BACB March 2025 Newsletter - Changes to 2027 BCBA and BCaBA Coursework and CEU Requirements

Sep 20, 2026

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BACB March 2025 Newsletter explains revisions to 2027 BCBA and BCaBA training and continuing education requirements, originally planned to integrate DEI content into course areas and add a DEI CEU category. It describes the context of anti-DEI initiatives and BACB’s need to protect credential recognition for employment and licensure. A committee of 12 SMEs reviewed planned requirements and recommended changes. The update removes DEI integration from course content and removes the DEI CEU category while expanding Ethics CEUs to include cultural and contextual responsiveness, with a revised CEU definition and per-certification totals.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

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Content

Changes to 2027 BCBA and BCaBA Coursework and CEU Requirements

2027 BCBA and BCaBA Coursework Requirements (Pathway 2)

2027 BCBA and BCaBA Continuing Education Requirements

RBT Criminal Background Check and Abuse Registry Check FAQs

Multiple Certifications Policy Update

Recent and Upcoming Changes to BACB Requirements

NOTICE: The information contained in BACB Newsletters may be outdated and should be independently verified via our website. March 2025 BACB Newsletter Content: ⊲ Changes to 2027 BCBA and BCaBA Coursework and CEU Requirements ................... 1 ⊲ 2027 BCBA and BCaBA Coursework Requirements (Pathway 2) ............................. 2 ⊲ 2027 BCBA and BCaBA Continuing Education Requirements ........................ 2 ⊲ RBT Criminal Background Check and Abuse Registry Check FAQs............................... 3 ⊲ Multiple Certifications Policy Update ............................ 4 ⊲ Recent and Upcoming Changes to BACB Requirements ............... 5 [www](www.bacb.com)[.](www.bacb.com)[bacb](www.bacb.com)[.](www.bacb.com)[com](www.bacb.com) © 2025 Behavior Analyst Certification Board®, Inc. (BACB®) . All rights reserved. Changes to 2027 BCBA and BCaBA Coursework and CEU Requirements In March 2022, the BACB announced several revisions to BCBA and BCaBA certification requirements that are scheduled to be implemented in 2027. These revisions included integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) content into several course-content areas (Behavior Assessment and Intervention, Organizational Behavior Management, and Ethics) and adding a new continuing education unit (CEU) category on DEI. The original intent of the subject matter experts (SMEs) who recommended these revisions to the BACB Board of Directors was to ensure that training adequately prepared BCBAs and BCaBAs to adapt their practices to diverse cultural and personal backgrounds and characteristics—crucial elements of behavior-analytic assessment and treatment. Recently, anti-DEI initiatives have gained traction across the US through state laws, regulatory activity, and federal executive orders. The BACB has invested years of effort to ensure that its certification programs are widely recognized by funders and state licensure programs. Maintaining this recognition is essential to protecting the value of these credentials for certificants and the consumers they serve. However, incorporating DEI content in our upcoming requirements may jeopardize this widespread recognition. Given the critical role these certifications play in employment and licensure, the BACB has a responsibility to safeguard their standing. To address these concerns while maintaining the integrity of training requirements, the BACB Board of Directors authorized an SME study of the upcoming changes. A committee of 12 SMEs met virtually to review the planned requirements. Their collective expertise included behavior-analytic assessment and intervention across diverse populations and settings, knowledge of how BACB certification programs have been recognized by funders and regulators, and the cultural and contextual adaptation of behavior-analytic procedures. The committee represented various stakeholder groups in behavior analysis, including consumer representatives, faculty, and practitioners, and included perspectives from a diverse range of organizations, geographic locations, certification types, genders, and races/ethnicities. After reviewing the 2027 requirements and discussing the original SME recommendations in light of current circumstances, the committee unanimously recommended the following revisions, which the BACB Board of Directors also unanimously approved. These changes balance the original SME intent and the evolving regulatory and legal landscape. 2027 BCBA and BCaBA Coursework Requirements (Pathway 2) The Behavior Assessment and Intervention and Organizational Behavior Management course-content areas must now address “the identification and integration of client-specific cultural, contextual, and personal variables throughout the assessment process and in the selection of goals and interventions.” Because cultural considerations already appear in the Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Ethics coursework does not require a similar modification. The r

FAQs

Why did BACB revise the planned 2027 DEI-related requirements?

BACB describes growing anti-DEI initiatives and the need to maintain widespread recognition of certification programs for employment and licensure. It authorized an SME study to address concerns while preserving training integrity.

What changed in 2027 coursework requirements for BCBA and BCaBA?

The requirements no longer include integrating DEI into course-content areas. Pathway 2 specifies that course areas address identification and integration of client-specific cultural, contextual, and personal variables throughout assessment and in selecting goals and interventions.

How did the 2027 CEU requirements change for Ethics and DEI?

The originally planned CEU category requirement on DEI was removed. Instead, the Ethics CEU category was expanded to explicitly include cultural and contextual responsiveness, and events may qualify for Ethics CEUs when they primarily focus on ethics or cultural/contextual responsiveness.

Sep 20, 2026

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