2027 Online Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Master's Programs for Maine Residents: Costs and Fieldwork Options

Maine residents can investigate both a Maine-based graduate program and online degrees offered by universities in other states. A program's online listing is not confirmation that it currently admits Maine residents: authorization, professional-licensure disclosures, cohort availability, and placement rules can affect access.

The following is a comparison shortlist, not a verified list of currently open Maine admissions offers. Contact each program before applying, and ask whether a student living and completing fieldwork in Maine can enroll in the specific degree and concentration.

A Maine-based university is not automatically the least expensive or most helpful with placements; an out-of-state university is not automatically unavailable. Request a written state-eligibility determination from each admissions office. For a broader explanation of formats, see distance-learning behavior analysis master's programs explained.

The BCBA is a professional certification awarded by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB), not by the university. A master's degree, qualifying graduate behavior-analytic education, supervised fieldwork, and an examination are separate parts of the pathway. Admission to an ABA program - or graduation from one - does not establish certification eligibility on its own.

Ask the program director to identify the specific BACB education pathway its curriculum supports for your expected application date and how it documents qualifying coursework. Also check institutional accreditation and whether any claimed behavior-analysis accreditation applies to the particular degree, rather than to another program at the university. The guide to classes along the BCBA preparation pathway can help you frame that discussion.

Requirements can change between enrollment and certification application. Use the BACB's rules in effect for your anticipated application date, especially if you may finish after a published transition date. Obtain the school's answer in writing; an older statement that coursework was "BCBA-approved" is not a substitute for a current pathway explanation.

There is no defensible single price for a Maine resident across these programs. Schools may charge by credit or term, apply separate online rates, and assess fees that a tuition figure excludes. Current, Maine-applicable quotes are needed before the programs can be ranked by cost.

This comparison shows which pricing questions matter for each institution. It is not a published-price comparison: a missing quote should not be treated as a $0 charge or evidence that one program is cheaper.

For an apples-to-apples budget, request an itemized estimate for the entire degree. The estimate should distinguish charges paid to the university from expenses you may incur while completing fieldwork.

• Calculate required credits multiplied by the applicable tuition rate, then add mandatory program, technology, and university fees.
• Ask whether fieldwork courses, supervisor time, site onboarding, background checks, or liability coverage cost extra.
• Add any required travel, campus visits, materials, and certification-related expenses to your personal budget.

Compare the resulting totals - not advertised per-credit rates - and ask how a change in course load or tuition rate would affect your estimate.

Start with each university's graduate financial-aid office. Ask whether the specific degree and your planned enrollment intensity qualify for federal graduate aid, institutional scholarships, assistantships, or an employer tuition benefit. Eligibility depends on the student and program; Maine residency does not make an out-of-state school's institutional awards automatic.

If you work in a Maine school or ABA service setting, ask your employer whether it reimburses coursework, provides paid fieldwork time, or offers qualified BCBA supervision. Confirm any service commitment before counting that support as a saving. The guide to financial support for ABA graduate students covers additional funding questions.

A lower course load may make employment easier to maintain but extend the time before graduation. Weigh that trade-off against possible annual tuition increases, aid conditions, and the cost of securing supervision independently.

Under the BACB's 2026 BCBA requirements, the two main routes are 2,000 hours of Supervised Fieldwork and 1,500 hours of Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork. Concentrated Fieldwork requires a higher level of supervision; it is not simply a faster label for the same arrangement. BACB rules also govern activities, supervision contacts, documentation, and when hours may begin to count.

Those totals are national certification requirements, not Maine-specific hour rules. They make fieldwork access a substantial part of a Maine resident's program choice: a workable weekly schedule and qualified supervisor matter even when every class is online. Check the BACB handbook applicable to your start and application dates before logging hours, and have the proposed supervisor review your plan.

A common mistake is assuming that all paid ABA work counts. Some duties may not meet BACB activity requirements, and employment alone does not replace a compliant supervision arrangement or records.

A Maine resident may explore a current ABA workplace, a school setting, or another service organization that can provide appropriate behavior-analytic activities and supervision. Suitability depends on the actual role, clients, supervisor, and BACB requirements - not the setting's name.

A school employee, for example, should verify that the planned work includes qualifying activities rather than assume existing classroom duties will count. The behavior analysis career pathways for teachers explained offers context for that transition.

Before accepting a position or placement, work through these checks with the site and prospective supervisor:

1. Describe the activities you would perform and ask how they would meet BACB fieldwork rules.
2. Confirm the supervisor's qualifications, availability, supervision format, and any separate charge.
3. Confirm that the site permits the required observations, documentation, and university involvement, if applicable.
4. Ask the university whether the proposed Maine site needs its approval or an affiliation agreement.

Remote supervision may be possible under applicable rules, but it does not make client-facing fieldwork wholly remote. Access can also differ between Maine communities; a placement identified in one region is not evidence that an equivalent site is available near every student.

Support can range from advising and reviewing a student-proposed site to introducing employers or arranging a placement. Do not infer which model a university uses from the words "fieldwork support." Ask its fieldwork coordinator what the program actually commits to providing for a student located in Maine.

Request specific answers before paying a deposit: Will the university identify Maine sites, contact potential supervisors, approve your existing workplace, or leave the search to you? Does it provide supervision itself, and if so, is that included in tuition? What happens if a proposed site falls through?

A school that requires students to find their own sites may fit someone with a confirmed workplace and supervisor. For someone without those connections, stronger documented placement help may justify a higher price. Neither model guarantees that a qualified opening will be available at the time you need it.

Compare the exact degree, not just the university name. Graduate programs may ask for a bachelor's degree, transcripts, recommendations, a statement of purpose, or relevant experience; minimum grades and prerequisite expectations vary. If your academic record is a concern, the guide to behavior analysis graduate options with a lower GPA can help you prepare questions, but each admissions office decides eligibility.

Ask for the current catalog and confirm total credits, admission deadlines, accreditation, transfer-credit policy, and whether the degree itself supports your intended BCBA education pathway. Check for live meetings, residency sessions, campus visits, and technology requirements. A program described as online may still contain scheduled activities that conflict with work or require travel from Maine.

Also ask for the school's Maine state-authorization and professional-licensure disclosures. Authorization to enroll is a different question from whether the degree supports BACB certification or any Maine practice requirements.

Completion time depends on the program's credits, course sequence, term schedule, and whether you study full time or part time. Fieldwork can run alongside graduate study when applicable rules permit, but it should not be assumed that coursework and required hours will finish together. Request a term-by-term plan for your intended start date.

Asynchronous lessons can make coursework easier to fit around a job, while live seminars may offer more scheduled interaction. Neither format resolves a shortage of available fieldwork hours. Compare the weekly time required for classes, work, and supervision before choosing the shortest advertised completion schedule.

For BCBA certification, use the BACB's requirements for your anticipated application date to verify the degree, education pathway, fieldwork, examination, and documentation.

For practice in Maine, separately check the current requirements of the Maine Department of Professional and Financial Regulation's Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation and any rules relevant to your intended employer or service setting. If you expect to provide MaineCare-covered services, verify applicable Maine Department of Health and Human Services provider requirements as well.

Do not treat university admission, BACB certification, state authority to practice, and eligibility to bill for services as interchangeable. Rules may change during a multi-year degree. Before enrolling, ask the program's licensure-disclosure contact which requirements it has evaluated for Maine and which decisions remain yours to verify with the relevant authority.

• Employment Services and Information for Providers | Maine DHHS https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/oads/providers/employment-services
• Tuition and Fees - Student Financial Services - University of Maine https://umaine.edu/sfs/tuition-and-fees/
• BCBA Credentialing - Educational & School Psychology https://usm.maine.edu/educational-school-psychology/bcba-credentialing/
• Accredited Programs | abainternational.org https://accreditation.abainternational.org/accredited-programs.aspx
• Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA) | Behavior Analyst Certification Board https://www.bacb.com/bcba/
• Maine Grant and Tuition Programs | FAME Maine https://www.famemaine.com/affording-education/pay-for-school/maine-grant-tuition-programs/