Standards for
Board Certified Behavior Analyst® (BCBA®)

Acceptance of "Old" Experience To Be Phased-Out  Effective 10/01/10 "Old" experience will not be accepted to qualify for examination and only "new" experience will be accepted.  All applications for examination using "old" experience must be complete applications and be received before 10/01/10.

Acceptance of Florida Non-University Classes To Be Phased-Out Effective 10/01/10 Florida Non-University classes will not be accepted to qualify for examination and only university coursework will be accepted.  All applications for examination using Florida Non-university classes must be complete applications and be received before 10/01/10.

CHANGES IN THE STANDARDS


Applicants are responsible for ensuring that they apply under the current BACB Standards. The current BACB Standards will be posted on the BACB website. The BACB Standards are subject to revision in the sole discretion of the BACB Board of Directors. Whenever possible, advance notice of any substantial standard changes will also be posted at this website.

Eligibility to sit for the BCBA certification examination requires completion of Sections A and B below and compliance with all other rules and requirements of the BACB.


A. Degree Requirement: Possession of a minimum of a bachelor's and a master's degree from any of the following:

  1. United States or Canadian institution of higher education fully or provisionally accredited by a regional, state, provincial or national accrediting body; or
  2. An institution of higher education located outside the United States or Canada that, at the time the applicant was enrolled and at the time the applicant graduated, maintained a standard of training equivalent to the standards of training of those institutions accredited in the United States.


B. Training and Experience Requirements

OPTION 1: COURSEWORK OPTION

1.
Coursework: The applicant must complete 225 classroom hours of graduate level instruction (see Acceptable Coursework below) in the following content areas and for the number of hours specified:
  1. Ethical considerations 15 hours
  2. Definition & characteristics and Principles, processes & concepts - 45 hours
  3. Behavioral assessment and Selecting intervention outcomes & strategies - 35 hours
  4. Experimental evaluation of interventions - 20 hours
  5. Measurement of behavior and Displaying & interpreting behavioral data - 20 hours
  6. Behavioral change procedures and Systems support 45 hours
  7. Discretionary 45 hours
Acceptable Coursework: Instruction of the type(s) specified in either a, b, or c, below, will be accepted toward the coursework requirement.
  1. College or university courses in behavior analysis, that are taken from an institution that meets the requirements specified in Section A.
  2. Non-college or university courses approved for this purpose by the State of Florida.  Non-university approved coursework must be submitted with a complete application to the BACB prior to 10/1/2010.  After 10/1/2010, applicants may not utilize non-university coursework in their application for certification.
  3. A combination of college or university courses and approved courses.
 
2.
Experience: Click here for the experience requirements for most certificants.

If you accumulated your experience prior to July 1, 2006, and are applying prior to 10/01/10, click here.

OPTION 2: COLLEGE TEACHING OPTION
1.

College Teaching: The applicant must complete a one academic-year, full-time faculty appointment at a college or university (as described in Section A above) during which the applicant:

  • Teaches classes on basic principles of behavior, single-subject research methods, applications of basic principles of behavior in applied settings, and ethical issues; and
  • conducts and publishes research in behavior analysis.
2.

Experience: Click here for the experience requirements for most certificants.

If you accumulated your experience prior to July 1, 2006, and are applying prior to 10/01/10, click here.


 OPTION 3: DOCTORATE/BCBA REVIEW OPTION

1. Doctorate Degree: The applicant must have a doctoral degree, conferred at least ten (10) years prior to applying. The field of study must be behavior analysis, psychology, education or another related field (doctoral degrees in related fields are subject to BACB approval).

2. BCBA Review:

The applicant must have 10 years post-doctoral experience in behavior analysis. Experience must be verified independently by three Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) and supported by information provided on the applicant's CV (curriculum vitae). Applicants who are unable to obtain verification from three BCBAs familiar with their experience may contact the BACB directly to discuss alternatives.

Contact BACB Applications Dept.

 



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