This program was intentionally designed to lead to licensure or certification in the state of Arizona. For information regarding how the curricular requirements for this degree program align to licensure or certification requirements in other states, see https://nau.edu/compliance-and-authorization/professional-licensure-by-state/.

Board Certified Behavior Analyst^® (BCBA) program

Positive Behavior Support (PBS) is an approach to improving human behavior by making challenging behavior unnecessary and preferred behavior easy and effective. This involves the combined efforts of:

• Helping people improve the quality of their lives (personal, health, social, family, etc), and
• Replacing challenging behavior with socially acceptable alternative behavior.

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is the science behind PBS, and the courses in the PBS Certificate are a “Verified Course Sequence” by the Association for Behavior Analysis International. Completing the PBS Graduate Certificate partially fulfills the eligibility requirements to sit for the national BACB exam. Pass rates for students who have taken the national examination can be found here. Becoming a BCBA may or may not meet licensing requirements in all states. Consult with your state licensing agency for additional information.PBS employs research-validated behavioral practices of teaching and reinforcing behavior for individual children and adults as well as for groups of people (in classrooms, families, schools, etc). See this website for more information. Attention is focused on understanding the conditions in the environment that contribute to challenging behavior, and modifying those conditions to strengthen desirable behavior. Our graduates help parents, teachers, and others who support people with disabilities and challenging behavior. NAU has been ranked one of the best 62 schools with 100% online Graduate Certificate programs by the Applied Behavior Analysis Edu Organization.

Frequently asked questions

If you want more information or have more questions about this program, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Application deadlines

You may begin this program in either the summer, fall, or spring semesters. Be sure to complete your program application early so you have time to register for classes.*  Make sure to select the “Positive Behavior Support Certificate (online)” when applying.If you plan to pursue online graduate courses you must be able to find, read and understand information provided on a website such as this. Therefore, please read the information on this page carefully and follow all the links to ensure you understand it.

Contact

If you still have questions, please contact Juane Heflin, PhD, BCBA-DCollege of Education, Educational Specialties Program PO Box 5774 Flagstaff, AZ 86011 Phone: 928-637-5948 Email Juane