ABA Concentration

Program Overview

This program is a collaborative initiative by SFU, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Department of Psychology and Douglas College, Faculty of Child, Family and Community Studies. Students will graduate with a B.A., Psychology Major with Concentration in Applied Behaviour Analysis (granted by SFU) and with an Advanced Certificate in Disability and Applied Behaviour Analysis (granted by Douglas College and used as transfer credit towards the SFU degree).

This degree will benefit students who have otherwise been pursuing their interests through major/minor combinations and work experience. These students are better accommodated by an interdisciplinary program with specific focus on standards in this specialized field. Students graduate with a broad background in psychology together with practical skills in Applied Behaviour Analysis.

This program also benefits the community by increasing the level of expertise in practitioners of Applied Behaviour Analysis. The availability of formal, post-secondary ABA training as part of an SFU degree provides a valuable alternative to families and practitioners. It provides baccalaureate level courses required for certification of practitioners at the Assistant Behavior Analyst level.

Graduates of this degree will be well prepared to move on to:

Employment in careers in applied behavior analysis (ABA) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) support and treatment
Behavior Analyst Certification Board® (BACB) certification as an Assistant Behavior Analyst (after successfully completing the required experience hours and an examination)
Graduate degrees in Counseling and/or Education
Graduate degrees in Psychology

Program Declaration Requirements for SFU students

1. Declare into a PSYC program at SFU

Students would first declare into the Psychology Major.

After you are admitted into the DABA program at Douglas, email the Academic Advisors again with an updated advising transcript to declare into the ABA concentration.

2. Apply to the DABA program at Douglas College

Students must meet the Douglas College General Admission Requirements, Category B. Applicants must be in good standing in the 3rd or 4th year of the degree at SFU.

Graduation Requirements

BA Checklist

ABA CHECKLIST

PSYC 4XX (15 unit transfer) - Courses to be taken at Douglas College

COURSE		CREDITS
DACS 4114 Functional Behaviour Assessment and Clinical Applications		3
DACS 4115 Ethics in Applied Behaviour Analysis		3
DACS 4116 Advanced Topics in Applied Behaviour Analysis: Intervention		3
DACS 4122 Empirical Basis of Behaviour Techniques		3
DACS 4123 Single Subject Research and Application		3
DACS 5111 Disability in Context or DACS 3430 ASD Across the Lifespan		3

Students will be completing 6 DABA courses (18 units) as noted above at Douglas College. This will transfer over as PSYC 4XX (15 units) towards the student's BA, Psychology Major (ABA Concentration) program at SFU. The DABA courses offered through Douglas College are certified by the Behaviour Analyst Certification Board® (BACB), and taught by BACB-certified BCBA instructors. This program enables students to fulfill the coursework component of the “Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst”. No experience hours (required for BACB certification) are offered by Douglas College or SFU at this time. Students arrange their own supervision which must not begin until the first day of Douglas College classes.

Students must take all of the required courses (and achieve a "C" or better) in order to receive block transfer credit back to SFU. No partial credit is allowed. Note that students can only transfer up to 60 units from another post-secondary institution to SFU.

When the required coursework is completed, students must contact Douglas College to have their transcript sent directly to SFU Admissions.

NOTE: For students in the ABA program who have already transferred 60 units from a previous institution, the 15 DABA units would replace 15 of the 60 transfer units that have already been transferred.

Other Information

Students are encouraged to consider completing the Minor in Learning and Developmental Disabilities in the Faculty of Education.
As per SFU’s transfer credit procedures, students may transfer from BC colleges or universities to enroll into this program.
Students in this program are eligible for student financial assistance.

Education Minors

Financial Aid and Awards