Vanderbilt Peabody College announces new online certificate in applied behavior analysis

Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development will launch a new online certificate this fall designed to meet a growing demand for Board Certified Behavior Analysts. The new program aims to equip students with the necessary knowledge and skills to deliver high-quality behavioral services and make use of behavioral technology, ultimately enhancing the lives of individuals with disabilities.

Peabody's Department of Special Education, which is widely regarded as the top department in the nation, will house the new program. The online curriculum will be grounded in the latest educational research and technology and will challenge students to integrate applied behavior analysis into education practice.

"The goal of Vanderbilt's online certificate program is to make our high-quality ABA course sequence accessible to any practitioner, regardless of their geographic location, who aspires to more effectively support the needs of individuals with disabilities," says Johanna Staubitz, assistant professor of the practice and director of the Applied Behavior Analysis program.

Peabody also offers an on-campus master's degree (M.Ed.) in special education with an ABA focus, and that program will continue. Students in the online program must already have earned a master's degree.

The certificate curriculum consists of seven three-credit courses covering the experimental, theoretical and applied domains of behavior analysis. The course sequence is approved by the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI-VCS).

Recipients of the new certificate will have completed the required coursework needed to sit for the Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) examination, after finishing additional field work requirements.

Employment prospects for licensed behavior analysts have been strong. According to a report from the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, the demand for individuals with certification as either a Board Certified Behavior Analyst® or a Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral® increased every year from 2010 to 2023, including a 14 percent increase from 2022 to 2023.

The program's reduced tuition rate aims to make this valuable education accessible to a diverse range of professionals, including those from healthcare and social sciences backgrounds. Applications for the new program are open.

Deadline for admission to the inaugural cohort for the new ABA certificate is July 5, 2024. Learn more about this exciting educational opportunity by visiting the webpage here.