Handbook

Semester start and end dates, as well as other important dates are in the Academic Calendar. Check Academic Calendars often for important dates and plan accordingly.

Summer semester course begin and end dates can vary. There is a Summer Block 1 and Summer Block 2. Courses can have a begin and end date between the summer semester schedule. Watch for the course schedules to be posted for specific summer dates.

Vacations, professional travel, etc. should, to the extent possible, be planned outside of these dates. Faculty are not responsible for adjusting courses to accommodate.

Campus students will meet with their academic advisor every semester to review academic and professional performance and progress. Distance students will meet with their academic advisor as needed.

The lowest acceptable grade in the School of Graduate Studies is a “C,” and students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 to remain in the MS in Applied Behavior Analysis program and be in good standing with the School of Graduate Studies. If a student does not achieve or maintain a 3.0 GPA, they will be placed on academic probation and given one semester to raise their GPA. Students who do not meet the GPA requirement are not eligible to take the final comprehensive examination, internship, or thesis oral defense.

Graduate students whose records show less than a 3.0 GPA at program completion may be allowed to register for 3 to 9 additional semester credits in an effort to raise their GPA to the required minimum. All additional credits must be approved, and students must follow the petition procedure. Advisors will determine the appropriate courses, which may include repeated or new coursework.

If, after completing the additional credits, a student’s GPA remains below 3.0, the student will be dismissed from the program.

These and other academic requirements can be found in the School of Graduate Studies Academic Policies.

Each new student is assigned an advisor upon acceptance into the program. The student should meet with the advisor as needed to assist with course scheduling, thesis work, and internship planning, etc. Advisors can be changed upon the student’s request, and upon agreement of the potential new advisor. To change advisors, use the Update My People Form located on the Graduate Studies website.

Note:

• Faculty who are on sabbatical (for a semester or the year) might not be taking on newly accepted students as advisees and might opt to reduce or eliminate thesis supervisees.
• Students may request or be assigned a thesis advisor that is different than your program advisor and it is not necessary to fill out a change of advisor form for this.

Mission

To produce behavior analysts with academic, research, clinical, and professional skills that meet the needs of their various clients, employers, and other academic entities around the world in a rigorous and effective manner.

Learning Outcomes

• Appraise diverse academic literature to connect and generalize to work and life
• Propose, develop, and evaluate procedures that identify meaningful functional relations
• Identify diverse evidence-based interventions to implement with humility and respect
• Integrate academic, research, and clinical training in for leadership purposes
• Adjust practices to meet the needs of an evolving social and cultural world
• At least 80% of students will pass the Behavior Analyst Certification Board examination on their first attempt

The MS in ABA does not require that students earn BCBA supervision hours as part of their practical experiences. If students are interested in earning BCBA supervision hours while completing their practicum and internship experiences, they should work closely with their internship site supervisor to ensure their experience meets the BCBA Supervised Fieldwork requirements. 

St. Cloud State University’s online and campus-based M.S. in Applied Behavior Analysis are accredited by the Association for Behavior Analysis International Accreditation Board, and graduates meet the coursework requirements (Pathway 1) for the Behavior Analyst Certification Board.

We strongly encourage students to plan their courses and supervised fieldwork hours strategically to be able to sit for the BACB certification exam as soon as possible after graduation. If the BACB alters their coursework requirements or task list in the future, we cannot guarantee that courses taken under this rubric will meet the new requirements and students may be required by the BACB to complete additional coursework to fulfill new certification standards.

Email

Students must activate a MyHuskyNet e-mail address immediately upon beginning the program. Students will receive an email from aba@stcloudstate.edu with the instructions on how to activate their account when the Fall registration information is emailed.

Your MyHuskyNet e-mail is the only email students will be permitted to use for official SCSU communications.

Financial Aid

Graduate students may apply for several forms of financial aid. Students interested in applying for loans and/or work-study need to contact the Financial Aid Office located in the Administrative Services Building. Some scholarships may also be available through the School of Graduate Studies.

Graduate Assistantships

Typically, a small number of graduate assistantships are available each year, providing tuition remission and a stipend. These positions are only available to on-campus full-time students.

Follow this link to learn more about graduate assistantship eligibility and benefits

Library

Your student ID card will gain you access to SCSU’s library resources. There are a number of useful databases from which to conduct literature searches or request articles. You can also request online research assistance.

ABA Library Guide: The ABA library guide is a resource (databases, journals, books, podcasts, and websites) for ABA students to assist them with class assignments, projects, papers, and clinical work. In addition, the resource guide links to citation and academic integrity information to ensure students have the tools available to cite sources using APA.

Obtaining Articles through the Library: Rarely should you ever need to pay for a book chapter, article, etc. Use the interlibrary loan feature to request articles and books for free.

Distance Program

Since 2002, the distance-based program has enrolled students from 50 U.S. states and 17 countries. Reported advantages of the distance format include flexibility, ability to access coursework that isn’t available near home community, opportunity to continue to work while going to school, and ability to interact with other students and faculty who are interested in applied behavior analysis. Reported disadvantages include difficulty in managing time and obligations to complete course requirements and extended time to complete the degree (as opposed to being a full time on-campus student who takes 3-4 courses per semester).

On Campus Program

The on-campus program provides students with opportunities that are not available to distance students. These may include

• Graduate Assistantships: provides a stipend and tuition reimbursement
• Close, personal contact with faculty and other students while taking courses.
• Courses typically scheduled to meet one or two days per week.
• Internship opportunities with faculty supervision.

Dispositions are the values, beliefs, and attitudes we expect of each of our students. Our dispositions include:

• Act with Beneficence (BACB Ethics Code, Sections 1.0 and 2.0)
• Commitment to Scientific and Professional Integrity (BACB Ethics Code, Section 1.04)
• Demonstrate Professionalism (ABAI Accreditation Standard 2-101 and BACB Ethics Code, Section 1.05)
• Seek Answers to Complex Challenges (ABAI Accreditation Standard 2-100)

Violation Procedure

Any disposition violation reported to or discovered by the faculty during practicum or internship coursework will result in immediate removal from the course. Alternative work that satisfies course requirements will be provided until such time that the disposition violation is successfully addressed.

Minor Violations

The ABA Disposition Committee will send in writing to the student a detailed report of the disposition violation. From here, the student will have 1 week to set up an appointment with their advisor to complete the Disposition Remediation Form. Failure to respond within 1 week or to complete the Disposition Remediation Form will move the minor violation to major violation.

Major Violations

Major violations will likely result in the student’s dismissal from the program. The following outlines the steps in the review process, highlighting student rights and responsibilities.

Program Level

1. The ABA Dispositions Committee will meet to determine which professional dispositions have not been met by the student. These criteria will serve as the basis of the dismissal of the student.
2. The student will be notified in writing of the professional deficiencies that could lead to dismissal from the program. The student will respond in person or in writing to the specific concerns identified within 2 weeks from the time of notice. If the disposition concern is addressed satisfactorily here, the disposition committee can opt to end the dismissal process.
3. The ABA Disposition Committee will schedule a meeting for the student within 7 days of receiving the student’s response. The student may bring an advocate to a meeting. Advocates must conform to the policy on Assisting Students with University Procedures. Alternatively a student may elect to respond to the concerns in writing.
4. Following the meeting, the ABA Dispositions Committee will make a determination to retract the notification, provide a plan of remediation, or move forward with the recommendation of dismissal/termination of graduate student status. This decision will be made within 1 week if receiving the student’s final response.
5. If the decision is to allow the student to remain in a program, the program will notify the student in writing of the steps to achieve good standing with regard to the dispositions.
6. If the program decides to explore remediation, the student will work with their advisor on the remediation plan. If the remediation plan is not satisfactorily completed or the disposition offense is beyond remediation, the dismissal process will be moved to the department level.

Department Level

Once the Program Level review is completed, the department dispositions committee will review all documents pertaining to the dispositions offense and will meet with the student to determine whether sufficient efforts are present to allow the student to remain in the program or to proceed with the dismissal process. The decision will be given to the student within one week, and the student will have two weeks to respond, either in writing or in person.

If decision is to recommend dismissal, the program coordinator/director will send a memo to School of Graduate Studies on behalf of the program graduate faculty. The recommendation to the Dean of Graduate Studies must be accompanied by the documentation from the program and the student considered in making the recommendation.

Graduate School Level

Once the Department Level review is completed, the Dean of Graduate Studies will review all documentation submitted by the student and graduate program, make the final determination for dismissal, and notify the student of the dismissal.

The student may appeal the dismissal to the Provost/Office of Academic Affairs within 60 days of notification in the following circumstances: procedural error on the part of the institution, failure of the faculty to hear an appeal and render a decision, or new or newly discovered information of a character that may have substantially affected the outcome.

Dispositions Remediation Form

The Dispositions Remediation form consists of the following questions to be answered and/or described.

• Which disposition was violated?
• Describe the violation in detail.
• What will the student need to do to demonstrate adherence to the disposition?
• How will this adherence be measured?
• When is the remediation due?
• What supports will the student need to be successful?

Full-Time Students

The university, including the Financial Aids Office and Graduate Studies, views graduate students who have a minimum of 6 credits per semester as being full-time. The maximum credit load is 15 credits per semester during Fall, Spring, and Summer. The approval of the graduate dean and your advisor is necessary to take more than the maximum credit load. Students hired as full-time graduate assistants are required to enroll in at least eight credits per semester.

Part-Time Students

Graduate students who are enrolled in fewer than 6 credits per semester are considered to be part-time by the university. Note that part-time students may have more difficulty scheduling classes. Some campus classes are offered only during daytime hours, once per year, or once every two years. Therefore, it is imperative that part-time students work closely with their advisors to remain on track.

After 15 credits of the MS in Applied Behavior Analysis program has been completed, students must Submit a Customize My program of Study form. You will also receive an email from aba@stcloudstate.edu reminding you to complete this form in a timely manner. To be eligible, the student must have satisfied all conditions attached to admission and must maintain a 3.0 grade point average in all graduate work at SCSU.

Students must apply for graduation within the first four weeks of the semester in which they anticipate completing all required coursework for the degree. The deadline for applying for graduation and commencement information is on the Graduate Studies website. Please note there is a small Graduation Fee. Follow the Completing a Graduate Program resources to help keep you on track.

If you do not graduate during the application term you must email the Office of Records and Registration to request a new term. No additional application fee will be required.

Students must be enrolled in at least one (1) credit during their final semester. Incomplete or In-Progress courses do not count toward this requirement. If you are not enrolled in any courses during the semester you graduate, you must register for one (1) credit of Continuous Enrollment.

Practicum and internship courses are designed to provide students with experience in a community-based setting with a qualified supervisor. Information regarding approved sites and how to secure placements will be provided by the course instructors. A formal Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) must be signed by both the practicum or internship placement and the university before the start of any student experience. These agreements are good for several years, so your site may have already signed the form. However, it is the student's responsibility to ensure that a signed MOA is on file at least one semester before starting the course. If the MOA is not signed by the first day of class, the student will be dropped from the course.

Students must submit evidence of liability coverage prior to starting the practicum or internship. If the site does not provide liability insurance, the student must purchase liability insurance.

Students should find their practicum or internship site and supervisor at least one semester before starting the course. If the student wants to complete their practicum or internship at their place of employment, duties must be distinctly different or more advanced than their current position. If a student wants to complete their practicum or internship at a site not previously approved by the Behavior Analysis faculty, they should meet with the program coordinator to arrange approval at least one semester before the start of the course. The program coordinator will need a letter from the agency stating that they can accommodate an intern from our program, and the vita of the proposed supervisor. These materials will be reviewed to decide if the site/supervisor will be acceptable.

All practicum and internships must be supervised by a BCBA or BCBA-D in good standing (potential supervisors who lack these credentials will be reviewed by the faculty on a case-by-case basis). However, all practical experiences must be behavior-analytic in nature, as determined by the Behavior Analysis faculty.

• Practicum course description
• Internship course description

Involvement in professional and student organizations is strongly encouraged. Membership in professional organizations keeps students informed of opportunities for practical learning, career, and employment information. Students may also benefit from attending and presenting at professional conferences. Typically, membership and conference fees for students are inexpensive.

• Minnesota Northland Association for Behavior Analysis
• Association for Behavior Analysis International
• Behavior Analyst Certification Board
• Association of Professional Behavior Analysts

Students may complete the Thesis Option (Plan A) or the Comprehensive Examination Option (Plan B). Students in Plan A must complete at least one elective course. Students in Plan B must take a comprehensive exam to demonstrate mastery of program competencies

• View program requirements in the University Catalog
• View course descriptions in the University Catalog

On-campus students

Three times during your program (Spring 1st year; Fall 2nd year, and your last semester), your advisor will give you the opportunity to schedule a 30-min meeting to review your disposition form.

Online/distance students

During the initial part of the semester after meeting the credit requirements listed below, you will be given the opportunity to schedule a 15-30-min meeting to review your student success form with a faculty member. You should meet with an ABA faculty member three times after you passed a certain number of credits (6 credits, 12 credits, and 24 credits).

The program coordinator will email you if you will be completing a student success plan during the beginning of the upcoming semester. The email will indicate your assigned ABA faculty member for the meeting. Reach out to your assigned ABA faculty member to set up the meeting.

The copy of the completed student success from will be emailed to your SCSU email account. This will serve as the official record and serve proof of the completion.

For All Students 

Complete each task of the student success form in complete sentences, complete the corresponding checklist, and email the form to the advisor at least one week prior to your meeting. During your meeting, your advisor will review the form with you, provide you with positive and corrective feedback on each domain, and score you on each domain. Come prepared to the meeting to take notes and to develop an action plan with your advisor to address domains in which you receive scores 0.0 or 0.25 and to maintain domain scores of 0.5.

Together, faculty and student will discuss ethical standards in the following areas:

• Ethical Standards: How ethically the student has performed in behavior-analytic tasks (e.g., academics, research, clinical work)
• Professionalism: How the student has worked to improve their professionalism and goals for the future.
• Diversity: How the student has demonstrated a commitment to diversity or a way they have challenged themselves to become a more diversity-aware clinician, researcher, student, etc. What were the benefits and what steps will be taken to maintain?
• Collaboration: Describe a situation that required collaboration and provide details on what was learned to become a better collaborator in the future.
• Problem Solving: Discuss a situation where you proactively addressed a problem and a situation where you did not address the problem soon enough or better.
• Life-long Learning: Discuss a book you read this semester that relates to your career. Discuss an event, talk, or activity such as volunteer work, work on a board, or a club that relates to your career.
• Program Contribution: Explain at least one specific activity or action you've taken to contribute to the program. Were there steps that could have been taken to improve the effectiveness of the contribution? 
• Clinic Work: Explain your greatest clinical growth and an area of growth you want to work on and detail how you will make that advancement.
• Academic Work: Discuss a class project or assignment where you went above and beyond the expectations. Discuss a class project or assignment where you cut corners.
• Humility: Identify one student in the program who is better than you at a particular skill or more knowledgeable in a particular area. Explain why they outperform you and how their expertise adds to your overall experience in the program.

Students may request up to nine previously earned graduate credits to transfer to SCSU. To request a credit transfer, submit the course number you wish to transfer and replace, the syllabus from that course, and a copy of your transcripts showing the official grade earned (must be a B or higher) to your advisor. Credits eligible for transfer must have been earned no more than seven years prior to completing the degree. Final approval will come from the School of Graduate Studies. Additional guidelines will help you determine if your courses are capable of being transferred to SCSU.

D2L

• Course materials are located in D2L Brightspace
• Always put your Name, Date, Course Number, and a number of pages (use the header functions) on any submitted assignment.
• Read your syllabus.
  
  • Each course has different requirements and due dates for assignments and tests. It is your responsibility to understand the course requirements.
  • Read all information/materials provided to students in each course.
  • If you have a question, email or call your professor.

Due Dates

• It is your responsibility to read the syllabus and submit assignments on time.
• Incompletes/ Withdrawals
  
  • Students may withdraw from a class or classes without special permission after the drop/add period and before the withdrawal deadline
  • If you are not doing well in a course and do not withdraw by a certain date, a grade of “F” will be submitted.
  • Incompletes for coursework are not given unless there are unusual circumstances;
    procrastination is not considered an unusual circumstance.
  • Incompletes must be completed before the end of the following semester, or, as per university policy, the grade becomes an F.
  • You will not be allowed to register for additional courses until incompletes are removed from your transcripts.

A student may petition the ABA faculty to have certain elements of course structure modified for extenuating circumstances and on a case-by-case basis. All petitions must be sent to the entire ABA faculty at least two months before the start of the semester in which the student plans to enroll in the course. The faculty will vote, and all decisions from the Faculty Committee are final.

It is your responsibility to make sure your personal information is up to date. Many of the changes can be done online through your eservices, others changes may require a form to be completed. Check this website for more information.

The information may be changed on your account but our office will not be notified of the change being made. Notify our office of any changes by emailing those changes to aba@stcloudstate.edu. 

Full-Time vs. Part-Time Status

• Campus students must be full-time students.
  • Full-time equals 6 or more credits per semester
  • Full-time graduate assistantships require 8 or more credits
  • Students may request part-time status with faculty committee approval
    • Part-time status may significantly delay timely progress through coursework.
• Distance students may enroll full-time or part-time as needed.
  • Deviations from the degree map in this handbook may delay timely progress through coursework.

Practicum/Internship and BCBA Supervision

• BCBA supervision is not guaranteed and is separate from practicum and internship course requirements.
• Students are responsible for arranging their own BCBA supervision.

Grading

• Courses with a grade below a C must be repeated.
• A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required for graduation.

Course Delivery Format

• Campus students register for all courses on campus unless completing Plan B – Comprehensive Exam. All students register for Comprehensive Exam Preparation and Comprehensive Exam distance sections.
• Distance students register for all distance courses unless completing Plan A – Thesis.
• All students register for the on-campus Master's Culminating Project section.
• No switching between formats is permitted. Students wishing to switch must apply for admission to the other program (acceptance not guaranteed).

Student Success Monitoring

• Campus and distance students receive professional development feedback three times during the ABA program.
• Serious Student Conduct Violations:
  • Disposition violations are outlined in this handbook.
  • Although violations are rare, students must be familiar with these policies.

Dispositions

• Dispositions are professional skills and values required of a behavior analyst, including initiative, problem‑solving, humility, and professionalism—many demonstrated outside the classroom.
• Campus and distance students receive disposition feedback three times during the ABA program.
• Disposition violations are outlined in this handbook; students should be familiar with these policies.

New cohorts in the MS in Applied Behavior Analysis start each Fall. Courses need to be taken in sequence (add link to the tables in the program curricululm section). Most of the courses are not offered every semester. So students who take courses out of sequence may have to wait a year to enroll in courses.

Summer semester course beginning and ending dates can vary. There is a Summer Block 1 and Summer Block 2. Courses can begin and end any time between the dates posted. Watch for the course schedules to be posted for specific summer dates.

• View ABA courses and course descriptions in the University Catalog
• View upcoming course offerings in eServices

All MS in ABA courses require permission to register. We will enter in the overrides granting students permission to register. Once the overrides are entered students will receive an email from aba@stcloudstate.edu.  After you receive the email you will be able to register for the courses listed in the email. The ABA courses have limited enrollment, if you do not complete your registration by the date listed in the email you may lose your seat in the course. You will be added to the wait list.

After you receive the registration information if you experience any errors registering for the course information you are emailed contact aba@stcloudstate.edu. Include the error message you received. Do not contact the instructor listed or your advisor.

On campus students enrolled in the MS in Applied Behavior Analysis usually take three courses per semester.

Distance students usually take two courses per semester; however, some distance students find this to be a difficult load given their circumstances and drop to one course per semester however course availability may delay their progress in the program.

Courses for the MS in Applied Behavior Analysis must be completed in sequence.

This depends upon the student’s abilities, commitments, and personal situation. Most students report 10-18 hours per week per course.

You may order your books from any vendor. We list all of our books with the SCSU Husky Bookstore.

It is important to obtain the textbook a few weeks prior to the beginning of the course as tests as assignments begin quickly. Remember that shipping takes time, so make sure you order early. Shipping from the SCSU Husky Bookstore is fast and reliable. Not having your books before the beginning of the semester is not a legitimate excuse for completing assignments/exams on time. Order your books early.

Yes, but but students must reapply to the program. There is a chance that you will not be accepted in the other program option.

On-campus students are provided with a list of approved practicum and internship sites. On-campus students are able to receive additional supervision at approved sites. If an on-campus student would like to complete their practicum or internship experience at another site, the student may petition the behavior analysis faculty for consideration.

Distance Students must complete their practicum and internship experience under a BCBA supervisor. This may include the student’s present employment situation if appropriate supervision can be arranged.

Tuition rates are set by MnSCU and SCSU administration. Faculty have no control of these contingencies. Check back for rate increases starting every Fall semester.

Yes, students should keep a physical and/or digital copy of every course they have completed for at least 15 years.

To request a fee refund contact the Business Office.