Northern Arizona University

Northern Arizona University is also featured in our ranking 40 Best Online ABA Graduate Certificate Online Programs.

Positive Behavior Support Graduate Certificate

Applied behavior analysis, also known as ABA, is a type of therapy used in the treatment and care of individuals with behavior problems. Though commonly used with autistic children, it also has some benefits when used with patients who have attention and learning problems as well as those who have a difficult time controlling their behavior. Northern Arizona University offers a positive behavior support certificate program that functions in the same way that an ABA program does. It is open to students who have a bachelor’s degree and want to meet some of the requirements for obtaining a certificate from the Behavior Analyst Certification Board.

Northern Arizona University allows students to choose an emphasis area in either home and community work or school work. The first option prepares students to work with patients in their own homes and to work in community treatment centers, while the second option prepares students for working with special needs patients in school settings. Both programs feature a class called Principles and Tactics of Positive Behavior Support, which is worth three credits.

Students will take 15 credits of other classes that can include Advanced Applications in Positive Behavior Support, Advanced Methods and Assessment in Special Education: Autism Spectrum Disorders and Ethics in Applied Behavior Analysis Analysis and Positive Behavior and Support. This program may include a fieldwork component too. The university will help students find a facility to work for, which will give them more experience working with patients before they complete their studies.

About Northern Arizona University

Northern Arizona University is one of the more dominate university systems in the state. It offers more than 150 degree programs for both graduate students and undergrads as well as some programs for doctoral students. Founded in 1899, it opened as a teachers training college called the Northern Arizona Normal School. Instead of granting degrees, it provided students with certificates and diplomas that showed they had strong teaching skills. This commitment to education led to the school operating as the Northern Arizona State Teachers College and the Arizona State Teachers College at Flagstaff. After adding different types of degree programs and classes, it became the Arizona State College at Flagstaff. The school eventually became a full university.

Now known as NAU, it ranks as one of the world’s top schools by Times Higher Education. The Center for World University Rankings also named NAU one of the best schools in the world. While many students take classes on its Flagstaff campus, the university offers nearly 100 online degree programs. More than 8,000 students work towards their online degrees every year. The university now has a Personalized Learning option too that allows students to earn some course credits for the experiences they had prior to enrolling. More than 31,000 students now take classes from Northern Arizona University.

Northern Arizona University Accreditation Details

The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCACS) granted institutional accreditation to NAU, which also serves as its regional accreditation. NCACS is important to many students because it’s one of the requirements they must meet to get financial aid. It’s also important for students who attended another campus and want to use the credits they earned in one of this university’s programs. Though the university’s positive behavior support certificate program does not have accreditation, many of its social sciences programs do. Those programs have accreditation from the Office of Social Work Accreditation and other organizations.

Northern Arizona University Application Requirements

Prospective certificate students must meet some of the same requirements that prospective degree students do. All students applying to a program above the bachelor’s level must use the same application and pay the same $65 application fee. Students will first create a new account or log into an existing account. Those who create a new account must provide NAU with their full names and addresses as well as other contact information, including a home or cell phone number and an email address. NAU will send an email to that address and wait for the student to click on the provided link before allowing him or her to work on the application.

As this is a post-bachelor program, it requires that students have a bachelor’s degree before they apply. They must submit official transcripts that show they have a degree and that they maintained an undergrad grade point average of at least 3.0. The university will accept unofficial transcripts from students who do not yet have their degrees but will have one by the time that classes start.

The positive support program is highly competitive. While the university may accept some students with a lower GPA, it may only accept those who have more professional experience or a higher GPA based on the applications that it receives for the coming year. In addition to the application and their transcripts, students must also respond to several essay questions. The university allows students to view those essays in advance on the application. They can work on their responses before adding the essays to the application.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Though NAU does not charge a nonresident tuition rate, it does charge some fees that add to a student’s overall costs. Tuition starts at $458 per credit hour. With all fees added in, students will pay $795 per credit hour. The positive support certificate program features courses that are worth three credits, which means that students will pay $2,385 for each class that they take.

Certificate students can use tuition reimbursement programs to pay their costs, but they can also sign up for a payment plan. NAU payment plans make it easier for students to pay their tuition costs over several months instead of all at once. They can also use the FAFSA and apply for federal loans. Whether students receive any loans will depend on the number of classes they take and whether they borrowed from the government in the past.

NAU certificate students can also use alternative student loans. These loans come from banks and other more traditional lenders. Lenders may only lend money to students who have high credit scores or those who apply with a cosigner who has a high credit score. Northern Arizona University encourages students to talk with a financial aid counselor if they aren’t sure how to pay for this program.