An ABA master’s degree prepares students for roles focused on behavior analysis, but not for licensure as a psychologist. It does not include training in psychological assessment, diagnosis, or therapy. Students pursuing psychology careers typically follow a degree path in psychology or counseling and continue on to a PhD or PsyD.

Fieldwork can often be completed at your current place of employment (such as a school setting) if it is an appropriate placement that provides opportunities to work directly with students or clients and meets requirements.

In many cases, yes. Students often use their practicum site for preliminary research and their final thesis.

Students are expected to arrange their own practicum placements, but our program has many local connections with various practicum sites and can support students in the Columbus area seeking a practicum placement.

Students complete a BCBA‑supervised field experience where they apply key ABA skills in a real‑world setting. This includes work in assessment, intervention, data collection, data analysis, and decision‑making with individuals with disabilities, aligned to the student’s area of study (e.g., mild to moderate disabilities, moderate to intensive disabilities, or early childhood).

Field experience takes place at an approved practicum site, where students accrue a minimum of 20 hours per month. Participation in an approved site is required to enroll in ESSPED 8189 – Field Experience in Special Education.

ABA specialization courses may be transferred only from ABAI‑accredited or ABAI‑recognized institutions. Other graduate coursework (such as education foundations) may be transferred from non‑ABAI institutions. All transfer requests must closely align with the Ohio State course being replaced, as demonstrated through official course syllabi.

Students may transfer up to 20% of the total required graduate credit hours, and all transfers must be approved by the program director.

For additional details, see the guide for transferring graduate credit hours.

BCBA exam preparation is integrated directly into coursework through interactive, authentic learning modules that align with BCBA task list content.

Students may be eligible for federal aid and grants, including the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant, and military and veteran education benefits (such as the GI Bill® or tuition assistance). Students can access ScholarshipUniverse to find and apply for university and external scholarships. Learn more about financial aid.

Yes, Ohio State’s ABA master’s program is completed entirely online with no campus visits required.

The ABA master’s program is 100% online with mostly asynchronous (self-paced) courses to offer flexibility for busy students. Though the courses are structured and there are deadlines for assignments, you will not be required to be online at specific times for the asynchronous courses. Some courses are taught synchronously (live, online lectures with set meeting times).