MS ABA CAPSTONE PROJECTS
The Capstone Project is conducted under faculty supervision and must be approved by the student’s faculty mentor, the MS ABA program director, and the Department of Psychology Chair. Several options may fulfill the Capstone Project requirement including (1) a comprehensive literature review and synthesis of leading-edge ABA research, techniques and therapies; or (2) a scientifically-based research project including methodology, data collection and analysis; or (3) a comprehensive case study that demonstrates knowledge of ABA’s underlying scientific principles; or (4) an evaluation of a new program or the development of an innovative approach for treating a specific problem behavior in a targeted population.
Students must enroll in PSB 593 for both summer sessions A and B and for Fall and Spring semesters of their second year.
The mission of Psychology's MS ABA program is to ensure that our graduates will experience the breadth and depth of applied behavior analysis from an evidence-based, scientific perspective through their coursework and from hands-on, clinical experience through their practicum training. Our program is purposefully designed to not train specialists in a targeted area of study – rather, our graduates will acquire knowledge and skill sets about ABA interventions across behavior disorders, applications, and age groups. As such, our practicum placement program provides 1500 hours of training with several clinical populations through a range of settings and treatment modalities.
In addition, all students are required to enroll each semester in the ABA Practicum course which meets every week. Not only do students receive additional case supervision from a licensed ABA faculty member but PSB 580/PSB 583 (summer) is also an opportunity for students to present and discuss their cases using a Grand Rounds model, an important teaching and learning tool within clinical graduate training.
The practicum experience course and placements are ONLY available to students enrolled in Psychology's MS ABA program.
Practicum Placement Curriculum
Year 1, First Semester Rotation: starting the first week of Fall semester, students rotate through three practicum sites for five weeks each. This allows students to directly experience different ABA treatment settings, clientele, and organizations in the Phoenix Metro Area.
Early January Match Day: for the first 8-month practicum placement, students and practicum sites are matched based on the student’s rank order list of desired placement and the site’s ranked list of students. Every student in the program is assured of a practicum placement although a student's choices cannot be guaranteed.
Year 1, Practicum Site 1: Practicum training begins the first week of Spring semester and continues through the last week of Summer Session B at the student’s matched site. ASU’s academic calendar is in effect for holidays and semester breaks. A small stipend is available based on the student's practicum hours.
Early August Match Day: For the second 8-month practicum placements, students and sites again participate in a match; however, students will not be allowed to rank their first practicum site nor can sites rank those students. Every student in the program is assured of a practicum placement although a student's choices cannot be guaranteed.
Year 2, Practicum Site 2: Practicum training begins the first week of Fall semester and continues through the last week of Spring semester at the student’s matched site. ASU’s academic calendar is in effect for holidays and semester breaks. A small stipend may be available based on the student's practicum hours.