Oakland University

ABA Programs Available at Oakland University

Oakland University is also featured in our ranking of the Top 25 Best Applied Behavior Analysis Programs.

Students who want to work with clients in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) fields can enroll in one of the two programs offered at Oakland University. The first is a graduate certificate program that is open to students with a masters degree and some social science experience. It includes 18 credits of classes that prepare students for working with their future clients and the families of those clients. ABA specialists use the term client rather than a patient. The university puts the ABA certificate program application online in September and requests that students submit the application before the end of the year.

The same deadline is in place for the ABA degree program, which awards graduates a Master of Education in Special Education with an ABA concentration. Students will take 44 credits of classes. Students can take the core courses in the education program online and complete their ABA classes online or in Rochester. They will also need to do practicums, but the university allows them to do that work at approved sites near the campus or in other locations across the country. The education class core includes Legal Issues in Special Education, Community Engagement and Service and Assessment for Interventions Across Lifespan.

ABA majors will also take five courses that include Ethics, Treatment Planning, and Foundations of Applied Behavior Analysis. Oakland University offers two exit options that include requirements students must do to graduate. They can take 10 credits of extra classes or do five practicums. Each practicum is worth two credits and covers different subjects such as treatment planning and research methods. Those who choose this option must do their practicums at the university’s clinic. The clinic is part of the OU Center for Autism, which offers affordable care for those on the spectrum. It also offers outreach programs that send students to the homes of clients to work with them directly.

About Oakland University

Oakland University is a large public university named for Oakland County, Michigan. It has a big campus in that county that is close to Rochester Hills and Auburn Hills. John Francis Dodge, who helped establish the Dodge Motor Company, purchased a large estate for him and his wife called Meadow Brook Farms in 1908. After he passed away, his wife inherited the land and donated the estate to Michigan State University, which used the land to create a college campus called Michigan State University – Oakland. Work began on the campus in 1957 and opened for classes two years later. When the campus separated from Michigan State, it became Oakland University, also known as Oakland and OU today.

OU grew rapidly over the years as it established new programs and added more buildings to its campus. It received national attention when it hosted one of the Republican debates during the 2012 Presidential campaign. US News and World Report ranked OU as high as number 231 when ranking the top colleges in the country, and both Forbes and Washington Monthly also rank it on a national level. The university offers a total of 270 programs for undergrads and graduate students that include both degree and certificate options, which helped OU reach a total enrollment of more than 20,000 students.

Oakland University Accreditation Details

The programs in ABA offered by Oakland University have approval from the Behavioral Analyst Certification Board (BACB), which is the same organization that offers the professional certification exam for students after they graduate. Many of the programs offered by the university also have accreditation, including those in music, medical education, nursing and dance. Oakland has primary and institutional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), which lets students seek financial aid and transfer their credits. They can use this accreditation to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Oakland University Application Requirements

Students applying to the university’s ABA certificate program must have a graduate degree in psychology, behavior analysis or education. The university will also accept students with a masters degree in a social sciences area. They will also need a grade point average of at least 3.0. Oakland requires that students submit an application and their transcripts. They will then need to wait for an admissions counselor to contact them and schedule an interview. The interview serves as the final step that students complete before the university makes a decision.

An interview is also required of any student applying to the ABA graduate program. During the interview, students can ask questions about the program and explain why they want to study ABA therapy as well as what they will do when they graduate. Other requirements include a GPA of 3.0 or higher and a minimum of a bachelor’s degree. Oakland looks for students who have degrees in psychology or another area of social science. These students must submit their transcripts and the university’s application. Oakland looks at all the information provided to make sure that it chooses students who have the greatest chance for success in an ABA program.

Tuition and Financial Aid

The ABA programs offered by Oakland University are professional programs. Students who are Michigan residents and can prove their residency statuses pay $15,278 per year for full-time enrollment. Most students pay around $600 for their books too. Students who did not live in Michigan before applying must pay the nonresident tuition rate of $21,260 per year. OU ranks as one of the safest university campuses in the nation, which is why many students choose to live there. Those students need to purchase a meal and room plan at the beginning of each semester.

Multiple jobs are available for graduate students who want to work on the university’s campus. The Oakland housing department hires assistants and directors who oversee students in the campus’s residence halls. Assistants receive a waiver that covers some of their tuition, but they also get free room and board. Graduate students can also use the OU code on the FAFSA and find out if they will get any financial aid such as the unsubsidized loans that the government offers. Those loans provide students with more than $20,000 a year and give them an equal amount for both the spring and the winter semesters. Oakland University also has payment plans available for students in its ABA programs.