ABA Degrees Offered at Florida State University
Florida State University appears in our ranking of the Top 25 Best Applied Behavior Analysis Programs.
With the diagnosis rate of autism and other developmental disorders increasing annually, there is a growing need for special educators, mental health professionals and autism specialists who are also certified in applied behavior analysis. To meet this increasing demand, Florida State University’s Panama City campus offers a graduate-level ABA program. The applied behavior analysis program is a five-semester program culminating in a comprehensive exam and a professional portfolio. A thesis is not required for degree completion.
Students in this program have access to some of the world’s leading experts in the field of applied behavior analysis, with over a dozen faculty members with both a Ph.D. and specialty training in behavior analysis. The majority of these 12 are certified as a BCBA-D.
Featured Programs
Students in the Applied Behavior Analysis program are required to complete a three-semester practicum beginning the summer of the first year in the program. Florida State University’s Panama City campus houses the Early Childhood Autism Program (ECAP), which provides opportunities for ABA students to complete their practicums on campus. Regardless of the practicum placement location, all students at the practicum stage receive tuition waivers and assistantships.
FSU has a unique arrangement between its Panama City and Tallahassee campuses. Many of the courses in the ABA program are taught via Interactive Television Network so students living in either Panama City or Tallahassee can access the course. The department faculty travels between the two campuses to meet with students in the program.
About Florida State University
Florida State University was founded in 1851 and is the oldest higher education institution in Florida. In 1897, it evolved and became the first liberal arts college in Florida and in 1901 was organized as a four-year college. In 1902, the institution began offering master’s degrees from its four departments: the College, the School for Teachers, the School of Music and the College Academy. In 1905, the state legislature established the institution, then known as Florida State College, as a women’s school. Male students were assigned to the University of Florida in Gainesville. Following World War II, Florida State College for Women again became coeducational and was renamed Florida State University.
The University currently offers 301 bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, specialist and professional degree programs that are taught by nearly 2,400 faculty. Many of FSU’s programs focus on research, with the Carnegie Commission classifying the university as among the nation’s “Doctoral Universities: Highest Research Activity”. The university has expanded beyond its Tallahassee Campus and includes a satellite campus in Panama City, Florida, as well as the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art and several campuses that are part of the Florida State University College of Medicine. FSU also has full-year international programs in Panama City, Panama, London, Italy, and Spain. Twenty additional locations, including China and various locations in Latin America, also offer partial-year FSU programs.
Florida State University has earned numerous accolades and rankings. Kiplinger’s Personal Finance ranks FSU as 4th in “Best College Value” for out-of-state students and 14th for in-state students. Forbes’ ranked FSU as #25 for “Best Value Colleges”. The U.S. News and World Report ranked Florida State as #4 in 2018 for “Best Online Programs for Veterans”. INSIGHT Into Diversity recognized FSU as a diversity champion, awarding the university the “Higher Education Excellence in Diversity” (HEED) award the past five years. Finally, with a black student enrollment that is double the national average, FSU’s College of Medicine is the only Association of American Medical Colleges member institution to rank in the top six for enrollment of both Hispanic and black students.
In 2018, eight Florida State University faculty members earned Fulbright grants. There have also been three Rhodes Scholars from the university since 2006, along with six Nobel Laureate faculty members. In addition, FSU alumnus Barry Jenkins wrote and directed Moonlight, which was produced by FSU alumna Adele Romanski. This film won the 2017 Oscar for Best Picture.
Featured Programs
Florida State University Accreditation Details
Florida State University, including the Panama City campus, is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). In addition, FSU’s Master’s in Applied Behavior Analysis program on the Panama City campus is one of only 24 graduate-level programs in the United States to be accredited by the Association for Behavior Analysis International. The graduate program is also verified by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB).
Florida State University Application Requirements
Prospective students seeking admission to Florida State University’s applied behavior analysis program must have earned at least a 3.0 GPA during their undergraduate program. The undergraduate program must include courses in general psychology, developmental psychology, conditioning and learning, applied behavior analysis and conditioning and learning. In addition, the GRE must be taken in most cases. FSU’s website states that most applicants that are admitted to the program have GRE scores in the upper 50th percentile on the verbal test and the upper 40th percentile on the quantitative portion. Most applicants to the program also have between one and five years of prior ABA experience, often in the field of education, counseling, or other similar areas.
Prospective students must apply to both Florida State University and to the Master’s Program in ABA. They should submit an application, $30 application fee, official transcripts from all colleges attended, a personal statement, a resume and three letters of recommendation. All admitted students must also submit to a federal and state criminal background check.
FSU’s applied behavior analysis program only offers fall enrollment, with applications due January 15th of each year.
Tuition and Financial Aid
In-state tuition for graduate programs at FSU’s Panama City campus is $444 per credit hour. Out-of-state graduate students have a tuition rate of $1,076 per credit hour. This total includes financial aid, technology, student facilities, and activity fees.
All students in the applied behavior analysis program receive assistantships and tuition waivers when they reach the practicum stage of their studies. For the two semesters prior to practicum, accepted students are eligible for federal, state or university grants, student loans, work-study programs and scholarships based on need or merit. To be considered for financial aid, prospective and current students must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
More information about Florida State University’s applied behavior analysis program can be found at the FSU College of Arts and Sciences website.
