WARRENSBURG — The Master of Science in Behavior Analysis at the University of Central Missouri was ranked first in a category that considered the quality of Master of Behavioral Psychology programs at colleges and universities across the country.
The ranking by Intelligent.com placed UCM above 49 other Master in Behavioral Psychology degree programs.
The methodology behind the rankings included evaluating each program on five factors: program strength, student readiness, return on investment, cost and student engagement.
A total of 182 universities and colleges were examined and more than 355 programs were compared in the ranking.
The MS in Behavior Analysis, a program in the School of Nutrition, Kinesiology and Psychological Sciences, is accredited by the Association for Behavior Analysis International.
Students enrolled in the program learn from Board Certified Behavior Analysts and seasoned research scholars while being engaged in a hands-on flexible synchronized online education model.
“It is important to see that independent evaluators arrive at the same conclusion as students,” Duane Lundervold, program coordinator and professor of psychological science, said “UCM is the place to go for a Master of Science in Behavior Analysis.”
There are two program options: behavioral analysis and therapy or applied behavior analysis and autism spectrum disorder.
It is a 36-42 credit hour program that offers students opportunities such as supervised clinical hours and eligibility to take the Board-certified Behavior Analyst exam.
Among the notable students in the degree program is graduate student Amy Weisser, who in February 2021 received a $1,000 scholarship from the Minnesota Autism Recovery Foundation, a financial award presented to promising students enrolled in behavioral analysis programs.
“I received the Autism Recovery Foundation scholarship for being in a graduate program while working with children with ASD,” Weisser said. “This scholarship is given to BCBA candidates who are providing services to children with ASD in rural areas where they have limited access to BCBAs. While attending graduate school at UCM, I have continued providing service to children with ASD in schools in rural Central Minnesota. This scholarship has helped me continue to work while taking some of the burdens of grad school tuition off my plate.”
For more information, contact Lundervold at lundervold@ucmo.edu or visit ucmo.edu/academics/programs/masters-degrees/psychology-behavior-analysis-and-therapy-ms-53-991/index.php.
