Our Positive Behaviour Support MSc seeks to develop a critical understanding of concepts and principles underpinning positive behaviour support. You'll gain detailed knowledge of intellectual and developmental disabilities and experience of practice or conducting research in this field.
At the Tizard Centre, we offer a suite of courses in Applied Behaviour Analysis and Positive Behaviour Support. There are two routes through the courses depending on the pathway to professional certification you intend to pursue – via ABAI (to pursue certification as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst®, or via the UK-SBA (to pursue certification as a UKBA(cert). All variations of our courses can be taken on campus or via distance learning. It is strongly recommended that you review all available course options to ensure you select the version that suits you best.
If you have any queries, please contact the admissions team.
Aimed at recent graduates and experienced practitioners, this postgraduate qualification opens up a range of career opportunities. It also provides the necessary coursework for you to pursue professional certification in the field..
You'll benefit from academic and professional support from some of the UK's leading positive behaviour support and intellectual and developmental disability researchers. Through our research, teaching and consultancy, you'll find out more about how to effectively support and work with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and their support systems, within a PBS framework.
This version of the course is has been designed to meet the UK-SBA’s coursework requirements for eligibility to pursue certification as a UKBA(cert). More information can be found on the UK-SBA website.
This version of the course is not an ABAI verified coursework sequence. Please note that the BACB will not be administering exams in the UK after 2025. Applicants who wish to pursue BCBA® certification should refer to our ABAI version of the course – please see all course options here.
A first or second class honours degree in a social science discipline; voluntary, professional or family experience of intellectual/developmental disability. We encourage international applicants with the relevant academic/professional background and competence in spoken and written English.
All applicants are considered on an individual basis and additional qualifications, professional qualifications and relevant experience may also be taken into account when considering applications.
Please see our International Student website for entry requirements by country and other relevant information. Due to visa restrictions, students who require a student visa to study cannot study part-time unless undertaking a distance or blended-learning programme with no on-campus provision.
This course requires an Excellent level of English language, equivalent to C1 on CEFR.
Details on how to meet this requirement can be found on our English Language requirements webpage.
Examples:
IELTS 7.0 with a minimum of 7.0 in each component
PTE Academic 76 with a minimum of 76 in each sub-test
A degree from the UK
A degree from a Majority English Speaking Country
Please note that if you are required to meet an English language condition, we offer a number of pre-sessional courses in English for Academic Purposes through Kent International Pathways.
The following modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This list is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.
Compulsory modules currently include
Optional modules for part-time MSc students currently include
The aim of this module is to develop advanced understanding of the design and implementation of positive strategies to improve the behavioural and psychological functioning of vulnerable populations, and their support by carers and others.
Topics will include:
Approaches to increasing the frequency of behaviour
Approaches to developing new behaviour
Using assessment information to inform intervention planning
Design of behaviour support plans, instructional strategies and appropriately prosthetic environmental arrangements
Precision teaching, direct instruction and group contingencies
Barriers to implementation
Procedural reliability
Generalisation and maintenance
The aim of this module is to develop competencies in the assessment of both adaptive and challenging behaviour in the repertoires of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Teaching on assessment starts from an appreciation of the importance of social validity and referral dynamics. Specific assessment strategies relating to challenging behaviour (including structured descriptive assessment and experimental functional analysis) are considered. The application of similar strategies are also considered with respect to adaptive behaviour and associated instructional technologies. Further, the curriculum includes methods of preference assessment to determine appropriate reinforcers. In all topics there is attention both to the development of practical understanding and skill and to the development of a critical appreciation of the underpinning evidence base. Following consideration of these assessment strategies, attention is given to the development of formulations of the behaviour of people with intellectual/developmental disabilities that can inform the development of behaviour support plans, instructional strategies and appropriately prosthetic environmental arrangements.
The aim of this module is to develop an advanced understanding of values, ethics, and professional practice relevant to the field of applied behaviour analysis, with a particular emphasis on its use in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities. Indicative topics include:
• Ethical and legal issues
• Philosophical underpinnings of ethical practice
• The role of ideology in the development of intellectual disability services
• The development of approaches to individual planning and needs assessment, particularly the role of "person-centred planning"
• Ethical codes and guidelines – does Behaviour Analysis raise special ethical issues?
• Codes of professional practice
• Discrimination and abuse
• Adopting person-centred, values-based approaches to children and adults with complex needs.
• Evidence based practice and practice based evidence
The aim of this module is to develop an advanced understanding of elements and characteristics of the concepts and principles underpinning applied behaviour analysis (ABA). The module will start from an appreciation of the roots of ABA in the experimental analysis of behaviour. Operant and respondent conditioning will be considered, starting from fundamentals but proceeding to an advanced understanding of the necessary concepts and their underpinning in research. Particular attention will be given to elucidating both the conceptual basis and the applied implications of reinforcement, extinction and punishment, avoidance and escape, stimulus control and generalization, establishing operations and setting events. The interpretation of complex behaviour will be considered both with respect to the integrated application of fundamental concepts and the conceptual extensions and developments required.
The aim of this module is to develop competencies in the definition, observation, recording and analysis of behaviour and its controlling variables. While the module provides an introduction to research methodology more generally, the focus is primarily on those data collection methods and experimental designs used in applied behaviour analysis. Topics will include:
Observational methods of data collection
Reliability and validity of observational data
Practical approaches to checking and calculating reliability
Visual representation of data
Internal and external validity
Practical and theoretical aspects of using reversal, multiple-baseline, alternating treatments and changing criterion designs
Visual and statistical interpretation of single case data
Comparative, component and parametric analyses.
The aim of this module is to develop an understanding of values, ethics, and professional practice relevant to the field of applied behaviour analysis, with a particular emphasis on its use in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities. Indicative topics include: :
• Ethical and legal issues
•
• The role of ideology in the development of intellectual disability services
• The development of approaches to individual planning and needs assessment, particularly the role of "person-centred planning"
• Ethical codes and guidelines – does Behaviour Analysis raise special ethical issues?
• Codes of professional practice
• Discrimination and abuse
• Adopting person-centred, values-based approaches to children and adults with complex needs.
• Evidence based practice and practice based evidence
The aim of this module is to develop an advanced understanding of elements of the philosophy, concepts and principles underpinning applied behaviour analysis.
Indicative topics include:
Philosophical assumptions including selectionism, determinism, empiricism, parsimony and pragmatism
Rule-governed and contingency-shaped behaviour
Radical behaviourism
Verbal behaviour and private events
Derived stimulus relations
Behaviour analysis of intellectual and developmental disability.
The curriculum will include, at an advanced level:
• Behavioural intervention for challenging behaviour
• Assessment and analysis of systemic factors in relation to behaviour described as challenging and the use of setting-wide positive
behaviour support
• Specific intervention areas in autism and IDD (e.g. language, sleep issues, feeding problems, toilet training, social skills, and vocational
skills)
• Models of consulting to family and service settings
• Staff training methodologies
• Organisational behaviour analysis and management in a human service context
The aim of this module is to develop an advanced understanding of elements of the philosophy, concepts and principles underpinning applied behaviour analysis.
Indicative topics include:
Philosophical assumptions including selectionism, determinism, empiricism, parsimony and pragmatism
Rule-governed and contingency-shaped behaviour
Radical behaviourism
Verbal behaviour and private events
Derived stimulus relations
Behaviour analysis of intellectual and developmental disability.
During the first term of the course students will develop ideas for their dissertation and will be given the opportunity to choose an empirical or non-empirical research project proposed and supervised by members of the course team or other Tizard staff. Subject to staff agreement, students may choose to design their own project and will be allocated a project supervisor. Students may complete either an empirical or a non-empirical (e.g. policy or research review) project. Students are expected to complete a dissertation on a topic relevant to their degree title.
Students develop a proposal for their dissertation with advice from their supervisor and, where applicable, apply for ethical approval either to the Tizard Ethics Committee (Ethical Review Checklist available on web-based resources) or to another ethics committee such as those in the NHS.
During the first term of the course students will develop ideas for their dissertation and will be given the opportunity to choose an empirical or non-empirical research project proposed and supervised by members of the course team or other Tizard staff. Subject to staff agreement, students may choose to design their own project and will be allocated a project supervisor. Students may complete either an empirical or a non-empirical (e.g. policy or research review) project. Students are expected to complete a dissertation on a topic relevant to their degree title. Students develop a proposal for their dissertation with advice from their supervisor and, where applicable, apply for ethical approval either to the Tizard Ethics Committee (Ethical Review Checklist available on web-based resources) or to another ethics committee such as those in the NHS.
Students will then complete the bulk of their dissertation work in term 3 (full-time) or terms 1-3 of year 2 (part-time).
Learning and teaching will focus on consolidating the knowledge and skills developed through taught modules, and supporting application of learning to applied behaviour analytic practice in the workplace or comparable environment. Students will receive supervision to undertake assessment and intervention with individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities and/or with staff, carers or organisations that support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In the course of group and/or individual supervision sessions they will be expected to apply knowledge from taught modules to the specific individuals or circumstances with which they are working. They will be directed to academic and professional literature of specific relevance to their individual work and they will be encouraged to behave professionally and ethically both in their practice and in their interactions with other developing professionals in supervision sessions.
Duration: Two years part-time (One year full-time from Sept 24)
Please note that the UK-SBA route will not be offered on a full-time basis until Sept 2024. Applicants who wish to study full-time in Sept 2023 will need to take the ABAI route or defer entry to Sept 2024 – please see all course options here.
This course is taught entirely by distance learning, with no campus attendance. There will be minimal timetabled online attendance requirements (with the exception of exams, supervision/tutorial sessions, and synthesis sessions, which will involve compulsory online attendance at set times).
Our distance learning course includes “live” lectures delivered by our expert faculty members, which will be recorded using state-of-the-art facilities, allowing students to access content asynchronously at their convenience. A range of other dedicated distance learning supports will be available to students to maximise their learning experience.
Teaching is grouped in workshop blocks, typically with one workshop (i.e., 8-10 sessions) per 10 credits. Students are also expected to engage in independent and directed reading, and work on their coursework and research dissertations.
Teaching on our distance learning course is primarily via recorded “live” lectures using our state-of-the-art teaching facilities, which are made available via Moodle for students to engage with asynchronously. This is supported by live interactive synthesis sessions linked to each taught workshop, and a range of other supported activities such as forum discussions.
A range of assessments are employed including examination, essay, and practice-focused assignments.
All teaching takes place at the Tizard Centre. Postgraduate research students have a shared office space with a computer and telephone.
The Tizard Centre runs an annual seminar series where staff or guest lecturers present the results of research or highlight recent developments in the field of social care. The Jim Mansell Memorial Lecture invites public figures or distinguished academics to discuss topics that could interest a wider audience. The Centre also publishes the Tizard Learning Disability Review (in conjunction with Emerald Publishing) to provide a source of up-to-date information for professionals and carers.
The Tizard Centre provides consultancy to organisations in the statutory and independent sectors, both nationally and internationally, in diversified areas such as service assessment, person-centred approaches, active support and adult protection. The Centre also teaches a range of short courses, often in conjunction with other organisations.
The Tizard Centre also hosts two journal clubs, relating to behaviour analysis and to autism. Journal club events are held regularly where speakers are invited to discuss key research papers or topics in the field.
Staff publish regularly and widely in journals, conference proceedings and books. Among others, they have recently contributed to: Journal of Mental Health; Journal of Applied Research and Intellectual Disabilities; American Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities; and Journal of Intellectual Disability Research.
All students registered for a taught Master's programme are eligible to apply for a place on our Global Skills Award Programme. The programme is designed to broaden your understanding of global issues and current affairs as well as to develop personal skills which will enhance your employability.
Current research areas include: social inequalities and community care; IDD and challenging behaviour; offending and IDD; early intervention; autism; abuse; service quality.
Full details of staff research interests can be found on the School's website.
The 2024/25 annual tuition fees for this course are:
For more information, please contact the admissions team.
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
For students continuing on this programme, fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.*
The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.
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