Master of Applied Psychology in Behaviour Analysis The University of Waikato - Hamilton Campus, New Zealand

Studying for your Master of Applied Psychology degree at the University of Waikato allows you to gain an in-depth knowledge of one of two key areas of applied psychology.

Why study the Master of Applied Psychology?

When studying a Master of Applied Psychology Degree, you'll choose your specialist area in behaviour analysis or community psychology. You'll develop a detailed understanding of the underlying ideas relating to your chosen area, as well as learn about the fundamental principles and guiding values connected to your specialist field.

During your Master of Applied Psychology degree studies, you'll be given opportunities to gain relevant hands-on experience. This will be through getting involved in work placements and projects, where you'll be connected with a range of organisations and community groups.

The type of workplaces you'll be placed in depends on the specialist area you've chosen. You could have a placement in an educational environment such as a school, university or special education venue. You may do a project at a research institution or in a private practice. Perhaps you'll work with business and industry, or in the health sector. You may have a placement in a governmental agency, or if it fits in with your specialist area, a zoo.

Major: Behaviour Analysis
 

Studying behaviour analysis will teach you how both animal and human behaviour is affected by events in the social and physical environment and what you can do to produce behaviour change to help improve lives. Knowledge of this science of behaviour and its behaviour-change technology will assist you in a variety of careers.

As a field, behaviour analysis consists of concepts, principles and techniques.

As a student of Behaviour Analysis, you will learn how behaviour can be understood and changed. This includes an introduction to behaviourism, which is the philosophical underpinning of the science of behaviour and the experimental analysis of behaviour (EAB), which is the domain of basic research.

Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) is concerned with the application of these foundations, in the development of a technology to improve socially important behaviours. You will learn many skills, including how to define and measure behaviour, create behaviour change programs and evaluate their effectiveness in courses that combine theoretical and practical learning to produce marketable skills.