Behavior Analysis at MTSU

The MA in Applied Research and Methodology, Behavior Analysis Track, is a 2-year on-campus program that requires students to complete 21 hours of core behavior analysis courses, 10 hours of other psychology courses, and 6 hours of research/thesis:

Core Behavior Analysis Courses (Pathway 2-approved):

• PSY 6785 - Principles of Behavior Analysis (3 credit hours): Reinforcement theory and practice in applied settings with an emphasis on basic and advanced issues and best practices in behavioral control using reinforcers, punishers, discrimination, avoidance, shaping of new behaviors, chaining, contingencies, maintenance, and transfer. Special topics include language learning and training and the moral and legal controls in behavioral analysis. 

• PSY 6475 - Advanced Learning Theories (3 credit hours): Empirical bases and application of advanced learning principles and theories, including classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and their interaction, as well as advanced topics such as choice, conditional discrimination, stimulus equivalence, verbal behavior, and philosophy of science. 

• PSY 6500 - Single Case Research Design (3 credit hours): Techniques for design and evaluation of clinical treatment and research. Includes single subject and group designs. Emphasis on direct observation and data collection procedures, reliability, social validity, and generalization. 

•  PSY 6440 - Advanced Applied Behavior Analysis (3 credit hours): Intensive presentation of methods used in behavioral assessment and interventions. Application of various behavioral techniques.

• PSY 6445 - Skills Assessment and Methods in Applied Behavior Analysis (3 credit hours): Covers the application of behavior analysis to building new skills and improving and maintaining existing socially important behaviors. Includes content on assessment, intervention procedures, and quality assurance of behavior analytic programming. 

• PSY 6545 - Systems Level Behavior Analysis (3 credit hours): Introduces the application of behavior analytic concepts and principles to problems of human behavior at the group and organizational level, specifically in the context of clinical service delivery. 

• PSY 6543 - Professional and Ethical Conduct in Behavior Analysis (3 credit hours): Legal constraints and ethical guidelines as pertinent to behavioral research and practice. Critical thinking and problem solving related to ethical, legal, and professional conduct in behavior analysis.

Other Psychology Courses:

• PSY 6205 - Seminar in Applied Psychology and Research Methodology (1 credit hour): Provides a comprehensive overview of the essential skills needed for successful completion of graduate school and succeeding post graduation. It also serves as a dynamic platform for students to develop and polish their presentation skills, preparing them for effective communication in diverse professional settings.

• PSY 6120 - Developmental Psychology: Childhood and Adolescence (3 credit hours): Survey of research on childhood and adolescence, including the major theoretical frameworks in developmental psychology and study of development in physical, cognitive, social, and emotional domains. 

• Choose one of the following elective courses:

  • • PSY 5240 - Behavioral Neuroscience (3 credit hours): The role of the brain in those areas which are typically considered by psychology, such as sensory and motor functions, motivation, higher mental functions, and mental disorders. 

    • PSY 6020 - Theories of Personality (3 credit hours): Examines traditional schools of personality theory and current developments within each. 

    • PSY 6190 -  Advanced Cognitive Psychology (3 credit hours): Topic-oriented overview of cognitive psychology. Models of attention, perception, memory, language, reasoning, problem solving, and decision making. Issues in cognitive development and cognitive neuropsychology. 

    • PSY 6810 - Literature Review and Reading in Social Psychology (3 credit hours): Supervised literature review and/or readings on a topic of current importance in social psychology 

• Choose one of the following statistics courses:

  • • PSY 6280 - Psychological Statistics: Regression (3 credit hours): Review of basic statistics; various correlation coefficients; multiple and partial correlation; simple and multiple regression. 

    • PSY 6290 - Psychological Statistics: ANOVA (3 credit hours): Review of basic statistics. Scientific quantification, research design, and statistical analysis from the perspective of analysis of variance: one-way, factorial, repeated measures, and mixed designs. 

Research/Thesis Requirement:

• PSY 6600 - Independent Research in Psychology (3 credit hours): Individualized empirical research approved by an advisor. 

• PSY 6640 - Thesis Research (3 credit hours): Selection of a research problem, review of pertinent literature, collection and analysis of data, and composition of thesis.