To apply for a behavior specialist license in Pennsylvania, applicants must submit an application along with fees and other items. Among the requirements for the license, applicants must seek verification from colleges and universities that:
- The applicant has completed a master’s degree (or higher) or a post-master’s certificate from an accredited college/university with a major course of study in school, clinical, developmental, or counseling psychology, special education, social work, speech language pathology, occupational therapy, professional counseling, behavior analysis, nursing, or another related field. This is Form 2 of the application.
- The applicant has completed 90 hours of evidence-based coursework distributed as follows: (a) ethics approved by the Bureau of Autism Services (3 hrs.), (b) autism-specific coursework or training (18 hrs.), (c) assessment coursework or training (16 hrs.), (d) instructional strategies and best practices (16 hrs.), (e) crisis intervention (8 hrs.), (f) comorbidity and medications (8 hrs.), (g) family collaboration (5 hrs.), (h) specific skill deficit training (16 hrs.). This is Form 5 of the application.
- The applicant has completed a major course of study that bears a substantial relationship to behavior specialist practice. This is Form 6 of the application.
How to Apply for the PA Behavior Specialist Licensure
Arcadia University’s School of Education has the following process in place in order to expedite the university’s role in the application procedures. If you received your master’s degree from Arcadia University or if you received your master’s degree from another school, but took one or more the Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) courses from the School of Education and wish to apply those courses to the PA Behavior Specialist Licensure, please do the following:
Step 1
Click on the below links for instructions and a helpful video Youtube link
Step 2
NOTE: When entering an email address for Arcadia University verification, please use this email soe@arcadia.edu.
- Sign in or create account on the Pennsylvania Licensing System
- Click “Application Checklist” > Select “State Board of Medicine” > Select “Behavior Specialist“. Plain-language questions will appear to help you get started. Application appears – checklist, required uploads, and prompts
- Review all information and edit as needed
- Pay the required fee and your application is submitted
- Keep an eye on your email or get real-time updates on the Pennsylvania Licensing System.
