Abstract: The indicators of high quality training of behavior analysts who will work as practitioners remain somewhat controversial. Some researchers argue that faculty research productivity is correlated to improved practitioner training (Dixon, Reed, Smith, Belisle, & Jackson, 2015) while others have argued for alternative quality indicators of training programs including exam pass rates (e.g. Ahearn, Green, Riordan, & Weatherly, 2015). An inescapable reality is that high quality doctoral training programs provide the essential faculty to enter into the training pipeline and as such promoting practitioner entry into doctoral training programs should be a consideration for improving the quality of practitioner training. Doctoral training programs in applied behavior analysis and related fields provide future scholars with advanced coursework, but also apprenticeship in research design and supervised college teaching. A panel of faculty from doctoral training programs in special education and educational psychology discuss the following topics: (a) if and why practitioners should consider a Ph.D., (b) selection of a Ph.D. program and faculty advisor, (c) developing a competitive application for doctoral programs, (d) funding Ph.D. program, and (e) life after the Ph.D. as faculty. |