How to become a board certified behavior analyst?

You will need to complete the proper education, complete the BCBA exam, and apply for licensure in order to become a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA). To begin with, you will need to hold a bachelor's degree in a related field, such as psychology. Education will not stop there, as BCBAs will hold graduate degrees.

What are the pros and cons of being a BCBA?

The pros and cons of being a BCBA relate to making a positive impact on the lives of patients, job demands and opportunities, and the emotional stress of the job. Here are the top pros and cons of being a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA):

What degree do you need to be a behavior analyst?

You need a master's degree in behavior analysis, psychology, or another related field to be a behavior analyst. Certain behavioral analysts also hold doctorate degrees in behavior analysis or other related fields.

How To Become A Behavioral Analyst: What It Is and Career Path

What is a behavioral analyst and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted Expert

Dr. Tommy Casarez Ph.D.

A Behavior analyst works with patients to help them overcome various forms of social and mental disabilities. This may include patients in hospitals and special care homes or students in schools with autism and other developmental disabilities.

Behavioral analysts use the theory and principles of behavioral analysis to diagnose conditions and design therapy programs that can help in the treatment of diagnosed patients. They access and evaluate patients and oversee their treatment using various techniques of behavioral therapy. They may also be hired to assist in the training of teachers, caregivers, and families of patients on issues relating to the treatment and management of mental, social, and developmental disabilities.

The minimum academic requirement for this role is a bachelor's or master's degree in Applied Behavioral Analysis. You also need a Certified Behavior Analyst License. In-depth knowledge of the different Applied behavioral analysis techniques like prompt fading, task analysis, and positive reinforcement are also essential for this role. Behavioral analysts typically earn an average income of $60,000 per year.

What general advice would you give to a Behavioral Analyst?

Dr. Tommy Casarez Ph.D.

Dr., Assistant Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology, Vanguard University

Opportunities come in many different shapes and sizes, but they are still out there. Whether you are seeking to land a job in education or the non-profit sector, you will need to familiarize yourself and get used to all things digital, for the sake of communicating effectively. The younger your student or service partner's mindset, the more digitally savvy you will need to be, especially in the classroom and in the non-profit world.

ScoreBehavioral AnalystUS Average

Salary

5.4

Avg. Salary $69,468

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

9.9

Growth Rate 12%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.86%

Asian 4.56%

Black or African American 11.43%

Hispanic or Latino 15.39%

Unknown 4.56%

White 63.21%

Gender

female 61.62%

male 38.38%

Age - 37

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 37

Stress Level

9.9

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

10.0

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.9

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a behavioral analyst

Explore behavioral analyst education requirements

Most common behavioral analyst degrees

Bachelor's

65.3 %

Master's

16.4 %

Associate

10.3 %

Start to develop specific behavioral analyst skills

Skills	Percentages
Autism	24.38%
BCBA	15.55%
Applied Behavior Analysis	13.64%
Developmental Disabilities	7.46%
Behavioral Therapy	6.22%

Complete relevant behavioral analyst training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New behavioral analysts learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a behavioral analyst based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real behavioral analyst resumes.

Research behavioral analyst duties and responsibilities

Observe patients and strategically prepare and manage clinical analysis of individuals and their progress in conjunction with formulate behavior goals.
Collaborate with treatment team including client, parents and caregivers, outside professionals, ABA's, and co-workers.
Assist high functioning autism children develop academic and social skills need to be successful by: helping with homework and playing games
Prepare young children with autism to succeed in mainstream educational environments.

Prepare your behavioral analyst resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your behavioral analyst resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a behavioral analyst resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Behavioral Analyst Resume templates

Build a professional Behavioral Analyst resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Behavioral Analyst resume.

Apply for behavioral analyst jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a behavioral analyst job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do behavioral analysts rate their job?

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Behavioral Analyst reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2024

Cons

Stressful, dangerous neighborhoods, sometimes parents are dangerous as well. Work life balance isn't good. Documentation is very time consuming and you will bring that home to finish. If your agency requires that you do your app recorded time sheets then that will prove ardously time consuming constaint that cuts right into your work/home life balance...it's terrible. Wear and tear on your car, no shows from parents upsetting children and paid mileage is horrible. Get ready to barely have a life.

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019