Department of Behavior Analysis

Highlights of Behavior Analysis at Simmons

• Our campus program was the first accredited master’s program in New England; the program is accredited by the Association for Behavior Analysis International.
• Our programs are designed for working professionals, with evening classes and options for on-campus or online study.
• We offer rigorous BCBA® exam preparation, in addition to preparing students for scientist-practitioner roles post graduation.
• Masters students develop clinical and research skills during Practicum experiential learning courses
• We seek to practice cultural humility and increase diversity in the field of behavior analysis.

Students come to Behavior Analysis at Simmons because of our reputation for focusing on the science of behavior, and consequently, the program opens their eyes to the full scope of the field, and all the ways they can apply behavior analysis.

- Russell Maguire, Adjunct Professor, Department of Behavior Analysis

Student-centered courses and practicum prepares our students for success

• Small, interactive classes provide strong foundations in theory and practice, and cultivate faculty/student connections.
• Emphasis on research literacy and the science of behavior, prepares students to develop innovative treatments and solutions based on the latest behavior analytic research.
• Applied learning experiences prepare students for clinical practice within the field.
• Students partner with Simmons’s nationally renowned faculty to conduct, publish, and present research at national conferences and in peer-reviewed journals. Their work helps advance the field and scope of behavior analytic research applications.

Careers

Our graduates are recognized leaders in the field, who have founded schools, established independent practices, completed doctoral degrees, and led institutions locally and nationally. Practice areas of Simmons graduates include education, behavioral medicine, organizational behavior management, instructional design, and animal training. Our graduates teach at prestigious institutions, such as the University of Rochester Medical Center, Northeastern University, and Regis College, and have founded many respected schools, including the Nashoba Learning Group and Realizing Children’s Strengths.

Faculty highlights

• Seven full-time faculty members.
• Faculty research topics include: management of negatively reinforced challenging behaviors; analysis of verbal behavior and motivating operations; stimulus control and stimulus equivalence; behavioral interventions for people within the autism community, service delivery models of applied behavior analysis in developing countries, traditionally under-served and rural areas; and behavioral medicine and health promotion.

Mission Statement

1. To make the philosophy, theory, and science of behavior analysis  explicable and accessible to individuals in an optimal position to affect meaningful educational, social, and behavioral changes.
2. To generate and publish innovative research by fusing behavior analysis with relevant findings from other scientific discipline.
3. To include, whenever possible, students as authors on presentations and publications.
4. To demonstrate how behavior analysis can influence the breadth and depth of issues centered on the human condition.
5. To prepare students to pass the Behavior Analysis Certification Board’s® examination to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst®.