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Program Overview

• Options: Graduate certificate, master’s concentration
• Location(s): On campus; limited online courses available
• Credits: 21
• Duration: Minimum nine months
• Cost: $894 per credit; $12,000-19,000 total
• Deadline: Rolling admissions
• Start term(s): Fall (preferred) and spring semesters
• Careers: Behavioral health, autism support, developmental disability services

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Mercyhurst’s Special Education and Applied Disability Studies graduate program seeks to produce the most skilled special education and behavioral health professionals in the region. Small graduate classes allow students to actively engage with faculty and peers. In fact, regular lab meetings push students to share ideas, collaborate, and think critically about coursework and discussions.

The coursework in this certificate program satisfies the requirements you need to take the Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) examination through the Association for Behavior Analysis International.

Learning Outcomes

Mercyhurst graduate programs are designed to give our students a competitive edge in the marketplace. Our curriculum will prepare you as an educator who can:

• Analyze and critique educational research
• Apply dimensions of applied behavior analysis
• Utilize evidence-based practices and assessments in clinical settings
• Write:
  • Measurable objectives, such as those found in an Individual Education Plan (IEP)
  • Procedures for evidenced-based practices across disability groups and lifespans

Course Requirements

The Association for Behavior Analysis International has verified the following courses toward the coursework requirements for eligibility to take the Board Certified Behavior Analyst or Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst examination. Applicants will need to meet additional requirements before they can be deemed eligible to take the examination.

The seven courses required for the Applied Behavior Analysis graduate certificate are:

• EDSP 501: Introduction to ABA: Behavior Intervention
• EDSP 502: Educational Research: Single Case Research
• EDSP 536: Professional, Legal, & Ethical Practices
• EDSP 640: Concepts & Principles of ABA I
• EDSP 645: Behavior Interventions II
• EDSP 650: FBA & Behavior Interventions III
• EDSP 660: Concepts & Principles of ABA II

A university certificate of completion will be awarded to students who complete the seven-course sequence.

Career Paths

Depending on your background and/or choice to continue on for a master’s degree, our ABA graduate certificate program will prepare you for careers related to:

• Behavioral health and analysis
• Developmental disability services
• Autism support
• Postsecondary academic support and career services