Guidelines for the Accreditation of Graduate Programs in Behavior Analysis
Brief Summary of the Accreditation Process
The purpose of the accreditation process is to promote excellence in graduate programs in behavior analysis, and to provide evaluation of them as a service to the public, the profession, and prospective students.
The accreditation process officially begins when an applying program submits a Self-Study in accordance with the Guidelines for the Accreditation of Programs in Behavior Analysis. After reviewing the program’s completed Self-Study, the Chair of the Accreditation Board organizes a team to review the program using the criteria in the Guidelines. Two members conduct a 2-4 day visit of the program and write a report of their findings. The Chair forwards this report to the six-member Accreditation Board, who makes accreditation recommendations. The Chair reviews their recommendations and forwards it and the report to the ABA International Executive Council, who makes a final decision at the next ABA International convention.
Generally, the Self-Study materials include:
- The program’s mission statement
- Curriculum vitae of all faculty who have taught courses within the last five years
- Requirements for graduate degrees (e.g., coursework, practica, theses, dissertations)
- Training model and mentoring process of the program
- Data regarding students who enter and who complete the program
The site visit typically includes:
- Interviews with faculty, students, program directors, and an administrator
- Reviews of recent theses and/or dissertations, review papers, and general exams
- Inspections of facilities, including classrooms, laboratories, the library, and other relevant environments
In addition to the recognition and prestige associated with having an accredited program, ABA International provides a prominent position in the annual convention program, highlighted spots and no poster fee at the ABA Expo, and reduced fee for other ABA International services (START, advertising space in the newsletter, etc.), and many other benefits to accredited programs. While there currently are no fees charged by ABA International for accreditation, the applying program does cover the cost of the development of the self-study and the site visit.