The Department of Applied Behavioral Science offers a curriculum through which students learn how to examine and address problems of social importance across the lifespan. Students receive training in the application of behavioral science to improve the human condition through prevention and intervention. The department’s master’s program in applied behavioral science satisfies coursework requirements for Board Certification in Behavior Analysis and, in most states, licensure as a behavior analyst.
Admission to Graduate Studies
Admission Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree: A copy of official transcripts showing proof of a bachelor's degree (and any post-bachelor’s coursework or degrees) from a regionally accredited institution, or a foreign university with equivalent bachelor's degree requirements is required.
- English proficiency: Proof of English proficiency for non-native or non-native-like English speakers is required. There are two bands of English proficiency, including Admission and Full proficiency. For applicants to online programs, Full proficiency is required.
Admission to the M.A. Program
For admission in the fall semester, please view the application deadline and all required application materials on the Graduate Admission page of our departmental website. Students may be admitted for the spring semester, but there is no filing deadline.
Eligibility criteria for admission to the M.A. program follow Graduate Studies’ admission policy. To be considered for admission to graduate status in the program, a student must hold a bachelor’s degree. Non-native speakers of English must meet English proficiency requirements.
For admission with full graduate standing, the department recommends that applicants complete 12 credit hours of undergraduate or graduate course work in behavior analysis, behavioral science, psychology, education, or related fields, and 6 hours in experimental methods, research design, or statistics.
Among the department’s application materials is a list of department faculty members. Please review the faculty members and descriptions of their research, scholarly, and professional interests on the department's website. Applicants should select any faculty members within the application whose research interests match their own. These faculty members review the applicant's materials. An applicant is accepted when one of the faculty members consent to admit the student. This faculty member becomes the advisor of record.
How to Apply
Applicants will submit an application online through the SLATE system. Begin by visiting graduate admissions and select "Apply." Applicants should select the start term and create an account (if they are a first-time user) or log in (if they are returning to continue an application).
- On the application's "Program Information page," select "Social and Behavioral Sciences" from the Academic Area of Interest.
- Under "Academic Program," search for "Behavioral Psychology (PhD)” if applying to the doctoral program or “Applied Behavioral Science (MA)” if applying to the MA program.
Fill out the online application and attach the required documents. Required documents to attach with the online application minimally include the following:
- Personal statement
- Vita
- 3 letters of Recommendation
- GRE (optional, but recommended)
- Copies of official transcripts. Student advising reports or documents titled “unofficial document/transcript” cannot be accepted for admission review. (Official transcripts with degree conferral will need to be obtained if accepted into the program). Note that former/current KU students are not required to provide copies of KU transcripts for application. A copy of the official transcript must be provided if a degree was earned outside of KU.
- List of faculty members with whom the prospective student is interested in working
GRE scores are optional and can be sent directly to the Graduate School.
Admission to the Online M.A. Program
For admission in the fall semester, please view the application deadline and all required application materials on the Graduate Admission page of our departmental website. Eligibility criteria for admission to the M.A. program follow Graduate Studies’ admission policy. To be considered for admission to graduate status in the program, a student must hold a bachelor’s degree.
For admission with full graduate standing, the department recommends that applicants complete 12 credit hours of undergraduate or graduate course work in behavior analysis, behavioral science, psychology, education, or related fields, and 6 hours in experimental methods, research design, or statistics.
Among the department’s application materials is a list of department faculty members. Please review the faculty members and descriptions of their research, scholarly, and professional interests on the department's website. Applicants should select any faculty members within the application whose research interests match their own. These faculty members review the applicant's materials. An applicant is accepted when one of the faculty members consent to admit the student. This faculty member becomes the advisor of record.
A full list of the required application materials can be found on the Graduate Admission page of our departmental website.
Non-native speakers of English must meet English proficiency requirements.
M.A. in Applied Behavioral Science Degree Requirements
The master’s program trains highly competent scientist-practitioners in applied behavioral science. It requires course work on the basic principles and conceptual foundations of behavioral science and its research methods but emphasizes course work and training in applied and intervention research (e.g., assessment, analysis, intervention, evaluation). Its objective is to advance empirically based solutions to problems of individual and societal importance, both local and global.
The master’s program follows a junior-colleague model. Students work closely with their advisors and join them in many aspects of professional development. This includes designing and conducting research, preparing manuscripts for presentation and publication, presenting and publishing those manuscripts, and engaging in all facets of the responsible conduct of research. Students typically work with one advisor, but may work with other faculty members or have co-advisors. If a student’s or advisor’s interests change, students are free to change advisors.
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| ABSC 735 | Within Subjects Research Methodology and Direct Observation | 3 |
| ABSC 746 | Introduction to Behavioral Science | 3 |
| ABSC 799 | Experimental Analysis of Behavior | 3 |
| ABSC 800 | Conceptual Foundations of Applied Behavioral Science | 3 |
| ABSC 841 | Ethical, Legal, and Professional Issues in Applied Behavioral Science | 3 |
| ABSC 861 | Principles of Behavior Analysis | 3 |
| |
| Designing Early Education Environments | |
| Behavior Analysis in Developmental Disabilities | |
| Functional Behavioral Assessment | |
| Advanced Seminar in Applied Behavior Analysis: _____ | |
| Seminar in: _____ Only selected/approved topics may count for ABSC 890 | |
| Special Topics in: _____ Only selected/approved topics may count for ABSC 893 | |
| |
| Practicum I in Behavioral Psychology | |
| Practicum I in Behavior Analysis: _____ | |
| Practicum I in: _____ | |
| Practicum in Community Health Promotion | |
| Practicum in Community Development | |
| ABSC 899 | Master's Thesis in Applied Behavioral Science | 6 |
| Total Hours | 30 |
This course work also satisfies 7 of the course requirements and the thesis requirement in the doctoral program.
Other electives may be counted with approval of the program.
Thesis Defense:
For the M.A. degree, students are required to propose, complete, write up, and orally defend an empirically based Master’s thesis. While working on the thesis, students will enroll in ABSC 899 Master's Thesis in Applied Behavioral Science with their faculty advisor. Students must write and defend the thesis in front of a thesis committee. The thesis must meet minimum department and University requirements. The thesis is successful if a majority of the committee members vote to pass it.
M.A. in Applied Behavioral Science Degree Requirements
The online master’s program trains highly competent scientist-practitioners in applied behavioral science. It requires course work on the basic principles and conceptual foundations of behavioral science and its research methods but emphasizes course work and training in applied and intervention research (e.g., assessment, analysis, intervention, evaluation). Its objective is to advance empirically based solutions to problems of individual and societal importance, both local and global.
The online master’s program follows a junior-colleague model. Students work closely with their advisors and join them in many aspects of professional development. This includes learning about the depth and breadth of behavioral science, acquiring the conceptual knowledge underlying our field, learning the basic principles of behavioral science, and acquiring a number of clinical and professional skills.
The online M.A. degree requires a minimum of 33 credit hours: 27 hours in 9 content areas (required courses), and 6 hours in practicum. At least 50% of coursework taken must be at the 700 level or above.
The following content area courses are required:
- ABSC 850 Principles of Behavior Analysis (3). The science of behavior (e.g., observation, experimentation), laboratory methods, basic behavioral principles (e.g., reinforcement, stimulus control), and their applications (e.g., early childhood, disabilities).
- ABSC 851 Ethical, Legal, and Professional Issues in Applied Behavioral Science (3). Instruction in ethical principles in the conduct of research (e.g., informed consent, data analysis), legal issues in professional conduct (e.g., plagiarism, copyright), and professional skills (e.g., journal reviewing, professional communication).
- ABSC 852 Behavior Analysis in Developmental Disabilities (3). A graduate seminar that includes an overview of the behavioral characteristics of various developmental disabilities and examination of empirically-supported behavioral approaches to the study and treatment of developmental disabilities.
- ABSC 853 Behavioral Assessment (3). A graduate seminar on the strategies, tactics, and ethics of functional assessment in the larger context of behavioral assessment (e.g., nomothetic and idiographic approaches).
- ABSC 854 Experimental Analysis of Behavior (3). The basic principles of operant and respondent conditioning in the context of basic non-human and human subjects research.
- ABSC 770 Within Subjects Research Methodology and Direct Observation (3). Strategies and tactics of scientific research (e.g., objectivity, empiricism), the logic of experimentation (e.g., validity, reliability), measurement and direct observation, and experimental designs for single-subject and time-series analyses.
- ABSC 771 Introduction to Applied Behavioral Science (3). The characteristics of applied behavioral research (assessment, analysis, intervention, evaluation), intervention research (clinical, community), applied procedures and programs, social validity, and ethical issues.
- ABSC 772 Conceptual Foundations of Behavior Analysis (3). The history and philosophy of behavioral science, contemporary advances in basic research for application, the analysis of everyday behavior (e.g., cognition, emotion), and current issues in the discipline and the profession (e.g., relations between basic and applied research).
- ABSC 773 Applied Behavior Analysis in Complex Organizations (3). An examination of the theory, principles, and methods of behavior analysis and their applications to problems of human behavior in complex organizations such as businesses, industries, human service organizations, and governments.
The following hours in practicum are required:
- ABSC 871 or ABSC 872 Research or Intervention Practicum (6). A supervised practicum course in either basic or applied research or behavioral interventions.
Portfolio:
Students will build a portfolio through the program. The portfolio will consist of a number of products the students will have created completing the various requirements embedded within the courses.
At the completion of this program, students will be able to:
- understand legal and ethical guidelines and professional standards as pertinent to behavior research and practice.
- interpret behavior in terms of the core concepts and principles of behavior analysis.
- understand the importance of social validity and broader cultural significance of behavior science.
- demonstrate scholarship in the context of basic, applied, or conceptual analysis of behavior.
