The BCBA certification requires an acceptable degree, acceptable coursework, acceptable practical experience, and passing the BCaBA exam.
• Degree. Applicants must possess a minimum of a bachelor’s degree from a qualifying accredited institution. The bachelor’s degree may be in any discipline.
• Coursework must come from a qualifying accredited institution and cover the required content outlined in the BACB’s Fourth Edition Task List and Course Content Allocation documents. Only courses where the applicant was formally enrolled and earned a passing grade ("C" or better for graded courses) are acceptable.
• Coursework may come from an Approved Course Sequence (ACS), although other coursework may also be acceptable.
• ACS Coursework: The BACB works with institutions to identify and approve sequences of classes that meet the BACB’s coursework requirements. When applicants present a transcript with a passing grade, students do not need to submit the course syllabi with their applications for exam.
• Listing of Approved Course Sequences
• Pass Rates for Approved Course Sequences
• Other Coursework: Coursework that is not from an approved course sequence must be reviewed in order to determine whether it covered the required content for the minimum amount of instructional hours. • The BACB will only make determinations about the acceptability of non-approved coursework as either (a) part of a formal application for exam or (b) an independent application for coursework evaluation.
• A combination of ACS and other coursework may also be acceptable. Regardless of whether coursework is obtained from an ACS, every applicant must demonstrate that his or her coursework covered all of the required content for the minimum number of hours per category.
• Experience. Applicants must complete experience that fully complies with all of the current Experience Standards. Applicants must carefully review the experience standards with their supervisor(s) before beginning their experience. Please note that these standards stipulate training requirements for supervisees and supervisors, which must be completed before experience begins.
• Visit our Certificant Registry to locate BCBAs willing to supervise the applied experience of those pursuing certification and the ongoing practice of BCaBAs.
Exam Applicants must take and pass the BCBA exam. Authorization to take the exam is only provided to applications who have submitted a complete exam application to the BACB, including all documentation necessary to demonstrate that they have met all of the criteria above.
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