College of Education and Human Development

Educational Psychology

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Master of Science (M.S.) in Educational Psychology with a Concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis

The 33-credit USM M.S. in Educational Psychology with a Concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) provides training for its graduates in the principles and applications of ABA methods to serve children and adolescents in schools and community agencies. USM’s M.S. in Educational Psychology with a concentration in ABA is the only such program in northern New England. In addition to pre-service training, the program coordinates and provides professional development opportunities to current ABA practitioners through workshops and other activities.

Completion of the M.S. in ABA constitutes partial fulfillment of the requirements to obtain the Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) credential. The BCBA is a national certification administered by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB). The USM CABA program is accredited by the BACB to provide the necessary coursework in preparation for the BCBA. After completion of the CABA program, those who wish to obtain national certification must also complete an internship under the supervision of an experienced BCBA as well as take and pass the national BCBA exam. Information about the BCBA application process can be obtained from: http://www.bacb.com/

Admission

Applications for admission are considered only once a year and the program admission deadline is December 1st. Late applications are not accepted.

Special Admission Requirements

In addition to the general admission requirements of the College of Education and Human Development, applicants to the Educational Psychology master’s program must provide a narrative essay. This narrative is evaluated in terms of clarity of expression, grammatical construction, and other facets of English composition, as well as the quality of information given about the following topics:

The admissions process requires a formal interview. Candidates to be interviewed are selected on the basis of the overall quality of all required application components (e.g., GPA, test score, recommendations, personal narrative). Issues relating to the following topics are considered: a) self-awareness; b) awareness of social and behavioral issues; c) awareness of others as persons; d) communication skills; and e) commitment to the field of applied behavior analysis.

For an admission application, contact:

Office of Graduate Admissions
134 School Street
Gorham, ME 04038
(207) 780-5306
grad-gorham@usm.maine.edu
http://usm.maine.edu/grad/admission.htm

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