YSU to offer new degree in psychology department

YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown State University plans to offer a master’s degree in applied behavior science beginning next fall.

The university’s trustee board has approved the plan, which now also must be approved by the Ohio Board of Regents.

That state approval is expected within the next few months, said Dr. Michael Clayton, assistant professor in YSU’s psychology department. The new major would fall under that department.

It will be a 42-credit-hour program that will include two full years of internships, Clayton told the trustees, adding that there is a great demand in the field of behavior analysis.

This program is designed to offer academic instruction with practical, real-world experience and will lead to national certification as a behavior analyst.

Recipients of the degree can actually practice analysis without a doctorate, Clayton said. They can work with senior citizens in nursing homes, children with autism and with people in the criminal justice system, to name a few career paths, he said.

YSU would be creating a niche to fill an existing need, said Dr. Ikram Khawaja, provost.

For the complete story, see Tuesday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com.