Contact: Camille Carskadon

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State University’s Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Foundations is marking the inaugural graduation milestone of 11 master’s students from the Applied Behavior Analysis program.

“We are very proud that our first cohort of ABA master’s students at MSU graduated this semester,” said Hallie Smith, ABA program coordinator. “As faculty, it is so rewarding to see them complete their training process with us and to see how much they have grown and learned over their two years in the program.”

According to Smith, ABA faculty look forward to watching the graduates develop into independent professionals as they go from students to colleagues in the field of behavior analysis.

Launched in the fall 2020 semester, the ABA program provides education training and experience to students and helps prepare them for practice in real-world settings. The program also leads to certification as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and licensure. The first cohort includes 11 students from all around the state.

The graduates include (by hometown):

BALDWYN—Mandi Ryan

BRANDON—Bailey Fleming

FULTON—Jade Garrett

GRENADA—Anna Gaskin

HATTIESBURG—Alexandra Brunner

HERNANDO—Jessica Nickley

MANTACHIE—Morgan Kent

NEW ALBANY—Lindsey Davis and Donna Graham

TUPELO—Laken Jones

SOUTHAVEN—Emily Hart

Learn more about the Applied Behavior Analysis program at www.cep.msstate.edu/programs/grad/behavior. Established in 1903, MSU’s College of Education is home to six academic departments, one research unit and numerous service units. For more about the college, visit www.educ.msstate.edu.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.