North-dakota LABA Requirements: Hours, Exams & Step-by-Step Guide

Licensure as a behavior analyst in North Dakota is now governed by the North Dakota Board of Integrative Health Care (NDBIHC) under Chapter 43‑64, Behavior Analysts, and Article 112‑05 of the North Dakota Administrative Code—not by the North Dakota State Board of Psychologist Examiners, except for a narrow grandfathering provision. (law.justia.com)

In practice, North Dakota’s “LABA”‑type license is legally titled Licensed Behavior Analyst and is built almost entirely around Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) certification.

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1. Who Actually Licenses LABAs/LBAs in North Dakota?

• Current licensing board: State Board of Integrative Health Care, under NDCC ch. 43‑57 and 43‑64. Behavior analysts are one of the professions it regulates. (law.justia.com)
• Legal title: “Licensed behavior analyst” (LBA) and “licensed assistant behavior analyst” (LABA‑assistant) are the titles recognized in statute. (codes.findlaw.com)
• Old psychologist‑board licenses: If you held an ABA license/registration from the State Board of Psychologist Examiners on December 31, 2019, you are deemed to have met the education, experience, and examination requirements for licensure under the new system. (law.cornell.edu)

So if you are seeking a new license today, you apply through the Board of Integrative Health Care, not the Psychologist Examiners.

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2. Core Legal Requirements for a Licensed Behavior Analyst

The key rule is N.D. Admin. Code 112‑05‑01‑02(1), “Application for licensure – Requirements.” It states that the board may grant licensure as a licensed behavior analyst to an applicant in the practice of ABA who meets all of the following: (law.cornell.edu)

1. Degree requirement

   • A doctorate or master’s degree from a program accredited or verified by the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) or approved by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB).

2. National examination

   • Has passed the Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) examination offered by the BACB.

3. National certification

   • Is certified by the BACB as a BCBA.

4. State law/ethics exam

   • Has passed the North Dakota professional responsibility examination once developed and approved by the board.

These four points are the only education/experience/exam criteria specified for an LBA in the North Dakota Administrative Code. There is no separate in‑state hour requirement in the rule; instead, the board imports BACB’s requirements by insisting on BCBA certification.

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3. What This Means in Practice: Education

Because the rule requires a degree that is ABAI‑verified or BACB‑approved, schools summarizing North Dakota’s law describe it this way:

• Minimum education is a master’s or doctoral degree from an ABAI‑verified or BACB‑approved behavior‑analytic program (or closely related program meeting BACB standards). (onlinegrad.pepperdine.edu)

You’ll typically satisfy this by completing:

• An ABAI‑accredited or ABAI Verified Course Sequence (VCS) master’s in ABA, psychology, education, or a related field, or
• A program whose coursework content is approved by BACB for BCBA eligibility.

North Dakota itself does not add extra graduate-credit requirements beyond whatever is necessary to sit for and earn BCBA certification.

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4. Supervised Experience and Hours: How Many and What Kind?

4.1. State board’s own language on “experience”

The North Dakota rules for licensure do not specify a number of hours of supervised experience. Instead, they require that you:

• Be certified by the BACB as a BCBA, and
• Hold a degree from an ABAI‑verified or BACB‑approved program. (law.cornell.edu)

The board also explicitly exempts:

“Unlicensed individuals pursuing experience in applied behavior analysis consistent with the experience requirements of the certifying entity, provided such experience is supervised in accordance with the requirements of the certifying entity.” (law.cornell.edu)

Here “certifying entity” is the BACB. This language makes clear that experience hours are governed by BACB’s rules, not by a separate North Dakota hour formula.

4.2. BACB fieldwork hours you must have for BCBA (and thus ND licensure)

To qualify for BCBA certification under the 2022 fieldwork requirements (which apply to current applicants), BACB requires: (scribd.com)

You must complete one of these two pathways in applied behavior analysis:

1. Supervised Fieldwork

   • 2,000 total hours of supervised fieldwork.
   • At least 5% of your hours each month must be supervised.
   • Minimum 20 and maximum 130 fieldwork hours per month. (operationsarmy.com)

2. Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork

   • 1,500 total hours of concentrated supervised fieldwork.
   • At least 10% of your hours each month must be supervised. (scribd.com)

Additional BACB rules for either path include:

• Restricted vs. unrestricted activities
  • No more than 40% of hours may be “restricted” (direct service delivery); at least 60% must be “unrestricted” activities such as assessment, program design, data analysis, and caregiver/staff training. (bacb.com)
• Supervisor qualifications
  • Supervisors must be BCBAs (or certain qualified psychologists or VCS instructors) who meet BACB supervision training and experience standards. (bacb.com)

Because North Dakota’s licensure rule requires BACB certification and adopts BACB supervision requirements for assistants, these BACB fieldwork hours are, in effect, the hours North Dakota expects you to have before it issues an LBA license. There is no separate state‑level requirement like “1,500 hours of direct service plus 1,500 hours of supervised practice.”

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5. Exams Required

To become licensed in North Dakota, you must pass two types of exams:

1. National BCBA Examination (BACB)

   • Required explicitly by N.D. Admin. Code 112‑05‑01‑02(1)(b). (law.cornell.edu)
   • 4‑hour multiple‑choice exam administered via Pearson VUE. (bacb.com)

2. North Dakota Professional Responsibility Examination

   • The rule requires passing “the North Dakota professional responsibility examination once developed and approved by the board.” (law.cornell.edu)
   • This is a state law/ethics exam; institutions note that it is (or may still be) under development, so you should confirm current status with the Board of Integrative Health Care.

Until the ND professional responsibility exam is fully implemented, the board may administer or waive it under transitional policies, but the regulation assumes it will be required.

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6. Step‑by‑Step Path to Licensure (Licensed Behavior Analyst / “LABA”)

Putting the law and BACB standards together, the practical steps are:

Step 1 – Complete the Required Degree

• Earn a master’s or doctorate in behavior analysis, psychology, education, or a closely related field from a program that is:
  • ABAI‑accredited or verified, or
  • Approved by the BACB for BCBA eligibility. (law.cornell.edu)

Step 2 – Complete BACB‑Approved Fieldwork

• Arrange BCBA‑compliant supervised fieldwork in applied behavior analysis under a qualified supervisor.
• Choose one of:
  • 2,000 hours of Supervised Fieldwork (≥5% supervised each month), or
  • 1,500 hours of Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork (≥10% supervised each month). (scribd.com)
• Ensure you meet BACB rules on:
  • Restricted vs. unrestricted activity proportions. (bacb.com)
  • Monthly minimum and maximum hours. (operationsarmy.com)
  • Supervisor qualifications and supervision contracts. (bacb.com)

North Dakota expressly allows unlicensed trainees to accrue these hours as long as their experience is “consistent with the experience requirements of the certifying entity” (BACB) and supervised accordingly. (law.cornell.edu)

Step 3 – Obtain BCBA Certification

• After meeting coursework and fieldwork requirements, apply to BACB, have your fieldwork verified, and pass the BCBA exam.
• Once certified, you satisfy the experience and exam portions of North Dakota’s requirements. (law.cornell.edu)

Step 4 – Apply to the North Dakota Board of Integrative Health Care

Under NDCC 43‑64‑03 and 43‑64‑04 and N.D. Admin. Code 112‑05‑01‑02, you must: (law.justia.com)

1. Submit the board’s application form (paper or online, as prescribed by the board).
2. Demonstrate that you:
   • Are of good moral character.
   • Have successfully completed the education, examination, and experience requirements established by the board, which in practice means meeting the BCBA and degree requirements above. (law.justia.com)
   • Have a history free of disciplinary findings that would constitute grounds for action (though the board may modify this restriction for cause). (law.justia.com)
3. Pay the application and license fees set by the board (fee schedule appears in NDAC 112‑05‑01‑13, not reproduced here). (law.cornell.edu)
4. Provide any supporting documents the board requests (degree verification, BACB certification, exam results, background information).

If the board determines you are at least 18, meet chapter 112‑05‑01 requirements, and your past conduct aligns with the board’s ethics code, it “shall issue” a license and you may use the designation licensed behavior analyst. (law.cornell.edu)

Step 5 – Take the North Dakota Professional Responsibility Examination

• When notified by the board, sit for and pass the North Dakota professional responsibility exam, focused on state laws, rules, and ethics relevant to ABA practice, as required in 112‑05‑01‑02(1)(d). (law.cornell.edu)

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7. After You’re Licensed: Renewal and Continuing Education

North Dakota’s behavior‑analyst CE rule is straightforward:

• 32 hours of continuing education every two years, including 4 hours in ethics, from board‑accepted programs. One CE hour = 50 minutes of class time. (law.cornell.edu)
• The board may grant extensions or waivers for illness, military service, missionary work, and similar extenuating circumstances. (law.cornell.edu)
• The board audits a random sample of licensees every biennium; audited licensees must provide documentation or risk license revocation. (law.cornell.edu)

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8. Summary of Hour‑Related Requirements

• North Dakota’s own regulations do not assign a numeric hour count for supervised practice; instead, they require:

  • BCBA certification
  • Degree from an ABAI‑verified or BACB‑approved program
  • ND professional responsibility exam. (law.cornell.edu)

• By demanding BCBA certification, North Dakota effectively requires you to have completed BACB fieldwork, which as of the current rules means either:

  • 2,000 hours of Supervised Fieldwork in ABA with ≥5% monthly supervision, or
  • 1,500 hours of Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork with ≥10% monthly supervision, meeting BACB’s activity‑type and supervision‑structure rules. (scribd.com)

If you follow those BACB requirements, earn BCBA, and then satisfy the relatively short list of state‑specific licensure requirements, you will meet North Dakota’s standard for licensure as a Licensed Behavior Analyst (LABA‑equivalent).