University of Southern Maine

university-of-southern-maine

ABA Degrees Offered at University of Southern Maine

The University of Southern Maine appears in our ranking of the Top 20 Online Master’s in Educational Psychology.

The University of Southern Maine (USM) has a number of options for people who want to study educational psychology with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). These professionals create assessments of behavior, as well as design and evaluate different intervention programs for those in their charge. They work in schools, hospitals, and other non-profits. Typically, these professionals work with individuals who have autism.

USM offers a graduate-level certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis. It also offers a Master of Science in Educational Psychology with an ABA concentration. There is no bachelor-level coursework for this education track at the university at this time. Online course delivery is available to students.

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Students who enroll in the master’s or certificate programs have the opportunity to take coursework that will train them for their future careers. They take classes like Behavior Principles of Learning, Research Methods and Techniques, Functional Behavioral Assessment, Consultation and Collaborative Problem-Solving, Professional Ethics in Psychology and Physical Bases of Behavior.

About University of Southern Maine

Once upon a time, the University of Southern Maine was two schools, the University of Southern Maine at Portland and the Gorham Normal School. The two schools merged into one in 1970 to create a more streamlined university system in the state. Eventually, another campus, the Lewiston campus, became a part of USM, too.

Its undergraduate enrollment comes in at just under 7,000. US News and World Report ranks it 100th on its Top Performers in Social Mobility list, 129th on its Engineering Programs list and 129th on its Regional Universities North list.

Its three campuses are located in Lewiston, Portland, and Gorham. The main campus in Portland is made up entirely of non-residential buildings. The majority of the academics on this campus center around the study of biology, political science, business, physics, math, English, psychology, languages and literature, and media studies.

The school’s dorms are located on the Gorham campus, as are academic departments like art, anthropology, theater, counseling, geography, and industrial technologies. Finally, the Lewiston campus houses programs like interdisciplinary education.

The university confers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees on students. It also has a number of certificate programs. Notable alumni include American musician Spencer Albee, American artist Glenn Chadbourne, Tom’s of Maine founder Kate Chappell, journalist Hannah Holmes and writer Kevin St. Jarre.

University of Southern Maine Accreditation

The New England Commission of Higher Education provides the University of Southern Maine with its accreditation.

University of Southern Maine Application Requirements

The University of Southern Maine gives prospective students a number of ways to apply, and the application procedure requires similar documents for each type of application. That is to say that the procedure to apply for incoming freshmen is very similar to the procedure for applying for transfer students.

That being the case, applicants will find a list below that outlines the general requirements. Exceptions to the requirements will be noted in the paragraphs that follow the outline.

  • Fill out an application.
  • Send in official SAT or ACT scores.
  • Submit official GED, the HiSET or transcripts.
  • Show proof of English-language proficiency (if English isn’t the first language).
  • Get a letter of recommendation or school counselor’s statement.
  • Write an essay.

The University of Southern Maine does not charge an application fee. USM gives students a choice of applications. They can fill out the Common Application, the online application for the university, or send in a paper one.

Homeschooled students should submit transcripts and a list of courses taken. The transcript should be signed. The letter of recommendation/counselor’s statement for homeschoolers must come from someone outside of the student’s family.

Students who plan on studying the performing arts must set up an audition with the music or theater departments. These students may have to have an interview with a person in those departments as well. Nursing applicants have supplemental material to submit as well.

Featured Programs

Transfer students are required to send in the transcripts from colleges they’ve attended. The school also asks those who have spent three or more years out of school to send in a resume.

USM has additional requirements for international students. Aside from their English proficiency tests, they also must submit a declaration of finances form. The school asks international students to have their transcripts translated into English and to have their coursework evaluated by the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services. International students who need additional help can reach out to the university: There are numerous resources for them.

There are over 40 master’s and doctoral degrees at the University of Southern Maine. Each has its own requirements for applying. Prospective students who want to apply to the MS in Educational Psychology ABA program need to submit the following application materials.

  • Proof of a bachelor’s or graduate-level degree from an accredited institution
  • Online application
  • Transcripts from universities attended
  • CV or resume
  • Letters of recommendation
  • Proof of English proficiency
  • Essay

Tuition and Financial Aid

Incoming students who need help to pay for their schooling can file for financial aid. In order to qualify for federal financial aid, students must fill out the FAFSA form. Once this information is sent to the school, the school’s financial aid counselors will make a financial aid determination based on the students’ and/ or their parents’ budgets. By filing for financial aid students make themselves available to scholarships, grants, loans and work-study opportunities. It should be noted that students must refile for financial aid every year they plan on going to school.

Tuition is charged by the credit, with Maine residents paying a different rate than non-residents. Undergraduate Maine residents pay $281.00 per credit, while non-residents are required to pay $739.00 per credit.

Per credit tuition rates for graduate students are $421.00 and $1,141.00 for residents and non-residents, respectively.

Interested in an ABA degree? Look into the University of Southern Maine.