AUTSPEC-AC - Autism Spectrum Disorders

The Advanced Certificate Program in Autism was developed to provide additional education and training to post-baccalaureate students (with bachelor’s or master’s degree) in order to enable them to work with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families at a heightened level of expertise. The coursework and fieldwork opportunities will reflect a range of educational approaches and services available for persons with ASD. The approach is eclectic and will include, but not be limited to, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), natural learning paradigms, relationship-based developmental models, and common practices of teaching in the field of ASD. Various philosophical, educational, psychological, and clinical paradigms will be incorporated. Throughout the curriculum, whenever appropriate, the counseling needs of families with individuals with ASD will also be addressed. We will also critically evaluate controversial popular but unproven alternative treatments. The curriculum will consist of lectures by faculty, readings of the professional literature, in-class discussions (with faculty and students), on-site observations and fieldwork under close supervision.

Requirements for CUNY Students to Register for ASD Courses:

1. An applicant must have completed, as a minimum, an undergraduate degree in psychology, education, speech-language pathology, Science, Letters, & Society, or a related field, or be a current student in a Master degree program (e.g., Education, Mental Health Counseling, Neuroscience & Developmental Disabilities). Additional coursework may be required to make up for any deficiencies in background, as will be determined by an admissions committee for the program. (The admissions committee comprises faculty members from the School of Education and the Psychology department.)

2. An applicant must have earned a baccalaureate degree with a grade-point average of at least 3.0 in the undergraduate major and a minimum overall grade-point average of 3.0. Applicants whose undergraduate grade-point averages are below the minimum of 3.0 may submit a letter of appeal to the program coordinator; however, such appeals will be granted only under extraordinary circumstances. Applicants appealing for admission must present documentation demonstrating their ability to succeed in the program and may be required to take additional credits in undergraduate liberal arts and science courses, as prescribed by the program coordinator, in which they must earn grades no lower than 3.0 (B).

Double Counting Policy 

The undergraduate students satisfying the following criteria may be granted permission to take up to two graduate courses (to fulfill their 300 or 400 level elective requirements in Psychology) at undergraduate tuition to be counted towards their bachelor’s degree. These graduate courses will be double-counted toward their Autism Spectrum Disorder Certificate program. This allows students to earn both the bachelor’s and the advanced certificate in ASD in 4.5 years.  All graduate courses in the ASD Certificate Program can be taken as double-counting courses. 

Criteria: 

• Current enrollment in bachelor’s degree in Psychology and successful completion of three years of study with 90 or more earned credits. 

• Cumulative GPA 3.0 or above. 

• Permissions from the coordinator of the graduate program and the department chairperson. 

• Application for admission and conditional acceptance into the ASD Certificate Graduate Program. 

The application materials include 2 letters of recommendation, a letter of intent, and a transcript.