Newsletter
Volume 30 | 2007 | Number 2
Program and History: The Behavior Analysis and Therapy Program at Southern Illinois University
By Dr. Mark Dixon
The Behavior Analysis and Therapy Program at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, IL was the first program in the world to offer a master’s degree in what was then called Behavior Modification. The program began in 1965 with a close working relationship with Anna State Hospital (now known as Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center) which supplied some of the faculty and the clinical experiences for students. Ed Sulzer, the coordinator of the Behavior Modification program, worked with Nate Azrin, Don Hake, and Ted Ayllon, all Anna employees, to design the curriculum. Over the next few years Harris Rubin, Bob Campbell, Ron Hutchinson, and Keith Miller contributed to the development of the program.
Since those early beginnings, a number of other distinguished faculty have held tenure track positions in the program. These include Bill Hopkins, Dick Sanders, Roger Poppen, John Lutzker, and Gina Green. Current faculty includes Tony Cuvo who has been with the program since 1973 and Brandon Greene since 1979. More recent additions include Mark Dixon, the coordinator of the program, April Worsdell, Ruth Anne Rehfeldt, and Paula Davis.
Curriculum
The program curriculum requires 45 semester hours and is a combination of required and elective didactic courses, practicum, internship, and thesis or research paper. Required courses include: Basic Behavior Analysis, Complex Behavior Analysis, Behavioral Observation Methods, Legal and Ethical Issues, Staff Training and Development, and Behavior Analysis Research Designs. A minimum of one practicum experience of approximately 150 hours of field work is required of students. After the practicum, students complete an internship requiring 600 hours of field work. Both of these experiences are completed under the supervision of a Behavior Analysis and Therapy faculty member.
Research Opportunities
The program offers a variety of research opportunities directed by individual faculty or sometimes a combination of the faculty. We have a wide range of research possibilities including investigations with populations such as: autism, developmental disabilities (child and adult), brain injury, child abuse and neglect, pathological gambling, and exploring processes such as: stimulus equivalence, rule-governed behavior, self-control, behavior reduction, stimulus preference, staff training, and delay discounting.
Faculty
All students complete a thesis or research paper under the direction of a faculty member. Currently we have five behavioral faculty members including Dr. Tony Cuvo, Dr. Brandon Greene, Dr. Ruth Anne Rehfeldt, Dr. Mark Dixon, and Dr. Paula Davis. Each of these faculty members have made substantial contributions to the field of behavior analysis and continue to do so year after year.
Student Advisement
Upon entry to the program, students are assigned to an advisor who assists them in planning their course of study during the first year. Students are encouraged to seek experiences with other faculty that offer opportunities that match their interests. While a few students complete all of their practical and research experience with one faculty member, most do not. The majority of students choose to sample experiences offered by several faculty members before they complete their degrees.
Unique Opportunities at SIU
Every year all or almost all of our students are funded with salaries and tuition waivers. This drastically reduces the cost of education and allows students to gain real-world work experience while in graduate school. SIU now offers a new Ph.D. program with new coursework designed directly for the doctoral level behavior analyst geared toward an academic career or high-level management in applied settings. This doctoral program is a mentor-model program where students work very closely with their chosen faculty member. Another new dimension of the SIU program is our off-campus offerings of a full degree in the Rockford/Chicago area, and a five course sequence for certification offered on-line throughout the World Wide Web.