Career Outlook

Your Future with a Graduate Degree in Applied Behavior Analysis

The field needs you. Prepare to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and gain the skills you need to address complex behavior and learning challenges. Applied Behavior Analysis is a versatile field that you can use to make meaningful change with clients of all ages. In addition to delivering individual therapy to clients, BCBAs also collaborate with parents or caregivers and provide supervision and training to other professionals in the field.

According to Burning Glass Technologies, demand for behavior analysts holding a BCBA has increased each year since 2010, with a 17% increase from 2019 to 2020. In 2020, the highest demand came from these five states: California, Massachusetts, Texas, Florida, and Georgia. 

As a graduate of the MA in ABA or certificate program, you will have the necessary foundation to provide research-based, culturally responsive interventions and can find career opportunities in a range of settings such as the following:

• Classrooms, Schools, School Districts
• Community-Based Agencies
• In-Home or Residential Treatment Centers
• Clinics or Private Practices—Mental Health, Sports Psychology, Behavioral Medicine
• Hospitals
• Organizational Behavior Management in Business Settings

Rooted in the science of behavior, Applied Behavior Analysis can have meaningful applications with a diverse range of clients and fields. Behavior Analysts often work with autistic individuals and those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety or panic disorders, PTSD, traumatic brain injuries, or other intellectual or developmental disorders. As a BCBA, you can help others gain independence by addressing a variety of needs and areas such as communication skills, attention, memory, daily living and self-care skills, social skills, motor skills, behavioral regulation, academic performance, and much more.

For more information on areas in which ABA is being used as a positive intervention, take a look at the Special Interest Groups of the Association for Behavior Analysis International.

Salary Guide

According to salary.com, salary range varies by industry and occupation. The salary range below represents wages in the United States. We encourage you to do your own research on Salary.com or the Bureau of Labor Statistics to explore salary expectations for your geographical region and industry.

Additional Employment Opportunities

In addition to working as a practitioner, many BCBAs find themselves in demand to provide supervision for other students entering the field and who are seeking to become certified and licensed in ABA. Furthermore, many BCBAs may formally become Continuing Education Providers with the ABAI, allowing them to conduct presentations and workshops in their areas of expertise for other BCBAs and LABAs.

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Learn About ABA Therapy for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Most Applied Behavior Analysts educate and treat autistic individuals and those with other intellectual or developmental disabilities. According to the CDC's Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 1 in 44 children has been identified with autism spectrum disorder.

The need for educators and practitioners who are knowledgeable in the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis and skilled in the provision of behaviorally oriented procedures has grown exponentially. This demand continues to grow as numerous public and private agencies have endorsed ABA as an important intervention for autistic individuals.

In 2007, The American Academy of Pediatrics reported, "The effectiveness of ABA-based intervention in ASDs has been well documented through 5 decades of research using single-subject methodology and in controlled studies of comprehensive early intensive behavioral intervention programs in university and community settings."

The American Psychological Association (APA) has reported that behavioral interventions are crucial for autistic children, indicating, "this approach can help improve communication and social interaction and decrease troublesome behaviors like aggression or self-injury."

Because of endorsements like these and many others, Applied Behavior Analysts will find work providing direct intervention, supervising other treatment providers, consulting for individual cases, for families, schools, or school districts, and conducting behavioral assessments and providing treatment recommendations.