Online Master of Education in Applied Behavior Analysis

The Online Master of Education in Applied Behavior Analysis is a 30-credit hour program that you can complete in 21 months while working full-time. Courses are offered in a 7-week accelerated online format and taken one at a time. The program culminates with experience courses Practicum I: Seminar Course and Practicum II: Supervised Clinical Experience.

The Association for Behavior Analysis International has verified the following courses toward the coursework requirements for eligibility to take the Board Certified Behavior Analyst® or Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® examination. Applicants will need to meet additional requirements before they can be deemed eligible to take the examination.

For detailed degree requirements, please see the Graduate Bulletin or request more information.

Learning Goals

With your Online Master of Education in Applied Behavior Analysis you will gain:

• A deep understanding of applied concepts and principles of behavior analysis.
• Effective research methods including measurement principles, data analysis and experimental design.
• Ability to understand behavior change in clients and specific procedures to help create positive change.
• Capacity to conceptualize, analyze, and implement effective applied behavior analysis programs.
• Advanced knowledge of the theoretical foundations of ethical and professional conduct.

Career Outcomes

The rising diagnosis rate for children with autism spectrum disorder has led to a demand for specially trained professionals. The career outlook for behavior analysts is strong, with the nationwide growth expected at 19% by 2024. That growth level is considered significantly faster than average by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. The demand for BCBAs has also doubled in recent years. With your advanced degree, you will be highly sought for career opportunities in K-12 schools and other professional settings that serve students with developmental and behavioral disorders.

Ross Nesselrode, Ph.D., BCBA
Ross is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and former public school special education teacher and administrator. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. His research includes how problem behavior is assessed in public school settings, as well as teacher feedback on assessment methodologies. Ross has publications relating to these topics in peer-reviewed journals such as Behavior Analysis in Practice and Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice.

Molly Oshinski, BCBA
Molly Oshinski is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and has experience working with ages 2-80 which has given her a unique perspective to always consider the long term effects that therapists can have when working with clients. She is also co-founder and CEO of Pickle System which creates animated video models to teach a large variety of daily living skills to individuals with disabilities. She is a PhD candidate at The University of Texas at Austin with research that focuses on examining the effectiveness of animated video models to teach menstrual care to individuals with autism.

Caroline Roesel, M.Ed., BCBA
Caroline Roesel is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst who has worked as a BCBA in the Austin area since 2015. She has worked in early childhood development for 16 years in various roles including teacher, research assistant, and analyst at various clinical and administrative levels. Her work with young children with special needs began while she was earning a bachelor’s degree from Texas Woman’s University in Communication Science and Disorders. She went on to teach in the general education setting before returning to school to earn her graduate degree. During graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin, she worked at the UT Meadow’s Center for Preventing Educational Risk with children with a wide range of diagnoses, including autism, ODD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, and other learning disabilities. After graduating with a M.Ed. in Learning Disabilities and Behavior Disorders, she continued her studies in applied behavior analysis at the Florida Institute of Technology. After working for 8 years with young children with autism and their families, her work expanded to serving adults living in group homes with a wide range of disabilities, moderate to severe challenging behaviors, and acute psychiatric disorders.

Kirsten Brooks, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA
Kirsten has been involved in the field of mental health for over 13 years. She initially worked in practice management but became interested in the field of applied behavior analysis through facilitating services for those in early intervention through her role in client coordination. In 2013, Kirsten opened her own practice and has been serving clients in the Austin area both in clinic and in-home services. She is passionate about providing services to clients so that they may grow their skills to access more environments, establish a wider range of relationships and increase their opportunities to more independence in life.

Michelle Kuhn, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA
Dr. Kuhn is the Chief Clinical Officer at Galliant Autism Care as well as a professor in this program. She has been in the field of special education for over 15 years and has been teaching in higher education for over 5 years. In that time, she has worked in schools, homes, and clinics with individuals from early intervention through adulthood. Her focus has mostly been with individuals with ASD and other developmental disabilities and her research focus has been predominantly on social communication and staff training. She is originally from the south side of Chicago and completed both her undergrad and masters at the University of Illinois. She later completed her PhD at the University of Texas. Her teaching philosophy is focused on promoting a real life view of coursework and material. As a teacher, her goal is not just to help you learn textbook lessons, but to help you think about and be able to apply those in real life and communicate to work with the primary people in client’s lives in order to get buy-in and collaboration across the board. With this, she hopes to promote an atmosphere of communication and partnership in class to assist with the use of these skills out of class.

Jennifer Hines, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA
Jennifer has worked in the field of neurodevelopmental disorders for over 25 years within social service agencies, school districts, government, and private practice. She has worked as a social worker, special education teacher, school behavior specialist, clinical therapist, founder, and director. She received her bachelor’s in social work from the University of Texas at Austin, her master’s in Special Education with a cognate in Autism and Emotional Disturbance from Texas State University and will graduate this year with her doctorate in Organizational Leadership from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. For 11 years, Jennifer was the State Neurodevelopmental Disorders Specialist for The Texas Workforce Commission, Division of Rehabilitation Services. Jennifer published the first Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) state policy on Applied Behavior Analysis. She published four additional state policies that created the first-ever Autism Endorsement for Employment Specialists, an Autism Premium, and a Vocational Assessment for Neurodevelopmental Disorders. She serves as an Executive Council member of TxABA, Chair of the TxABA Professional Issues Committee, and incoming President of the TxABA OBM SIG.

Brandy Windham, SLP, LBA
Brandy is a Speech and Language Pathologist and Licensed Behavior Analyst. She received her degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and started her career as an SLP in the schools. Brandy specializes in early intervention for children with autism and is currently the Executive Director of Building BLOCS, a speech and ABA center in Austin, Texas. Brandy in an instructor at the University of Texas and St. Edward's University. She teaches undergraduate- and graduate-level students in the areas of Communication Interventions, Assessment, Functional Behavior Assessment, Child Development, and Ethics in Behavior Analysis.

We require applicants for the Online Master of Education in Applied Behavior Analysis to hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university. Review application steps and requirements, as well as important dates:

Application Deadlines & Checklist

Questions? Request information or call 512.326.7501 to learn more.