College of the Pacific
Graduate Program Tracks
Applied Behavior Analysis Track (M.A. and doctoral preparation)
Applied Behavior Analysis Track (M.A. and doctoral preparation)
Our Applied Behavior Analysis course sequence has been approved by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB)®. You can learn more about the certification process at BACB.com 
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Behavior analysis is the experimental analysis of behavior. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is the design, implementation and evaluation of environmental modifications to produce socially significant improvements in behavior. ABA involves the direct observation, measurement and functional analysis of the relations between environment variables and behavior. ABA is based on sound scientific principles and has a solid research foundation that proves its effectiveness. Learn more about behavior analysis.
Students who choose the ABA track are interested in applied behavior analysis, and are either interested in becoming eligible to sit for the certification exam conducted by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) ® or in pursuing a doctorate in applied behavior analysis.
Students wishing to pursue a doctorate in applied behavior analysis should apply under the applied behavior analysis track, but indicate in a cover letter that they ultimately wish to apply to a doctorate program in ABA.
Practica and Internships
ABA track students are typically placed in practica and internship sites in which they will learn to apply methods of behavior observation, treatment design and implementation in a variety of settings.
ABA track students learn precise data observation and collection methodology, interobserver agreement techniques, single-subject design interventions, and generalization strategies in a variety of settings, including:
- Public schools
- The Department's Community Re-entry Program for the mentally disabled
- Valley Mountain Regional Center programs for the developmentally disabled
- Other behavior and medical/health care settings in the local community
The majority of ABA track students will work 20 hours per week at the Community Re-entry program as well in the Stockton Unified School District working with preschool children identified as having behavior problems; this work enables our students to receive substantial tuition remission as well as a paid stipend. (See Cost of Tuition).
BACB Certification
Our program typically provides students with the BACB-required 1,500 hours of supervised ABA experience, along with the coursework required to become eligible to sit for the BACB exam. These steps allow an individual with a Masters degree in Psychology to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.
Becoming eligible to sit for the BACB certification exam in behavior analysis and becoming a Board Certified Behavior Analyst are beneficial to students for a number of reasons.
"The Board Certified Behavior Analyst™ (BCBA®):
- Is an independent practitioner who also may work as an employee or independent contractor for an organization.
- Conducts descriptive and systematic (e.g., analogue) behavior assessments, including functional analyses, and provides behavior analytic interpretations of the results.
- Designs and supervises behavior analytic interventions.
- Is able to effectively develop and implement appropriate assessment and intervention methods for use in unfamiliar situations and for a range of cases.
- Seeks the consultation of more experienced practitioners when necessary.
- Teaches others to carry out ethical and effective behavior analytic interventions based on published research and designs and delivers instruction in behavior analysis BACB.com ."
Students interested in applying to doctoral programs in ABA may wish to work as teaching assistants 20 hours per week instead. This enables them to receive the tuition remission and paid stipend while gaining teaching experience that may be highly desirable for doctoral programs. However, in doing this, they will likely not earn the 1,500 supervised hours required to sit for the BACB exam.
Doctoral Preparation (Clinical/Counseling, Behavioral, Developmental, Cognitive, Social)
Students accepted into our doctoral preparation track are interested in significantly improving their chances of being accepted into doctoral programs in the areas of clinical or counseling psychology, behavior analysis, developmental psychology, cognitive psychology, social psychology, biological psychology and related fields (e.g., education, school psychology).
Roseann Hannon, Ph.D. - Biological Psychologist
Gary Howells, Ph.D. - Social Psychologist
Matthew Normand, Ph.D., BCBA-D - Behavioral Psychologist
Scott Jensen, Ph.D. - Child Clinical Psychologist
Carolynn Kohn, Ph.D., BCBA-D - Clinical Psychologist
Stacy Rilea, Ph.D. - Cognitive Psychologist
Deborah Schooler, Ph.D. - Developmental Psychologist
We provide many opportunities for students wishing to significantly improve their chances of acceptance into doctoral programs, including:
- Research opportunities with one or more faculty in the department
- Many doctoral programs are seeking students with research experience, and such experience is emphasized in our program (note the section with sample publications and presentations co-authored by students found here)
- Empirical thesis work
- Designing and completing one's own research topic for your Masters thesis is another mark of the kind of research competence that doctoral programs are seeking
- Teaching Assistant experiences for a variety of courses including:
- Experimental Psychology, Statistics, Developmental Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Behavior Change, Introduction to Psychology, Psychology of Learning, Physiological Psychology, Social Psychology and Abnormal Psychology
- Since many doctoral programs support students who are working as TAs, such experience in our program increases a student's attractiveness to doctoral programs
- Supervision of undergraduates in applied settings
- Having experience with supervision increases competitiveness for doctoral programs and for jobs to help provide financial support and applied experience during doctoral work
Each year, our students present research at regional and national conferences including: the Western Psychological Association , California Association for Behavioral Analysis , and Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy .
