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

Licensing as a Behavior Analyst (BA) in Montana is handled by the Montana Board of Psychologists under Title 37, Chapter 17, Part 4 of the Montana Code Annotated. The state model is straightforward: Montana relies heavily on national Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) certification and does not add its own pre‑licensure practice‑hour minimums (such as “1,500 direct hours plus 1,500 supervised hours”). Instead, the only “hours” the Board itself specifies for behavior analysts are:

• the supervised fieldwork hours required by the BACB to earn BCBA certification (2,000 or 1,500 hours, depending on pathway), and
• ongoing continuing education (CE) hours once you are licensed.

The sections below walk through the process and highlight exactly where hours come into play.

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1. Understand the license and who regulates it

Montana defines a “behavior analyst” as an applied behavior analyst who is licensed under §37‑17‑403 and has passed the BCBA exam of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB). (law.justia.com)

Licenses are issued as:

• Behavior Analyst (BA) – master’s or doctoral‑level BCBA, licensed by the Montana Board of Psychologists.
• Assistant Behavior Analyst (ABA) – bachelor’s‑level BCaBA, also licensed by the same board. (boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov)

Your question is about the BA license.

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2. Complete national BCBA requirements (where the big “hours” live)

Before Montana will license you as a Behavior Analyst, you must already hold current BCBA certification from the BACB. Both statute and the Board’s official checklist require that an applicant:

• “holds a current certification as a behavior analyst from the behavior analyst certification board”, and
• has passed the “board‑certified behavior analyst examination” given by the BACB. (boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov)

The BACB certification process includes substantial supervised fieldwork. Under current BACB standards for BCBA eligibility, you must complete one of two options: (operationsarmy.com)

• Supervised Fieldwork

  • 2,000 total hours of supervised fieldwork.
  • At least 5% of your hours in each month must be supervised.
  • Minimum of 4 supervisory contacts per month, with at least one direct client observation.

• Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork

  • 1,500 total hours of concentrated supervised fieldwork.
  • At least 10% of hours supervised (under current rules).
  • Minimum of 6 supervisory contacts per month, with at least one direct client observation.

These hours are not written into Montana’s statutes or rules; they are BACB requirements. Montana simply requires that you already hold BCBA certification, which guarantees you’ve met one of these national hour standards.

Multiple university and licensure‑disclosure sources confirm that, for Montana, there is no additional state‑specific postgraduate work‑experience requirement beyond BCBA certification—i.e., “Postgraduate Work Experience: None.” (waldenu.edu)

Some secondary websites state that Montana requires “100 hours of supervised clinical work experience in addition to hours required by the BACB,” but that language does not appear in current Montana statute, administrative rules, or the Board’s official Behavior Analyst checklist, and conflicts with more recent licensure disclosures. (boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov)

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3. Meet Montana’s statutory qualifications in §37‑17‑403

Once you are BCBA‑certified, Montana’s law lays out the qualifications for a behavior analyst license. The Board “shall license” as a behavior analyst or assistant behavior analyst an individual who: (codes.findlaw.com)

1. Submits an application in the form required by the Board.
2. Pays the required fees (application and renewal).
3. Completes a fingerprint‑based criminal background check:
   • You must submit a full set of fingerprints for a check by both the Montana Department of Justice and the FBI.
4. Provides evidence of current BACB certification at the appropriate level (BCBA for a BA license).
5. Is of good moral character.
6. Attests to following the BACB ethics code:
   • You must agree to abide by the Professional and Ethical Compliance Code / Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts recognized by the BACB, which Montana has formally adopted by rule for licensees. (codes.findlaw.com)
7. For a Behavior Analyst license specifically, you must also:
   • Have passed the BCBA examination, and
   • Be currently certified as a behavior analyst by the BACB. (codes.findlaw.com)

Notice that §37‑17‑403 does not specify a number of pre‑licensure clinical hours or supervision hours—it defers that to the BACB via the certification requirement.

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4. Follow the Montana Board’s Behavior Analyst checklist

The Board’s “Licensing Requirements and Application Checklist – Behavior Analyst” (updated June 20, 2022) operationalizes the statute. Key checklist items include: (boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov)

Core eligibility items

You must:

1. Submit a completed Behavior Analyst application form with the correct fee (citing §37‑17‑403(2)(a)–(b) MCA).
2. Pass a Montana‑approved background check (fingerprint‑based) under §37‑17‑403(2)(c) MCA and related rules.
3. Hold current BCBA certification, verified directly from the BACB to the Board. The letter must confirm:
   • that you passed the behavior analysis examination,
   • your current certification level,
   • your certification date, and
   • any disciplinary history.
4. Attest that you abide by the BACB Professional and Ethical Compliance Code / Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts.
5. Affirm that you are of good moral character.

Documentation you must arrange

The checklist requires:

• Official license verifications from every jurisdiction where you have ever held any professional license.
• A Noncriminal Justice Applicant’s Rights form.
• Background‑check results sent directly from the Montana Department of Justice to the Board.
• The BACB letter of good standing described above. (boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov)

Fees

For the BA license, you must submit: (boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov)

• $450 application fee for a Behavior Analyst license.
• If you are also supervising assistants, technicians, or student interns, a $25 initial supervision fee per supervisee.

There are no additional state‑mandated “experience hours” listed anywhere in this checklist—only documentation, background check, and proof of BCBA certification.

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5. Supervision‑related rules (after you are licensed)

Montana’s rules speak to how you may supervise others, not to pre‑licensure hours for yourself.

Limits on number of student interns

The checklist, citing §37‑17‑403(3)(c) and ARM 24.189.910, specifies that an applicant (and, by extension, licensee) may not supervise: (boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov)

• more than one student intern if also supervising a behavior technician or an assistant behavior analyst, or
• more than seven student interns if not also supervising a behavior technician or assistant behavior analyst.

Supervision standards for ABAs and behavior technicians

Mont. Admin. R. 24.189.950 sets supervision responsibilities for behavior analysts overseeing assistant behavior analysts and behavior technicians. Among them: (law.cornell.edu)

• Supervisors must assume professional and legal responsibility for supervisees.
• Supervisors must meet face‑to‑face at least once a month with each supervisee for discussion, education, training, practice issues, and client care.
• A behavior analyst may supervise up to three student interns if also supervising BAs/techs, or up to seven interns if not supervising those other roles (mirroring the checklist).

Again, these are not additional experience‑hour minimums you must complete as an applicant—they govern how you practice once licensed.

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6. Continuing education “hours” after licensure

The only clear, numeric hour requirement the Montana Board itself places on licensed behavior analysts is for continuing education.

Under ARM 24.189.2110: (regulations.justia.com)

• Each reporting period, behavior analysts and assistant behavior analysts must obtain 20 CE hours.
• Of those 20 hours, two must be in ethics and one in suicide prevention.
• The CE reporting cycle for BAs/ABAs is two years, ending on the renewal date set by general licensing rules.

Board web pages still state “20 continuing education credits … during each consecutive calendar year,” but the newer rule clarifies the formal 20‑hours‑per‑reporting‑period standard. In practice, licensees typically plan for an average of 10 CE hours per year, while ensuring they meet the 20‑hour total (including 2 ethics and 1 suicide‑prevention hour) by the end of each reporting cycle.

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7. Summary of hour‑related requirements, by source

To directly address your example (e.g., “1,500 direct hours and 1,500 supervised hours”):

• Montana Board of Psychologists / Montana law

  • Pre‑licensure experience hours:
    No explicit numbers. The Board requires you to hold current BCBA certification and pass the BCBA exam. It does not state a specific clinical hour minimum like “1,500 hours of direct experience plus 1,500 hours of supervised experience.” (codes.findlaw.com)
  • Supervision rules: govern how many interns/technicians you may supervise and require at least monthly face‑to‑face meetings, but do not prescribe a total number of supervision hours you must complete personally. (law.cornell.edu)
  • Continuing education: 20 CE hours per reporting period, including 2 ethics hours and 1 suicide‑prevention hour. (regulations.justia.com)

• BACB (national certification – required for Montana licensure)

  • Fieldwork options (BCBA eligibility):
    • 2,000 hours of supervised fieldwork, or
    • 1,500 hours of concentrated supervised fieldwork
      with detailed supervision‑percentage and contact requirements. (operationsarmy.com)

In other words, from the perspective of the Montana Board of Psychologists, there is no separate Montana‑only experience‑hour requirement for Behavior Analyst licensure. All substantial pre‑licensure clinical and supervision hours are embedded in the BCBA fieldwork requirement, which you must satisfy before you can be licensed in Montana.