The Sage Colleges

The Sage Colleges is also featured in our ranking 40 Best Online ABA Graduate Certificate Online Programs.

ABA Programs

The Esteves School of Education at The Sage Colleges offers two graduate programs for advanced students with more experience who want to study applied behavior analysis. Applied behavior analysis, also called ABA, looks at how autism spectrum disorders affect individuals. While other programs look at related conditions, this program focuses mainly on autism and anyone who is on the spectrum. ABA specialists often work with clients to help them interact better with those around them and to help them with their daily living needs.

Students attending The Sage Colleges can earn either a Master of Science (MS) in Applied Behavior and Analysis or a Certificate of Advanced Study in Applied Behavior Analysis. The certificate program is best for students who have a graduate degree and want to become a professional therapist or specialist. This program accepts students who have a degree in psychology, education or any related area. They only need to take 19 credits of classes to complete their certificates.

The MS program is a much more involved program that includes both classes and practicums. This is a fully online program that provides students with access to discussion boards they post on and tests that they take through an online system. They can also utilize online resources. Though students can earn their degrees after completing 36 credits of classes, they can also do practicums and complete 44 credits of work. Many students do practicums because they want to work with individuals on the spectrum before they graduate.

Students will take required ABA courses, including Introduction to Behavior Analysis, Research in ABA, Professional Practice in ABA and Ethical and Professional Conduct for Behavior Analysis. They can also take electives such as Core Skills in Autism, Interventions in Autism and Test Strategies. Those who follow the practicum track will take a 15-week course that goes over a different topic each week such as assessment and measurement systems and rate data. Students will complete four different practicums and keep track of data relating to their work, which they will present to earn course credit.

About The Sage Colleges

The Sage Colleges is a name given to three separate college campuses that work together. Each of those campuses is in New York. Russel Sage College opened in 1916, which makes it the oldest campus in this system. U.S. News and World Report ranks this as of the most comprehensive colleges in the northeast because it serves as a liberal arts college but also offers some professional programs. Its professional programs train students on working in the field. The college developed a division for male students in the 1940s, which would later become the Sage Junior College of Albany and then the Sage College of Albany.

This college system also includes the Sage Graduate School. Founded in 1995, this is the only branch of the system that offers graduate degree programs. All three schools work together to help students meet the requirements necessary for finishing a college degree. While the Sage College of Albany accepts both male and female students equally, the Russel Sage College still only admits women. The colleges offer various opportunities for students, including athletic teams and clubs dedicated to different topics and interests.

The Sage Colleges Accreditation Details

The Sage Colleges ABA programs do not have specialty accreditation, but the colleges do have regional accreditation. This accreditation is a requirement for any student who wants to apply for federal or state financial aid and use that financial aid to pay for school. Students can also use the credits they earn to obtain a professional license or to transfer to another college. The Sage Colleges regional accreditation comes from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).

The Sage Colleges Application Requirements

Any student applying to the ABA certificate or degree program must meet all the admissions requirements of the Center for Applied Behavior Analysis and the Sage Graduate School. They will submit official transcripts from all colleges and schools they previously attended. Even if the student did not graduate from one of those schools, he or she must submit a transcript if the student earned credits there that counted towards a degree at another school. Their transcripts must show that they took at least one statistics class and at least one psychology course in their undergrad programs.

The Sage Graduate School also asks for two letters of recommendation and gives preference to letters written by practicing ABA professionals and those who have their ABA certifications. Students will then submit a resume that lists their academic information and any professional experiences they might have. There is also a goals statement requirement. The college prefers that students write out a list of their career goals, especially those that they can meet after completing one of the ABA programs.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Students attending the Sage Graduate School will pay $670 per credit hour. They pay the same rate for the certificate program as they do in the graduate program. Most of the classes they take are worth up to three credit hours, though the programs do include a single one credit hour course. Graduate students can live on the Sage campus, but they will pay around $6,400 a year for a room in a residence hall. A small number of single resident rooms are also available. The school recommends that students apply for a room as soon as possible and put down a housing deposit because there are only a small number of rooms available. On-campus students must also pay at least $3,700 a year for a meal plan.

The school does not base financial aid packages on the needs of graduate students in the same way that it does undergrads. Any graduate student who needs financial aid can submit the FAFSA and borrow federal funds for the following year. The federal government allows students to borrow up to $20,500 each year in unsubsidized student loans. Its PLUS program allows students to borrow even more. Parents can also look at a federal loan program to help their grad students. Graduate students may borrow funds from alternative lenders also. Any student enrolling in one of the Applied Behavior Analysis programs available from the Sage Graduate School at The Sage Colleges qualifies for financial aid, even if they already have student loans.