Becoming Certified as a Behavior Analyst (BCBA) or Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA)

The information below is designed to provide you with information about the national certification process; however, the ultimate authority in all decisions is the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Inc. We encourage each individual to contact the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) directly with any questions you may have regarding certification.

Basic Components Required to be Eligible to be Certified

1. Degree Requirement: Possession of a minimum of a bachelor's (BCaBA) and possession of a minimum of a bachelor's and a master's degree (BCBA) that was conferred in behavior analysis or other natural science, education, human services, engineering, medicine or a field related to behavior analysis and approved by the BACB (click here for information about acceptable degrees).
2. Coursework: You must take the required coursework to fulfill the Contact Hour Requirements for each content area of the Fourth Edition BACB Task List. Fortunately, Rowan University has BACB approved coursework necessary for the BCaBA and for the BCBA (Master's OR Certificate of Advanced Degree)
3. Supervised Experience: The BACB has delineated three types of supervised experience standards. ROWAN UNIVERSITY IS NOT A BACB APPROVED PROGRAM; therefore, the only category of supervised experience students from our programs may use to become eligible to be certified is the Independent Supervised Fieldwork Option. In this category, applicants are required to complete 1500 hours (BCBA) or 1000 hours (BCaBA) of supervised practice. In this category, applicants must be supervised by a BCBA individual at least once every 2 weeks for 5% of the total hours they spend in Supervised Independent Fieldwork. A supervisory period is two weeks.
4. Applying to BACB: Once you have completed the components delineated in 1-3, you may then apply to the BACB to become a BCaBA or BCBA. Please note that you should submit Rowan University's Course Content Verification Forms (BCaBA or BCBA) with your application.
5. Taking Test: After your application is accepted by the BACB, you then have to take the examination. Examinations are administered in a computer-based testing format delivered through the Person VUE network of high-security, standardized testing centers.  Three test windows (roughly August, November, and May) are scheduled based on university graduation date data to minimize the time between graduation and certification. If you want to prepare for the examination, you might consider the resource at Behavior Development Solutions.