University of Massachusetts-Boston

ABA Programs Offered at the University of Massachusetts-Boston

The University of Massachusetts-Boston appears in our ranking of the Top 30 Online Master’s in School Counseling.

The University of Massachusetts-Boston offers an Applied Behavior Analysis for Special Populations certificate program for students who want to work with ABA clients. It includes 18 credits of courses that will transfer into any of the university’s special education programs. Students can earn their credits through video lectures that they attend at select centers in Massachusetts or Rhode Island. This program includes Concepts and Principles of Behavior Analysis, Skill Acquisition, Assessment and Treatment of Problem Behavior, Organizational Behavior Management, Ethical and Professional Conduct and Research Methods. Students can do an optional practicum too.

Students who complete this program can take one or more advanced courses through the university too. Those classes include Autism Spectrum Disorder: Characteristics and Interventions, Behavior Analytic Approaches to Psychological Disorders, Verbal Behavior and Implementing Behavior Analytic Research. The university also offers advanced courses in research design and working with clients from different cultures. All of these classes are available from the Center for Social Development and Education at the university.

The College of Education and Human Development at the university offers a Master of Education in Special Education that can prepare students for working with ABA clients. Students can pick from a track to work with kids with moderate disabilities up through eighth grade or with kids as old as high school. They will take a capstone research seminar that requires them to do a capstone in one of their final semesters. Some of the courses they take include Introduction to Disabilities, Behavior and Classroom Management, Standardized Assessment for Students with Disabilities and Legal and Political Issues in Special Education. They’ll also gain experience through practicums in the field.

Through the Psychology Department at the University of Massachusetts-Boston, students can earn a degree in developmental and brain sciences. It shows them how autism and related disorders affect the brain and allows them to do ABA research. Students take seven required psychology courses and some electives. They’ll also take a comprehensive exam. The university only allows students to graduate if they can pass this exam. Mechanisms of Attention, Developmental-Behavioral Neuroscience, and Seminar in Developmental and Brain Sciences are some of the required courses. As this is a doctoral program, students must also create and present a dissertation before they graduate. A similar program is available in clinical psychology, which includes some practicums.

About the University of Massachusetts-Boston

The University of Massachusetts-Boston is a branch of the University of Massachusetts Systems located in Boston. It is a public university often called UMass Boston. Boston State College opened in 1852 as a high school for girls. It later established the Boston Normal School, which split off from the high school and began offering full college degree programs. The University of Massachusetts built a campus in the city in 1964, which merged with the Boston Normal School in the 1980s. That helped the university expand its education program and create graduate programs in special education and other fields. Students can attend the main UMass Boston campus and take classes at select study centers across the state. Forbes and Washington Monthly now ranks it as one of the nation’s best colleges. U.S. News and World Report included UMass Boston on lists of the best national and global colleges too.

University of Massachusetts-Boston Accreditation Details

UMass Boston designed the ABA certificate program to meet the standards for students who will take the national exam and become board certified. It has regional accreditation from the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (CIHE) through the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), which is why it can accept credits when students transfer to a new program. This also allows UMass Boston students to use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and get financial aid. The university also has accreditation from the American Psychological Association (APA) and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

University of Massachusetts-Boston Application Requirements

To enroll in the UMass Boston ABA certificate program, students must have a bachelor’s degree in either psychology or education. The director of the program may admit those with degrees in other fields. Students should download the program’s information packet and read through it to make sure they understand the requirements of the program before they apply with the UMass online application.

Students applying to a special education program must apply by June first to start in the fall. They can watch a video to go over the admissions requirements. UMass Boston asks for a 300-word statement of purpose that describes their reasons for attending grad school and a 1,200-word essay on why they want to study special education. They also need to submit a transcript that shows they had a grade point average of 3.0 or higher, a resume, a short writing sample, and a resume. Students who have a teaching license also need to submit an official score from the Communications and Literacy Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure. Both of the university’s doctoral programs require a completed application and transcripts too. The programs ask for letters of recommendation, writing samples and essays as well.

Tuition and Financial Aid

At UMass Boston, graduate and doctoral students pay $9,216.50 per semester as a Massachusetts resident. Nonresident students pay $17,990 each semester. UMass Boston offers a discount for residents of other states in New England that reduces their costs to $14,965.60 per semester. All students also pay $227.50 for their technology and activity fees each semester. When students first enroll, they’ll pay a $390 new student fee. The university also charges a fee when students finish a program, which covers the cost of printing their degrees.

Students who need help paying their UMass Boston costs can submit the FAFSA. This is how they get the unsubsidized loans that go to all students and helps them qualify for PLUS and other special loan programs offered by the federal government. Special education majors can apply for scholarships through the College of Education and Human Development, including some that cover the full cost of attendance. There are also several fellowships and grants available for psychology majors. Some programs help them pay for their research projects and dissertation work, and other programs cover their travel and other expenses. The University of Massachusetts-Boston offers some institutional aid for students applying to its ABA programs too.