Information for Current Students

Graduating Students:  If you are completing your degree and wish to graduate in June, please apply to graduate now!  You can apply online through your student self serve or you can download a form on the Faculty of Graduate Studies Forms Website. 

Attention all current students:  Remember to register every term and check your Brock email frequently!  If you have questions regarding your courses, please contact the Department or speak to your instructor.

Research Projects
The Research Project (ADST 5F65) is completed by part-time MADS students in their 3rd year and by full-time MADS students in their 2nd year. Diploma students do not have to complete a research project.

The research project does not have to be an original research study in which you collect data. A research project can be a critical review of the literature, helping in an existing study (e.g., coding videotapes) and writing a paper relevant to the data you collected (e.g., if you code videos of parent-child interactions in children with ASD, then you would write a paper on that topic). You will need a faculty supervisor for the Research Project. Adjunct faculty may serve as co-supervisors for research projects. Your final paper is graded by your supervisor and a second reader. ABA students must conduct a research project that relates to ABA.

During the course of your degree you will receive a questionnaire that will ask you to identify potential research topics in which you are interested. This will help us to match you with a faculty member who shares your research interests. You should review the faculty members' information linked to this website. It is very important that this questionnaire be filled out and returned in a timely manner.

Practicum
The Practicum (ADST 5P20) is completed by part-time MADS students after their 2nd year (usually Spring/Summer semester, which starts the 3rd year) and by full-time MADS students after their 1st year (usually Spring/Summer semester, which starts the 2nd year). The practicum involves 150 hours of hands-on experience in disabilities. ABA students must be doing ABA work in their practicum. In addition to the 150 hours (on-site), the practicum course includes class hours and assignments.

During the course of your degree you will receive a questionnaire that will ask you to identify a potential practicum site and a placement supervisor. In order to assist you with your Practicum needs, it is very important that you complete and return the questionnaire in a timely manner. If you are working in the field of disabilities, then you should be able to complete the practicum hours as part of your normal work. ABA students must be doing ABA work and have a supervisor who is considered qualified by BACB. Currently, for Ontario, BACB allows students in our program to have a supervisor who is (a) BCBA, (b) eligible to become a BCBA or (c) a registered psychologist with competence in behavioural psychology.

Note that ABA students can start earning BCBA experience hours (with a qualified supervision) as soon as they start your Masters program. Please see BACB.com for information on obtaining approved experience hours. BCBA experience hours are independent of the practicum course, although students can continue to earn experience hours while completing the practicum course.