Hawaii began legally defining the practice of applied behavior analysis in July of 2015 and by 2016 had enacted Hawaii Revised Statute (HRS) Chapter 465D requiring behavior analysts to be licensed through the Professional and Vocational Licensing Division of Hawaii’s Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.
The Professional and Vocational Licensing Division has based its licensing standards on the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) Model Act, requiring candidates to earn and maintain BACB’s Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA®) certification.
Eligibility for the BCBA® Exam requires a master’s degree at minimum and a period of supervised fieldwork.
 | Earn a Master’s Degree at Minimum |
 | Complete a Period of Supervised Practice |
 | Pass the BCBA® Certification Exam |
 | Apply for Licensure with Hawaii’s Professional and Vocational Licensing Division |
Step 1. Earn a Master’s Degree at Minimum
To be eligible to sit for the BCBA® (Board Certified Behavior Analyst) Exam, the Behavioral Analyst Certification Board (BACB) requires earning a master’s degree or above and completing specific graduate-level courses in behavior analysis.
The easiest way to meet the educational requirements for BCBA® certification is by earning a master’s degree from an Association for Professional Behavior Analysts (APBA)-accredited program or an Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI)-accredited or recognized behavior analysis master’s or doctoral degree.
You may also satisfy the educational requirement by earning a master’s or doctoral degree in behavior analysis or a similar area of study such as education or psychology and completing at least 315 hours of graduate coursework in behavior analysis:
- BACB Ethics Code and Code-Enforcement System; Professionalism: 45 hours
- Philosophical Underpinnings; Concepts and Principles: 90 hours
- Measurement, Data Display and Interpretation; Experimental Design: 45 hours
- Behavior Assessment: 45 hours
- Behavior-Change Procedures; Selecting and Implementing Interventions: 60 hours
- Personnel Supervision and Management: 60 hours
The ABAI maintains a list of programs (usually graduate certificate programs) offered by colleges and universities that satisfy the above graduate coursework. These programs are called Verified Course Sequences (VCS).
You can also complete the required courses and have your department chair, dean, or BCBA-certified VCS Coordinator complete a Non-Verified Course Content Attestation that signifies that they have conducted a course-by-course review of the required courses.
Note: The ABAI announced that it is ending the VCS system on December 31, 2025. As of 2026, if you complete a program that is not accredited/approved by the ABAI or accredited by the APBA, you must submit a Non-Verified Content Attestation to the BACB to demonstrate that the coursework standards have been met.
Prerequisites to Enroll in an ABA Master’s Program
Some master’s in ABA programs may require that you hold an undergraduate degree in behavioral science or applied behavior analysis, though a BA/BS in one of these majors would often meet undergraduate degree requirements:
- Sociology
- Psychology
- Education
- Special education
- Social work
A master’s program may also identify specific prerequisite courses for prospective applicants, for example:
- Research methodology
- General psychology
- Applied behavior analysis
- Conditioning and learning
- Developmental psychology
Master’s Program in Behavior Analysis
Once you’ve been admitted to a master’s in behavior analysis program you will study topics that include:
- Ethical and legal issues
- Behavior change methodologies
- Single subject research designs
- Skinner’s writings on applied and theoretical behavior analysis
- Behavioral assessments
- Applied behavior analysis introduction
- Advanced behavior analysis
The most comprehensive behavior analysis master’s programs include thesis and supervised field experience components. The thesis is a research-focused paper that represents a culmination of what you’ve learned regarding the theory, practice, and implementation of behavior analysis. It is your unique contribution to this profession, and can incorporate practica, mentored, and supervised experience in the field.
Step 2. Complete a Period of Supervised Practice
To be eligible to sit for the BCBA® Exam, you must also complete a period of supervised fieldwork.
Depending on the amount of supervision you receive, you’ll need to complete between 1,500 and 2,000 hours of supervised fieldwork:
The BACB identifies Supervised Independent Fieldwork (must total 2,000 hours) as fieldwork that is supervised 5% of the time by a qualified BCBA®, licensed, registered psychologist certified in behavioral and cognitive psychology, or an ABAI-verified instructor and Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork (must total 1,500 hours) as fieldwork that is supervised 10% of the time by a qualified BCBA®, licensed, registered psychologist certified in behavioral and cognitive psychology, or ABAI-verified instructor.
Step 3. Pass the BCBA® Certification Exam
Once you’ve completed your education and have met the fieldwork requirements, you can apply online to take the BCBA® examination. Once your application has been approved, they will notify their testing partner Pearson VUE that you are eligible to test.
You must register with Pearson VUE, select an exam date, and choose a testing location. There are three testing centers in Hawaii: Kahului, Honolulu, and Lihue.
Board Certified Behavioral Analyst (BCBA®) Exam Content
The BCBA exam includes 175 scored questions and 104 tasks that are divided into the following domains:
- Behaviorism and Philosophical Foundations: 5%
- Concepts and Principles: 14%
- Measurement, Data Display, and Interpretation: 12%
- Experimental Design: 7%
- Ethical and Professional Issues: 13%
- Behavior Assessment: 13%
- Behavior-Change Procedures: 14%
- Selecting and Implementing Interventions: 11%
- Personnel Supervision and Management: 11%
Step 4. Apply for Licensure with Hawaii’s Professional and Vocational Licensing Division
Once you have passed the exam and earned BCBA® certification, you’ll be ready to apply for state licensure as a behavior analyst with Hawaii’s Professional and Vocational Licensing Division.
You must complete a paper application or online application and include proof of your BCBA® certification with it. You can find this information by searching your name on the BACB’s Find a Certificate page. Print your information and include this with your application.
Paper applications are mailed to the following address:
Behavior Analyst Program
DCCA-PVL Licensing Branch
P.O. Box 3469
Honolulu, HI 96801
For licensing questions, visit their FAQ page.
Behavior analyst license renewal – Your behavior analyst license with Hawaii’s Professional and Vocational Licensing division expires on December 31st of odd-numbered years. Approximately two months before this date, the Licensing Division will send you a renewal notice, which you must complete and return with a renewal fee.
To maintain your behavior analyst license, you must also maintain BCBA® certification.
BCBA® certification must be renewed every two years. You must complete at least 32 hours of approved continuing education within this period (at least four hours of education must be related to ethics). Continuing education can include:
- College and university coursework
- Scholarly activities
- Retaking and passing the certification exam
- Education from approved providers
- Teaching or instruction activities
Licensure by endorsement – If you hold a current and unencumbered behavior analyst license in a different state, you can apply for licensure in Hawaii based on endorsement, provided your out-of-state licensing requirements were identical to those of Hawaii’s.
Legislative Updates – It’s important to stay current on any legislative updates that appear on the Licensing Division’s behavior analyst important announcements webpage.
Under a July 2016 revision to HRS 465-D, all direct support workers (DSW) are required to hold the BACB’s Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) designation. An exemption to this rule is in place through the end of 2018 for paraprofessionals with the Department of Education and Personal Habilitation Workers (PABs) with the Hawaii State Department of Health (DOH). Effective January 2019, paraprofessionals with the DOE and PABs with the DOH will also be required to be RBTs.