Many jobs in Applied Behaviour Analysis in Canada and in many countries around the world recognize the Board Certified Behaviour Analyst (BCBA) credential which is offered through the Behaviour Analyst Certification Board (BACB). Though BACB will no longer certify residents of Ontario after June 30, 2026; Students in our programs from other jurisdictions or those who move from Ontario may still qualify to write the BACB exam, though depending on when the degree was completed, might need some additional coursework to meet changing BACB requirements.
Beginning July 1, 2024 Applied Behaviour Analysis in Ontario has been governed by the College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts (CPBAO). Anyone using the title Behaviour Analyst or holding themselves out as practicing ABA must be registered with CPBAO as an Ontario Registered Behaviour Analyst [RBA(Ont)]. People holding the RBA(Ont) title are regulated health professionals, similar to other professions like psychologists, speech and language pathologists, nurses and physicians. Regulation is legally required, unlike BCBA certification, which may have been required for some ABA positions, but was a voluntary certification for many others.
Information regarding ABA regulation can be found on the CPBAO website https://cpbao.ca/aba/.
The current coursework requirements for applicants from CPBAO require that University coursework to be verified or accredited by a governing body. Since 2007, the ADS ABA Master’s level curriculum was initially “approved” by the BACB (2007-2018) then subsequently “verified” by the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI VCS; 2018-2025). As ADS works towards accreditation for our Master’s program, we have confirmation from the BACB that “our program meets the behavior-analytic coursework requirements for those pursuing the [BCBA/BCaBA] Pathway 2 eligibility route.” Applicants will need to meet additional requirements before they can be deemed eligible to take the examination.
The Department of Applied Disability Studies behaviour-analytic coursework includes the following courses for MADS students: ADST 5P70, ADST 5P71, ADST 5P72, ADST 5P73, ADST 5P74, ADST 5P75, ADST 5P76, and an elective (1 of ADST 5V70, ADST 5V71, ADST 5V72, ADST 5V73, and ADST 5P42). MA Students take two additional ABA courses ADST 5P77 and ADST 5P78, in place of ADST 5P74 & ADST 5P76.
When applying the BCBA certification, ADS MA, MADS, and Diploma graduates in the ABA specialization who have successfully completed all required ABA courses can apply to the BACB for Pathway 2 eligibility route. In order for their application to be assessed without individual course review. ADS has a to support your application to BACB. All applicants under this route must request a 2022 Coursework Attestation form from our qualified “Pathway 2 Program Contact.”
For graduates applying to be certified, if you are asked:
The Brock ADS 4th Edition ABAI VCS number is 4234.
The Brock ADS 5th Edition ABAI VCS number is 51276.
Our BCBA Exam Pass Rates for students passing the BCBA exam on their first try can be found at the link below.
BCBA Pathway 2 Coursework Attestation REQUEST
The BACB allows a qualified full-time faculty member designated as the BCBA Pathway 2 Program Contact to complete BCBA Pathway 2 Coursework Attestation for to verify that a graduate of our program meets the 2022 Coursework Requirements (through Dec 31, 2026).
To complete this, the BCBA Pathway 2 Program Contact must review their graduates’ coursework and syllabi to confirm that they have met all of the relevant coursework requirements before completing a Pathway 2 Coursework Attestation and submitting it directly to the BACB. While previous attestations were optional, effective January 1, 2026 applicants for BCBA MUST request a coursework attestation be submitted on their behalf. Attestations must be submitted directly from the email address of the BCBA Pathway 2 Program Contact. Attestations submitted by an applicant or from another email address will not be processed by the BACB.
