Introduction

The demand for special education professionals certified in Applied Behavior Analysis is growing. Children with special needs require specific and optimized learning environments created by qualified professionals to aid in their growth and skill development. University of Colorado Denver’s strengths-based/assets-based approach to teaching special education prepares you to understand the strengths of every child in every family. 

Enhance your ability to work with individuals with special learning and behavior needs by earning a master’s degree in Special Education with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis from CU Denver.  

The Special Education MA with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) combines seven courses in our ABA certificate and a practicum. The Association for Behavior Analysis International has verified the CU Denver course sequence toward the coursework requirements for eligibility to take the Board Certified Behavior Analyst® examination.  Graduates will also acquire the degree and supervision hours required for BCBA exam eligibility.

Admissions

Application to the master’s degree in Special Education with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis is open to all students holding a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited institution.  Cohorts begin their ABA core courses every other semester.  

Degree-seeking students: apply here.

Program Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
SPED 5450	Introduction to ABA and Terminology	3
SPED 5470	ABA Data	3
SPED 5471	Ethics and Implementation ABA	3
SPED 5480	ABA Advanced Data and Behavioral Plans and Applications	3
SPED 5481	Introduction to Organizational Behavior Management	3
SPED 5490	Autism In Early Intervention	3
SPED 5491	Theory and Philosophy of Behaviorism	3
Practicum 1
SPED 5918	ABA Practicum ((3 credits) taken 3+ semesters)	9
Total Hours		30

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Practicum: Students will register for the Practicum course in (at least) 3 separate semesters.  Students must secure their own fieldwork site and supervisor.  Students completing the practicum course should meet the fieldwork experience as required by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board®. For more information on these requirements, please visit the Behavior Analyst Certification Board’s website. 

Program Courses

CU Denver’s ABA core courses comprise a seven-course sequence of 3-credit hour, fully-online courses, taught by experienced CU Denver BCBA instructors. The Association for Behavior Analysis International has verified that our course sequence contributes to the requirements for eligibility to take the Board Certified Behavior Analyst® examination. Applicants will need to meet additional requirements before they can be deemed eligible to take the examination. For more information on these requirements, please visit the Behavior Analyst Certification Board®’s website

The seven ABA core courses (SPED 5450, SPED 5470, SPED 5471, SPED 5480, SPED 5481, SPED 5490, and SPED 5491) are completed in sequence. The practicum course may be started after completion of SPED 5450.  

All courses are fully online but have a required weekly online meeting.  Course meetings are usually 6pm-8pm (MT) Mondays - Thursdays (exact meeting days depend on the course and semester). 

Cohorts begin with the first course in the sequence (SPED 5450) and start every semester (Summer 2025, Spring 2026, etc.) 

Program Requirements 

To complete the Special Education MA with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), students must complete the appropriate course work as outlined in the table above. All courses require a grade of B- or better to count towards the degree and a minimum 3.0 GPA is required for graduation.