Montana ABA Requirements: Hours, Exams & Step-by-Step Guide

In Montana, “ABA Assistant Behavior Analyst” licensure is handled by the Montana Board of Psychologists under the Behavior Analysis sections of Title 37, Chapter 17, Montana Code Annotated. The formal license title is assistant behavior analyst.

The key point for your question:
Montana does not set its own pre‑licensure hour totals for assistant behavior analysts. Instead, the Board requires that you already hold the BACB assistant behavior analyst (BCaBA) certification, and it relies on the BACB’s fieldwork hour requirements rather than specifying numbers like “1,500 direct / 1,500 supervised” in state law or rule. (boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov)

Below is a step‑by‑step breakdown using the Board’s own language and structure.

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1. How Montana defines an assistant behavior analyst

Montana statute defines the role this way:

• An “assistant behavior analyst” is an individual:
  • “licensed under 37‑17‑403,”
  • who has a qualifying bachelor’s degree, and
  • has passed the board‑certified assistant behavior analyst examination of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB). (law.justia.com)

So, at a minimum, you must be eligible for and pass the BCaBA exam and hold that BACB certification.

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2. Core state licensure requirements (what the Board itself requires)

Montana’s licensure statute (§37‑17‑403) and the official Assistant Behavior Analyst Licensing Requirements and Application Checklist lay out nearly identical criteria. To be licensed as an assistant behavior analyst, you must: (boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov)

1. Submit an application and pay fees

   • Submit the Board’s assistant behavior analyst application form through the online portal or by paper.
   • Pay the $250 application fee. (boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov)

2. Pass a Montana‑approved background check

   • The checklist specifies you must have “passed a Montana‑approved background check,” with results sent directly from the Montana Department of Justice to the Board. (boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov)

3. Hold current BACB assistant behavior analyst certification

   • You must “hold a current certification as an assistant behavior analyst from the behavior analyst certification board,” and
   • Have “passed the board‑certified assistant behavior analyst examination” (BCaBA exam). (boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov)

   The Board requires an original letter of good standing directly from the BACB that confirms:

   • You passed the exam,
   • Your current certification level,
   • Date of certification, and
   • Any BACB disciplinary history. (boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov)

4. Be of good moral character

   • Statute and checklist both require that the applicant is “of good moral character.” (boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov)

5. Agree to follow BACB ethical standards

   • You must attest that you will abide by the Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts (as recognized by the BACB). (boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov)

6. Complete and submit required supporting documents
   The checklist itemizes: (boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov)

   • Official license verifications from any jurisdiction where you have ever held a professional license of any type.
   • Completed Noncriminal Justice Applicant’s Rights form.
   • Background check results (sent directly to the Board).
   • BACB letter of good standing (as above).
   • If you answered “yes” to discipline or legal questions: detailed explanations and official court/board documents.

7. Identify your supervisor and submit a supervision form

   • The checklist states you “must be supervised by a licensed behavior analyst” and must provide a completed supervision form identifying that supervisor.
   • The supervisor submits the original form and supervision fee to the Board. (boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov)

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3. What Montana says about hours for assistant behavior analysts

3.1 Pre‑licensure clinical / fieldwork hours

Montana’s statutes, rules, and the assistant behavior analyst checklist do not specify any fixed number of pre‑licensure behavior‑analytic hours (e.g., 1,500 direct, 1,500 supervised) for assistants.

Instead, §37‑17‑403 requires that you: (archive.legmt.gov)

• Provide “evidence of current certification at the appropriate level from the behavior analyst certification board” (for assistants, BCaBA level).
• Meet “educational course work and requirements set by the board by rule” – but those are not expressed in hour counts in the assistant checklist.

In practice, this means:

• Your required pre‑licensure hours are whatever the BACB mandates for BCaBA certification (supervised fieldwork/experience),
• Montana does not add its own extra state‑specific fieldwork hour totals for assistants beyond insisting that you already have the BACB credential.

So if you’re looking for wording like “1,500 hours of direct experience and 1,500 hours of supervised experience,” that language simply is not in Montana’s assistant behavior analyst law or the Board’s checklist. The Board’s requirement is framed entirely in terms of holding and maintaining BACB certification, not duplicating the hour numbers.

3.2 Post‑licensure continuing education hours

Once licensed (behavior analysts and assistant behavior analysts alike), the Board requires: (boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov)

• 20 continuing education credits each calendar year,
• Of which at least 1 hour must be in ethics.

This is the only explicit hour count the Board itself sets for assistants, and it is for annual continuing education, not for pre‑licensure practice hours.

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4. Supervision requirements once you are licensed

Montana distinguishes clearly between behavior analysts (who have “treatment authority”) and assistant behavior analysts/behavior technicians (who require supervision).

4.1 Who must supervise you

State law provides that when an assistant behavior analyst is practicing applied behavior analysis, they must be supervised by: (law.justia.com)

• A behavior analyst licensed under the Montana behavior analysis part; or
• A licensed psychologist who is board‑certified in behavioral and cognitive psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology.

The assistant behavior analyst checklist reiterates that you “must be supervised by a licensed behavior analyst,” and you must have a Board‑filed supervision form naming that supervisor. (boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov)

4.2 Structure and frequency of supervision

Montana’s administrative rule on supervision (Mont. Admin. R. 24.189.950) addresses supervision of assistant behavior analysts and behavior technicians. Key points: (law.cornell.edu)

• Supervisors must:
  • Report all supervisees to the Board within five business days of starting supervision.
  • Assume legal and professional responsibility for their supervisees’ work.
  • Meet face‑to‑face with supervisees at least once a month for “discussion, education, training, practice issues, and client care.”
  • Enter into a written supervision agreement specifying:
    • Supervision methods,
    • Scope of delegated practice authority,
    • Limitations on that authority, and
    • Frequency and duration of face‑to‑face meetings.
  • Keep supervision agreements for seven years after supervision ends.

Notice that even here, the rule is about frequency and structure, not a total number of supervised practice hours (no “X percent of work hours” or “Y total supervised hours” is specified by Montana for assistants).

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5. Fees, renewal, and ongoing requirements

From the Board’s Behavior Analyst/Assistant Behavior Analyst information page: (boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov)

• Application fee (assistant behavior analyst): $250.
• Renewal period:
  • Licenses renew annually, with a renewal window November 1 – December 31.
  • There is an additional 45‑day late renewal window through February 14 with a 100% late fee.
• Renewal fee (assistant behavior analyst):
  • $200 regular renewal;
  • Late renewal adds another $200 (total $400).
• Continuing education: 20 CE credits per year, including at least 1 ethics hour (applies to assistants).

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6. Practical summary focused on hours

Putting all of this into the specific “hours” framing you asked for:

• Pre‑licensure practice/fieldwork hours required by the State of Montana for assistant behavior analysts:

  • None are specified in state statute, rule, or the Board’s assistant behavior analyst checklist.
  • Instead, you must already hold BCaBA certification, and the clinical/fieldwork hours you completed to earn that credential are governed by BACB, not Montana. (boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov)

• Post‑licensure education hours required by the Board:

  • 20 hours of continuing education per year, with 1 hour in ethics. (boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov)

• Supervision “hours” or structure once licensed:

  • You must always practice under the supervision of a licensed behavior analyst or a suitably credentialed licensed psychologist. (law.justia.com)
  • Your supervisor must meet with you face‑to‑face at least once per month and maintain a written supervision agreement specifying supervision methods and the frequency/duration of meetings, but no fixed total of supervision hours is stated in Montana rules for assistants. (law.cornell.edu)

So if you are planning around numerical hour targets, you will base those primarily on BACB’s BCaBA requirements for supervised fieldwork and then maintain 20 CE hours per year once you’re licensed in Montana. The Montana Board of Psychologists itself does not impose additional state‑specific pre‑licensure hour minimums for assistant behavior analysts beyond what is embedded in the BACB credential it requires.