Psychology M.S. (Concentration in Behavior Analysis)

Degree Requirements: 31 Credit Hours

Admission Requirements

New students are admitted to the program in Fall semester only. The program is limited to 15 new students.

Regular Admission

The applicant must have:

  1. Completed requirements for the Bachelor’s degree in a college accredited by the proper regional accrediting associations.
  2. Taken Introduction to Psychology, Introduction to Special Education, Introduction to Behavior Analysis, or a course in a similar discipline.
  3. A 3.0 (4.0 scale) cumulative grade point average or higher on undergraduate work.
  4. Minimum Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores of 147 on the Verbal section and 146 on the Quantitative section for applicants who took the exam after July 31, 2011.
  5. Submitted:
    1. A personal statement that includes a description of career goals, reasons for applying for graduate study at Georgia Southern University, a list of academic achievements, non-academic achievements, relevant work experience, a self-evaluation of maturity level and character. We strongly encourage students to obtain applied clinical or research experience as an undergraduate.
    2. Recommendations from three individuals who can speak of the applicant’s undergraduate academic performance, potential for graduate study, and maturity level and character. At least one letter must be from a faculty member.

Provisional Admission

For applicants who meet two out of three of the following criteria for regular admission (GRE-V, GRE-Q, GPA), provisional admission may be granted by the departmental graduate faculty based on their consideration of the materials submitted by the applicant.

Program of Study

Credit Hours
Philosophical Underpinnings, Concepts, and Principles of Behavior Analysis
PSYC   6400
Concepts and Principles of Behavior Analysis
PSYC   6405
Concepts and Principles of Behavior Analysis LAB
PSYC   6480
Behaviorism as a Philosophy of Science
PSYC   6600
Seminar in Behavior Analysis Research
Ethics, Professionalism, and Disciplinary Systems
PSYC   6450
Ethics for the Behavior Analyst
Assessment and Behavior Change
PSYC   6430
Assessment and Treatment of Challenging Behavior
PSYC   6440
Establishing and Strengthening Behavior
Research Methods in Behavior Analysis
PSYC   6410
Measurement in Behavior Analysis
PSYC   6420
Research Methods in Applied Behavior Analysis
Designing and Supervising Behavioral Programming
PSYC   6460
Instructional Design
PSYC   6490
Designing, Implementing, and Supervising Behavioral Programs
Electives0-3
PSYC   6500
Independent Research in Behavior Analysis
PSYC   5700G
Practicum in Behavior Analysis
Total Credit Hours31

Other Program Requirements

  • Students who are interested in accruing supervised experience hours toward their Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) credential can opt to take Practicum in Behavior Analysis (PSYC   5700G)and an elective course. Prior approval by program supervisor required.

  • Students interested in pursuing doctoral training can opt to take Independent Research in Behavior Analysis (PSYC   6500) to gain research experience in behavior analysis. Prior approval by program supervisor required as well as a behavior analysis faculty member who will supervise the research.

  • The topic area of Seminar in Behavior Analysis Research (PSYC   6600) will rotate on an on-going basis. Students may petition to take the course a second time if the content area is different from the topic offered when they took the course. 

Advisement

Graduate students are advised by their program. Graduate students should reach out to their graduate program director for information regarding the structures in place to facilitate advisement. For more information visit the Graduate Academic Advisement catalog page. 

Graduate students can also contact the Jack N. Averitt College of Graduate Studies for more information about their program director. 
​Phone: 912-478-COGS (2647) 
​Email: gradschool@georgiasouthern.edu