The state of Arizona has recognized applied behavior analysis (ABA) as a licensed profession since 2011 in accordance with Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS Title 32 Chapter 19.1, Article 4) pertaining to the regulation of psychologists.
The Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners administers the licensing process and evaluates candidates to ensure they comply with the qualifications.
Because an examining board issues the license, there is a greater degree of flexibility when it comes to meeting licensing requirements. Professional members of the board have practiced in the field and will look at the applicant’s actual experience and education, weighing all the evidence in light of their own opinions. This means that slight variations and different combinations of training and fieldwork deemed equivalent may be held as adequate for licensing purposes.
This is reflected on the official application form, which asks questions about qualifications but also allows you to clarify and expand on their answers—those clarifications will be taken into account by the board when making their decision about your application.
Arizona does not license Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts or Registered Behavior Technicians.
Steps To Becoming a Licensed ABA in Arizona
There are four steps you will have to follow to get an ABA license in Arizona:
Step 1. Choose a Path to Licensure and Earn a Master’s Degree at Minimum
Arizona recognizes three routes to fulfilling licensing requirements for ABAs:
- Direct application
- Application by reciprocity (candidates with a BCBA® received prior to 2015)
- Application by universal recognition (candidates licensed or certified for at least one year in another state or territory with substantially similar levels of practice)
Pursuing any of these involves the three basic components of education, experience and examination.
Meet Education Requirements For Becoming an Arizona Behavior Analyst By Earning a Master’s Degree
The minimum educational requirement to become a licensed behavior analyst in Arizona is a master’s degree. That program has to meet the requirements in effect through BACB at the time you earned it.
Today, that means a master’s in behavior analysis, psychology, or education with coursework that meets the standards of the Verified Course Sequence set out by Association of Behavior Analysis International (ABAI). A VCS coordinator can attest to that qualification, but programs from other institutions may also qualify after evaluation by the BACB.
The most straightforward way to know you meet the standards, however, is to get a master’s in applied behavior analysis from a program accredited by ABAI or Association of Professional Behavior Analyst (APBA).
As it happens, Arizona’s requirements at every step closely mirror those set out by BACB, so it’s worth exploring how to earn a BCBA® in more detail before you get started.
Click here for step-by-step instructions on the BCBA® credentialing process.
Step 2. Fulfill Supervised Experience Requirements
The BACB sets out two paths to meet experiential requirements for issuing a BCBA®, but Arizona diverges from the certification standard here in requiring 1,500 hours of supervised work experience or independent fieldwork.
State laws are more stringent than the BACB rules in a few respects:
- Concentrated supervised fieldwork is not recognized (however, the 1500 hour minimum still falls in line with this BACB option)
- Your supervisor must be licensed in the same state as you for the entirety of your fieldwork experience
- Psychologists serving as supervisors must still meet state requirements for supervision qualification, even if they have exemptions through BACB rules
- State code still includes specific practicum requirements although BACB has dropped those from the BCBA® certification standard
Fieldwork must include some or all of the following components:
- Conducting behavior assessments
- Designing, implementing, and monitoring behavior analysis programs
- Overseeing implementation of behavior analysis programs
- Research, oversight, and supervision of behavior management programs
Supervised experience must meet the following requirements:
- Maximum of half of the supervised hours involving small groups (10 participants max)
- At least half of the supervised hours involve working one-on-one in direct contact
- Supervision must be conducted by a licensed behavior analyst
Step 3. Pass the National Applied Behavior Analyst Examination
Again following the lead of the BACB, Arizona requires applicants to compete a nationally-recognized examination. The only option for this exam currently is the BCBA® examination, administered by Pearson VUE.
To take the test, you must register online with the BACB. Once approved by the board, you are eligible to sit the exam at a Pearson VUE testing center.
There are three available testing centers in Arizona, two in the Phoenix metroplex and one in Tucson.
Arizona doesn’t technically require that you earn a BCBA® for licensure, but it does require you pass the BCBA® exam, which basically amounts to the same thing.
This 175 question multiple-choice exam covers nine content areas that demonstrate your knowledge of material from your classes and experiential training:
- The Philosophical Foundation of Behaviorism
- Ethical and Professional Issues
- Behavioral Assessment
- Selecting and Implementing Behavior-Change Interventions
- Concepts and Principles
- Measurement, Data Display, and Interpretation
- Experimental Design
- Behavior-Change Procedures
- Personnel Supervision and Management
Failing the exam three times will require you to get special permission from the board before making additional attempts at passing.
Step 4. Confirm You Meet Professional and Ethical Requirements and Apply for Licensure
There are nine basic requirements to become a licensed ABA in Arizona:
- Submit an application to the Board of Psychologist Examiners
- Be at least 21 years of age
- Be of good moral character
- Pay all required fees
- Have the physical and mental capacity to safely and competently engage in the practice of behavior analysis
- Not have committed any act or engaged in conduct that would constitute grounds for disciplinary action
- Not have had a professional license or certificate refused, revoked, suspended, or restricted in any jurisdiction
- Not have voluntarily surrendered such license while under investigation for unprofessional conduct
- Not have any investigation, complaint, or allegation for unprofessional conduct pending in any jurisdiction
Arizona incorporates by reference the BACB Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavioral Analysts as its ethics standard.
All ABA license applications are required to be made online at the Board of Psychologist Examiners website here.
The application must include:
- The $350 application fee
- A filled-out application form
- Supervised training experience form
- Mandatory confidential information form
- Official transcripts from graduate institutions
- Verification of credential, if applicable
- A completed Arizona statement of Citizenship and Alien Status
An initial license fee of $500 must also be paid if the application is ultimately accepted.
Reciprocal Licensing of Behavior Analysts in Arizona
The state law governing ABA licensing allows the board to issue licenses on a reciprocal basis to ABAs who have already been licensed in another jurisdiction.
For a BCBA® certified before 2015, this simply requires that the standards in the state of official licensure met BACB standards at the time, and verifies that your license is in good standing. You must still submit your transcripts and supervised experience attestations.
For more recent ABAs, you will simply need to have been licensed for a year or more as an ABA in another state at the same level of practice as is recognized in Arizona. You only need to have met the requirements for that other state in terms of education, work, exams, and clinical supervision.
The fee for a reciprocal license is $500 and the application fee is $350. Additionally, candidates must:
- Submit a written application form
- Be of good moral character
- Submit document to verify the original licensure and prove that the license holder remains in good standing in the issuing jurisdiction
License Renewal for Behavior Analysts in Arizona
Behavior analyst licenses in Arizona have rolling expirations. If your license number is odd, then your license will expire on the last day of your birth month every odd numbered year. If even, the license expires the last day of your birth month in every even numbered year.
If that sounds complicated, not to worry; the board will mail a notice 60 days prior to license expiration. Renewal requires filing a license renewal form and paying a $500 fee.
You will have to attest to your compliance with state regulations and provide documentation that you have fulfilled your obligation for 30 hours of continuing education during the two-year license period. The state has partnered with the outside vendor CE Broker to handle CE reporting, so you’ll need an account there before renewing.
The continuing education requirement mandates at least four hours in each of the following subjects during the two-year license period:
- Professional ethics
- Domestic violence issues, partner abuse, child abuse, or abuse of vulnerable adults
- Bullying abuse education counts in the category of child abuse
Failure to renew the license will cause it to become inactive; the cost to reinstate the license is $200. Inactive licenses can be renewed without meeting the educational or compliance requirements for $85; this provides a path for ABAs taking a leave of absence without having to undergo a complete relicensing process should they return to active status in the future.