The American Psychological Association’s 2013 guidelines recommend that psychology undergraduate programs make workforce preparation a central feature in undergraduate psychology programs. The addition of courses in applied behavior analysis (ABA) is one method to provide students with the skills and credentials necessary to enter a psychology-related career immediately after graduation. The number of university programs offering coursework in ABA is increasing in tandem with the explosive growth in job opportunities for behavior analysts at both the master’s and bachelor’s level. We describe Troy University’s course sequence in ABA and present some possible challenges for adding coursework in ABA. It is our hope that this article will engender lively intradepartmental discussion about adding courses in ABA to a psychology undergraduate curriculum.
American Psychological Association. (2016). By the numbers: How do undergraduate psychology majors fare?Monitor on Psychology, 47, 11. Retrieved fromhttps://www.apa.org/monitor/2016/02/numbers.aspx
3.
ApplebyD. C. (2018). Preparing psychology majors to enter the workforce: Then, now, with whom, and how. Teaching of Psychology, 45, 14–23. doi:10.1177/0098628317744944
4.
ArntzenE.LokkeJ.LokkeG.EilertsenD. (2010). On misconceptions about behavior analysis among university students and teachers. The Psychological Record, 60, 325–336. doi:10.1007/BF03395710
BordenV. M. H.RajeckiD. W. (2000). First-year employment outcomes of psychology baccalaureates: Relatedness, preparedness, and prospects. Teaching of Psychology, 27, 164–168. doi:10.1207/S15328023TOP2703_01
13.
CarrJ. E.NosikM. R. (2017). Professional credentialing of practicing behavior analysts. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 4, 3–8. doi:10.1177/2372732216685861
14.
CiaroccoN. J. (2018). Traditional and new approaches to career preparation through coursework. Teaching of Psychology, 45, 32–40. doi:10.1177/0098628317744963
15.
DougherM. J. (2017). President’s column. Inside Behavior Analysis, 9, 2–4.
RajeckiD. W.BordenV. M. H. (2011). Psychology degrees: Employment, wage, and career trajectory consequences. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6, 321–335. doi:10.1177/1745691611412385
22.
SchlingerH. D. (2015). Training graduate students to effectively disseminate behavior analysis and to counter misrepresentations. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 8, 110–112. doi:10.1007/s40617-014-0028-x
23.
ToddJ. T.MorrisE. K. (1983). Misconception and miseducation: Presentations of radical behaviorism in psychology textbooks. The Behavior Analyst, 6, 153–160. doi:10.1007/BF03392394
