned skills, prompting strategies, teaching self-management, group-oriented contingencies, shaping techniques, behavior chains, motivational systems, and other topics. This course includes a 12-hour field component requirement.
Prerequisites :
ABA 537
Course Code : ABA 561
Course Description :
This course prepares students for the ethical and professional practice of applied behavior analysis. Students will learn about the foundations of professional and ethical behavior needed to insure a high quality of practice in behavior analysis. Included will be discussions of evaluating behavior change, collaborating with other professionals, relationships with clients and colleagues, professional representation of oneself and the field of behavior analysis, dissemination of professional values, the Behavior Analyst Certification Board Guidelines for Responsible Conduct. The course content will be addressed through course readings, lectures, classroom discussion, audio-visual presentations, and role playing.
Course Code : ABA 573
Course Description :
Effective writing is an important skill to communicate the findings of a scientific discipline to other professionals and to the mainstream population. Course content will include the function of the written word, the logic of scientific vs. popular writing, APA Style, writing article summaries, writing a Literature review, developing thesis and dissertation proposals, the publication process, writing critiques, writing effective PowerPoint presentations, writing for popular media sources, the basics of grant writing, and developing the curriculum vitae. In this course, students will learn to analyze critically their own written products as well as those of colleagues and student peers. Students will write regularly, both in-class and on their own time, across a number of assignments, for practice and review.
Course Code : ABA 615
Course Description :
This course will provide an overview of functional behavior assessment and function-based interventions for application in a wide range of settings. The purposes of this course are to: (a) provide students with a background in the seminal research in the area of functional assessment, (b) teach students to distinguish between the various types of functional assessment (i.e., indirect, descriptive, and experimental approaches), (c) teach students to identify the strengths and weaknesses of different functional assessment approaches, (d) familiarize students with methodological and procedural variations of experimental functional analysis, (e) teach students to critically evaluate functional assessment/treatment literature, and (f) to prepare students to conduct functional behavior assessments.
Prerequisites :
ABA 526, ABA 534, ABA 537 and ABA 556
Course Code : ABA 624
Course Description :
This advanced course will provide an overview of contemporary research and practice in the field of OBM, also referred to as Perofrmance Management. OBM is seen by some as a behaviorally based area of specialization within the broad field of Industrial-Organizational Psychology.OBM is most closely aligned with the area of organizational behavior and personnel/ human resource management. When ABA is applied to organizational problems such as training, afety, productivity, and quality deficits, the collective set of procedures is term "OBM". The purpose of this course is to introduce students to practice and research in OBM and provide students with the skills needed to apply the fundamental principles of ABA to a variety of performance problems in organizational settings.
Prerequisites :
ABA 534 and ABA 537
Course Code : ABA 650
Course Description :
Students will develop an empirical research question, investigate the already existing research literature relevant to that question, write a literature review in the format of the American Psychological Association (APA) style guide, and develop a formal research proposal using single-case research designs.
Prerequisites :
ABA537, ABA526, ABA573, ABA510, ABA556, ABA534, all other M.A. coursework.
OR
Course Code : ABA 750
Course Description :
The Master’s Project is an outcomes assessment of a student’s experience and training in the Caldwell University MA in Applied Behavior Analysis Program. The purpose of the project is to enhance a student’s abilities to 1) conceptualize a question that is socially significant and 2) apply research strategies in answering this question. Broadly, the project requirements involve conceptualizing the research question, writing a proposal, implementing the procedures, writing a final paper, and having the project accepted by the student’s Committee and the Office of Graduate Studies.
Course Code : ABA 651
Course Description :
Students will carry out the research project designed in ABA 650, analyze the results of the study and discuss its implications, and write the research report in the format of the American Psychological Association (APA) style guide. The final product will be suitable for dissemination through professional research conferences and/or research journals. Completed projects will be published on the Web by ProQuest/UMI; a fee of $60.00 will be billed with course tuition to partially cover publication and copyright costs.
Prerequisites :
ABA 650
OR
Course Code : ABA 751
Course Description :
The Master’s Project is an outcomes assessment of a student’s experience and training in the Caldwell University MA in Applied Behavior Analysis Program. The purpose of the project is to enhance a student’s abilities to 1) conceptualize a question that is socially significant and 2) apply research strategies in answering this question. Broadly, the project requirements involve conceptualizing the research question, writing a proposal, implementing the procedures, writing a final paper, and having the project accepted by the student’s Committee and the Office of Graduate Studies.
Course Code : ABA 655
Course Description :
This course will provide an overview of contemporary research and practice in organizational behavior management, including exposure to behavioral systems analysis, performance management, and behavior-based safety. The purposes of this class are to increase understanding and application of behavioral science in business, with a specific emphasis on human-service organizations. Specific topics and activities will include: organizational and systems level analysis, identifying and measuring pinpoints, assessing performance problems, linking assessment to intervention, identifying interventions, social validity, rule-governed behavior, and supervision and mentorship.
Prerequisites :
ABA 526
Course Code : ABA 800
Course Description :
Students will gain practical experience in the design, implementation, and evaluation of behavioral programs with individuals with autism spectrum disorder and related disabilities. All students will work in the Caldwell University Center for Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis (CAABA), complete an orientation, follow all CAABA policies and procedures, and will be supervised by Caldwell University faculty. This practical experience fulfills the field requirements of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board.
Credit : 3
Course Code : ABA 801
Course Description :
Following ABA 800, students will gain additional practical experience in the design, implementation, and evaluation of behavioral programs with individuals with autism spectrum disorder and related disabilities. All students will work in the Caldwell University Center for Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis (CAABA), complete an orientation, follow all CAABA policies and procedures, and will be supervised by Caldwell University faculty. This practical experience fulfills the field requirements of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board.
Credit : 3
Prerequisites :
ABA 800
Elective Courses (3 credits 1 of the following courses)
Course Code : ABA 510
Course Description :
Focuses on the application of a systematic and empirical approach to the study of psychology. Topics will include: scientific method, pseudoscience, types of experimental research, variable definition, validity threats, control strategies, experimental design, ethical issues, how to present research, statistical application, and additional material. Students engage in discussion, conduct relevant empirical research, and write research reports in the American Psychological Association ABA 811 Research Practicum in ABA II (3) This course will provide additional research experience to students who have already taken ABA 809 Research Practicum in ABA I. Students can register for 1 – 3 credits per semester with a maximum of 3 credits of the research practicum in applied behavior analysis counting towards graduation. Students will be expected to devote 10 hours per week per credit towards the research practicum. Some of those hours may be spent collecting and analyzing the data, conducting literature searches, and writing a manuscript based on the data. It is assumed that most research practica will be supervised by the student’s dissertation advisor but the student and dissertation advisor may agree that another faculty member is best qualified to supervise the research. Students will be expected to meet frequently with their practicum supervisor during the semester and will be expected to complete a research paper written in APA-style by the end of the semester. The research paper should be generalization, shaping, fading, prompting, concept formation, stimulus equivalence, respondent learning, conditioned reinforcement, schedules of reinforcement, and behavioral definitions.
Credit : 3
Course Code : ABA 535
Course Description :
An advanced overview of the physiological processes relating to human behavior. Topics include the central nervous system, neurotransmitter and neurohormonal functioning, the biological bases for emotions, perception, motivation and brain disorders.
OR
Course Code : CPS 535
Course Description :
An advanced overview of the physiological processes relating to human behavior. Topics include the central nervous system, neurotransmitter and neurohormonal functioning, the biological bases for emotions, perception, motivation and brain disorders.
Credit : 3
Course Code : ABA 553
Course Description :
This course is an extension of ABA 534 where the application of behavioral principles to socially significant behaviors is explored. In this course, we will cover advanced basic and applied behavior analytic content as it relates to stimulus control, simple and conditional discrimination, prompt and prompt fading strategies, motivating operations, generalization, maintenance, simple and compound schedules of reinforcement, chaining procedures, differential reinforcement, extinction, antecedent-based interventions, positive and negative punishment including ethical consideration for its use. Throughout the course, students will have the opportunities to develop a skill acquisition program based upon best practices, review and critique current research, present an empirical peer-reviewed article, and conduct and write a brief literature review.
Prerequisites :
ABA 534
Course Code : ABA 572
Course Description :
Designed to familiarize students with skill acquisition services delivered to individuals with ASD and other developmental disabilities. Through a behavior-analytic lens, students are exposed to best practices in assessing and teaching language, social, and adaptive skills. Students learn procedures derived from behavioral principles and research to promote acquisition and practice designing, implementing, and problem solving those procedures via assigned projects.
Prerequisites :
ED556, ABA556, ED537, ABA537
Course Code : ABA 600
Course Description :
This course frames the basic concepts and research findings in infant, child, and adolescent development from a behavior analytic viewpoint. Topics include theory in science, critical analyses of concepts and research methods in developmental psychology, motor development, memory, imitation, perception, thinking, reasoning, concept formation, language, and social development.
Prerequisites :
PS 526, PS 537
Course Code : ABA 601
Course Description :
Description & Necessity: The course is designed to teach the student about behaviorally based therapeutic approaches and techniques that have been empirically supported with children. Course content will focus on the theoretical conceptualization of clinical problems and the conceptual rationale for selecting and implementing behavior therapy techniques. Students will also become familiar with specific protocols for implementing several practical intervention skills.
Prerequisites :
ABA 526, ABA 534, ABA 537, ABA 556
Course Code : ABA 603
Course Description :
This course focuses on identifying and meeting the unique needs of adults with autism spectrum disorders and the families and professionals who support them. Transition strategies from school to adult life will be addressed. Components of effective teaching, employment, volunteer, and residential programs will be identified as well as access to community services. Instructional strategies for the acquisition, maintenance, and generalization of skills and addressing challenging behaviors will be reviewed. Funding and legal aspects of adult services will be discussed. A brief historical perspective of services and civil rights for NJ adults with autism spectrum disorders will be reviewed.
Prerequisites :
ABA 526, ABA 534, ABA 537, ABA 556
Course Code : ABA 604
Course Description :
This course is designed to examine a variety of behavior analytic methodologies to develop advanced language and social skills for individuals with autism. Students in this course will learn how to use and evaluate the available literature on teaching skills such as conversation, friendship, language concepts, cooperative play, conflict management, and self regulation among others.
Prerequisites :
ABA 534, ABA 537, ABA 556, ABA 572.
Course Code : ABA 605
Course Description :
This course is designed to examine play assessments and interventions for children with autism. Play skills are often a target for treatment for these individuals because a deficit in this area is one of the diagnostic criteria for autism. Play skills allow children with autism to engage in appropriate independent behavior and have meaningful interactions with other children. Behavior analysts who serve children with autism must be prepared to assess and develop effective interventions for teaching play skills. Students in this course will learn about definitions of play, the concept of automatic reinforcement, the development of play in typically developing children, as well as methods of assessing and teaching play skills. Finally, students will critically evaluate the literature on interventions designed to teach play and develop research protocols that could be used to contribute to this literature.
Prerequisites :
ABA534, ABA537
Course Code : ABA 616
Course Description :
One of the hallmarks of applied behavior analysis is its focus on the identification of goals and the development of educational interventions specifically tailored for individual learners. This course will focus on identifying educational goals, developing individualized curriculum and motivational systems, assessing treatment effectiveness, and making decisions about transitioning.
Prerequisites :
ABA 526, ABA 534, ABA 537 and ABA 556
Course Code : ABA 618
Course Description :
This course is designed to examine the assessment and treatment of stereotypic behavior, which is commonly observed in individuals with autism and their developmental disorders. Stereotypy is often a target for treatment for these individuals because of its stigma and inverse relationship with appropriate behavior (e.g., play, conversation). Behavior analysts who serve individuals with disabilities must be prepared to conduct careful analyses and treatment evaluations for stereotypical behavior. The major objectives of the class include discussion in etiological theories of stereotypy, methods of assessing maintaining consequences of stereotypy, evaluation of the literature on interventions designed to decrease stereotypy, and development of protocols to evaluate treatments for stereotypy.
Prerequisites :
ABA 526, ABA 534, ABA 537 and ABA 556
Course Code : ABA 619
Course Description :
Difficulties with feeding have been found to occur in up to 80% of children with disabilities and up to 74% of children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorders. This course introduces students to the field of pediatric feeding disorders, examining the etiologies of feeding disorders, assessment techniques, treatment procedures, caregiver training, and issues related to generalization and maintenance.
Prerequisites :
ABA 526, ABA 534, ABA 537 and ABA 556
Course Code : ABA 627
Course Description :
This elective course will investigate the variables that affect how individuals learn to respond differently in the presence of different situations in their surroundings along with how various types of stimulus classes (i.e., concepts or categories) control behavior. Included will be a discussion of the research literature concerning stimulus generalization and discrimination, stimulus fading, stimulus dimensions & features (relevant and irrelevant), intra-, extra-, and inter-dimensional training, stimulus classes & concept learning (e.g., perceptual concepts, equivalence classes, relational frames), transfer of control, prompting strategies, multiple exemplar teaching, and others. Students will also learn about the crucial aspects of programming for generalization in applied settings as well as teaching conceptual behavior.
Prerequisites :
ABA526, ABA534, ABA537, ABA556
Course Code : CPS 627
Course Description :
Provides an overview of psychopharmacological interventions, including discussions of drug action and interaction, tolerance, side effects, dependency and withdrawal. Emphasis is placed upon medications commonly prescribed for the treatment of various forms of mental illness. The course will also include an examination of the counselor’s role in educating clients about pharmacological issues
Credit : 3
Course Code : ABA 631
Course Description :
Explores topics related to theories of reinforcement, establishment of conditioned reinforcers and motivation systems, the role of motivating operations and discriminative stimuli in reinforcement, maintenance of reinforcement effects, and phenomena and procedures relevant to the effectiveness of reinforcers. Basic research on choice and preference will be translated to applied issues, and students will explore the research literature on preference and reinforcers assessements.
Prerequisites :
ABA537, ABA556, ABA534, ABA526
Course Code : ABA 640
Course Description :
Provides the student with an overview of the research literature in the area of self-management in behavior analysis. We will review self-management theory, practice, and research findings. Students will actively (a) review relevant literature, b) present and discuss topics in class, and (c) conduct, write and present projects describing your procedures and findings.
Prerequisites :
ABA534, ABA537, ABA556, ABA526
Course Code : ABA 645
Course Description :
Students will learn to identify and understand various types of pervasive developmental disorders and cognitive impairments, the etiology of these disorders, and their prevalence in the general population. Students will also acquire an understanding of current special education policies and procedures, examine various assessment strategies used to identify children with developmental disabilities, and determine appropriate educational strategies.
Course Code : ABA 646
Course Description :
Introduces students to a behavior analytic approach to language and to the interaction between speakers and listeners. The course will cover types of elementary verbal behavior. Students will learn to recognize examples of these concepts as they occur in everyday life. Research articles that report on teaching verbal behavior to learners will be analyzed.
Prerequisites :
ABA526, ABA537, ABA534, ABA556
Course Code : ABA 698
Course Description :
Spring 2022: This course will review empirically supported assessment and instructional strategies for diverse learners. Topics will include reviewing Direction Instruction, Curriculum-based measures, Precision teaching among others. By the course end, students will be able to articulate and apply the process of linking assessment to intervention. Additionally, students will be expected to complete a case study where they link assessment to an intervention.
Fall 2021: This course is designed to address diversity in the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA) and our larger communities. Topics covered in this course may include privilege, intersectionality, systematic oppression, and cross-cultural professional and clinical considerations in ABA. Over the course of the semester, we will seek to examine these issues from a behaviorist perspective. We will consider the impact of power and privilege on our own lives, the lives of our clients, and the lives of other people in our communities as well as how we can take action to reduce inequality and promote justice.
Summer 2021:This course provides a basic introduction to using the Python programming language for tasks related to practice or research in behavior analysis. The course is broken into two components. In the first two-thirds of the class, students will use Python to build either a practice-related task (e.g., match-to-sample, intraverbals) or research-related task (e.g., discounting, resurgence), deploy the task online, and collect pilot data. In the second half, students will use Python to conduct basic analytic tasks, visualize the data, and publish the findings of their experiment in an online Git repository. Throughout, students will learn best practices for programming and code documentation.
Course Code : ABA 809
Course Description :
This course will provide additional research experience to students interested in conducting doctoral level research under the supervision of a faculty member. Students can register for 1-3 credits per semester with a maximum of 3 credits of the research practicum in applied behavior analysis counting towards graduation. Students will be expected to devote 10 hours per week per credit towards the research practicum. Some of those hours may be spent collecting and analyzing the data, conducting literature searches, and writing a manuscript based on the data. It is assumed that most research practica will be supervised by the student’s dissertation advisor but in rare cases, the student and dissertation advisor may agree that another faculty member is best qualified to supervise the research. Students will be expected to meet frequently with their practicum supervisor during the semester and will be expected to complete a research paper written in APA-style by the end of the semester. The research paper should be written in such a manner that it could be submitted to a professional journal for publication. (Note: Students must take either ABA 800 or ABA 809.)
Credit : 3
Prerequisites :
ABA 526, PS 534, PS 537, PS 556, & approval of Research Practicum Supervisor
Course Code : ABA 811
Course Description :
This course will provide additional research experience to students who have already taken ABA 809 Research Practicum in ABA I. Students can register for 1 – 3 credits per semester with a maximum of 3 credits of the research practicum in applied behavior analysis counting towards graduation. Students will be expected to devote 10 hours per week per credit towards the research practicum. Some of those hours may be spent collecting and analyzing the data, conducting literature searches, and writing a manuscript based on the data. It is assumed that most research practica will be supervised by the student’s dissertation advisor but the student and dissertation advisor may agree that another faculty member is best qualified to supervise the research. Students will be expected to meet frequently with their practicum supervisor during the semester and will be expected to complete a research paper written in APA-style by the end of the semester. The research paper should be written in such a manner that it could be submitted to a professional journal for publication.
Credit : 1 – 3
Status During Thesis
Master’s degree students who have completed all course requirements except for their thesis/Master's Project will register in ABA 650 Thesis in ABA I or ABA 750 Master's Project in ABA I for three credits. Upon successful completion of ABA 650 Thesis in ABA I or ABA 750 Master's Project in ABA I, students will register for ABA 651 Thesis in ABA II or ABA 751Master's Project in ABA II. Students who must continue beyond two semesters to complete their thesis/Master's Project may register for ABA 656 Thesis Continuation or ABA 756 Master's Project Continuation, a pass/fail non-credit bearing course that carries 3 billable credit hours. Students must seek permission from the department to continue registration in Thesis/Master's Project Continuation beyond two semesters. Registration in any thesis/Master's Project course will grant the student full-time status.
Transfer of Graduate Credit
Caldwell University will accept the transfer of a maximum of twelve credits of graduate work in psychology, education or a closely related field, provided that the credits were completed within five years of the student’s registration at Caldwell University. Official transcripts of previous graduate work as well as the catalog description of each course must be submitted for review at the time of application. Approval of transfer credit is based on course content and grade earned in the course, which should not be lower than a B. Each transfer request will be reviewed by the Program Coordinator.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
…
M.A. Applied Behavior Analysis Admission Requirements
Note: The application deadlines for the MA in ABA are:
April 1 – Summer • June 1 – Fall • December 1 – Spring
- A minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.3
- Bachelor’s degree or higher, preferably in a related field such as psychology, education, or special education
- Official undergraduate/graduate transcripts
- Two letters of recommendation for graduate study
- Writing sample: a research-based paper in psychology or education of at least ten pages that was previously submitted as part of an undergraduate or graduate course. Other subject matter may be considered if the candidate has had limited prior psychology or education work.
- Personal statement of several pages in length describing reason for pursuing graduate study in ABA at Caldwell University
- Personal Interview
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS (42 credits)
Required Courses (42 credits)
Course Code : ABA 526
Course Description :
Provides an introduction to behavior analysis and the learning principles on which ABA is founded. Everyday behavior and how it changes is explained by learning principles derived from an analysis of scientific research. Students learn procedures that derive from behavioral principles and practice implementing those procedures in computer simulations. Principles and procedures in the course curriculum include reinforcement, extinction, differential reinforcement, punishment, stimulus control, issues of discrimination and generalization, shaping, fading, prompting, concept formation, stimulus equivalence, respondent learning, conditioned reinforcement, schedules of reinforcement, and behavioral definitions.
Credit : 3
Course Code : ABA 534
Course Description :
This course will provide an overview of applications of research methodology involving direct observation and single-subject designs. This class will consist of a systematic investigation into the major research methods and related issues relevant to identifying functional relationships among environmental and behavioral variables in behavior analysis. The course content is primarily geared to cover the following major content areas: Measurement, Data Displays, and Interpretation; Experimental Design. Specific topics will include independent and dependent variables, various research designs (including withdrawals, reversals, alternating-treatments, multi-element, changing-criterion, and multiple-baseline designs), considerations in using various designs, identifying dimensions of behavior (e.g., rate, duration, latency, or inter-response times), operational definitions, measurement procedures, inter-observer agreement, reliability and validity, Standard Celeration Charts, and making treatment decisions using data displayed in various formats.
Course Code : ABA 537
Course Description :
This course is designed to provide an introduction to applying the basic principles of behavior to address issues of social significance. The purposes of this class are to review defining characteristics of applied behavior analysis and define basic principles of behavior (reinforcement, punishment, extinction, motivating operations, discrimination/generalization) through an applied lens. Thereafter, students will identify how these principles can be used in the development of applied interventions to establish or strengthen behaviors (e.g., prompting, shaping, chaining, differential reinforcement), decrease behavior (e.g., extinction, punishment), promote generalization and maintenance, and design/employ other applied technologies (e.g., token economies, group contingencies, behavioral contracts). A discussion of basic verbal operants and diversity, equity, and inclusion will also be included.
Course Code : ABA 556
Course Description :
This course, which is a continuation and expansion on the principles learned in ABA 537 Intro to ABA, will examine strategies to promote generalization of learned skills, prompting strategies, teaching self-management, group-oriented contingencies, shaping techniques, behavior chains, motivational systems, and other topics. This course includes a 12-hour field component requirement.
Prerequisites :
ABA 537
Course Code : ABA 561
Course Description :
This course prepares students for the ethical and professional practice of applied behavior analysis. Students will learn about the foundations of professional and ethical behavior needed to insure a high quality of practice in behavior analysis. Included will be discussions of evaluating behavior change, collaborating with other professionals, relationships with clients and colleagues, professional representation of oneself and the field of behavior analysis, dissemination of professional values, the Behavior Analyst Certification Board Guidelines for Responsible Conduct. The course content will be addressed through course readings, lectures, classroom discussion, audio-visual presentations, and role playing.
Course Code : ABA 573
Course Description :
Effective writing is an important skill to communicate the findings of a scientific discipline to other professionals and to the mainstream population. Course content will include the function of the written word, the logic of scientific vs. popular writing, APA Style, writing article summaries, writing a Literature review, developing thesis and dissertation proposals, the publication process, writing critiques, writing effective PowerPoint presentations, writing for popular media sources, the basics of grant writing, and developing the curriculum vitae. In this course, students will learn to analyze critically their own written products as well as those of colleagues and student peers. Students will write regularly, both in-class and on their own time, across a number of assignments, for practice and review.
Course Code : ABA 615
Course Description :
This course will provide an overview of functional behavior assessment and function-based interventions for application in a wide range of settings. The purposes of this course are to: (a) provide students with a background in the seminal research in the area of functional assessment, (b) teach students to distinguish between the various types of functional assessment (i.e., indirect, descriptive, and experimental approaches), (c) teach students to identify the strengths and weaknesses of different functional assessment approaches, (d) familiarize students with methodological and procedural variations of experimental functional analysis, (e) teach students to critically evaluate functional assessment/treatment literature, and (f) to prepare students to conduct functional behavior assessments.
Prerequisites :
ABA 526, ABA 534, ABA 537 and ABA 556
Course Code : ABA 624
Course Description :
This advanced course will provide an overview of contemporary research and practice in the field of OBM, also referred to as Perofrmance Management. OBM is seen by some as a behaviorally based area of specialization within the broad field of Industrial-Organizational Psychology.OBM is most closely aligned with the area of organizational behavior and personnel/ human resource management. When ABA is applied to organizational problems such as training, afety, productivity, and quality deficits, the collective set of procedures is term "OBM". The purpose of this course is to introduce students to practice and research in OBM and provide students with the skills needed to apply the fundamental principles of ABA to a variety of performance problems in organizational settings.
Prerequisites :
ABA 534 and ABA 537
Course Code : ABA 650
Course Description :
Students will develop an empirical research question, investigate the already existing research literature relevant to that question, write a literature review in the format of the American Psychological Association (APA) style guide, and develop a formal research proposal using single-case research designs.
Prerequisites :
ABA537, ABA526, ABA573, ABA510, ABA556, ABA534, all other M.A. coursework.
OR
Course Code : ABA 750
Course Description :
The Master’s Project is an outcomes assessment of a student’s experience and training in the Caldwell University MA in Applied Behavior Analysis Program. The purpose of the project is to enhance a student’s abilities to 1) conceptualize a question that is socially significant and 2) apply research strategies in answering this question. Broadly, the project requirements involve conceptualizing the research question, writing a proposal, implementing the procedures, writing a final paper, and having the project accepted by the student’s Committee and the Office of Graduate Studies.
Course Code : ABA 651
Course Description :
Students will carry out the research project designed in ABA 650, analyze the results of the study and discuss its implications, and write the research report in the format of the American Psychological Association (APA) style guide. The final product will be suitable for dissemination through professional research conferences and/or research journals. Completed projects will be published on the Web by ProQuest/UMI; a fee of $60.00 will be billed with course tuition to partially cover publication and copyright costs.
Prerequisites :
ABA 650
OR
Course Code : ABA 751
Course Description :
The Master’s Project is an outcomes assessment of a student’s experience and training in the Caldwell University MA in Applied Behavior Analysis Program. The purpose of the project is to enhance a student’s abilities to 1) conceptualize a question that is socially significant and 2) apply research strategies in answering this question. Broadly, the project requirements involve conceptualizing the research question, writing a proposal, implementing the procedures, writing a final paper, and having the project accepted by the student’s Committee and the Office of Graduate Studies.
Course Code : ABA 655
Course Description :
This course will provide an overview of contemporary research and practice in organizational behavior management, including exposure to behavioral systems analysis, performance management, and behavior-based safety. The purposes of this class are to increase understanding and application of behavioral science in business, with a specific emphasis on human-service organizations. Specific topics and activities will include: organizational and systems level analysis, identifying and measuring pinpoints, assessing performance problems, linking assessment to intervention, identifying interventions, social validity, rule-governed behavior, and supervision and mentorship.
Prerequisites :
ABA 526
Course Code : ABA 800
Course Description :
Students will gain practical experience in the design, implementation, and evaluation of behavioral programs with individuals with autism spectrum disorder and related disabilities. All students will work in the Caldwell University Center for Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis (CAABA), complete an orientation, follow all CAABA policies and procedures, and will be supervised by Caldwell University faculty. This practical experience fulfills the field requirements of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board.
Credit : 0.5 – 3
Course Code : ABA 801
Course Description :
Following ABA 800, students will gain additional practical experience in the design, implementation, and evaluation of behavioral programs with individuals with autism spectrum disorder and related disabilities. All students will work in the Caldwell University Center for Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis (CAABA), complete an orientation, follow all CAABA policies and procedures, and will be supervised by Caldwell University faculty. This practical experience fulfills the field requirements of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board.
Credit : 0.5 – 3
Prerequisites :
ABA 800
Elective Courses (3 credits 1 of the following courses)
Course Code : ABA 510
Course Description :
Focuses on the application of a systematic and empirical approach to the study of psychology. Topics will include: scientific method, pseudoscience, types of experimental research, variable definition, validity threats, control strategies, experimental design, ethical issues, how to present research, statistical application, and additional material. Students engage in discussion, conduct relevant empirical research, and write research reports in the American Psychological Association ABA 811 Research Practicum in ABA II (3) This course will provide additional research experience to students who have already taken ABA 809 Research Practicum in ABA I. Students can register for 1 – 3 credits per semester with a maximum of 3 credits of the research practicum in applied behavior analysis counting towards graduation. Students will be expected to devote 10 hours per week per credit towards the research practicum. Some of those hours may be spent collecting and analyzing the data, conducting literature searches, and writing a manuscript based on the data. It is assumed that most research practica will be supervised by the student’s dissertation advisor but the student and dissertation advisor may agree that another faculty member is best qualified to supervise the research. Students will be expected to meet frequently with their practicum supervisor during the semester and will be expected to complete a research paper written in APA-style by the end of the semester. The research paper should be generalization, shaping, fading, prompting, concept formation, stimulus equivalence, respondent learning, conditioned reinforcement, schedules of reinforcement, and behavioral definitions.
Credit : 3
Course Code : ABA 535
Course Description :
An advanced overview of the physiological processes relating to human behavior. Topics include the central nervous system, neurotransmitter and neurohormonal functioning, the biological bases for emotions, perception, motivation and brain disorders.
OR
Course Code : CPS 535
Course Description :
An advanced overview of the physiological processes relating to human behavior. Topics include the central nervous system, neurotransmitter and neurohormonal functioning, the biological bases for emotions, perception, motivation and brain disorders.
Credit : 3
Course Code : ABA 553
Course Description :
This course is an extension of ABA 534 where the application of behavioral principles to socially significant behaviors is explored. In this course, we will cover advanced basic and applied behavior analytic content as it relates to stimulus control, simple and conditional discrimination, prompt and prompt fading strategies, motivating operations, generalization, maintenance, simple and compound schedules of reinforcement, chaining procedures, differential reinforcement, extinction, antecedent-based interventions, positive and negative punishment including ethical consideration for its use. Throughout the course, students will have the opportunities to develop a skill acquisition program based upon best practices, review and critique current research, present an empirical peer-reviewed article, and conduct and write a brief literature review.
Prerequisites :
ABA 534
Course Code : ABA 572
Course Description :
Designed to familiarize students with skill acquisition services delivered to individuals with ASD and other developmental disabilities. Through a behavior-analytic lens, students are exposed to best practices in assessing and teaching language, social, and adaptive skills. Students learn procedures derived from behavioral principles and research to promote acquisition and practice designing, implementing, and problem solving those procedures via assigned projects.
Prerequisites :
ED556, ABA556, ED537, ABA537
Course Code : ABA 600
Course Description :
This course frames the basic concepts and research findings in infant, child, and adolescent development from a behavior analytic viewpoint. Topics include theory in science, critical analyses of concepts and research methods in developmental psychology, motor development, memory, imitation, perception, thinking, reasoning, concept formation, language, and social development.
Prerequisites :
PS 526, PS 537
Course Code : ABA 601
Course Description :
Description & Necessity: The course is designed to teach the student about behaviorally based therapeutic approaches and techniques that have been empirically supported with children. Course content will focus on the theoretical conceptualization of clinical problems and the conceptual rationale for selecting and implementing behavior therapy techniques. Students will also become familiar with specific protocols for implementing several practical intervention skills.
Prerequisites :
ABA 526, ABA 534, ABA 537, ABA 556
Course Code : ABA 603
Course Description :
This course focuses on identifying and meeting the unique needs of adults with autism spectrum disorders and the families and professionals who support them. Transition strategies from school to adult life will be addressed. Components of effective teaching, employment, volunteer, and residential programs will be identified as well as access to community services. Instructional strategies for the acquisition, maintenance, and generalization of skills and addressing challenging behaviors will be reviewed. Funding and legal aspects of adult services will be discussed. A brief historical perspective of services and civil rights for NJ adults with autism spectrum disorders will be reviewed.
Prerequisites :
ABA 526, ABA 534, ABA 537, ABA 556
Course Code : ABA 604
Course Description :
This course is designed to examine a variety of behavior analytic methodologies to develop advanced language and social skills for individuals with autism. Students in this course will learn how to use and evaluate the available literature on teaching skills such as conversation, friendship, language concepts, cooperative play, conflict management, and self regulation among others.
Prerequisites :
ABA 534, ABA 537, ABA 556, ABA 572.
Course Code : ABA 605
Course Description :
This course is designed to examine play assessments and interventions for children with autism. Play skills are often a target for treatment for these individuals because a deficit in this area is one of the diagnostic criteria for autism. Play skills allow children with autism to engage in appropriate independent behavior and have meaningful interactions with other children. Behavior analysts who serve children with autism must be prepared to assess and develop effective interventions for teaching play skills. Students in this course will learn about definitions of play, the concept of automatic reinforcement, the development of play in typically developing children, as well as methods of assessing and teaching play skills. Finally, students will critically evaluate the literature on interventions designed to teach play and develop research protocols that could be used to contribute to this literature.
Prerequisites :
ABA534, ABA537
Course Code : ABA 616
Course Description :
One of the hallmarks of applied behavior analysis is its focus on the identification of goals and the development of educational interventions specifically tailored for individual learners. This course will focus on identifying educational goals, developing individualized curriculum and motivational systems, assessing treatment effectiveness, and making decisions about transitioning.
Prerequisites :
ABA 526, ABA 534, ABA 537 and ABA 556
Course Code : ABA 618
Course Description :
This course is designed to examine the assessment and treatment of stereotypic behavior, which is commonly observed in individuals with autism and their developmental disorders. Stereotypy is often a target for treatment for these individuals because of its stigma and inverse relationship with appropriate behavior (e.g., play, conversation). Behavior analysts who serve individuals with disabilities must be prepared to conduct careful analyses and treatment evaluations for stereotypical behavior. The major objectives of the class include discussion in etiological theories of stereotypy, methods of assessing maintaining consequences of stereotypy, evaluation of the literature on interventions designed to decrease stereotypy, and development of protocols to evaluate treatments for stereotypy.
Prerequisites :
ABA 526, ABA 534, ABA 537 and ABA 556
Course Code : ABA 619
Course Description :
Difficulties with feeding have been found to occur in up to 80% of children with disabilities and up to 74% of children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorders. This course introduces students to the field of pediatric feeding disorders, examining the etiologies of feeding disorders, assessment techniques, treatment procedures, caregiver training, and issues related to generalization and maintenance.
Prerequisites :
ABA 526, ABA 534, ABA 537 and ABA 556
Course Code : ABA 627
Course Description :
This elective course will investigate the variables that affect how individuals learn to respond differently in the presence of different situations in their surroundings along with how various types of stimulus classes (i.e., concepts or categories) control behavior. Included will be a discussion of the research literature concerning stimulus generalization and discrimination, stimulus fading, stimulus dimensions & features (relevant and irrelevant), intra-, extra-, and inter-dimensional training, stimulus classes & concept learning (e.g., perceptual concepts, equivalence classes, relational frames), transfer of control, prompting strategies, multiple exemplar teaching, and others. Students will also learn about the crucial aspects of programming for generalization in applied settings as well as teaching conceptual behavior.
Prerequisites :
ABA526, ABA534, ABA537, ABA556
Course Code : CPS 627
Course Description :
Provides an overview of psychopharmacological interventions, including discussions of drug action and interaction, tolerance, side effects, dependency and withdrawal. Emphasis is placed upon medications commonly prescribed for the treatment of various forms of mental illness. The course will also include an examination of the counselor’s role in educating clients about pharmacological issues
Credit : 3
Course Code : ABA 631
Course Description :
Explores topics related to theories of reinforcement, establishment of conditioned reinforcers and motivation systems, the role of motivating operations and discriminative stimuli in reinforcement, maintenance of reinforcement effects, and phenomena and procedures relevant to the effectiveness of reinforcers. Basic research on choice and preference will be translated to applied issues, and students will explore the research literature on preference and reinforcers assessements.
Prerequisites :
ABA537, ABA556, ABA534, ABA526
Course Code : ABA 640
Course Description :
Provides the student with an overview of the research literature in the area of self-management in behavior analysis. We will review self-management theory, practice, and research findings. Students will actively (a) review relevant literature, b) present and discuss topics in class, and (c) conduct, write and present projects describing your procedures and findings.
Prerequisites :
ABA534, ABA537, ABA556, ABA526
Course Code : ABA 645
Course Description :
Students will learn to identify and understand various types of pervasive developmental disorders and cognitive impairments, the etiology of these disorders, and their prevalence in the general population. Students will also acquire an understanding of current special education policies and procedures, examine various assessment strategies used to identify children with developmental disabilities, and determine appropriate educational strategies.
Course Code : ABA 646
Course Description :
Introduces students to a behavior analytic approach to language and to the interaction between speakers and listeners. The course will cover types of elementary verbal behavior. Students will learn to recognize examples of these concepts as they occur in everyday life. Research articles that report on teaching verbal behavior to learners will be analyzed.
Prerequisites :
ABA526, ABA537, ABA534, ABA556
Course Code : ABA 698
Course Description :
Spring 2022: This course will review empirically supported assessment and instructional strategies for diverse learners. Topics will include reviewing Direction Instruction, Curriculum-based measures, Precision teaching among others. By the course end, students will be able to articulate and apply the process of linking assessment to intervention. Additionally, students will be expected to complete a case study where they link assessment to an intervention.
Fall 2021: This course is designed to address diversity in the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA) and our larger communities. Topics covered in this course may include privilege, intersectionality, systematic oppression, and cross-cultural professional and clinical considerations in ABA. Over the course of the semester, we will seek to examine these issues from a behaviorist perspective. We will consider the impact of power and privilege on our own lives, the lives of our clients, and the lives of other people in our communities as well as how we can take action to reduce inequality and promote justice.
Summer 2021:This course provides a basic introduction to using the Python programming language for tasks related to practice or research in behavior analysis. The course is broken into two components. In the first two-thirds of the class, students will use Python to build either a practice-related task (e.g., match-to-sample, intraverbals) or research-related task (e.g., discounting, resurgence), deploy the task online, and collect pilot data. In the second half, students will use Python to conduct basic analytic tasks, visualize the data, and publish the findings of their experiment in an online Git repository. Throughout, students will learn best practices for programming and code documentation.
Course Code : ABA 809
Course Description :
This course will provide additional research experience to students interested in conducting doctoral level research under the supervision of a faculty member. Students can register for 1-3 credits per semester with a maximum of 3 credits of the research practicum in applied behavior analysis counting towards graduation. Students will be expected to devote 10 hours per week per credit towards the research practicum. Some of those hours may be spent collecting and analyzing the data, conducting literature searches, and writing a manuscript based on the data. It is assumed that most research practica will be supervised by the student’s dissertation advisor but in rare cases, the student and dissertation advisor may agree that another faculty member is best qualified to supervise the research. Students will be expected to meet frequently with their practicum supervisor during the semester and will be expected to complete a research paper written in APA-style by the end of the semester. The research paper should be written in such a manner that it could be submitted to a professional journal for publication. (Note: Students must take either ABA 800 or ABA 809.)
Credit : 1 – 3
Prerequisites :
ABA 526, PS 534, PS 537, PS 556, & approval of Research Practicum Supervisor
Course Code : ABA 811
Course Description :
This course will provide additional research experience to students who have already taken ABA 809 Research Practicum in ABA I. Students can register for 1 – 3 credits per semester with a maximum of 3 credits of the research practicum in applied behavior analysis counting towards graduation. Students will be expected to devote 10 hours per week per credit towards the research practicum. Some of those hours may be spent collecting and analyzing the data, conducting literature searches, and writing a manuscript based on the data. It is assumed that most research practica will be supervised by the student’s dissertation advisor but the student and dissertation advisor may agree that another faculty member is best qualified to supervise the research. Students will be expected to meet frequently with their practicum supervisor during the semester and will be expected to complete a research paper written in APA-style by the end of the semester. The research paper should be written in such a manner that it could be submitted to a professional journal for publication.
Credit : 1 – 3
Status During Thesis
Master’s degree students who have completed all course requirements except for their thesis/Master's Project will register in ABA 650 Thesis in ABA I or ABA 750 Master's Project in ABA I for three credits. Upon successful completion of ABA 650 Thesis in ABA I or ABA 750 Master's Project in ABA I, students will register for ABA 651 Thesis in ABA II or ABA 751Master's Project in ABA II. Students who must continue beyond two semesters to complete their thesis/Master's Project may register for ABA 656 Thesis Continuation or ABA 756 Master's Project Continuation, a pass/fail non-credit bearing course that carries 3 billable credit hours. Students must seek permission from the department to continue registration in Thesis/Master's Project Continuation beyond two semesters. Registration in any thesis/Master's Project course will grant the student full-time status.
Transfer of Graduate Credit
Caldwell University will accept the transfer of a maximum of twelve credits of graduate work in psychology, education or a closely related field, provided that the credits were completed within five years of the student’s registration at Caldwell University. Official transcripts of previous graduate work as well as the catalog description of each course must be submitted for review at the time of application. Approval of transfer credit is based on course content and grade earned in the course, which should not be lower than a B. Each transfer request will be reviewed by the Program Coordinator.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
…
M.A. Applied Behavior Analysis Admission Requirements
Note: The application deadlines for the MA in ABA are:
April 1 – Summer • June 1 – Fall • December 1 – Spring
- A minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.3
- Bachelor’s degree or higher, preferably in a related field such as psychology, education, or special education
- Official undergraduate/graduate transcripts
- Two letters of recommendation for graduate study
- Writing sample: a research-based paper in psychology or education of at least ten pages that was previously submitted as part of an undergraduate or graduate course. Other subject matter may be considered if the candidate has had limited prior psychology or education work.
- Personal statement of several pages in length describing reason for pursuing graduate study in ABA at Caldwell University
- Personal Interview
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS (42 credits)
Required Courses (42 credits)
Course Code : ABA 526
Course Description :
Provides an introduction to behavior analysis and the learning principles on which ABA is founded. Everyday behavior and how it changes is explained by learning principles derived from an analysis of scientific research. Students learn procedures that derive from behavioral principles and practice implementing those procedures in computer simulations. Principles and procedures in the course curriculum include reinforcement, extinction, differential reinforcement, punishment, stimulus control, issues of discrimination and generalization, shaping, fading, prompting, concept formation, stimulus equivalence, respondent learning, conditioned reinforcement, schedules of reinforcement, and behavioral definitions.
Credit : 3
Course Code : ABA 534
Course Description :
Examines the use of the scientific method to evaluate assessment and intervention techniques in behavior analysis. Topics include measurement techniques, single-subject experimental design, selection of dependent and independent variables, graphical presentation and evaluation of results, ethics pertaining to human subjects and treatment implementation, and ways of communicating research results. Principles and procedures involved in the experimental analysis of reinforcement schedules, stimulus control, and stimulus equivalence are included.
Course Code : ABA 537
Course Description :
This course is designed to introduce graduate students to the basic principles of behavior analysis. Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is an overall management system. It is important to understand concepts of applied behavior analysis and also how to apply those concepts across various learning environments and skill levels to become effective and efficient analyzers of the principles of learning. This course has a 12-hour field component.
Course Code : ABA 556
Course Description :
This course, which is a continuation and expansion on the principles learned in ABA 537 Intro to ABA, will examine strategies to promote generalization of learned skills, prompting strategies, teaching self-management, group-oriented contingencies, shaping techniques, behavior chains, motivational systems, and other topics. This course includes a 12-hour field component requirement.
Prerequisites :
ABA 537
Course Code : ABA 561
Course Description :
This course prepares students for the ethical and professional practice of applied behavior analysis. Students will learn about the foundations of professional and ethical behavior needed to insure a high quality of practice in behavior analysis. Included will be discussions of evaluating behavior change, collaborating with other professionals, relationships with clients and colleagues, professional representation of oneself and the field of behavior analysis, dissemination of professional values, the Behavior Analyst Certification Board Guidelines for Responsible Conduct. The course content will be addressed through course readings, lectures, classroom discussion, audio-visual presentations, and role playing.
Prerequisites :
PS 526, PS 534, PS 537, PS 556
Course Code : ABA 573
Course Description :
Effective writing is an important skill to communicate the findings of a scientific discipline to other professionals and to the mainstream population. Course content will include the function of the written word, the logic of scientific vs. popular writing, APA Style, writing article summaries, writing a Literature review, developing thesis and dissertation proposals, the publication process, writing critiques, writing effective PowerPoint presentations, writing for popular media sources, the basics of grant writing, and developing the curriculum vitae. In this course, students will learn to analyze critically their own written products as well as those of colleagues and student peers. Students will write regularly, both in-class and on their own time, across a number of assignments, for practice and review.
Course Code : ABA 615
Course Description :
Functional behavioral assessment (FBA) and analysis are important links between simple descriptions of behavior and treatment planning. The course will trace the historical development of functional assessment and functional analysis from conceptual contributions in the 1950s through the development of functional analytic techniques in the 1980s, to the present widespread application of these techniques. It explores a range of assessment techniques to use in a variety of settings, from home to school and clinic. The relationship between assessment techniques and the delivery of the least restrictive but most effective behavioral intervention will also be discussed. Students will acquire expertise in a wide range of indirect and direct assessment techniques.
Prerequisites :
ABA 526, ABA 534, ABA 537 and ABA 556
Course Code : ABA 624
Course Description :
This advanced course will provide an overview of contemporary research and practice in the field of OBM, also referred to as Perofrmance Management. OBM is seen by some as a behaviorally based area of specialization within the broad field of Industrial-Organizational Psychology.OBM is most closely aligned with the area of organizational behavior and personnel/ human resource management. When ABA is applied to organizational problems such as training, afety, productivity, and quality deficits, the collective set of procedures is term "OBM". The purpose of this course is to introduce students to practice and research in OBM and provide students with the skills needed to apply the fundamental principles of ABA to a variety of performance problems in organizational settings.
Prerequisites :
ABA537, ABA556
Course Code : ABA 650
Course Description :
Students will develop an empirical research question, investigate the already existing research literature relevant to that question, write a literature review in the format of the American Psychological Association (APA) style guide, and develop a formal research proposal using single-case research designs.
Prerequisites :
ABA537, ABA526, ABA573, ABA510, ABA556, ABA534, all other M.A. coursework.
OR
Course Code : ABA 750
Course Description :
The Master’s Project is an outcomes assessment of a student’s experience and training in the Caldwell University MA in Applied Behavior Analysis Program. The purpose of the project is to enhance a student’s abilities to 1) conceptualize a question that is socially significant and 2) apply research strategies in answering this question. Broadly, the project requirements involve conceptualizing the research question, writing a proposal, implementing the procedures, writing a final paper, and having the project accepted by the student’s Committee and the Office of Graduate Studies.
Course Code : ABA 651
Course Description :
Students will carry out the research project designed in ABA 650, analyze the results of the study and discuss its implications, and write the research report in the format of the American Psychological Association (APA) style guide. The final product will be suitable for dissemination through professional research conferences and/or research journals. Completed projects will be published on the Web by ProQuest/UMI; a fee of $60.00 will be billed with course tuition to partially cover publication and copyright costs.
Prerequisites :
ABA 650
OR
Course Code : ABA 751
Course Description :
The Master’s Project is an outcomes assessment of a student’s experience and training in the Caldwell University MA in Applied Behavior Analysis Program. The purpose of the project is to enhance a student’s abilities to 1) conceptualize a question that is socially significant and 2) apply research strategies in answering this question. Broadly, the project requirements involve conceptualizing the research question, writing a proposal, implementing the procedures, writing a final paper, and having the project accepted by the student’s Committee and the Office of Graduate Studies.
Course Code : ABA 655
Course Description :
This course examines radical behaviorism in a broad historical, theoretical, and philosophical context. Works by B.F. Skinner and analyses and extensions of these works will be discussed. Radical, contextual, methodological and feminist behaviorism will be analyzed and their historical roots investigated. Readings will explore major conceptual issues such as determinism, mentalism, selection by consequences, freedom, control, and responsibility. Finally, the course will cover social issues and cultural design as applications of behavioral thinking.
Prerequisites :
ABA 526, ABA 534, ABA 537, ABA 556
Course Code : ABA 800
Course Description :
Students will gain practical experience in the design, implementation, and evaluation of behavioral programs with individuals with autism. All students will work in private/public schools, complete school orientation, meet guidelines for volunteers and/or employees at the school, and will be supervised by the school personnel and Caldwell College faculty. (Note: Students must take either ABA 800 or ABA 809).
Credit : 0.5 – 2
Course Code : ABA 801
Course Description :
Following ABA 800, students will gain additional practical experience in the design, implementation, and evaluation of behavioral programs with individuals with autism. All students will work in private/public schools, complete school orientation, meet guidelines for volunteers and/or employees at the school, and will be supervised by the school personnel and Caldwell College faculty.
Credit : 0.5 – 2
Prerequisites :
ABA 800
Elective Courses (3 credits 1 of the following courses)
Course Code : ABA 535
Course Description :
An advanced overview of the physiological processes relating to human behavior. Topics include the central nervous system, neurotransmitter and neurohormonal functioning, the biological bases for emotions, perception, motivation and brain disorders.
OR
Course Code : CPS 535
Course Description :
An advanced overview of the physiological processes relating to human behavior. Topics include the central nervous system, neurotransmitter and neurohormonal functioning, the biological bases for emotions, perception, motivation and brain disorders.
Credit : 3
Course Code : ABA 553
Course Description :
Provides a short history of autism and examines its characteristics and how to assess the effectiveness of the major therapies that have been developed to treat autism. In addition to evaluating applied behavior analysis (ABA) and the landmark studies by Lovaas and Krantz & McClannahan, the course evaluates other approaches, such as Auditory Integration Therapy, Sensory Integration Therapy, Greenspan, and the Miller Method.
Course Code : ABA 572
Course Description :
Designed to familiarize students with skill acquisition services delivered to individuals with ASD and other developmental disabilities. Through a behavior-analytic lens, students are exposed to best practices in assessing and teaching language, social, and adaptive skills. Students learn procedures derived from behavioral principles and research to promote acquisition and practice designing, implementing, and problem solving those procedures via assigned projects.
Prerequisites :
ED556, ABA556, ED537, ABA537
Course Code : ABA 600
Course Description :
This course frames the basic concepts and research findings in infant, child, and adolescent development from a behavior analytic viewpoint. Topics include theory in science, critical analyses of concepts and research methods in developmental psychology, motor development, memory, imitation, perception, thinking, reasoning, concept formation, language, and social development.
Prerequisites :
PS 526, PS 537
Course Code : ABA 601
Course Description :
Description & Necessity: The course is designed to teach the student about behaviorally based therapeutic approaches and techniques that have been empirically supported with children. Course content will focus on the theoretical conceptualization of clinical problems and the conceptual rationale for selecting and implementing behavior therapy techniques. Students will also become familiar with specific protocols for implementing several practical intervention skills.
Prerequisites :
ABA 526, ABA 534, ABA 537, ABA 556
Course Code : ABA 603
Course Description :
This course focuses on identifying and meeting the unique needs of adults with autism spectrum disorders and the families and professionals who support them. Transition strategies from school to adult life will be addressed. Components of effective teaching, employment, volunteer, and residential programs will be identified as well as access to community services. Instructional strategies for the acquisition, maintenance, and generalization of skills and addressing challenging behaviors will be reviewed. Funding and legal aspects of adult services will be discussed. A brief historical perspective of services and civil rights for NJ adults with autism spectrum disorders will be reviewed.
Prerequisites :
ABA 526, ABA 534, ABA 537, ABA 556
Course Code : ABA 605
Course Description :
This course is designed to examine play assessments and interventions for children with autism. Play skills are often a target for treatment for these individuals because a deficit in this area is one of the diagnostic criteria for autism. Play skills allow children with autism to engage in appropriate independent behavior and have meaningful interactions with other children. Behavior analysts who serve children with autism must be prepared to assess and develop effective interventions for teaching play skills. Students in this course will learn about definitions of play, the concept of automatic reinforcement, the development of play in typically developing children, as well as methods of assessing and teaching play skills. Finally, students will critically evaluate the literature on interventions designed to teach play and develop research protocols that could be used to contribute to this literature.
Prerequisites :
ABA556, ABA534, ABA537, ABA526
Course Code : ABA 616
Course Description :
One of the hallmarks of applied behavior analysis is its focus on the identification of goals and the development of educational interventions specifically tailored for individual learners. This course will focus on identifying educational goals, developing individualized curriculum and motivational systems, assessing treatment effectiveness, and making decisions about transitioning.
Prerequisites :
ABA 526, ABA 534, ABA 537 and ABA 556
Course Code : ABA 618
Course Description :
This course is designed to examine the assessment and treatment of stereotypic behavior, which is commonly observed in individuals with autism and their developmental disorders. Stereotypy is often a target for treatment for these individuals because of its stigma and inverse relationship with appropriate behavior (e.g., play, conversation). Behavior analysts who serve individuals with disabilities must be prepared to conduct careful analyses and treatment evaluations for stereotypical behavior. The major objectives of the class include discussion in etiological theories of stereotypy, methods of assessing maintaining consequences of stereotypy, evaluation of the literature on interventions designed to decrease stereotypy, and development of protocols to evaluate treatments for stereotypy.
Prerequisites :
ABA 526, ABA 534, ABA 537 and ABA 556
Course Code : ABA 619
Course Description :
Difficulties with feeding have been found to occur in up to 80% of children with disabilities and up to 74% of children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorders. This course introduces students to the field of pediatric feeding disorders, examining the etiologies of feeding disorders, assessment techniques, treatment procedures, caregiver training, and issues related to generalization and maintenance.
Prerequisites :
ABA 526, ABA 534, ABA 537 and ABA 556
Course Code : ABA 627
Course Description :
This elective course will investigate the variables that affect how individuals learn to respond differently in the presence of different situations in their surroundings along with how various types of stimulus classes (i.e., concepts or categories) control behavior. Included will be a discussion of the research literature concerning stimulus generalization and discrimination, stimulus fading, stimulus dimensions & features (relevant and irrelevant), intra-, extra-, and inter-dimensional training, stimulus classes & concept learning (e.g., perceptual concepts, equivalence classes, relational frames), transfer of control, prompting strategies, multiple exemplar teaching, and others. Students will also learn about the crucial aspects of programming for generalization in applied settings as well as teaching conceptual behavior.
Prerequisites :
ABA526, ABA534, ABA537, ABA556
Course Code : CPS 627
Course Description :
Provides an overview of psychopharmacological interventions, including discussions of drug action and interaction, tolerance, side effects, dependency and withdrawal. Emphasis is placed upon medications commonly prescribed for the treatment of various forms of mental illness. The course will also include an examination of the counselor’s role in educating clients about pharmacological issues
Credit : 3
Course Code : ABA 631
Course Description :
Explores topics related to theories of reinforcement, establishment of conditioned reinforcers and motivation systems, the role of motivating operations and discriminative stimuli in reinforcement, maintenance of reinforcement effects, and phenomena and procedures relevant to the effectiveness of reinforcers. Basic research on choice and preference will be translated to applied issues, and students will explore the research literature on preference and reinforcers assessements.
Prerequisites :
ABA537, ABA556, ABA534, ABA526
Course Code : ABA 640
Course Description :
Provides the student with an overview of the research literature in the area of self-management in behavior analysis. We will review self-management theory, practice, and research findings. Students will actively (a) review relevant literature, b) present and discuss topics in class, and (c) conduct, write and present projects describing your procedures and findings.
Prerequisites :
ABA534, ABA537, ABA556, ABA526
Course Code : ABA 645
Course Description :
Students will learn to identify and understand various types of pervasive developmental disorders and cognitive impairments, the etiology of these disorders, and their prevalence in the general population. Students will also acquire an understanding of current special education policies and procedures, examine various assessment strategies used to identify children with developmental disabilities, and determine appropriate educational strategies.
Course Code : ABA 646
Course Description :
Introduces students to a behavior analytic approach to language and to the interaction between speakers and listeners. The course will cover types of elementary verbal behavior. Students will learn to recognize examples of these concepts as they occur in everyday life. Research articles that report on teaching verbal behavior to learners will be analyzed.
Prerequisites :
ABA526, ABA537, ABA534, ABA556
Course Code : ABA 698
Course Description :
Spring 2022: This course will review empirically supported assessment and instructional strategies for diverse learners. Topics will include reviewing Direction Instruction, Curriculum-based measures, Precision teaching among others. By the course end, students will be able to articulate and apply the process of linking assessment to intervention. Additionally, students will be expected to complete a case study where they link assessment to an intervention.
Fall 2021: This course is designed to address diversity in the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA) and our larger communities. Topics covered in this course may include privilege, intersectionality, systematic oppression, and cross-cultural professional and clinical considerations in ABA. Over the course of the semester, we will seek to examine these issues from a behaviorist perspective. We will consider the impact of power and privilege on our own lives, the lives of our clients, and the lives of other people in our communities as well as how we can take action to reduce inequality and promote justice.
Summer 2021:This course provides a basic introduction to using the Python programming language for tasks related to practice or research in behavior analysis. The course is broken into two components. In the first two-thirds of the class, students will use Python to build either a practice-related task (e.g., match-to-sample, intraverbals) or research-related task (e.g., discounting, resurgence), deploy the task online, and collect pilot data. In the second half, students will use Python to conduct basic analytic tasks, visualize the data, and publish the findings of their experiment in an online Git repository. Throughout, students will learn best practices for programming and code documentation.
Course Code : ABA 809
Course Description :
This course will provide additional research experience to students interested in conducting doctoral level research under the supervision of a faculty member. Students can register for 1-3 credits per semester with a maximum of 3 credits of the research practicum in applied behavior analysis counting towards graduation. Students will be expected to devote 10 hours per week per credit towards the research practicum. Some of those hours may be spent collecting and analyzing the data, conducting literature searches, and writing a manuscript based on the data. It is assumed that most research practica will be supervised by the student’s dissertation advisor but in rare cases, the student and dissertation advisor may agree that another faculty member is best qualified to supervise the research. Students will be expected to meet frequently with their practicum supervisor during the semester and will be expected to complete a research paper written in APA-style by the end of the semester. The research paper should be written in such a manner that it could be submitted to a professional journal for publication. (Note: Students must take either ABA 800 or ABA 809.)
Credit : 1 – 3
Prerequisites :
ABA 526, PS 534, PS 537, PS 556, & approval of Research Practicum Supervisor
Status During Thesis
Master’s degree students who have completed all course requirements except for their thesis/Master's Project will register in ABA 650 Thesis in ABA I or ABA 750 Master's Project in ABA I for three credits. Upon successful completion of ABA 650 Thesis in ABA I or ABA 750 Master's Project in ABA I, students will register for ABA 651 Thesis in ABA II or ABA 751Master's Project in ABA II. Students who must continue beyond two semesters to complete their thesis/Master's Project may register for ABA 656 Thesis Continuation or ABA 756 Master's Project Continuation, a pass/fail non-credit bearing course that carries 3 billable credit hours. Students must seek permission from the department to continue registration in Thesis/Master's Project Continuation beyond two semesters. Registration in any thesis/Master's Project course will grant the student full-time status.
Transfer of Graduate Credit
Caldwell University will accept the transfer of a maximum of twelve credits of graduate work in psychology, education or a closely related field, provided that the credits were completed within five years of the student’s registration at Caldwell University. Official transcripts of previous graduate work as well as the catalog description of each course must be submitted for review at the time of application. Approval of transfer credit is based on course content and grade earned in the course, which should not be lower than a B. Each transfer request will be reviewed by the Program Coordinator.
M.A. IN APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS – ABAI ACCREDITED
The M.A. in ABA was designed to prepare students for employment within the fields where there are growing demands for competent professionals with expertise in applied behavior analysis: namely, developmental services, special education, and mental health. Students are required to show proficiency in coursework and to complete a research thesis. The curriculum for this program focuses on (a) the principles and procedures of basic and applied behavior analysis practice and research and (b) the application of behavior analysis and behavioral support in complex environments (i.e., home, school, work, other community settings, and institutional settings) (c) conceptual and theoretical underpinnings of advanced topics in behavior analysis (d) development and completion of independent research in behavior analysis.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Note: The application deadlines for the M.A. in ABA are:
April 1 – Summer • June 1 – Fall • December 1 – Spring
- A minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.3
- Bachelor’s degree or higher, preferably in a related field such as psychology, education, or special education
- Official undergraduate/graduate transcripts
- Satisfactory scores on the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) (Students who already have a master’s degree are exempt from this requirement)
- Two letters of recommendation for graduate study
- Writing sample: a research-based paper in psychology or education of at least ten pages that was previously submitted as part of an undergraduate or graduate course. Other subject matter may be considered if the candidate has had limited prior psychology or education work.
- Personal statement of several pages in length describing reason for pursuing graduate study in ABA at Caldwell University
- Personal Interview
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS (45 credits)
Required Courses (36 credits)
Course Code : ABA 510
Course Description :
Focuses on the application of a systematic and empirical approach to the study of psychology. Topics will include: scientific method, pseudoscience, types of experimental research, variable definition, validity threats, control strategies, experimental design, ethical issues, how to present research, statistical application, and additional material. Students engage in discussion, conduct relevant empirical research, and write research reports in the American Psychological Association ABA 811 Research Practicum in ABA II (3) This course will provide additional research experience to students who have already taken ABA 809 Research Practicum in ABA I. Students can register for 1 – 3 credits per semester with a maximum of 3 credits of the research practicum in applied behavior analysis counting towards graduation. Students will be expected to devote 10 hours per week per credit towards the research practicum. Some of those hours may be spent collecting and analyzing the data, conducting literature searches, and writing a manuscript based on the data. It is assumed that most research practica will be supervised by the student’s dissertation advisor but the student and dissertation advisor may agree that another faculty member is best qualified to supervise the research. Students will be expected to meet frequently with their practicum supervisor during the semester and will be expected to complete a research paper written in APA-style by the end of the semester. The research paper should be written in such a manner that it could be submitted to a professional journal for publication. generalization, shaping, fading, prompting, concept formation, stimulus equivalence, respondent learning, conditioned reinforcement, schedules of reinforcement, and behavioral definitions.
Credit : 3
Course Code : ABA 526
Course Description :
Provides an introduction to behavior analysis and the learning principles on which ABA is founded. Everyday behavior and how it changes is explained by learning principles derived from an analysis of scientific research. Students learn procedures that derive from behavioral principles and practice implementing those procedures in computer simulations. Principles and procedure sin the course curriculum include reinforcement, extinction, differential reinforcement, punishment, stimulus control, issues of discrimination and generalization shaping, fading, prompting, concept formation, stimulus equivalence, respondent learning, conditioned reinforcement, schedules of reinforcement, and behavioral definitions.
Credit : 3
Course Code : ABA 534
Course Description :
Examines the use of the scientific method to evaluate assessment and intervention techniques in behavior analysis. Topics include measurement techniques, single-subject experimental design, selection of dependent and independent variables, graphical presentation and evaluation of results, ethics pertaining to human subjects and treatment implementation, and ways of communicating research results. Principles and procedures involved in the experimental analysis of reinforcement schedules, stimulus control, and stimulus equivalence are included.
Credit : 3
Course Code : ABA 537
Course Description :
This course is designed to introduce graduate students to the basic principles of behavior analysis. Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is an overall management system. It is important to understand concepts of applied behavior analysis and also how to apply those concepts across various learning environments and skill levels to become effective and efficient analyzers of the principles of learning. This course has a 12-hour field component.
Credit : 3
Course Code : ABA 556
Course Description :
This course, which is a continuation and expansion on the principles learned in PS 537 Intro to ABA, will examine strategies to promote generalization of learned skills, prompting strategies, teaching self-management, group-oriented contingencies, shaping techniques, behavior chains, motivational systems, and other topics. This course includes a 12-hour field component requirement.
Credit : 3
Prerequisites :
ABA534, ABA537
Course Code : ABA 561
Course Description :
This course prepares students for the ethical and professional practice of applied behavior analysis. Students will learn about the foundations of professional and ethical behavior needed to insure a high quality of practice in behavior analysis. Included will be discussions of evaluating behavior change, collaborating with other professionals, relationships with clients and colleagues, professional representation of oneself and the field of behavior analysis, dissemination of professional values, and the Behavior Analyst Certification Board Professional and Ethical Compliance Code. The course content will be addressed through course readings, lectures, classroom discussion, audio-visual presentations, and role playing.
Credit : 3
Course Code : ABA 573
Course Description :
Effective writing is an important skill to communicate the findings of a scientific discipline to other professionals and to the mainstream population. Course content will include the function of the written word, the logic of scientific vs. popular writing, APA Style, writing article summaries, writing a Literature review, developing thesis and dissertation proposals, the publication process, writing critiques, writing effective PowerPoint presentations, writing for popular media sources, the basics of grant writing, and developing the curriculum vitae. In this course, students will learn to analyze critically their own written products as well as those of colleagues and student peers. Students will write regularly, both in-class and on their own time, across a number of assignments, for practice and review.
Credit : 3
Course Code : ABA 615
Course Description :
Functional behavioral assessment (FBA) and analysis are important links between simple descriptions of behavior and treatment planning. The course will trace the historical development of functional assessment and functional analysis from conceptual contributions in the 1950s through the development of functional analytic techniques in the 1980s, to the present widespread application of these techniques. It explores a range of assessment techniques to use in a variety of settings, from home to school and clinic. The relationship between assessment techniques and the delivery of the least restrictive but most effective behavioral intervention will also be discussed. Students will acquire expertise in a wide range of indirect and direct assessment techniques.
Credit : 3
Prerequisites :
ABA537, ABA526, ABA556, ABA534
Course Code : ABA 624
Course Description :
This advanced course will provide an overview of contemporary research and practice in the field of OBM, also referred to as Perofrmance Management. OBM is seen by some as a behaviorally based area of specialization within the broad field of Industrial-Organizational Psychology.OBM is most closely aligned with the area of organizational behavior and personnel/ human resource management. When ABA is applied to organizational problems such as training, afety, productivity, and quality deficits, the collective set of procedures is term "OBM". The purpose of this course is to introduce students to practice and research in OBM and provide students with the skills needed to apply the fundamental principles of ABA to a variety of performance problems in organizational settings.
Credit : 3
Prerequisites :
ABA537, ABA556
Course Code : ABA 650
Course Description :
Students will develop an empirical research question, investigate the already existing research literature relevant to that question, write a literature review in the format of the American Psychological Association (APA) style guide, and develop a formal research proposal using single-case research designs.
Credit : 3
Prerequisites :
ABA537, ABA526, ABA573, ABA510, ABA556, ABA534, all other M.A. coursework.
OR
Course Code : ABA 750
Course Description :
The Master’s Project is an outcomes assessment of a student's experience and training in the Caldwell University MA in Applied Behavior Analysis Program. The purpose of the project is to enhance a student’s abilities to 1) conceptualize a question that is socially significant and 2) apply research strategies in answering this question. Broadly, the project requirements involve conceptualizing the research question, writing a proposal, implementing the procedures, writing a final paper, and having the project accepted by the student’s Committee and the Office of Graduate Studies.
Credit : 3
Course Code : ABA 651
Course Description :
Students will carry out the research project designed in ABA 650, analyze the results of the study and discuss its implications, and write the research report in the format of the American Psychological Association (APA) style guide. The final product will be suitable for dissemination through professional research conferences and/or research journals. Completed projects will be published on the Web by ProQuest/UMI; a fee of $60.00 will be billed with course tuition to partially cover publication and copyright costs.
Credit : 3
Prerequisites :
ABA650
OR
Course Code : ABA 751
Course Description :
The Master’s Project is an outcomes assessment of a student's experience and training in the Caldwell University MA in Applied Behavior Analysis Program. The purpose of the project is to enhance a student’s abilities to 1) conceptualize a question that is socially significant and 2) apply research strategies in answering this question. Broadly, the project requirements involve conceptualizing the research question, writing a proposal, implementing the procedures, writing a final paper, and having the project accepted by the student’s Committee and the Office of Graduate Studies.
Credit : 3
Course Code : ABA 655
Course Description :
This course examines radical behaviorism in a broad historical, theoretical, and philosophical context. Works by B.F. Skinner and analyses and extensions of these works will be discussed. Radical, contextual, methodological and feminist behaviorism will be analyzed and their historical roots investigated. Readings will explore major conceptual issues such as determinism, mentalism, selection by consequences, freedom, control, and responsibility. Finally, the course will cover social issues and cultural design as applications of behavioral thinking.
Credit : 3
Prerequisites :
ABA526, ABA534, ABA537, ABA556
Elective Courses (9 credits: Any 3 courses)
Course Code : ABA 521
Course Description :
Description & Necessity: The goal of this course is to introduce students to the field of human cognition through the exploration of classical theoretical and experimental research in cognitive psychology. Students will be introduced to the experimental methods used to study mental processes. Emphasis will be placed on a discussion of the brain and neural networks, memory models, perception, language, concept learning, knowledge, problem solving, reasoning and decision making.
Prerequisites :
ABA510
Course Code : ABA 553
Course Description :
Provides a short history of autism and examines its characteristics and how to assess the effectiveness of the major therapies that have been developed to treat autism. In addition to evaluating applied behavior analysis (ABA) and the landmark studies by Lovaas and Krantz & McClannahan, the course evaluates other approaches, such as Auditory Integration Therapy, Sensory Integration Therapy, Greenspan, and the Miller Method.
Credit : 3
Course Code : ABA 572
Course Description :
This course prepares students for the ethical and professional practice of applied behavior analysis. Students will learn about the foundations of professional and ethical behavior needed to insure a high quality of practice in behavior analysis. Included will be discussions of evaluating behavior change, collaborating with other professionals, relationships with clients and colleagues, professional representation of oneself and the field of behavior analysis, dissemination of professional values, the Behavior Analyst Certification Board Guidelines for Responsible Conduct. The course content will be addressed through course readings, lectures, classroom discussion, audio-visual presentations, and role playing.
Credit : 3
Prerequisites :
ED556, ABA556, ED537, ABA537
Course Code : ABA 600
Course Description :
This course frames the basic concepts and research findings in infant, child, and adolescent development from a behavior analytic viewpoint. Topics include theory in science, critical analyses of concepts and research methods in developmental psychology, motor development, memory, imitation, perception, thinking, reasoning, concept formation, language, and social development.
Credit : 3
Prerequisites :
ABA526, ABA537
Course Code : ABA 601
Course Description :
Description & Necessity: The course is designed to teach the student about behaviorally based therapeutic approaches and techniques that have been empirically supported with children. Course content will focus on the theoretical conceptualization of clinical problems and the conceptual rationale for selecting and implementing behavior therapy techniques. Students will also become familiar with specific protocols for implementing several practical intervention skills.
Credit : 3
Prerequisites :
ABA526, ABA534, ABA537, ABA556
Course Code : ABA 603
Course Description :
This course focuses on identifying and meeting the unique needs of adults with autism spectrum disorders and the families and professionals who support them. Transition strategies from school to adult life will be addressed. Components of effective teaching, employment, volunteer, and residential programs will be identified as well as access to community services. Instructional strategies for the acquisition, maintenance, and generalization of skills and addressing challenging behaviors will be reviewed. Funding and legal aspects of adult services will be discussed. A brief historical perspective of services and civil rights for NJ adults with autism spectrum disorders will be reviewed.
Credit : 3
Prerequisites :
ABA537, ABA556, ABA526, ABA534
Course Code : ABA 604
Course Description :
This course is designed to examine a variety of behavior analytic methodologies to develop advanced language and social skills for individuals with autism. Students in this course will learn how to use and evaluate the available literature on teaching skills such as conversation, friendship, language concepts, cooperative play, conflict management, and self regulation among others.
Credit : 3
Prerequisites :
ABA572, ABA537, ABA556, ABA534
Course Code : ABA 605
Course Description :
This course is designed to examine play assessments and interventions for children with autism. Play skills are often a target for treatment for these individuals because a deficit in this area is one of the diagnostic criteria for autism. Play skills allow children with autism to engage in appropriate independent behavior and have meaningful interactions with other children. Behavior analysts who serve children with autism must be prepared to assess and develop effective interventions for teaching play skills. Students in this course will learn about definitions of play, the concept of automatic reinforcement, the development of play in typically developing children, as well as methods of assessing and teaching play skills. Finally, students will critically evaluate the literature on interventions designed to teach play and develop research protocols that could be used to contribute to this literature.
Credit : 3
Prerequisites :
ABA556, ABA534, ABA537, ABA526
Course Code : ABA 615
Course Description :
Functional behavioral assessment (FBA) and analysis are important links between simple descriptions of behavior and treatment planning. The course will trace the historical development of functional assessment and functional analysis from conceptual contributions in the 1950s through the development of functional analytic techniques in the 1980s, to the present widespread application of these techniques. It explores a range of assessment techniques to use in a variety of settings, from home to school and clinic. The relationship between assessment techniques and the delivery of the least restrictive but most effective behavioral intervention will also be discussed. Students will acquire expertise in a wide range of indirect and direct assessment techniques.
Credit : 3
Prerequisites :
ABA537, ABA526, ABA556, ABA534
Course Code : ABA 616
Course Description :
One of the hallmarks of applied behavior analysis is its focus on the identification of goals and the development of educational interventions specifically tailored for individual learners. This course will focus on identifying educational goals, developing individualized curriculum and motivational systems, assessing treatment effectiveness, and making decisions about transitioning.
Prerequisites :
ABA537, ABA556, ABA534, ABA526
Course Code : ABA 618
Course Description :
This course is designed to examine the assessment and treatment of stereotypic behavior, which is commonly observed in individuals with autism and their developmental disorders. Stereotypy is often a target for treatment for these individuals because of its stigma and inverse relationship with appropriate behavior (e.g., play, conversation). Behavior analysts who serve individuals with disabilities must be prepared to conduct careful analyses and treatment evaluations for stereotypical behavior. The major objectives of the class include discussion in etiological theories of stereotypy, methods of assessing maintaining consequences of stereotypy, evaluation of the literature on interventions designed to decrease stereotypy, and development of protocols to evaluate treatments for stereotypy.
Credit : 3
Prerequisites :
ABA526, ABA556, ABA534, ABA537
Course Code : ABA 619
Course Description :
Difficulties with feeding have been found to occur in up to 80% of children with disabilities and up to 74% of children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorders. This course introduces students to the field of pediatric feeding disorders, examining the etiologies of feeding disorders, assessment techniques, treatment procedures, caregiver training, and issues related to generalization and maintenance.
Credit : 3
Prerequisites :
ABA556, ABA526, ABA534, ABA537
Course Code : ABA 620
Course Description :
Investigates the processes that affect how individuals learn to respond to different situations. Included will be a discussion of the research literature concerning stimulus generalization anddiscrimination, differential reinforcement, object labeling, and concept learning, among others. Students will learn about the crucial aspects of programming for generalization or discrimination.
Credit : 3
Prerequisites :
ABA526, ABA556, ABA537
Course Code : ABA 625
Course Description :
A major component in applied behavior analysis is the use of effective individualized motivational systems. This course will include a description of the rationale and goals for the use of motivational systems, and the real or imagined distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Discussed will be the characteristics of designing and implementing effective motivational systems, types of reinforcers and how to select them, how to identify the effectiveness of reinforcers, and how to transition from primary reinforcers to naturalistic reinforcers. In addition, the course will depict recent technological advances that have been incorporated into various motivational systems.
Credit : 3
Prerequisites :
ABA537, ABA534, ABA556, ABA526
Course Code : ABA 626
Course Description :
ABA 626 Assessment & Program Development for Individuals with Autism Part II (3) This course focuses on the necessary and important components of both school- and home-based instructional programs for individuals with autism. Issues related to developing and maintaining a treatment team, designing curriculum, arranging the instructional space, developing motivational systems, and data collection strategies will be discussed.
Credit : 3
Prerequisites :
ABA526, ABA556, ABA616, ABA537, ABA534
Course Code : ABA 627
Course Description :
This course will familiarize students with psychotropic medications used to treat individuals with developmental disabilities and related psychiatric disorders.
Credit : 3
Prerequisites :
ABA526, ABA534, ABA537, ABA556
Course Code : ABA 630
Course Description :
Explores topics related to choice and preference behavior from both the basic laboratory and applied settings. Included will be a discussion of the major theories and issues of choice such as momentary maximizing, melioration, delayed discounting, and the matching law. Basic research on choice and preference will be translated to applied issues, including preferences for particular items or activities and the relationship between problem behavior and alternative appropriate behavior. The principles and procedures used to study choice and preference will also be covered.
Credit : 3
Prerequisites :
ABA537, ABA534, ABA526, ABA556
Course Code : ABA 635
Course Description :
Focuses on the learning principles that underlie the acquisition of conceptual behavior and the formation of stimulus classes. Included will be an analysis of conditional discrimination training; equivalence class, relational class, and perceptual class formation; relational frame theory; and multiple exemplar training. Applications for individuals with developmental delays will be described.
Credit : 3
Prerequisites :
ABA556, ABA526, ABA537, ABA534
Course Code : ABA 640
Course Description :
Provides the student with an overview of the research literature in the area of self-management in behavior analysis, including self-instruction, goal-setting and contracting. Students will learn the practical implications of assessing and increasing self-control for a variety of clinical diagnoses (e.g., autism spectrum disorder, ADD/ADHD). The course will incorporate research on behavioral economics and the prisoner's dilemma paradigm to illustrate issues of self-control and impulsivity.
Credit : 3
Prerequisites :
ABA534, ABA537, ABA556, ABA526
Course Code : ABA 645
Course Description :
Students will learn to identify and understand various types of pervasive developmental disorders and cognitive impairments, the etiology of these disorders, and their prevalence in the general population. Students will also acquire an understanding of current special education policies and procedures, examine various assessment strategies used to identify children with developmental disabilities, and determine appropriate educational strategies.
Credit : 3
Course Code : ABA 646
Course Description :
Introduces students to a behavior analytic approach to language and to the interaction between speakers and listeners. The course will cover types of elementary verbal behavior. Students will learn to recognize examples of these concepts as they occur in everyday life. Research articles that report on teaching verbal behavior to learners will be analyzed.
Credit : 3
Prerequisites :
ABA526, ABA537, ABA534, ABA556
Course Code : ABA 648
Course Description :
The early and accurate identification of individuals with disabilities has far reaching implications in terms of treatment and outcome. Methods to ensure diagnostic consistency across professionals are necessary to improve both research and clinical practice. To that end, there are a number of established and newer assessment instruments available to those who work with individuals with developmental disabilities. All diagnostic instruments for developmental disabilities gather information on social interaction, communication, and repetitive behaviors, but there are various approaches to assessing these symptoms and arriving at a diagnostic recommendation. This course will focus on a number of available instruments and evaluate them in terms of validity, reliability, norms, ease of use, and utility. Students will take an active part in becoming skilled in using these instruments and presenting their findings to their class peers.
Credit : 3
Prerequisites :
ABA510, ABA526, ABA534, ABA537, ABA556
Course Code : ABA 654
Course Description :
This course considers issues of broad social significance. Students will investigate agencies of social control and their interlocking contingencies, as well as the use of countercontrol. Conceptual issues relating to coercion, prejudice, and mindfulness will be examined. Readings will include analysis of cultural practices and community interventions, for example, those related to the workplace, education, and the environment. This course will be conducted in a seminar format.
Credit : 3
Prerequisites :
ABA526, ABA534, ABA537, ABA556
Course Code : ABA 800
Course Description :
Students will gain practical experience in the design, implementation, and evaluation of behavioral programs with individuals with autism. All students will work in private/public schools, complete school orientation, meet guidelines for volunteers and/or employees at the school, and will be supervised by the school personnel and Caldwell University faculty. Note: Ph.D. students are required to take 3 credits of applied practicum (ABA 800 Applied Practicum in ABA I) and an additional 3 credits in either applied or research practicum content (ABA 801 Applied Practicum in ABA II or ABA 809 Research Practicum in ABA).
Credit : 1 – 3
Course Code : ABA 801
Course Description :
Following ABA 800, students will gain additional practical experience in the design, implementation, and evaluation of behavioral programs with individuals with autism. All students will work in private/public schools, complete school orientation, meet guidelines for volunteers and/or employees at the school, and will be supervised by the school personnel and Caldwell College faculty.
Credit : 2 – 3
Prerequisites :
ABA800
Course Code : ABA 809
Course Description :
This course will provide additional research experience to students interested in conducting doctoral-level research under the supervision of a faculty member. Students can register for 1-3 credits per semester with a maximum of 3 credits of the research practicum in applied behavior analysis counting towards graduation. Students will be expected to devote 10 hours per week per credit towards the research practicum. Some of those hours may be spent collecting and analyzing the data, conducting literature searches, and writing a manuscript based on the data. It is assumed that most research practica will be supervised by the student's dissertation advisor but in rare cases, the student and dissertation advisor may agree that another faculty member is best qualified to supervise the research. Students will be expected to meet frequently with their practicum supervisor during the semester and will be expected to complete a research paper written in APA style by the end of the semester. The research paper should be written in such a manner that it could be submitted to a professional journal for publication.. (Note: Ph.D. students must take either ABA 801 or ABA 809.)
Credit : 3
Prerequisites :
ABA526, ABA556, ABA534, ABA537
Status During Thesis
Master’s degree students who have completed all course requirements except for their thesis/Master's Project will register in ABA 650 Thesis in ABA I or ABA 750 Master's Project in ABA I for three credits. Upon successful completion of ABA 650 Thesis in ABA I or ABA 750 Master's Project in ABA I, students will register for ABA 651 Thesis in ABA II or ABA 751 Master's Project in ABA II. Students who must continue beyond two semesters to complete their thesis/Master's Project may register for ABA 656 Thesis Continuation or ABA 756 Master's Project Continuation, a pass/fail non-credit bearing course that carries 3 billable credit hours. Students must seek permission from the department to continue registration in Thesis/Master's Project Continuation beyond two semesters. Registration in any thesis/Master's Project course will grant the student full-time status.
Transfer of Graduate Credit
Caldwell University will accept the transfer of a maximum of twelve credits of graduate work in psychology, education or a closely related field, provided that the credits were completed within five years of the student’s registration at Caldwell University. Official transcripts of previous graduate work as well as the catalog description of each course must be submitted for review at the time of application. Approval of transfer credit is based on course content and grade earned in the course, which should not be lower than a B. Each transfer request will be reviewed by the Program Coordinator.
ABA Master’s Thesis Status
Registration in any thesis course grants a student full-time status. Master’s degree students who have completed all course requirements except for their thesis register in ABA 650 Thesis in ABA I for three credits. Upon successful completion of ABA 650 Thesis in ABA I, students register for ABA 651 Thesis in ABA II. With department permission, students who must continue beyond two semesters to complete their thesis may register in ABA 656 Thesis Continuation, a pass/fail non-credit bearing course that carries 3 billable credit hours.
Transfer of Graduate Credit
Caldwell University will accept the transfer of a maximum of twelve credits of graduate work in psychology, education, or a closely related field, provided that the credits were completed within five years of the student’s registration. Official transcripts of previous graduate work as well as the catalog description of each course must be submitted for review at the time of application. Approval of transfer credit is based on course content and grade earned in the course, which should not be lower than a B. Each transfer request will be reviewed by the Program Coordinator.
Earn your graduate ABA degree at Caldwell!
At Caldwell University, our master’s degree in Applied Behavior Analysis offers comprehensive ABA training to be eligible for BCBA certification. Furthermore, becoming an in-demand behavior analyst offers you a fulfilling career path assisting people with cognitive disabilities towards a more independent life.
Request more information to learn about the ABA graduate program or begin your Caldwell graduate application today!