Louisiana began licensing Behavior Analysts in 2014 after Act 351 of the 2013 Louisiana State Legislature was passed.
The act created the Louisiana Behavior Analyst Board (LBAB) within the state Department of Health and Hospitals to administer licensure, registration, certification, and disciplinary actions for:
- Behavior Analysts – An official license in Louisiana is only available to behavior analysts, which are designated in the state as Licensed Behavior Analysts (LBAs)
- Assistant Behavior Analysts – Assistants are not licensed in Louisiana but are instead certified by the LBAB, which refers to them as SCaBAs (State Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts).
- Behavior Technicians – Referred to as Line Technicians or Registered Line Technicians (RLT) in Louisiana, RLTs are not licensed but must register with LBAB and work under the supervision of
In order to even apply for licensure in Louisiana, you must first be certified in your role by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB), however.
This is not true of RLTs, since they are not licensed but only registered. Still, following the RBT (Registered Behavior Technician) standards set out by BACB ensures that you will get the training and knowledge needed to be an effective RLT in Louisiana.
BACB has certification standards for the Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA®) and the BCaBA® for state certified assistant behavior analysts. These national standards not only set you up for licensure but also meet employer expectations and requirements.
Because licensing in Louisiana is administered through a board of practicing professionals, the licensing requirements are less hard and fast than in jurisdictions where a state department handles licensing.
Since they are knowledgeable and involved in the field, board members are apt to look at experience, education, and other qualifications in a big picture perspective. If you do not exactly meet the letter of the law, they are more likely to consider unique circumstances or other beneficial factors in your background when judging whether or not you should be awarded a license.
Steps To Becoming a Licensed Behavior Analyst in Louisiana
Step 1. Earn a Master’s or Higher Degree with Coursework in ABA
Louisiana, and the BACB, requires that all behavior analysts hold a master’s degree from an accredited institution. A doctoral degree or educational specialist (Ed.S.) degree can also provide sufficient qualification for Louisiana licensure requirements, while also meeting BCBA® certification requirements, as long as the necessary ABA specific courses have been completed.
That course content is outlined in the BCBA/BCaBA Coursework Requirements standards published in 2022.
For BCaBAs, only a bachelor’s degree is required; there’s no degree requirement at all for registered lehavior technicians.
Act 351 does not specify the type of degree or course content required for ABAs, but the BACB is very specific about those points. A degree in applied behavior analysis is the go-to option, of course, though degrees in education or psychology with significant course content in applied behavior analysis also meet the requirement.
The easiest way to ensure you’re getting that material is to enroll in programs accredited by the Association of Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) or by the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts (APBA). But with relatively few such programs available, students often have to rely on a VCS (Verified Course Sequence) coordinator at their school to provide attestation that their curriculum meets the standards.
VCS attestation is a standardized process, and any university offering programs designed for ABAs are prepared to provide that service.
Alternatively, it’s currently possible to directly request that the BACB perform a course-by-course review of the material you have studied.
As ABAI shifts the VCS system to a tiered program standard in late 2025, however, the need for such reviews and attestations will go away.
Online Options Give Students a Chance to Catch Up on Required Coursework Quickly and Conveniently
You may also get that material through online or in-person post-graduate certificates.
Many students today, however, opt for accredited online master’s programs which allow more flexibility, lower costs, and a greater variety of options than conventional programs. Additional options may better align with career goals by making degrees in education with a concentration in ABA available, as well as degrees specifically in behavior analysis.
Online programs offer a unique level of convenience by assuring you can complete a course of study with all the rigor of an on-campus program without having to relocate. Advisors work to make arrangements for practicums to take place at locations near you.
Step 2. Complete a Period of Supervised Practice
The BACB requires that candidates accumulate a certain number of hours of practical experience before taking the national examination. Those standards are:
- 1500 hours of Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork (1000 for BCaBAs®)
OR
- 2000 hours of Supervised Fieldwork (1300 hours for SCaBAs)
The major difference between the two types of experience is in the degree of supervisory contact. Concentrated experience requires more monthly contacts, with 10 percent of the total hours under supervision. Regular supervised fieldwork requires only 5 percent of hours under supervision. It’s also possible to combine the two, with the total number of hours coming in somewhere in the middle.
Supervised fieldwork can be conducted within or outside the scope of your master’s program, usually in a working clinic or practice, where you may conduct assessments, design behavior analysis programs, or oversee implementation of such programs while under the supervision of an LBA.
Step 3. Pass a Nationally Recognized Examination in Behavior Analysis
Louisiana requires applicants to compete a nationally-recognized examination. The only option for this exam currently is the BCBA® examination, administered by Pearson VUE.
There are three testing centers in Louisiana:
- Baton Rouge
- Metairie
- New Orleans
The exam has 175 multiple choice questions and must be completed in four hours. The questions are divided into nine categories:
- Behaviorism and Philosophical Foundations – 8
- Concepts and Principles – 24
- Measurement, Data Display, and Interpretation – 21
- Experimental Design – 13
- Ethical and Professional Issues – 22
- Behavioral Assessment – 23
- Behavior-Change Procedures – 25
- Selecting and Implementing Interventions – 20
- Personnel Supervision and Management – 19
Click here for detailed step-by-step instructions on the BCBA® credentialing process.
State Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst and Line Technician
The BCaBA® exam for SCaBAs covers similar topics with just as many questions and the same time limits, but is less intensive and covers material more appropriate to that position.
No test is required for line technicians in Louisiana. If you choose to pursue the BACB RBT credential, however, you’ll need to pass an 85-question multiple choice exam.
Step 4. Pass the Louisiana Jurisprudence Examination
Act 351 requires that all LBAs applying for licensure, and SCaBAs applying for certification, take and pass a jurisprudence exam issued by LBAB.
The jurisprudence exam covers all applicable laws and regulations, including Act 351 itself, and additional regulations issued directly by LBAB, which apply to behavior analysts practicing in Louisiana.
The questions and exact content of the test are not published but are expected to focus on topics that include:
- Supervision requirements for SCaBA and line technicians
- Field of practice allowed for LBAs
- Ethics and professional standards mandated by law
- License renewal and continuing education requirements
- Disciplinary procedures
Step 5. Apply for Licensure with the LBAB
Once all the pre-application requirements are met, you will file an application with LBAB for your LBA license or SCaBA certification.
The filing fee is $400 for LBAs and $250 for SCaBAs. Line technician registration, which does not require the following information or verifications, is only $50 (like other applicants, however, line technicians are required to pass a criminal background check).
You will have to provide detailed information about your educational background, including the name of institutions attended, the dates of attendance, and any degrees achieved. Full transcripts will have to be provided directly from the institutions to the board.
You will need to provide verification of your BCBA® or BCaBA® certification. Similarly, if you have been licensed in another state, you must provide proof of that licensure with your application.
Louisiana does not offer reciprocal credentials for behavior analysts licensed in other states. The board may offer a temporary license at its discretion, however, for a $125 fee.
Applicants also must:
- Complete a criminal background check approved by the board
- Submit proof of good moral character
- Provide at least three professional references
- For SCaBAs, provide proof of supervision
License Renewal for Behavior Analysts in Louisiana
Licenses and certification in Louisiana must be renewed annually. Renewal fees are $125 for SCaBAs and $200 for LBAs.
Licenses expire on June 30th and the renewal period begins in May. The renewal forms are available on the LBAB website.
Failure to renew will cause the license to lapse. Whether or not it can be reinstated is at the discretion of the board. You will have to provide a justification for non-renewal and may be required to reapply from the beginning, or you may be allowed to renew late for the regular fee, depending on your reasons.
Although it’s not a part of the renewal process, it is mandatory for both LBAs and SCaBAs to undergo continuing education. Tracked on a biennial basis, there’s a sliding scale of CEU credits required depending on where you received your initial license. If it was within the previous year, no CE is required, working up to a maximum of 32 CEUs (20 for SCaBAs) required for those licensed two years or more prior.
These credits can come from a variety of different sources:
- Academic
- Scholarly activities (journal publication)
- Approved events
- Non-approved events (approved by the board on a case-by-case basis)
- Instructing a continuing education event
- Passing a BACB exam
The Louisiana Behavior Analysis Association (LABAA), which has been active in the state since 2012, is one potential avenue to find those CEUs. A state affiliated of ABAI and APBA, it’s a BACB ACE provider. As part of the mission to support and promote ABA services in the state, it also has active lobbying efforts to shape rules and regulations—and keep members informed.