Master's in Applied Behavioral Studies

The 1-year, 33-hour fast-track Master's in Applied Behavioral Studies (ABS) has a twofold purpose: The program uniquely prepares professionals for careers in community and social services to support and improve the lives of people in business and the community in settings such as mental health facilities, government, business & industry, and organizational contexts. This program has been approved by the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and the Oklahoma Health Care Authority to meet educational requirements to become a Certified Behavioral Health Case Manager. In addition, the master’s serves as a prerequisite for those interested in pursuing a clinical career in the allied health field as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). See Professional Counseling (i.e., this 33-credit hour program, plus five more courses) for this credential.

Examples of those who might be interested in this degree would include workers in mental health, human development, consulting, teaching, adult learning, human resources, training & development, human services, and student personnel and as preparation for becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC).

The program is designed for fall admission and is "fast-track" in that most of the courses are offered in a once-per-week, 8-week session. Each 3-credit-hour course requires a one-weekend seminar, while the 4-credit-hour courses will require more. This allows full-time students beginning in the fall to finish in one year, and part-time students beginning in the fall to finish in two years. Some summer course work is required. The full-time student will take two courses at a time, and the part-time student takes one course at a time. Some courses may be offered online only.

Curriculum will address a practitioner-wellness and human services model. Because the program is twofold—for preparing careers in social services and for professional counseling—the program adopts an experiential philosophy to develop personal awareness and creativity from a bio-psycho-social perspective across the lifespan. As such, a student’s effectiveness becomes a product, in part, of his or her creativity, personal, and cultural awareness. It is expected that students not only desire, but intend to pursue the inspection of their own personal identity, growth, and development—both inside and outside the classroom—as an integral part of their graduate studies at OKCU.

Fall-1st 8 weeks
ABS 5713 Counseling Theories
ABS 6903 Research Methods

ABS 5703 Behavior Pathology
ABS 6513 Socio-cultural Foundations

Spring-2nd 8 weeks
ABS 5363 Counseling Children & Adolescents
ABS 6975 Professional Orientation/Ethics

Summer
ABS 6743 Group Process
ABS 5813 Career Development

[* curriculum/sequence subject to change; part-time plan of study also available]

Near completion of the 33 hour M.Ed. in Applied Behavioral Studies, students will be evaluated and must "advance to candidacy" in order to continue study toward the Professional Counseling concentration (for those seeking the LPC). This requires a grade of at least a B in each course as well as demonstrating a high degree of professionalism, writing ability, ethical behavior, a non-combative, non-abrasive attitude on campus with faculty and students, and a disposition deemed suitable by the faculty. An oral candidacy interview may also be requested.

If a student's grade point average (GPA) falls below a 3.0 before or after candidacy, he/she will be placed on academic probation with one semester to raise the GPA to 3.0 or higher. Students entering on probation must raise their ABS GPA to at least a 3.0 within the next 9 semester hours taken. A student placed on probation twice may disqualify him/her from continuation. Only one course grade in the C range is acceptable. Under no circumstances is a grade below C acceptable.

See Graduate Catalog for any other requirements.

• An earned bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Dept. of Education (or its foreign equivalent recognized by the country in which its degree is granted).
• Minimum undergraduate cumulative grade point average of 3.0. Students may be admitted on probation, at the discretion of the program director, with a cumulative GPA of 2.750-2.990. [GPA requirement is strictly adhered to.]
• Official transcripts from all academic institutions attended.
• Ability to communicate (both written and oral) proficiently in the English language.
• 2 satisfactory recommendation letters (from faculty)--sent to Admissions. If the bachelor's degree is more than 5 years old, a significant sample of former scholarship can be submitted in lieu of an instructor's letter. In this case, the other letter can be from a supervisory person of employment.
• Submission of transcripts from all institutions, reflecting all course work taken.
• A personality/disposition deemed suitable for the helping and crisis intervention disciplines.
• An interview may be requested.
• Deadline for completed applications (full admission) is exactly two weeks prior to the beginning of the fall semester (probationary admission would be difficult to entertain after the prior spring semester-end).

[Students whose native language is other than English must demonstrate proof of English language proficiency. Applicants must achieve a score of at least 80 on the internet-based TOEFL, 550 on the international paper-based TOEFL, or an overall IELTS score of 6.0 with at least 5.5 on each band score. The requirements may also be met by completing level 112 of the intensive program at an ELS language center.]

For additional information on the OCU Master's in Applied Behavioral Studies and to meet with an advisor, register here for a virtual meeting via Zoom for a Master's in Applied Behavioral Studies student advisement session.

Additional dates coming soon!

Graduate Admissions can be reached at gadmissions@okcu.edu or call (405) 208-5094.

Email Dr. Bryan Farha (Director)

Telephone: (405) 208-5387 (Dr. Farha)
Toll-free: (800) 633-7242 (Admissions)

Email Dr. Bryan Farha (Director) for more information on the special tuition available for this program.

Dr. Bryan Farha, Director, Applied Behavioral Studies & Counseling Graduate Programs
Ed.D. in Counseling Psychology
Counseling Theories; Personality & Human Development; Ethics; Field Experience Coordinator
bfarha@okcu.edu Tel: 405-208-5387

Dr. David Pfaff
Ph.D. in Counselor Education & Supervision
Behavior Pathology; Group Dynamics; Career Development; Marriage & Family Therapy
dspfaff@okcu.edu

Dr. Lauren Dunlevy
Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology
Assessment I (Personality); Assessment II (Intellectual)
ledunlevy@okcu.edu

Dr. Anna Craycraft
Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology
Advanced Counseling Techniques
arcraycraft@okcu.edu

Dr. Deni Foughty
Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology
Counseling Children & Adolescents
dfoughty@okcu.edu

Dr. John Tassey
Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology
Research
jrtassey@okcu.edu