Applied Behavior Analysis MA (Online) Student Outcomes
This program began in Fall 2021.
Retention Rate
Students in the Master’s in Applied Behavior Analysis (Online) program are retained at high rates. The one-year retention rate for those entering the program was 80% (39/49) for Fall 2022 - 2024.
Methodology: Retention rate is calculated as the number of students who enrolled in a Fall term of one academic year and returned in the subsequent Fall term. Retention rate = (# retained in Fall 2025)/(# started in Fall 2024). When the program length is one year or less, the retained count includes those who were retained one-semester later (e.g., Spring 2025/Fall 2024) or graduated within one-year of starting the program (e.g., # Graduated between 9/1/24 and 8/31/25 divided by # starting in Fall 2024). This retention metrics tracks students who return to the same program version level (program and modality). When possible, small cohorts may be combined to counter the Law of Small Numbers, a cognitive bias where people overemphasize the representativeness of small samples.
Graduation Rate and Time to Degree
The Master’s in ABA (Online) program length is two years. The 150% graduation rate for the most recent graduating cohort (24-25) was 78% (14/18). The average time to degree for this cohort was 24 months.
Methodology: 150% Graduation rate is calculated for full-time and part-time students combined; The 150% graduation rate is calculated by taking students who enrolled in Fall and Spring terms of one academic year (starting cohort) and graduated within 150% of the program length, e.g., 3 years, divided by the number in the starting cohort. Time to degree in months is calculated by subtracting the start date of the student from the date the degree was completed or conferred and reported in average months.
Licensure
Certification and licensure are not required to work as a Behavior Analyst.
The Board Certified Behavioral Analysis (BCBA and BCBA-D) exam in Massachusetts is taken after students receive their Master’s degree. Graduates of the Master’s program have up to five years to complete the exam after graduating.
Master’s in Applied Behavior Analysis (Online) alumni have a passage rate for the BCBA exam of 100% (3/3) for alumni from the graduating classes of 2023 and 2024.1
Job Placement
100% (9/9) of ABA Master’s online alumni were employed within the first year after graduation. Alumni include the graduating classes of 2023 and 2024.2
Salary
Alumni from the classes of 2023 and 2024 (n = 8) had a low salary range of $35K to $45K and a high salary range of above $75k to $100k, with the median value of $55K.1
Employment Settings
Alumni from the graduating classes of 2023 and 2024 reported working in the following settings1:
School District/System (Public) – 33%
Home-based (e.g., client homes, residential group homes) – 22%
School District/System – 22%
Academic Non-Teaching Position – 11%
Academic Teaching – 11%
Center – Medical Center– 11%
Independent Practice– 11%
Organization – Nonprofit – 11%
Other -11%
School District or School (Non-Public) -11%
School District or School (Private) -11%
Professional Memberships
ABAI - Association for Behavior Analysis International and APBA - Association of Professional Behavior Analysts
Sources:
1 Alumni Surveys 2021 to 2025 (Combined Response Rate: 56%). Valid percentages are reported.
2 Job placement data also includes responses from the Exit Survey. The combined response rate for the Alumni and Exit Surveys is 50%.