2025-2026 Student Handbook

The mission of our M.A. in Behavior Analysis Practice program is to produce competent science-informed practitioners who are solidly grounded in basic principles derived from the experimental analysis of behavior, who approach problems in a conceptually systematic way tied to those basic principles, who will attain BCBA certification, who adhere to best data- based and evidenced-based ABA practices, and who will continue to inform their practice with current research findings.

The mission of our M.S. Behavior Analysis Degree Programs is to produce competent, science-informed behavior-analytic practitioners and consultants, who are solidly grounded in basic principles derived from the experimental analysis of behavior (EAB), who approach the world from a radical behaviorist perspective, who will continue to inform their practice with current research findings and contribute to behavioral research, who attain BCBA certification, and who are prepared to enter doctoral programs.

The mission of our Ph.D. Behavior Analysis Degree Program is to produce competent behavior-analytic researchers, instructors, and practitioners who are solidly grounded in basic principles derived from the experimental analysis of behavior (EAB). We expect graduates of our doctoral program to approach the world from a radical behaviorist perspective, continue to contribute to behavioral research, inform their practice with current research findings, obtain academic and professional positions, and effectively manage behavior analysts under their supervision.

The online Master's program in Behavior Analysis Practice meets the 5th Edition Behavior Analyst Certification Board® coursework and degree requirements for the BCBA® credential to sit for the certification exam and is 100 percent online. Students can begin the online master’s program in any fall, spring, or summer semester. Semesters are 15 weeks in spring and summer semesters, and 16 weeks during the fall (this allows students and instructors to have the entire week of Thanksgiving off).

The M.S. in ABA program is offered both on the main campus in Melbourne and at the Florida Tech Education Center in Orlando, Florida. Classes are offered at the Orlando Center mostly on Friday afternoons and Saturdays, while the main campus program offers most of its classes only on weekdays. Regardless of location, full-time students typically complete the program in four regular semesters plus two summer semesters. The M.S. programs in OBM and ABA + OBM, and our doctoral program are offered exclusively at the main campus in Melbourne.

Note

Our four Behavior Analysis degree programs at the main campus and the ABA degree program at our Orlando site operate under the School of Behavior Analysis, within the College of Psychology and Liberal Arts. The School of Behavior Analysis (SoBA) also includes online certificate programs, which are not degrees, but can be used for part of the online Behavior Analysis Practice degree.

Communication

The School of Behavior Analysis’ faculty and staff will communicate with you through your Florida Tech email account. All graduate students are required to keep their @fit.edu email address active and check it regularly.

Program Plans

The School of Behavior Analysis’ staff will create a program plan for all students. This lists all of the courses a student must complete to earn a degree. The plan must be signed by the advisor and the chair of their program before being forwarded to the Registrar. This document becomes part of the student's permanent file. Copies of this form are available in the Behavior Analysis Main Office. Students who desire to change their program plan once it is approved must file a “Change in Program Plan" form (also available in the Main Office) which is signed by the advisor and the chair of their program.

Grades

Florida Tech uses a grading system of A, B, C, D, F with corresponding quality points of 4, 3, 2, 1, and 0, respectively. The School of Behavior Analysis considers that graduate students performing acceptable work should receive grades of B and those performing exceptional work should receive grades of A. To receive a graduate degree, a student must have at least a 3.0 grade point average. In graduate courses, grades of C or below are failing grades and must be repeated at the earliest opportunity. An elective course in which a C or below is received must either be repeated, or an additional course must be taken with approval of the program chair. In accordance with the rules of the Office of Graduate Programs, all grades received are used in computing the grade point average, but only the last set of credit hours for the course count toward graduation. Therefore, when a course is repeated, the C (or lower) grade from the initial course is included in the overall average but does not provide credits toward graduation. The University permits awarding a grade of “Incomplete" only when there are extenuating circumstances which prevent the student from completing the course requirements within the designated timeframe. Such extenuating circumstances might include: hospitalization from either illness or accident, personal tragedy in the family, or some other catastrophe. Incomplete grades will not usually be given for reasons other than these. Grades of Incomplete stand out on an academic record and are often evaluated negatively. It is, therefore, important for the student to complete all the requirements for each course within the semester it is offered. An Incomplete automatically becomes an "F" if the final grade is not reported by the instructor prior to the beginning of the seventh week of classes of the following semester.

Appeal of Grades or Instructor Conduct

Only the instructor may recommend grade changes to the program chair and dean. Grade changes are permitted only when the instructor finds that an error was made in the computation or reporting of the final grade. Grades cannot be changed as a result of additional work performed by the student.

If the student believes the grading or conduct of an instructor to be inappropriate, and if, after specifically discussing this dissatisfaction with the instructor, the problem is unresolved, the student should meet with the program chair. If the problem is still unresolved, the student should meet with the associate dean or dean.

Final Program (Comprehensive) Examination

Master's Degrees in ABA, OBM, and ABA + OBM

A final program examination is required for all graduate degrees earned at Florida Tech. This examination is required for both master's degree programs in which a thesis is completed and for master's degree programs that have no thesis requirement. The examination is generally taken no earlier than the last full semester (not including summer terms) in which the student is registered for courses. The content of the exam is similar to the material presented on the certification exam graduates take to become Board-Certified Behavior Analysts, but also includes material on OBM and radical behaviorism. The information on OBM and radical behaviorism is drawn from these two corresponding courses, which are required for all students. A score of at least 80% on the exam is required to pass the final program exam. Students who do not pass the first time they take the exam are given a second opportunity to pass the exam in the following semester (this may not include summer terms). A student is permitted only three attempts to pass the master's final program examination.

Ph.D. Degree in Behavior Analysis

The student is required to pass a comprehensive examination defense, which consists of either a federal grant application OR a shorter (typically non-federal) grant application and a comprehensive literature review. To pass an examination, the student must have the unanimous approval of the Committee. A student who does not pass the examination may, with the approval of a majority of the Committee, be allowed one opportunity to retake the examination after a suitable period of study.

Student Funding

In some years, the SoBA  can provide funding to incoming MS students. This funding is not available every year, and the amount of funding available in any given year varies based on university resources and gifts to the SoBA. Students are not guaranteed funding. When funding is available, it is distributed based on merit. Incoming students who rank most highly when applying for admission to the program will receive funding before students who rank lower. Generally, Ph.D. students are partially funded for the first two years in the Ph.D. program.

Academic Dismissal

We never anticipate that students will be dismissed. However, certain circumstances can result in dismissal. These are listed in the catalog and are summarized below

1. Two or more grades of D or F are earned in graduate level courses (applies to PhD students, not MS students).
2. The student's grade point average does not meet the standard for the total credit hours attempted.
3. The academic faculty judges that the student is not making satisfactory academic progress.
4. The student fails to abide by the standards of professional conduct required by the program.
5. The presence of the student hampers the academic efforts of other students.
6. Dismissal for misconduct: student conduct which violates the legal or ethical standards of the University may result in mandatory withdrawal from all classes and denial of permission to register in future terms, for either a definite or indefinite period of time. Examples of misconduct that could result in these actions include cheating, plagiarism, knowingly furnishing false information to the University, or forging, altering, or misusing University documents or academic credentials. See the School of Behavior Analysis' Discipline Policy for details.

Note about a BCaBA becoming a BCBA:

If opting to take the BCaBA® exam while earning your graduate degree at Florida Tech, students are encouraged to do so prior to starting their second semester. The BACB® requires that students with a BCaBA complete additional experience hours after you get your BCaBA certification. This means that students might have to accrue additional hours following the completion of the program if they take the BCaBA exam during their second year (or later) in the program. Learn more.

Personal Disclosures in Class

In order to maintain a focused and respectful learning environment, it is essential to establish guidelines regarding personal disclosures during class discussions. While open dialogue related to course content is encouraged, it is important to exercise discretion when sharing sensitive personal issues. Creating a supportive and respectful learning environment is a collective responsibility. By adhering to the guidelines below, we can ensure that our classroom remains a space conducive to learning and growth.

       Focus on Course Content: Class discussions should primarily center on the subject matter of the course. While real-life examples and experiences related to the material are valuable, be mindful of the level of detail shared. Sharing more details than is needed can use up limited class time and/or expose personal information.

       Be Sensitive to Others: Avoid disclosing sensitive personal information that may make you or others uncomfortable. Use discretion when sharing personal anecdotes, and be mindful of the potential impact on the class dynamic.

       Confidentiality: Remember that what is shared in the classroom is visible and audible to everyone present. Some professors or students record class lectures as a learning aid, and students should be mindful that everything they say may be captured in these recordings. There is no legal mandate for or expectation of privacy in a class discussion. That being said, please respect the privacy of your peers and refrain from discussing their personal disclosures outside of the class setting.

       Consider Alternative Avenues: If you feel the need to discuss personal issues in depth, your professors may be able to direct you towards appropriate resources, but cannot provide therapy. Professors cannot serve as behavior-change agents for students beyond the course content, as it would be a violation of the Ethics Code.  More significant personal issues are best addressed through resources such as the counseling office or a personal therapist. This ensures that you receive the appropriate support in a confidential and professional setting.

       Focus on Others: Behavior analysis is a helping profession dedicated to helping other people improve their lives. The principles and strategies apply to many populations, but the purpose of the graduate program is to train students in the thinking and professional skills required to be a behavior analyst. Although we encourage students to embark upon their own journeys of self-discovery and healing, and encourage them to apply behavior analytic principles for their own self-management, those activities are not a part of the graduate coursework and should be pursued in the students’ own time with the help of qualified professionals who have training in the specific areas a student needs help with.

Online Behavior Analysis Practice (BAP) - Major Code: 8155

Degree Requirements for Master of Arts in Behavior Analysis Practice, Online

The online MA in BAP program meets the 5th Edition Behavior Analyst Certification Board® coursework and degree requirements for the BCBA® credential to sit for the certification exam and is 100 percent online. Applications for the 5th Edition MA in BAP program are available. Students may begin in the fall, spring, or summer semester. The program consists of 33 credits - 21 credits from the BCBA® Verified Course Sequence and 12 additional graduate-level credits. Semesters are 15 weeks in spring and summer semesters, and 16 weeks in the fall (this allows students and instructors to have the entire week of Thanksgiving off).

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) - Major Code: 8147

Degree Requirements for Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis

A minimum of 44 semester credit hours is required. Requirements include completing the behavior analysis core curriculum (26 credit hours), a course covering biological foundations of behavior / behavioral pharmacology (1 or 3 credits, depending on MLB or ORL campus), fieldwork (10 credit hours), either a capstone project and pre-approved electives (7 credits) or a thesis (including thesis preparation; 7 credits), and a final program examination. A capstone project is completed in ORL, a thesis is typically completed in MLB. All courses for a letter grade must be passed with a grade of B or better. The final program examination for all students consists of a multiple-choice examination simulating the Behavior Analyst Certification BoardÒ certification examination at the behavior analyst (BCBAÒ) level and covers material from the Behavior Analysis Core courses. The final program examination is administered toward the end of the student’s second spring semester. NOTE: Students may be required to take certain electives during some semesters.

Applied Behavior Analysis + Organizational Behavior Management (ABA + OBM) - Major Code: 8148

Degree Requirements for Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis + Organizational Behavior Management

A minimum of 50 credit hours is required for this program. Requirements include completing the behavior analysis core curriculum (16 credit hours), additional coursework related to clinical and educational applications of behavior analysis, additional coursework related to organizational behavior management, fieldwork (10 credit hours), either a capstone project and pre-approved electives (7 credits) or a thesis (including thesis preparation; 7 credits) and a final program examination. All courses must be completed with a grade of B or better. The final program examination for all students consists of a multiple-choice examination simulating the Behavior Analyst Certification Board’sTM Certification Examination at the behavior analyst (BCBA) level. Typically, the final program examination will be administered toward the end of the student’s final spring semester or residency. NOTE: students may be required to take certain electives during some semesters.

Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) - Major Code: 8149

Degree Requirements for Master of Science in Organizational Behavior Management

A minimum of 44 semester credit hours is required. Requirements include completing the behavior analysis core curriculum (16 credits), additional coursework related to OBM, a thesis or capstone project, concentrated supervised fieldwork (10 credits), and a final program examination typically administered toward the end of the second spring semester. All courses for a letter grade must be passed with a grade of B or better. The final program examination for all students consists of a multiple-choice examination simulating the Behavior Analyst Certification BoardTM certification examination at the behavior analyst (BCBATM) level and covers material from the Behavior Analysis Core courses. The final program examination is administered toward the end of the student’s second spring semester. NOTE: students may be required to take certain electives during some semesters.

Behavior Analysis - Major Code: 9147

Degree Requirements for Doctor of Philosophy in Behavior Analysis

The doctoral program requires a minimum of 92 semester credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree, of which at least 44 semester credit hours must be completed at Florida Tech with no grades lower than B. Students must demonstrate competency in research, teaching, supervision and consultation, and pass a comprehensive examination, before being admitted to candidacy. Candidates must present a completed dissertation manuscript and successfully defend the results to the dissertation committee. If a doctoral student has completed a master’s degree but is not a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA®) or does not meet the supervision requirements to sit for the BCBA examination, the student may be required to take up to 10 credit hours of Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork (BEH 5261 and 5263). In addition, students must complete at least 15 semester credit hours of graded coursework in program courses, 6 credits of supervised research and at least 18 credits of dissertation. Students with a master’s degree from another institution may be required to complete additional coursework if an equivalent course was not completed. NOTE: This plan includes Master's degree requirements.

*Electives may be chosen with advisor and program chair approval from among the following, depending on the chosen option - Capstone Project or Thesis:

• BEH5402: Behavioral Systems Analysis
• BEH5403: Training and Development
• BEH5500: Seminar in Conceptual Issues in Behavior Analysis
• BEH5501: Seminar in Methodological Issues in Applied Behavior Analysis
• BEH5502: Seminar in the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
• BEH5503: Seminar in Educational Behavior
• BEH5504: Seminar in Clinical Behavior Analysis
• BEH5505: Seminar in Organizational Behavior Management
• BEH6301: Applications of Behavior Analysis to College Instruction
• BEH6302: Verbal Behavior
• BEH6304: Complex Human Behavior
• BEH6306: Advanced Special Topics in Behavior Analysis

I/O Psychology Elective Course Descriptions

Business Elective Course Descriptions

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In order to qualify for financial aid and in order to remain a “full-time” student for student visa purposes, graduate students must be enrolled a minimum of 9 credits during each regular semester or six credits in the summer term. However, there are several courses that, if taken for 3 or more credits, constitute a “full-load.” That is, if you enroll in 3 or more credits of anyone of these courses in any one term, you are considered a full-time student even if you take fewer than the required number of minimum credits. However, these courses cannot be combined (e.g., you cannot take 2 credits of one and 1 of another).

1. BEH5263: Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork 3 (if taken for 3 credits)
2. BEH5999: Thesis (if taken for 3 credits)
3. BEH6999: Dissertation (if taken for 3 credits)

Orlando Campus Faculty

Director of Experiential Training

Visiting Behavior Analysis Faculty

• J. Austin, Ph.D.
• C. Binder, Ph.D.
• V. Carbone, Ed.D.
• E. Cipani, Ph.D.
• I. DeLeon, Ph.D.
• D. Hursh, Ph.D.
• B. Iwata, Ph.D.
• D. Lee, Ph.D.
• F.C. Mace, Ph.D.
• T.Mawhinney, Ph.D.
• T. Evans, Ph.D.
• K. Murdock, Ph.D.
• H. Schlinger, Ph.D.
• E. A. Vargas, Ph.D.
• J. S. Vargas, Ph.D.
• T. Vollmer, Ph.D.

In Memoriam

José Martinez-Diaz, Ph.D., BCBA-D, University Professor and Founder of the School of Behavior Analysis

Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, emphasis in ABA, West Virginia University, 1984
M.A., Clinical Psychology, emphasis in ABA, West Virginia University, 1977
B.A., Psychology, University of Miami, 1973

Jose Martinez-Diaz, Ph.D., passed away in 2020.

Jose was a professor and associate dean of Florida Tech's School of Behavior Analysis, which he founded. In addition, Jose was CEO of ABA Technologies, Inc. and an adjunct professor at Penn State's Department of Special Education. He was a Senior Consultant for the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) and a member of the Board of Directors for the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts (APBA), as well as a member Florida’s Behavior Analysis Peer Review Committee. Jose was an officer and board member of the BACB for seven years. Jose was a past president of the Florida Association of Behavior Analysis and received its Charles H. Cox Award for Outstanding Service and Advancement of Behavior Analysis in Florida in 2005.

Jose earned his Ph.D. in clinical psychology, with an emphasis in behavior analysis and therapy, from West Virginia University. His publications include a chapter on ethics in Cooper, Heron, and Heward, Applied Behavior Analysis (Second Edition) and an article on autism spectrum disorders in the National Health Review. His contributions to the School of Behavior Analysis and Florida Tech were many, and he is very much missed.

Students' professional behavior and conduct is considered a fundamental aspect of academic performance and, as such, will be reviewed in the fall semester of the second year and each subsequent fall semester, for as long as the student is enrolled in the degree program, by the faculty. As noted above, a student's professional or ethical conduct may be subject to review at other times as matters of concern are brought to the attention to the program chairs or the academic affairs committee. Student behavior should be in compliance with the Behavior Analyst Certification Board’s Professional and Ethical Compliance Code, which went into effect January 1, 2016 and was updated in March 2019.

Procedures for Confronting Unprofessional or Unethical Conduct

It is the responsibility of each student and faculty member to uphold the standards of professional and ethical conduct and to confront and question instances when unprofessional or unethical conduct is suspected. To have knowledge of unprofessional or unethical conduct and not confront it places one in violation of ethical principles of the field.

If an ethical violation is of a minor nature and seems to have resulted from lack of sensitivity, knowledge or experience, faculty or students may elect to deal with the situation informally by discussing the behavior in question with the offending student. The goal in this kind of intervention is to educate and heighten sensitivity to the unethical or unprofessional nature of the behavior.

Alternatively, the student or faculty may choose to bring the incident (either academic or in practice) to the attention of either the Program Chair or the Academic Affairs Committee (an ad-hoc committee composed of some faculty from the School of Behavior Analysis, as well as faculty from outside the School of Behavior Analysis). Making a formal charge of unethical or unprofessional conduct with either the Program Chair or the Academic Affairs Committee is an appropriate initial action when the violation does not seem amenable to an informal corrective action or if the violation is of a more serious nature. It is also possible for the students or faculty to employ both informal and formal approaches. For example, a faculty member or student who intervenes informally in an instance of suspected unethical or unprofessional conduct and is not satisfied with the results of that intervention may decide to proceed to formal action. Faculty or students who are unsure whether to intervene informally or formally (or whether they are obligated to take action at all) are urged to seek counsel and advice from a faculty member or program chairs.

Procedures for Dealing with Formal Charges of Student Misconduct

Formal allegations of student misconduct will be reviewed by the Program Chair and where necessary by the Academic Affairs Committee. The Program Chair will first evaluate the allegations and determine if an investigation is warranted. If the Program Chair chooses to move forward with allegations, the following process will apply:

1. The student accused of misconduct will be notified in writing of the person(s) making allegations and the behavior(s) under
2. The academic affairs committee will engage in fact-finding, review and assessment of all evidence supporting the alleged
3. Based on the information above and, if necessary, consultation with some or all core faculty, the academic affairs committee determines whether there is sufficient cause of the alleged misconduct is sufficiently serious to refer, along with appropriate recommendations, to the COPLA Dean.
4. If there is not sufficient cause, or the alleged misconduct is not sufficiently serious to warrant referral for a formal hearing, the Academic Affairs Committee will resolve the matter with the person(s) involved in the allegation. Written notification of the committee’s decision will be forwarded to the dean for final approval. A copy of the memo will be provided to the person(s) involved in the allegation.

Consequences of Unprofessional or Unethical Conduct

The maximum penalty that can be imposed independently by a faculty member is assigning a grade of F for a course. Additional penalties recommended by the Academic Affairs Committee and imposed by the Dean may include, but are not limited to, placing the student on leave from the program, requiring specific remedial actions on the part of the student, or termination of the student from the program.

Student Impairment Policy and Procedure

Policy Rationale: Accountability to the public and the maintenance of professional standards are responsibilities of professional behavior analysts. These two duties are invoked when behavior analysts become aware of colleagues whose performance has been impaired by or in association with psychiatric/psychological disorders, distressful personal conflicts, severe situational issues, emotional problems, alcoholism, or drug abuse. Similar to practicing behavior analysts, students of graduate/professional behavior analysis have a responsibility to address personal issues which may impair their performance in academic and/or clinical training or may jeopardize the well-being of clients. Students who come to the attention of the administration as experiencing impairment issues will be treated with compassion, support, dignity, and respect for privacy. It is the primary goal of the School of Behavior Analysis to help all students successfully complete program requirements. While it is clearly preferable for impairment to be dealt with through prevention or voluntary intervention, at times, the School is called upon to intervene and assist in a student's remediation of impairment issues. Thus, in recognition of its commitment to professional standards, to society, and to its students, the School of Behavior Analysis has developed the following policy and procedure for handling student impairment.

Definitions

Student – The term "student" will be used in this policy to refer to any graduate or fieldwork student participating in any program administered by the School of Behavior Analysis.

Impairment – While there is no single seminal definition of impairment at either the independent level of practice or at the student/trainee level, for the purposes of the School of Behavior Analysis, student impairment will be defined as significant interference in functioning at the academic or professional training level due to or associated with a health or mental health/behavioral condition.

More specifically, such health or mental health/behavioral conditions often include, but are not limited to, the following:

• alcohol/chemical abuse and/or dependency
• stress, burnout, and workaholism
• extreme personal/relationship difficulties
• emotional and mental disorders

Finally, it is important to point out that impairment is not equivalent to incompetence or problematic behavior. Although individuals experiencing impairment may display problematic or incompetent behavior, such actions are closely linked with a health or mental health condition. Further, a person may experience health or mental health difficulties without being considered impaired. Thus, a definition of the term impairment must include both a deterioration in functioning and an associated health or mental health/behavioral condition.

Examples

The following examples serve to illustrate some, but not all, possible forms of student impairment:

1. A student is witnessed by his peers to be drinking alcohol during class breaks. He is falling behind in his academic work, and often falls asleep in class. Both faculty and students have noticed a drastic change in his behavior over the past few months.
2. A student who is typically known to be quite competent and organized gradually begins to fall behind academically. At first, she works with her instructors to make up the work. Then, after several weeks of sporadic attendance, she no longer attempts to get caught up. Other students notice that she is tearful and withdrawn whenever they see her. When they express their concern, she tells them she thinks she has become severely depressed.
3. A clinical supervisor begins to notice that a student has been arriving on site later and later over the past several weeks. When she asks the student about this behavior, he makes an excuse and promises to improve. Not only does he continue to arrive late, he also begins to make significant mistakes on paperwork and to miss appointments. Meanwhile, he tells several classmates that he is considering divorcing his wife of 10 years. He appears visibly distraught and distracted to his peers.

Deciding on a Course of Action

Students may elect to deal with impairment concerns regarding themselves or other students by talking with the program chair, advisor, or with another faculty member. Often, it is possible for questionable situations to be handled discreetly and informally by the program chair. Please remember that faculty who are called on for support or advising in instances of possible impairment cannot assure strict confidentiality of information shared with them; however, they will exercise discretion and professional judgment in the handling of sensitive information of this sort.

Reporting Impairment Regarding Self

Students are welcome to come forward on their own to discuss any difficulties they believe may impair their ability to function in academic and/or clinical settings. Students who wish to discuss such difficulties can contact the program chair, advisor, or another faculty member

Reporting Impairment Regarding Others

Faculty, clinical supervisors, students, or staff who are concerned about possible impairment of a student at the School of Behavior Analysis should proceed according to the following guidelines:

1. First, if possible, talk directly with the student to express your concern about possible impairment and to encourage the student to remediate the problem. Provide the student with specific behavioral examples that support your concerns.
2. Encourage the student to approach the program chair, advisor, or another faculty member directly to discuss the issues involved.
3. If the student is unwilling to do so or you are unable to talk to the student, you may report your concerns by speaking with the program chair. Be prepared to provide specific behavioral examples that indicate a change in previous functioning.

Academic Affairs Committee

If the issue cannot be resolved at the program chair’s level, it will be forwarded to the Academic Affairs Committee to examine the information in order to determine if there are reasonable grounds to suspect student impairment. If the committee members find grounds to suspect impairment, they may recommend any number of steps to ensure that an appropriate assessment and/or remedial plan is developed.

Steps taken by the Academic Affairs Committee might include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Obtain an independent evaluation of the student in which:
   • The School of Behavior Analysis pays for the the evaluation.
   • The evaluator is mutually agreed upon by the student and the School.
   • An evaluation report is sent to the student and the School.
2. Propose that the student take reparative leave or, if relevant, continue in coursework or clinical placement on a modified plan.
3. Propose that the student participate in relevant treatment by a licensed health or mental health provider who is mutually agreed upon by the student and the School (payment for treatment is the responsibility of the student).
4. Communicate their recommendations to the COPLA Dean.

Student Follow-Through

If a student chooses to comply with the recommendations made by the Academic Affairs Committee, the student will continue to be enrolled in the School of Behavior Analysis during the restoration period even if a leave of absence is taken. Continued contact with the administration of the School will ensure that the student returns to active student status in a timely manner. However, the committee may revise its recommendations if a student fails to:

1. Comply with the original remediation recommendations.
2. Successfully complete remediation.
3. Regain and maintain fitness after remediation.

It is typical in cases of noncompliance that the committee recommends dismissal from the School of Behavior Analysis. A similar sanction will be expected if the student drops out of the recommended remediation plan or fails to maintain fitness after remediation.

Emergency Suspension

The program chair may impose an emergency suspension when a student's behavior constitutes a grave breach of professional ethics, when such behavior places other people's welfare in jeopardy or when the behavior threatens to disrupt the educational process of the School. Students placed on emergency suspension will not be permitted to participate in some or all of the School's activities, nor will they be allowed to take examinations or submit papers or other course work without written permission from the program chair. Emergency suspensions will remain in effect until the Academic Affairs Committee and the Dean renders a decision. Continued suspension beyond 7 calendar days must be approved by the Academic Affairs Committee.

Student Grievance Reporting Guidelines

Any student who would like to report a grievance (i.e., a violation of student or faculty professional behavior or conduct) should contact the Head of the School of Behavior Analysis (Dr. David Wilder, dawilder@fit.edu) to do so. The Head of the School will ask the student to describe the grievance and will then decide how to pursue the grievance based on the details of the report. If a student feels uncomfortable reporting the grievance directly to the Head of the School, the student can report the grievance directly to the Dean of the School of Psychology and Liberal Arts (Dr. Lisa Steelman, lsteelma@fit.edu).

Florida Tech and the School of Behavior Analysis are committed to academic excellence and to the highest standards of academic integrity. All students and faculty have the responsibility to foster an atmosphere conducive to academic excellence and academic integrity. Academic dishonesty undermines the accurate evaluation of students' knowledge and performance. In addition, it undermines the bonds of trust and honesty among members of the academic community, constitutes taking unfair advantage of other students, and defrauds those who may eventually depend upon the student's knowledge and integrity, most notably future clients. Moreover, academic dishonesty in the context of professional Behavior Analysis education constitutes a serious violation of the Ethical Standards governing Behavior Analysts. It is the responsibility of both students and faculty to intervene immediately in any situation in which academic dishonesty is suspected.

Definition of Academic Dishonesty

The following is a list of behaviors that constitute academic dishonesty. While not exhaustive, this list represents the more common types of academic dishonesty. All instances of academic dishonesty will be vigorously pursued and may result in academic dismissal.

A. Examination Behavior

Any use of external assistance during an examination, including a take-home examination, will be considered academically dishonest unless expressly permitted by the instructor. The following are considered unacceptable examination behaviors:

• Communicating with another student during an examination.
• Copying material from another student's examination.
• Allowing another student to copy from your exam.
• Using notes, tables, diagrams or other resources during an examination unless expressly approved by the instructor.
• Making unauthorized copies of testing materials or projects.

B. Fabrication

Any intentional falsification or invention of data, assessment results or citations in an academic or clinical assignment will be considered a violation of academic integrity. The following are examples of academic dishonesty involving fabrication:

• Inventing or altering data or client information collected as part of a research or evaluation project, coursework, or practicum or internship work experience.
• Inventing or falsifying reference citations in an academic, clinical or scholarly report or paper.

C. Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the appropriating and subsequent passing off of another person's work as one's own. If the work of another is used, acknowledgement of the original source must be made using a recognized referencing practice. If another's words are borrowed in whole or in part and merely recast in the student's own words, proper acknowledgement must, nonetheless, be made.

D. Other types of Academic Dishonesty

• Submitting materials, a paper, or report written by or obtained from another as one's own.
• Using a paper, report or other assignment in more than one class without the instructor's expressed permission.
• Obtaining a copy of an examination in advance or an examination from a previous year without the knowledge and consent of the instructor.
• Using another person to complete assignments or take-home exams without the knowledge and consent of the instructor.
• Falsifying or altering official academic or clinical records.
• In classes in which attendance is required or monitored, signing an absent student's signature on an attendance sheet as if he or she were present.
• Recording any information or meeting without the permission of all parties involved.

Advice to Students to Avoid Academic Dishonesty

1. If you are tempted to engage in a dishonest academic practice, remember that discovery and the subsequent judgement that you have done so will be much more damaging to your academic career at the School of Behavior Analysis than a low grade in a course of academic or fieldwork assignment.
2. If you are in doubt about what the course instructor or fieldwork considers appropriate for completion of an assignment or examination, immediately clarify this with the instructor. If there is a disagreement amongst members of your class as to what is or is not appropriate seek clarification from the instructor, not your classmates.

Procedures for Confronting Academic Dishonesty

It is the responsibility of each student and faculty member to uphold the highest standards of academic integrity and to confront and question instances when academic dishonesty is suspected. To have knowledge of academic dishonesty and not confront it places one in violation of the Professional and Ethical Compliance Code of the BACB which explicitly assigns behavior analysts the responsibility to monitor peer conduct and confront inappropriate behavior. If the violation is of a minor nature and seems to have resulted from lack of sensitivity, knowledge or experience, the faculty or students may elect to deal with the situation informally by discussing the behavior in question with the offending student. The goal in this kind of intervention is to educate and heighten sensitivity to the dishonest nature of the behavior. Alternatively, the student or faculty may choose to bring the incident to the attention to the course instructor or the program chair.

Generally speaking, allegations of academic dishonesty associated with academic courses should be directed to the program chair. Making a formal charge of academic dishonesty with the program chair is an appropriate initial action when the dishonesty does not seem amenable to an informal corrective action or if the dishonesty is of a more serious nature. It is also possible for the students or a faculty member to employ both informal and formal approaches. For example, a faculty member or student who intervenes informally in an instance of suspected academic dishonesty and is not satisfied with the results of that intervention may decide to proceed to formal action. On the other hand, some dishonest behaviors are better dealt with through immediate formal action. For example, a student who observes another engaging in cheating during an examination is encouraged to report this immediately to the course instructor or examination proctor. Faculty or students who are unsure whether to intervene informally or formally (or whether they are obligated to take action at all) are urged to seek counsel and advice from a faculty member, or program chair.

Procedures for Dealing with Formal Charges of Academic Dishonesty

Formal allegations of academic dishonesty will be dealt with by the program chair as follows:

1. The student accused of dishonest behavior will be notified in writing of the person(s) making allegations and the behavior(s) under
2. The program chair will engage in a fact-finding, review and assessment of all evidence supporting the alleged academic
3. Based on the information above and, if necessary, consultation with some or all core faculty, the program chair determines whether there is sufficient cause, or the alleged dishonesty is sufficiently serious to refer to the Academic Affairs Committee for a formal hearing and possible disciplinary
4. If there is not sufficient cause or the alleged dishonesty is not sufficiently serious to warrant referral or a formal hearing, the program chair will resolve the matter with the person(s) involved in the allegation.

Consequences of Academic Dishonesty

The maximum penalty that can be imposed independently by a faculty member is assigning a grade of F for a course. Additional penalties recommended by the Academic Affairs Committee and imposed by the dean may include, but are not limited to: placing the student on leave from the program, requiring specific remedial actions on the part of the student, or termination of the student from the program.

Academic Affairs Committee: Policy and Procedures

In most instances, problems between students or between students and faculty members should be resolved without the involvement of the Academic Affairs Committee. Allegations of serious misconduct are those for which, in the judgment of the Program Chair, sanctions might include, for example:

• requiring a leave of absence from the program
• requiring significant modification to the students' program of matriculation
• terminating the student from the program

Responsibilities of the Academic Affairs Committee

Under the direction of its chair, the Academic Affairs Committee is responsible for conducting a fair and impartial hearing into matters of alleged serious misconduct on the part of a student. The hearing will provide an opportunity for the Committee to hear and review all evidence for misconduct and will provide the student an opportunity for rebuttal. Based on the information presented at the hearing, the Committee is responsible for determining what, if any, sanctions should be imposed, or disciplinary actions taken.

Composition of the Committee

The committee will be composed of three members of the core faculty who are not directly involved in the misconduct issue. One member of the committee will be designated as Chair. The COPLA Dean will appoint members of the core faculty. The Head of the School of Behavior Analysis, who also serves as Chair of the faculty, will absent him/herself from all discussion of the case because he/she may be involved in the appeal of the Academic Affairs Committee’s decision (see below).

Procedures of the Academic Affairs Committee

The following procedures will apply to the Academic Affairs Committee:

1. In the interests of both the student and the school, the hearing should be scheduled in a timely manner. At least five working days in advance of the hearing, the Chair will inform the student, in writing, of the scheduled hearing, the names of the Academic Affairs Committee members and the specific allegations.
2. The student shall be permitted to have an advisor present. The advisor may also assist the student in preparing an appeal.
3. Prior to the hearing, the accused student may challenge the committee membership by specifying his or her concerns to the Dean. Following discussion between the Dean and the challenged member(s), the Dean will determine whether the challenged member(s) should be disqualified and replaced. Even if not challenged, a committee member may disqualify himself or herself if the member feels that his or her objectivity may be compromised.
4. The hearing will not be open to the public. An audio or video taped recording of the presentation of evidence and rebuttal may be The hearing committee's deliberations will be private and not recorded.
5. The Chair of the committee may request the appearance of witnesses on behalf of the committee or the accused student. Faculty, staff and students are expected to comply with these requests. Should the accused student fail to appear for the hearing, it will be conducted as scheduled.
6. The accused student will have the opportunity to hear witnesses and to present evidence and witnesses in rebuttal.
7. After all information has been presented the committee will deliberate privately and may recommend one of several actions. They may recommend no corrective action if there is insufficient evidence to warrant action, or they may recommend corrective action which could include, among other things, termination of the student from the program.
8. The recommendations of by the committee will be communicated by the Chair to the Dean. The Dean will inform the student, in writing, of his/her decision.

Appeal Process

The student may appeal the recommendation of the Academic Affairs Committee to the Dean of COPLA within seven working days of receipt of the committee's decision. Failure to appeal within the above time frame renders the Committee's decision final. The appeal must be made in writing and must state the reason(s) why the committee's decision is believed to be inappropriate. Appeals can be based on, but are not restricted to, the following: procedural irregularity on the part of the committee, insufficient evidence to warrant the actions taken, and lack of due process or discrimination including racism, sexism or sexual harassment. The Dean will review all information regarding the student's appeal and will inform the student in writing of the final decision. In instances in which the Academic Affairs Committee’s decision is that the student be terminated from the School, and the Dean finds no reason to overturn or amend this decision, the student may appeal the Dean's decision to the appropriate University-level committee or person (typically the Office of Graduate Programs), according to the University’s written policies and procedures. Students have an opportunity to appeal any dismissal decision and should consult with their faculty advisor and program chair so as to understand this opportunity and the procedures for appeal. These procedures are described in the University Catalog and the Graduate School Policy and Procedures Manual.

Other Areas of Importance

Areas that involve administration, such as how to obtain official transcripts, financial aid, diplomas, and graduation fees are covered in the Florida Tech Catalog. Students should consult the catalog for information on these topics and on the mission and purpose of the university, program, academic calendar, and course requirements. It is the student's responsibility to be aware of deadlines, dates, programs, etc. that relate to their academic progress. We suggest that students retain good records of their studies at Florida Tech, including course syllabi, instructor information, and practicum reports. It is also important to retain a copy of the Florida Tech catalog that describes course requirements for the year in which the student began his/her studies. These items will be very useful in filling out various applications later in the student's academic career and after graduation.

Professional Conduct of Students

As stated in the catalog, the School of Behavior Analysis at Florida Tech subscribes to the Behavior Analyst Certification Board™’s Professional and Ethical Compliance Code and the American Psychological Association Code of Ethics and all students are bound by the principles enumerated in those codes. Deviation from those codes may result in disciplinary action including dismissal from the School.

Professional Values

It is expected that all students in School of Behavior Analysis will aspire to the highest ideals associated with the field of behavior analysis. All meetings regarding violation of professional conduct between students and faculty will be documented and documentation will be placed in the student’s file.

Dismissal for Misconduct (Effective 1/19/17)

(Graduate Policy 4.12)

Misconduct refers to student conduct that violates the legal or ethical standards of the university and/or has the potential to adversely affect the university’s reputation. Misconduct may result in mandatory withdrawal from all classes and denial of permission to register in future terms, for either a definite or indefinite period of time. Two types of misconduct are described here: “Academic Misconduct” and “Research Misconduct.” Both could result in the above sanctions. Behavioral misconduct such as forging, altering or misusing university documents or academic credentials, shall be treated according to the stipulations indicated in the Student Handbook.

As a guide to determining whether misconduct should be classified as “academic misconduct” or “research misconduct,” the following examples may be considered:

Academic Misconduct (Rev. 1/19/17)

(Graduate Policy 4.12.1)

Examples of academic misconduct include, but are not limited to, plagiarism, cheating or knowingly furnishing false information to the university. According to “Academic Dishonesty, Cheating and Plagiarism”, plagiarism “is the theft of intellectual property belonging to another. This includes both the theft of unwritten ideas and concepts as well as the theft of written texts, notes, computer programs, designs and/or visual materials.” Cheating includes but is not limited to:

• Giving or receiving information during an examination (‘examination’ includes tests and quizzes)
• Using unauthorized material (such as notes) during an examination; unauthorized dissemination or receipt of examinations, examination materials, contents or answer keys
• Taking an examination or writing a paper for another student or asking someone to take an examination or write a paper. (includes shared work and/or group-produced answers on take-home examinations)
• Submitting the same paper—or different versions of what is substantially the same paper—for more than one course
• Misrepresenting or fabricating written work, sources, research results as well as helping another student commit an act of academic dishonesty or lying to protect a student who has committed such an act

In a case of academic misconduct, the decision to dismiss will be made by the dean of college in which the student is enrolled. A letter from the dean will inform the student, the student’s academic unit head(s), dean of students, registrar, director of graduate programs and dean of the graduate school of the dismissal and the student’s right to appeal. In the case of an international student, the letter will also inform the director of international student and scholar services. The letter must include a statement of misconduct, evidence supporting the misconduct, disciplinary actions, options to either accept the actions or to appeal, as well as a deadline for notification of the choice to appeal.

Appeal Procedure for Academic Misconduct Dismissals (Rev. 1/19/17)

(Graduate Policy 4.12.1.1)

Appeals of actions taken in accordance with graduate policy “Academic Misconduct” shall be subject to the following regulations and procedures:

The person on whose behalf the appeal is filed (the “Appellant”) shall prepare or have prepared on his/her behalf, a written statement outlining the basis of the appeal, setting forth such factual and argumentative materials as the Appellant may deem necessary to explain the action complained of, the reason for the appeal and any alleged erroneous or incorrect actions or decisions made or taken in the case. The Appellant may include supporting materials as called for by the nature of the matter.

The statement shall be submitted to the dean of the graduate school, who shall convene a meeting of the dismissal appeals committee of the Graduate Council. The committee shall act as hearing examiner in the matter. The Appellant shall be notified of the right to appear in person before the committee to present a statement and offer any additional information he/she deems relevant. Such hearings will be closed. The committee shall carefully review the written statement and supporting materials and shall carefully consider the oral arguments presented by the Appellant. The committee may also conduct such independent investigations as it deems proper. Procedural rules for the hearing shall be prescribed by the committee.

If the Appellant so desires, he or she may be accompanied by an advisor who must be a member of the Florida Tech faculty, staff or student body, but such advisor shall not have the right to make a statement, examine witnesses or present evidence.

Following the determination of the committee, the Appellant shall be notified by means of a letter from the dean of the graduate school regarding the decision, with copies to the academic unit(s), registrar, dean of students, the student's academic dean, the graduate programs office, and the international student and scholar services office, if appropriate.

The decision of the dismissal appeals committee is final and is binding of all parties involved. In the case of a tie vote, the dean of the graduate school will cast the deciding vote. All information will be retained on file in the Office of Graduate Programs.

Research Misconduct

(Graduate Policy 4.12.2)

1. “Research refers to those efforts which, while under university auspices, have been or could be widely disseminated or that has the potential of increasing human knowledge or that is applicable in the professional or public domain.” Examples of research misconduct include, but are not limited to, fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, misappropriation of ideas of others and failure to comply with legal requirements governing research.
2. Determinations of research misconduct appeals from such determinations and recommendations for sanctions to be applied in such cases will be governed by the processes set forth in the Florida Tech administrative policies and procedures for review, investigation and reporting allegations of research misconduct and fraud.
3. If it is determined by a committee on scientific misconduct that the student has committed research misconduct in any form, the dean of the appropriate college and the dean of graduate school will be guided by the recommendations of the committee as to the sanctions to be applied. If dismissal is recommended and the deans of the college and the graduate school concur, the student and director of graduate programs shall be notified in writing by the vice president for research, chief operating officer and dean of students regarding the determination of the committee and the concurrence of the dean and vice president for research.

Appeal Procedure for Research Misconduct Dismissals

(Graduate Policy 4.12.2.1)

The student shall have the right of appeal as specified in the policies and procedures. If the dismissal is upheld, the dean of the graduate school shall notify in writing the student, the director of graduate programs and the registrar.

Annotation of the Transcripts for Misconduct Dismissals (Rev 9/18/03)

(Graduate Policy 4.12.3)

Transcripts of students dismissed for misconduct reasons are annotated as follows:

The statement, “dismissed for academic misconduct” shall appear on the transcript following the semester in which the dismissal occurred.

If a student is reinstated following a dismissal for misconduct, the statement of the cause for the dismissal will remain on the transcript, unless the determination of misconduct is reversed.

Thesis Proposal

Your thesis proposal should be written in the FUTURE TENSE and adhere to the 7^th Edition of the APA style manual (American Psychological Association, 2020). All thesis students should purchase the APA Publication Manual, Seventh Edition. You may choose to write your thesis proposal as part of the Research Methods class that you will take during your first semester in the program or write a new proposal once you begin working with your thesis advisor in the summer semester between your two years in the program. You advisor will work with you to revise your proposal. You should expect a one-week turnaround time AT THE VERY LEAST to hear from your faculty advisor per revision.

Apply for IRB Approval

All thesis research projects must be submitted to the Florida Tech Institutional Review Board (IRB) for approval. See the Florida Tech IRB website for the application and instructions about submission. You must include your methods section with the application and an informed consent form. Also, if your participants are part of, or receive services from, an agency or group, you must get written permission from the director of the agency or group to recruit participants (this includes the Scott Center). You should allow two weeks AT THE VERY LEAST to hear back from the IRB as to the status of your application. You may submit your IRB proposal prior to your thesis proposal meeting (discuss with your advisor - s/he may want you to submit AFTER your thesis proposal meeting), but if major changes are requested by your thesis committee, you may be required to submit an addendum to your IRB proposal to the IRB.

Registering for Thesis Credit

Register for 1 thesis prep credit during the summer between your first and second year, and thesis credits for all remaining semesters (e.g., Fall and Spring of 2nd year) (except for ABA + OBM students, who register for thesis credits in the spring of their second year and summer of their second year). Contact the office of Graduate Programs to find out the current requirements regarding (i) posting your defense announcement (ii) necessary forms and their due dates, and (iii) due date of your final thesis materials for on-time graduation, as these vary by semester.

Requirements for Earning a Passing Grade each Semester

For thesis prep, which is taken in the summer between the first and second year of the program, students must submit a first draft of their proposal to their faculty thesis advisor by the last day of the summer semester in order to receive a passing grade. For the fall semester, students must have proposed to their committee by the last day of the fall semester to receive a passing grade (note that ABA + OBM students do not generally take thesis credits in the fall, so their deadline for this is spring break of their second year). The requirements for the spring semester are less rigid due to data collection and the delays that can arise during this process. However, students are expected to finish their thesis by the end of the spring semester. If a student does not finish by the end of the spring semester, s/he may still receive a passing grade for the spring semester, as long as adequate progress on the thesis has been made. Determination of adequate progress is made by the faculty thesis advisor. ABA + OBM students are expected to finish their thesis by the end of their second summer semester.

Select Thesis Committee

A thesis committee consists of (at least):

1 Committee Chair (your faculty advisor)

1 School of Behavior Analysis Member

1 Florida Tech (non-Behavior Analysis) member

For your non-Behavior Analysis committee member, you should visit the Office of Graduate Programs office to view a list of approved graduate faculty members. Psychology faculty are considered non-Behavior Analysis faculty. You should contact your potential committee member by phone or email and briefly explain who you are and what you are doing in order to determine if they might be interested. If they are interested, it might be good to set up a face-to-face meeting during which you can explain a bit more about your project and learn more about his/her background.

Set Proposal Date

Contact the Administrative Assistant for the School of Behavior Analysis (School of Behavior Analysis) with the set date and time of your thesis proposal meeting, and she will assist with reserving a room for you. The Administrative Assistant will have you complete an Establishment of Master's or Specialist Committee indicating your thesis title and committee members. Be sure to allow at least 2 weeks for each committee member to read your proposal before attending your proposal meeting.

At your proposal meeting, you do not need to bring a snack (cookies, water, coffee, etc. depending on the time of day) for the committee members (some programs encourage this, but we do not). Plan on a one-hour meeting. You will present each section of your proposal (e.g., PowerPoint presentation), for about 30 minutes. Each committee member will then provide feedback, ask questions, and make suggestions for improving the proposal. At the conclusion of this meeting, have all the committee members sign the Establishment of Master’s Committee Form and then turn the form in to the Administrative Assistant at the School of Behavior Analysis main office (this form can be signed before the proposal meeting as well, but should be signed no later than at the proposal meeting). This will be filed in your student file in the main office after the Office of Graduate Programs signs the form. The possible outcomes of this meeting are as follows: a) the committee asks for minor revisions to the thesis proposal; or b) the committee requests major changes to your thesis proposal. Although there is no formal exam report form to sign for the thesis proposal meeting, approval to proceed must be given orally by committee members at this meeting.

Proposal Revision

After you have modified your proposal according to the comments of your committee members, let your committee chair review the changes. After getting the “go ahead,” (i.e., paperwork is filed, and IRB approval obtained) start collecting your data!

Data Collection

During data collection, you should meet with your committee chair AT LEAST once per week to discuss your progress. DO NOT MAKE ANY MODIFICATIONS OR PHASE CHANGES WITHOUT FIRST CONSULTING WITH YOUR COMMITTEE CHAIR! Also, during the course of data collection, if you make any major changes to the project, these changes must be approved by your entire thesis committee. Generally, M.S. students are expected to include a minimum of 3 participants (if using a single subject design) in their thesis, although some exceptions apply (e.g., if a detailed assessment and intervention is conducted, two participants may be sufficient). The exact number of required participants is determined by the thesis chair and committee.

Number of Participants

For single subject designs, students are generally required to use 3 participants in a thesis. This number is based on a brief survey of existing ABA program requirements at other universities. However, this is a general guideline, and depending on the individual thesis project, two participants might be permitted in some circumstances. For example, if a thesis involves a detailed assessment procedure and a detailed treatment evaluation, or if it involves a sequence of detailed treatment evaluations, two participants might be acceptable. If a group design is used, generally a minimum of 10 participants per group should be used, but before starting data collection, the student should conduct a power estimate / analysis to identify the number of participants needed to obtain statistically significant differences between groups. Each student’s thesis committee ultimately decides on an individual basis the number of participants they required of the student. This is the case with all theses across all units on campus - the committee is the final judge, but the committee uses guidelines from the school or department to inform the student and make a determination as to whether the student has passed.

Reporting Your Results

Write up your results and discussion section and modify your documents to reflect that data collection has now occurred in the past (i.e., use PAST TENSE). Submit your revised document to your Committee Chair for feedback. Once approved, set your final thesis defense meeting.

Thesis Defense Meeting

Set date, time, and room (contact admin assistant in Behavior Analysis main office) for your thesis defense meeting. Be sure to allow at least 2 weeks for each committee member to read proposal before attending your defense meeting.

14 days prior to your scheduled defense, please fill out the Oral Examination/Defense Announcement 

See Appendix A) and submit to either the Office of Graduate Programs, or the Administrative Assistant for the School of Behavior Analysis who will submit the announcement on your behalf.

Plan on a 1 to 1½ hour meeting. BE SURE TO DRESS PROFESSIONALLY! You will present each section of your thesis, with PowerPoint, for about 30 minutes. For this presentation, you should focus on your results and discussion. Each committee member will then provide feedback, ask questions, and make suggestions for improving the manuscript. At the conclusion of the defense, your ADVISOR will have all the committee members sign the Exam Report Form and the ADVISOR will turn this form in to the Administrative Assistant for the School of Behavior Analysis. The possible outcomes of this meeting are as follows: a) the committee signs your Exam Report Form and asks for minor revisions to the thesis; b) the committee signs your Exam Report Form but requests major changes to your thesis; or c) the committee asks to see changes to your thesis before signing your Exam Report Form. A grade of “fail” may be given if you did not do what you proposed in the thesis proposal.

Final Review and Submission

Once you have made the necessary changes to your thesis, submit it to your Committee Chair for (hopefully!) final rounds of edits. Once given the “go ahead,” turn the final thesis in to the Office of Graduate Programs according to their guidelines. At this time, you should also discuss with your Committee Chair whether the document should be readied for submission for possible publication.

Length of Document

Although there is no minimum page number required of a thesis, it is expected that the student will have adequately reviewed all reasonable information on the topic in the Introduction section / lit review and tied the findings of the dissertation to this previous literature in the Discussion section. The theses for the School of Behavior Analysis have ranged from 25 to 70 pages, although the longer theses generally include appendices.

References

American Psychological Association (2020). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Job Aid/Flowchart for Florida Tech Thesis Students

1. Using “data” as a singular noun
2. Using ambiguous terms (e.g., this, that) without a clear referent
3. Using sexist language
4. Confusing “i.e.” (id est, that is) and “e.g.” (example gratia, for example)
5. Failing to indicate page numbers for quotes
6. Failing to use parallel form
7. Changing verb tense without reason
8. Confusing the meaning of “affect” and “effect”
9. Misplacing modifiers
10. Failing to ensure the accuracy of references
11. Beginning a sentence with a number that is not written out, a lowercase abbreviation, or a symbol
12. Failing to hyphenate compound modifiers
13. Using “which” when “that” is appropriate
14. Confusing the appropriate use of colons and semicolons
15. Using “since” as a synonym for “because,” which it is not
16. Failing to ensure agreement of subject and verb
17. Failing to use active voice
18. Using the pronoun “who” to refer to non-humans
19. Using “consequate,” which is not a word
20. Using split infinitives
21. Using “is comprised of” when “is composed of” is appropriate (the whole comprises the parts and is “composed of” them)
22. Confusing the meaning of “can” and “may”
23. Using double negatives
24. Referring to other species as “infrahumans,” “subhumans,” or “animals,” instead of “nonhumans” or “other animals,” when they are compared with us
25. Using ampersands when referring to text to references with two or more authors
26. Ending a sentence with a preposition
27. Formatting references incorrectly (See APA Publication Manual)
28. Using “between” (instead of “among”) when three or more items are under consideration
29. Confusing “continual” with “continuous”
30. Using “less” and “fewer” as synonyms, which they are not

• Structure your presentation with a beginning, middle and end. At the beginning of your presentation: gain audience attention (e.g., greet your audience), and signal beginning of the presentation. During the presentation present: the findings of previous research, the objectives / aims of your thesis proposal, highlight the methods that you will use to achieve stated goals / aims / objectives. Sequence your ideas / slides (e.g., chronological or from general to specific) so they build up to your proposed project (e.g., previous research supports the method you propose to use and your proposal is a systematic replication). After presentation of method section, thank your committee for attending behavior and open the floor to questions from your committee members
• Pronunciation (proper names, concepts and principles) and presentation is important, practice at least twice beforehand
• Use proper body language (e.g., stand up, eye contact with audience, smile). Minimize time with back to audience, swaying back and forth, and hands in pockets
• Check to see that your presentation is compatible with the equipment in the presentation room PRIOR to the presentation. Secure any adaptors that may be needed (e.g., when using a Mac)
• When presenting a graphic element, vocally label the axes and then highlight important aspects of the graph
• Use visuals and keywords to minimize the number of words on slides
• Use large fonts (> 18 point) on the slides..
• Use a pointer or pen to draw attention to specific points or visual aspects
• Use a spell check!
• When presented with difficult questions, make sure you understand the question: ask a question to see if you understand or repeat the question in your own words

Literature Review: General description of applied behavior analysis and the population you are using in your thesis, general description of the specific topic and why it is important, review of 10-30 relevant studies, purpose statement/research questions.

Method: Participants and setting, materials, dependent variables and data collection, design, experimental conditions/procedures, interobserver agreement, treatment integrity.

Results: For proposal – hypothetical data that show how the design chosen will be sufficient to demonstrate experimental control and a one paragraph description of hypothetical data per participant; for final thesis – a detailed description of means, a measure of variability (e.g., range, standard deviation) and data trends for each phase per participant, graphs depicting the results of all portions of your study for each participant.

Discussion: For proposal – a two to three paragraph description of what the hypothetical results will signify; for final thesis – a one to two paragraph review of the results, a detailed description and discussion of the implications of the results, a discussion of the possible behavioral mechanisms responsible for the results, a detailed description of limitations of the study, and a detailed description of suggestions for future research.

Literature Review (Introduction Section)

• Locate relevant literature
• Identify key authors and journals
• Use bibliographic reference sources
• Use computerized literature searches
• Obtain reprints and preprints
• Look at literature from other relevant disciplines
• Scan tables of contents of key journals
• Use reference lists from articles, chapters, and books
• Use primary sources
• Avoid popular press and websites
• Critically read the literature
• Identify themes
• Identify strengths and weaknesses of individual articles
• Identify strengths and weaknesses of field as a whole
• Collect photocopies or notes
• Prepare to write
• Investigate length and format parameters
• Make a preliminary outline
• Include page allocations
• Limit the scope of your review
• Organize the literature you will cover
• Write your review
• Write the introduction
• Write subsections
• Use transition and integrative phrasing
• Synthesize and critically analyze the literature
• Introduce your study and hypotheses
• Be careful not to plagiarize

Method Section

• Use Subsections
• Subjects
• How many (or a range)
• Criteria for inclusion
• Criteria for exclusion (if any)
• Other characteristics of subjects (e.g., demographics)
• Sampling and recruitment procedures
• How informed consent will be obtained
• Design
• Name of design Independent variables
• Dependent variables
• Method of assigning subjects to group
• Setting and Apparatus
• Setting
• Where study will be conducted
• Important features of setting Equipment described
• Make and model (if any)
• Construction details for apparatus unique to study
• Independent variables
• How operationalized
• Potential confounds and how they will be avoided and/or assessed
• Who serves as experimenter (e.g., self or others)?
• How experimenter will be kept blind to hypotheses
• Training experimenter will receive
• How integrity of independent variables will be assessed
• Fidelity checks
• Instrumentation and methods
• Measures (dependent variables)
• Description Scoring
• What scores will you use?
• Procedure
• Sequence and timing of tasks IOA

Results Section

• Present data related to purposes of the study
• Present results in an orderly, logical way
• Order and sequence the results
• Include relevant information
• Name of statistic (if any)
• Relevant details of analyses
• Means (with range or standard deviation)
• Word your results clearly
• Follow APA conventions regarding presentation of tables, graphs, and/or statistics
• Create well-crafted, clear tables
• Prepare well-crafted clear figures

Summarize Your Findings/Discussion

• Summarize your findings
• Avoid technical detail Use clear language
• Interpret your findings
• Place your findings in context
• Consider how your findings converge with, clarify, or contradict past findings
• Consider the implications of your findings
• Theoretical implications
• Methodological implications
• Applied implications
• Include a humility subsection
• Consider internal validity issues
• Consider external validity issues
• Consider measurement issues
• Consider statistical issues (if any)
• Include comments about future directions

A final program examination is required for all graduate degrees earned at Florida Tech. This examination is required for both master's degree programs in which a thesis is completed and for master's degree programs that have no thesis requirement. The examination must be taken no earlier than the last full semester (not including summer terms) in which the student is registered for courses. The content of the exam is similar to the material presented on the certification exam graduates take to become Board-Certified Behavior Analysts, but also includes material on OBM and radical behaviorism. The information on OBM and radical behaviorism is drawn from these two courses. A score of at least 80% on the exam is required to pass the final program exam. Students who do not pass the first time they take the exam are given a second opportunity to pass the exam in the following semester (not including summer terms). A student is permitted only three attempts to pass the master’s final program examination.

You will have 5 hours to complete the exam. Approximately 170 questions will be included on the exam. You can take bathroom breaks but must tell the proctor when you go. You can use a calculator that is not on your cell phone (cannot use cell phone at all during test) if you wish. You can also use paper with no writing on it. If you want to number your paper ahead of time, that is okay, but a proctor will review the paper to be sure nothing other than numbers are on the paper. When taking the exam, you are not permitted to have any other applications open on your computer (a proctor will walk around and check). You will see your scores after you take each test, but these scores may not be accurate, as we may omit some questions. If scores are adjusted, they will be adjusted upward (not down).

The comprehensive exam is computer-based and will be very similar to the pre-test you took upon entering the M.S. program. Questions will be presented one at a time and cover the content areas of the BACB’s Fifth Edition Task List.

Section 1: Foundations

Philosophical Underpinnings, Concepts and Principles, Measurement, Data Display, and Interpretation, Experimental Design

Section 2: Applications

Ethics (Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts), Behavior Assessment, Behavior-Change Procedures, Selecting and Implementing Interventions, Personnel Supervision and Management

The number of questions per task list will be roughly modeled after the distribution of the BCBA exam. Questions will be drawn mainly from your coursework and the textbook below, so you should prepare by reviewing your course material (e.g., books, class notes, etc.). You should also review the following textbook:

Cooper, J., Heron, T., Heward, W. (2020). Applied Behavior Analysis (3rd Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

In addition to the sections above, the exam will include questions from organizational behavior management and radical behaviorism drawn from BEH 5400 (Intro to OBM) and BEH 5105 (Radical Behaviorism), respectively. Each of these two areas will include about 10 multiple choice questions. Review your course material (i.e., books, course notes) for these sections. The questions should not be difficult; if you attended and passed these two classes, you should have no problem answering the questions. Since BEH 5105 (Radical Behaviorism) will be in progress when you take the comprehensive exam, only questions on material covered through roughly the first half of this class will be included on the radical behaviorism section of the exam.

All second year students in the MS and PhD programs will receive feedback on their performance in the program once per year via the GPASS. Each student’s faculty advisor will meet with them in the fall semester and review the GPASS, which is a tool used to provide feedback on program progress. Students will be asked to complete the GPASS 2-3 weeks before this meeting and send to their advisor. The advisor will review the GPASS document with students in a 30 min meeting. The purpose of this meeting / the GPASS is to provide “big picture” feedback to students.

Before First Semester: Student, advisor, and program chair should create an individualized program plan for the student, including transferring in any coursework from other institutions. The Behavior Analysis Program Chair and / or faculty reserve the right to require incoming Ph.D. students to take some Florida Tech M.S. program courses that they deem necessary. In addition, some incoming Ph.D. students may be required to take a pre-test upon entering the program. The results of the pre-test may be used to identify deficiencies and to determine which Florida Tech M.S. program courses the student will be required to take. In the first semester, student should take supervised research credits and finish thesis (if needed).

Second Semester: Student should begin preparing for comprehensive exam. A committee (4 faculty – 1 advisor, 2 from Behavior Analysis, 1 from outside of the School of Behavior Analysis, but at Florida Tech) should be established. Student should notify committee with what the comprehensive exam (must write a grant) topic is and then write grant and lit review paper (if this option is selected). Student should take supervised research credits.

Third Semester (Summer): Student should take dissertation credits, if faculty advisor believes the student can defend the comprehensive exam by the end of the student’s fourth semester in the program. If the faculty advisor does not believe that the student can successfully defend the comprehensive exam by the end of the student’s fourth semester, the student should not begin taking dissertation credits. Student should work towards defending comprehensive exam (in front of committee) and be admitted to candidacy (occurs once successfully defended comprehensive exam). In order for dissertation credits taken this semester to count towards the 18 credits needed, student must successfully defend comprehensive exam in the semester following the first semester in which s/he registers for dissertation credits (e.g., must defend comp exam by end of fall semester if begin taking diss credits in  summer).

Fourth Semester: Student registers for more dissertation credits. Student should work towards defending comprehensive exam (in front of committee) and be admitted to candidacy (occurs once successfully defended comprehensive exam). Student should propose dissertation to committee (requires a committee meeting) informally at end of comprehensive exam to be admitted to candidacy.

Fifth Semester: Student should register for dissertation credits. Student should formally propose full dissertation to committee in a meeting by end of semester.

Sixth Semester (Second Summer): Student should register for dissertation credits and work on dissertation.

Seventh Semester (Third Fall): If student defended comp. by end of fourth semester, s/he can graduate at end of this semester or any thereafter. Once admitted to candidacy, students must continuously register for dissertation credits until they graduate. Ph.D. comprehensive exams, which will consist of a federal grant application or a private agency grant application plus a minimum 30-page literature review, must be successfully defended at least 1 year before graduation. For example, if a Ph.D. student plans to graduate at the end of the fall semester of their third year, comprehensive exams must be taken and passed by the end of the fall semester of their second year.

Ph.D. Comprehensive Exam Process and Procedures

Students, in concert with their advisor, must select option A (large grant – see below) or option B (small grant plus a minimum 30-page literature review). After selecting an option, the student should choose a granting agency and topic, as well as a literature review topic with input from their advisor. The grant / literature review topic and the dissertation topic should be different. Once the advisor has approved, the student should send a message to his or her committee, informing them of the grant agency and grant topic (option A and B) and literature review topic (option B). The purpose of this is to keep the committee informed. If the student selects option B, the student may have to add some material to the grant (e.g., a budget, a detailed main section or background section of grant) if the submission required by the granting agency does not require a budget and/or is short. This more detailed version of the grant should be submitted to the committee (not the granting agency) when the student is ready to defend his or her comp exam. The student should write the grant (option A) or grant and literature review (option B) and submit to his or her advisor. Once the advisor approves of the submission (see below for details), the student should submit to his or her committee, allowing at least 3 weeks (some committee members may require 4) for the committee to review.

Process and Procedures for Preparation of a Grant Proposal in Partial Fulfillment of the Comprehensive Requirement of the School of Behavior Analysis

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) students in the School of Behavior Analysis have two options to satisfy the requirements of the comprehensive examination. The first option is to write a federal grant, similar in length to an RO1 proposal. The second option is to write a smaller grant, usually sponsored by a private foundation, and to write a comprehensive literature review on a topic selected by the student and his or her advisor. If a student writes a grant to submit to a private organization (e.g., Autism Speaks, Organization for Autism Research, the OBM Network, the Florida Association for Behavior Analysis), the student should write the grant in the manner specified by the funding agency (e.g., 3 pages for background, 1 page for budget, etc.). The student should prepare an extended version of this grant for the committee. This extended version should be a minimum of 15 pages (APA Style, excluding references). After the grant proposal is approved by the committee, the student can reduce the size of the grant proposal to fit the requirements of the funding agency for submission to the granting agency. If a student writes a federal grant, they should prepare the grant proposal using the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ PHS-398 format, unless the granting agency specifies otherwise. The PHS-398 format will ensure that Ph.D. students are exposed to all aspects of proposal preparation, many of which will apply across all possible sponsors, and some of which will not. Especially relevant is the longer and structured format for the background review, methodology, and significance – areas that may be truncated in some foundation proposal formats. Moreover, the PHS-398 procedural descriptions, links, and templates provide the most comprehensive set of writer support of any proposal form by a huge margin.

Students will certainly want to describe in a preamble the specific agency to which they will direct their proposal, and students may comment on any peculiarities that characterize the proposal preparation and submission process for the target agency. For example, some agencies want only five pages of text, whereas when writing a federal grant, the PHS-398 format prompts you to do more than that.

The Biosketch form is required for actual grant proposals from many agencies but is not required of students for the comprehensive examination. It would not hurt to be familiar with its existence for the future. You will be required to complete the budget pages since any grant you propose will require some level of budget specification and justification.

To save some time, the DUNS number for Florida Tech is 053396669 and the EIN is 59- 6046500. You also should know that if you apply for a federal grant you will need an eRA Commons name (electronic research administration). This is obtained through your sponsored research office of your university or organization and is not something students need to worry about right now. Students would need the eRA Commons registration also as a grad student or post-doc if he or she were listed as a contributor to the grant of another principal investigator.

The primary reference for students to begin a federal grant proposal can be found here.

Although students will certainly search this site thoroughly, a short cut that includes the instructional sections for completing the proposal can be found here.

Also, be aware that although it seems that there are endless forms\ there actually is no specific form for the body of the proposal (i.e., the background literature review and the method section). Simply use the “Continuation” pages for these as described in the instructional section.

Procedures and Process

In terms of process, since this exercise is the STUDENT’S comprehensive examination, it is assumed and required that all work is the student’s work. It is appropriate to submit a draft of the proposal to the committee chair for her/his overall comment on the approach, as well as the adequacy of grammar and style. Students may also expect some guidance on the adequacy of the background review (for example) or method. However, the committee may not do a line-by-line or paragraph-by-paragraph commentary with corrections and rewriting. They have passed their comps already and are not being evaluated! The student should work with the chairperson to arrive at the proper style and usage, and only send drafts to the committee after the chairperson has given her or his approval. At that time, the committee will augment the suggestions made by the chair and provide feedback. Generally, their feedback will be exemplary in nature, requiring that the student apply their broad comments to the entire document as appropriate.

When it comes time for the student to distribute the proposal to the full committee, the committee will review according to a rubric (see below) and also provide detailed feedback. This feedback will assist the student in revising the proposal in advance of an actual agency submission. Students should plan to deliver a defense copy of the proposal to the committee at least three weeks before the time of the oral examination. Once the comprehensive examination process has been completed (and the student has passed), students may seek any additional feedback and assistance from the committee that they are willing and able to provide.

Evaluation Rubric

The rubric that the committee may use to evaluate the proposal is below. Please note that proper grammar, style, organization, and structure will be evaluated along with the substantial content. Proper referencing and all other elements of successful proposals will also be evaluated.

Appendix A. Behavior Analysis Comprehensive Examination Evaluation Rubric

Significance and Contribution to Field

Quality of Project Design

Quality of Management Plan

Presentation

It is the advisor’s responsibility to be sure that his or her students are aware and knowledgeable of these deadlines. The Office of Graduate Programs will NOT be granting waivers for missing deadlines.

1. Establishment of Doctoral Committee Form: Obtain from the Administrative Assistant – it must be filled out, completed and turned in to the Office of Graduate Programs (the Administrative Assistant will turn it in on your behalf) a minimum of 60 days BEFORE the Comprehensive E
   • Recommended time to do this – no later than March 30 of first year in program.
2. Comprehensive Exam: Must be a federal grant or a private grant + a literature review; at least two weeks before Comprehensive Exam, student must complete the Oral Examination/Defense Announcement Form (please obtain from the Administrative Assistant) and submit it to the Office of Graduate Programs so that your Comprehensive Exam can be
   • Recommended time to do this – July of first year in program. NOTE THAT THIS MUST BE DONE AT LEAST ONE CALENDAR YEAR BEFORE GRADUATION. So, if a student passes the Comprehensive Exam in December, s/he will not be able to graduate until DECEMBER OF THE FOLLOWING YEAR. If s/he passes comprehensive exam in January, s/he will not be eligible to graduate until MAY OF THE FOLLOWING YEAR.
3. Advisor must submit comprehensive examination report form to the School of Behavior Analysis admin assistant, indicating PASS / FAIL of Comprehensive Exam within two weeks after Comprehensive Exam. The Administrative Assistant for the School of Behavior Analysis will submit to the Office of Graduate Programs. Once student passes the Comprehensive Exam, s/he can be admitted to candidacy (must complete #4 below to be admitted).
4. Dissertation Proposal (OGP calls this dissertation proposal conference): Can only be done AFTER passing the comprehensive exam and dissertation proposal conference. Many students do it immediately after the Comprehensive Exam, in the same meeting); there may be a separate examination form to complete after this and it is called the Doctoral Dissertation Proposal Conf Rep – App to Doc Cand Form (please obtain from the Administrative Assistant).
   • Recommended timeframe to do this – immediately after Comprehensive Exam.
5. Registering for Dissertation Credits: Students need a total of 18 Dissertation credits. Fifteen of these 18 credits must be taken from the semester in which the student defends the Comprehensive Exam and has the Dissertation Proposal, and AFTER this semester. ONLY 3 DISSERTATION CREDITS CAN BE TAKEN IN THE SEMESTER BEFORE THE COMPREHENSIVE EXAM AND DISSERTATION PROPOSAL.
   • Recommended timeframe to do this – students should generally begin taking Dissertation credits in the summer of their first year in the program, but if they do, this means that they MUST PASS THEIR COMPREHENSIVE EXAM AND HAVE THEIR DISSERTATION PROPOSAL BY THE END OF THE FALL SEMESTER OF THEIR SECOND YEAR; OTHERWISE, THEY WILL BE REQUIRED TO TAKE AND PAY FOR ADDITIONAL DISSERTATION CREDITS.
6. File a Petition to Graduate (get form in PAWS): Must be done at least 28 weeks before graduation date. If student does not graduate in the semester in which s/he planned to graduate, s/he must re-file the petition for a new
   • Recommended time to do this – September of second year in program.
7. Once a student begins taking Dissertation credits and has been admitted to candidacy (i.e., passed the comprehensive exam), s/he MUST enroll in a minimum of 3 Dissertation credits EVERY SEMESTER until graduation, EXCEPT for the semester of graduation, in which s/he can enroll in fewer than 3 credits.
8. Dissertation must be given to committee AT LEAST ONE MONTH PRIOR to DEFENSE.
• •     Recommended time to give completed diss document to committee – March 15 if graduating in spring of second year, June 15 if graduating in summer of second year, October 15 if graduating in fall of third year.
9. Announce Dissertation Defense: Must be done at least 14 days before defense (please obtain from the Administrative Assistant for the School of Behavior Analysis, schedule a room for defense, submit form to Office of Graduate Programs or the Administrative Assistant will submit it on your behalf).
10. Once completed, the Dissertation document must be converted to Office of Graduate Programs style – see Office of Graduate Programs for current

Note about Ph.D. Comp Exam/Proposing a Dissertation Process

Ph.D. students can defend their comprehensive exam and propose their dissertation at the same time (i.e., they can informally propose immediately after defending their comp exam) by creating and giving a brief PowerPoint presentation describing their dissertation topic. If the committee approves their topic, the committee can then sign both the comprehensive exam report form (please obtain from the Administrative Assistant) and the Doctoral Dissertation Proposal Conf Report Form / App to Doc Cand Form (though this second form may not be needed), which enables the student to be admitted to candidacy. The student is still required to write and send a formal dissertation proposal to his or her committee, and the student must defend this formal dissertation proposal in front of their committee, but this can be done in a separate meeting well after the Comprehensive Exam / Dissertation Proposal meeting.

All second year and beyond Ph.D. students should be focusing on finishing their Final Program Exam (FPE) (also referred to as the Comprehensive Exam) requirements or working on their dissertation. If you are involved in any research projects other than those directly related your FPE or Dissertation, please inform your advisor of this.

General Dissertation Guidelines

Number of Participants

For single subject designs, students are generally required to use at least 6 participants in a Dissertation. This number is based on a brief survey of existing Behavior Analysis program requirements at other universities. However, this is a general guideline, and depending on the individual project, 4-5 participants might be permitted in some circumstances. For example, if a Dissertation involves a detailed assessment procedure and a detailed treatment evaluation, or if it involves a sequence of detailed treatment evaluations, fewer than 6 participants might be acceptable. If a group design is used, generally a minimum of 20 participants per group should be used, but before starting data collection, the student should conduct a power estimate / analysis to identify the number of participants needed to obtain statistically significant differences between groups. Each student’s dissertation committee ultimately decides on an individual basis the number of participants they require of the student. This is the case with all dissertations across all units on campus - the committee is the final judge, but the committee uses guidelines from the school or department to inform the student and make a determination as to whether the student has passed.

Length of Document

Although there is no minimum page number required of a dissertation, it is expected that the student will have adequately reviewed all reasonable information on the topic in the Introduction section / lit review and tied the findings of the dissertation to this previous literature in the Discussion section. Dissertations for the School for Behavior Analysis have ranged from 60 to 150 pages, although the longer Dissertations generally include appendices. Much of the information on M.S. theses on pages 45-54 of this document may also be helpful in preparing the dissertation.