Therapy & Rehab
Behavior Analyst
Behavior Analyst supports patients, healthcare teams, or health systems through specialized mental & behavioral health work.
Years after high school
6–7 years
Degree
Master's degree
Entrance exam
None or program-specific requirements
Median pay
BLS does not publish a standalone wage figure for behavior analysts. Recent industry surveys place board certified behavior analyst (BCBA) median earnings near $68,000, varying by region, setting, and caseload.
What the job is actually like
Behavior Analyst supports patients, healthcare teams, or health systems through specialized mental & behavioral health work. Typical work is moderate paced with very high patient contact, usually in Clinics, hospitals, schools, private practice, and telehealth. Procedure intensity is low, and schedules are typically described as: Scheduled sessions; evenings may be common.
The path
- 01Complete the typical education pathway: Bachelor's degree, graduate behavior-analysis training, and supervised fieldwork.
- 02Complete any program-specific admissions, clinical, or employer training requirements.
- 03Build supervised or role-specific experience for work in Clinics, hospitals, schools, private practice, and telehealth.
- 04Meet credentialing or licensure requirements: BCBA certification and state license where required.
Good fit if
- Students whose interests align with behavior analyst work and who are comfortable with the listed training, schedule, and responsibility level.
- Clear healthcare impact
- Transferable professional skills
Think twice if
- Education, scope, compensation, and daily duties vary by state and employer. Verify local requirements and shadow or interview a working behavior analyst before committing.
- Requirements vary by state and employer
- Compensation varies by setting
Worth knowing
Career requirements can vary by state, employer, and credentialing body. Use this profile as a planning guide and verify current local requirements before enrolling in a program.
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View profileAll salary figures here are median annual wages from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025 — the most recent full national dataset. 'Median' means half of workers earn more and half earn less. Three things to keep in mind: (1) pay varies enormously by state, city, setting, and experience — a nurse in California and a nurse in rural Alabama earn very different salaries; (2) training lengths are typical, not guaranteed, and programs differ; (3) these numbers change every year. Always verify current figures at bls.gov/ooh before making a decision. For context, the BLS median wage for all U.S. occupations was $50,980, while healthcare practitioner and technical occupations had a median of $86,530 — one of the reasons health care is such a stable field.