Board Certified Behavior Analyst Training at UMBC
University of Maryland Baltimore County appears in our ranking of the Top 25 Best Applied Behavior Analysis Programs.
Since 2003, the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences has awarded the accredited M.A. in Human Services Psychology: Applied Behavior Analysis Track with a 92 percent BCBA Exam pass rate for University of Maryland Baltimore County post-grads. Directed by Dr. John Borrero, a B.F. Skinner New Researcher Award winner, the 36-credit, non-thesis program teaches behavioral measurement techniques for customizing disability interventions. Starting after 4:30PM, required courses like Verbal Behavior, Cognition, and Treatment Ethics are available on-site or at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. Capstone projects follow at least 750 hours at practicum placements, such as Spectrum Behavior Health, Little Leaves, Butterfly Effects, Capital ABA, and Early Autism Solutions.
The Ph.D. in Human Services Psychology also provides the Behavioral Medicine Concentration for doctoral diagnosis ability. Headed by Dr. Steven Pitts, the 98-credit, five-year curriculum immerses cohorts of 5-10 in Psychology Training Clinic practice and dissertation research with intensive seminars, including Neuropsychological Assessment.
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About the University of Maryland Baltimore County
The University of Maryland Baltimore County opened on September 19, 1966, with an inaugural class of 750 after Governor J. Millard Tawes’ Warfield Commission found an unmet regional need. Active in the Civil Rights Movement, it began the Psychology Department in 1970 and organized a Psi Chi Chapter in 1973. That Spring, behaviorist B.F. Skinner received an honorary doctorate at commencement. First accredited in 1986, it joined the 12-site University System of Maryland in 1988 during Dr. Michael Hooker’s tenure. Three years later, the State Senate voted down its merger with the University of Maryland Baltimore. By 1996, UMBC had received the Maryland Professor of the Year Award four straight times. The University of Maryland Baltimore County also earned the 2002 Petersen’s Award for Innovation from the Council of Graduate Schools. Budgeting $404.9 million, UMBC now teaches 13,767 Retrievers, including Applied Behavior Analysis majors, with 838 faculty at the 500-acre Arbutus campus.
The U.S. News & World Report ranked Baltimore County the 165th best university, 87th top public college, ninth most innovative school, and 98th best psychology program. On Niche, UMBC boasts America’s 113th most diversity, 193rd best psychology classes, 216th top academics, and 239th hardest admission. Times Higher Education placed the University of Maryland Baltimore County 326th overall. Forbes declared UMBC the 123rd best research institution with the 77th top public education. Kiplinger’s picked Baltimore County the 60th best public value with the 130th best PayScale 20-year ROI at $501,000. WalletHub noticed UMBC for the 253rd best educational outcomes and 281st best campus safety. College Factual named the Psychology Department 138th nationally with the 159th highest-paid grads. Washington Monthly also crowned UMBC 203rd for master’s study.
University of Maryland Baltimore County Accreditation Details
On March 2, 2017, the University of Maryland Baltimore County received an official reaffirmation letter from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) for Level VI accreditation through 2025 under its sixth president, Dr. Freeman Hrabowski, an ACE Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. Headquartered 110 miles northeast via Interstate 95 in Philadelphia, this superb six-state DC Metro accreditor is authorized by the U.S. Education Department to check the instructional practices of UMBC’s 42 baccalaureate, 40 master’s, and 24 doctoral majors. The Graduate School retained Ph.D. approval from the American Psychological Association Commission on Accreditation (APA CoA) in 2018. The M.A. in Human Services Psychology also faces another review by the Association of Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) in December 2019.
University of Maryland Baltimore County Application Requirements
Admission to the University of Maryland Baltimore County is labeled “moderately difficult” by Peterson’s because 6,744 of the 11,201 Fall 2017 applicants were okayed for 60 percent acceptance. Post-grad Retrievers fetching the M.A. in Human Services Psychology: Applied Behavior Analysis have accredited four-year bachelor’s degrees. Fall cohorts need course prerequisites like Human Development, Statistics, and Research Methods. Maintaining a 3.0 GPA or better in the last 60 credits is preferred. Minimum cutoffs aren’t listed, but GRE composite scores should be over the 50th percentile. Taking the GRE Psychology Subject Test is only required for Ph.D. in Human Services Psychology entrants. Doctoral candidates typically hold at least 3.3 cumulative GPAs with extra prerequisites, such as Abnormal Psychology and Personality. Non-native English speakers must present a minimum 6.5 IELTS, 53 PTE, or 80 TOEFL iBT mark.
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The University of Maryland Baltimore County starts the M.A. in Human Services Psychology: Applied Behavior Analysis Track each August for those who applied by January 1st. Please note the Behavioral Medicine Ph.D. Concentration moves the deadline up to December 1st. Interested post-grads submit the $50 CollegeNET Application online or the $70 paper copy. Official university transcripts are mailed to 1000 Hilltop Circle in Baltimore, MD 21250. Exam reports are filed electronically with code 5835. Additional documents include the 500-word goal statement, contact information for three references, résumé or CV, and writing sample. Please contact (410) 455-2537 or GradSchool@umbc.edu for further questions.
Tuition and Financial Aid
For 2017-18, the University of Maryland Baltimore County charged full-time “Old Line State” graduates $6,777 per term or $13,554 annually. Non-resident M.A. in Human Services Psychology students paid $10,611 by semester or $21,222 each year. Part-time study incurred $640 to $1,099 per credit. Mandatory extras included the $15 technology fee, $29 athletics fee, $24 auxiliary facilities fee, and $17 graduate program fee per credit. Living at the Baltimore campus’ housing like Graduate Gardens added $20,936 for room and board. UMBC budgeted $1,200 for textbooks, $2,278 for transport, and $1,586 for personal needs. Annual master’s attendance equaled $40,614 in-state and $48,282 out-of-state. Unless waived, health insurance coverage costs $1,755 each term too.
According to the NCES College Navigator, the Financial Aid Office in Kuhn Library disburses $46.12 million yearly for 46 percent of full-time UMBC Retrievers to hound packages averaging $8,534 each. Graduate funds include the Meyerhoff Fellows Program, Dissertation Fellowship, PROMISE Scholarship, Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fellowship, Jack Kent Cooke Fellowship, Retriever Nation Alumni Scholarship, Sondheim Public Affairs Scholars Program, and Jacob K. Javits Fellowship. The Psychology Department gives Behavioral Medicine Ph.D. candidates full-tuition assistantships with minimum stipends of $768 biweekly. Master’s Work-Study jobs are compensated at least $14.63/hour. Veterans submitting the VA Certificate of Eligibility receive GI Bill benefits. Maryland residents claim state-based programs like the Graduate & Professional Scholarship, Delegate Scholarship, Senatorial Scholarship, and Jean B. Cryor Memorial Scholarship. Submitting the FAFSA form coded 002105 unlocks Federal Direct Unsubsidized and Grad Plus loan borrowing. Counselors and psychologists qualify for the Janet L. Hoffman Loan Assistance Repayment Program later.
Find more about the University of Maryland Baltimore County at the Psychology Department website.
