Dallas-Fort Worth City Guide
ABA Programs in Dallas-Fort Worth
One university runs BCBA-track programs inside the metroplex: the University of North Texas in Denton, which offers two of them. Texas licenses behavior analysts through TDLR, and DFW has one of the deeper ABA employer markets in the South.
Key Takeaways
- 01The University of North Texas in Denton runs both DFW programs, and they are different degrees: a 49-credit on-campus M.S. in Behavior Analysis and a 30-credit fully online M.A. in Applied Behavior Analysis.
- 02ABAI lists UNT as an accredited master's program, but neither UNT program page states which of the two degrees carries that accreditation. Ask the department directly before assuming it applies to the one you are applying to.
- 03The online M.A. is asynchronous and runs every semester, including a 10-week summer term, and takes one to three courses a semester. It is the working-professional route; the on-campus M.S. is not.
- 04Texas licenses behavior analysts through TDLR, and since December 2024 has recognized QABA as a certifying entity alongside the BACB.
- 05Denton is a real commute. It sits about 40 miles north of downtown Dallas and 35 from Fort Worth, which matters for the on-campus M.S. and not at all for the online M.A.
Dallas-Fort Worth is a one-university market for ABA coursework, but that university runs two distinct programs and the difference between them decides which one you should apply to. Both are at the University of North Texas in Denton, in a dedicated Department of Behavior Analysis rather than tucked inside an education or psychology degree.
The M.S. in Behavior Analysis is 49 credit hours, taught on campus in Denton, and typically takes two to four years. The M.A. in Applied Behavior Analysis is 30 credit hours, delivered completely online and asynchronously, with courses every fall, spring and 10-week summer term and a pace of one to three classes a semester. UNT describes the M.A. as meeting the behavior-analytic coursework requirements for BCBA Pathway 2, with supervised fieldwork arranged separately.
One thing to check for yourself. ABAI's directory lists the University of North Texas as holding accreditation at master's level, but neither program page identifies which of the two degrees that accreditation attaches to. We are not going to guess, and neither should a directory that tells you both are accredited. Ask the Department of Behavior Analysis before you apply if accreditation matters to your plans.
We checked the other institutions people are pointed toward in the metroplex. UT Arlington has no ABA or BCBA master's listed on its own site — the third-party pages claiming otherwise describe it using "verified course sequence" language the BACB retired on 1 January 2026, which is a reasonable signal those pages have not been updated. Texas Woman's University in Denton teaches applied behavior analysis coursework inside education degrees but does not run a dedicated ABA master's. Texas Tech is in Lubbock and St. Edward's is in Austin.
Metro scope
Includes: Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Plano, Irving, Denton, Frisco, McKinney. The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metroplex, from Dallas and Fort Worth out through Arlington, Plano, Irving, Frisco and McKinney, and north to Denton where the region's only ABA programs are taught. Houston is roughly 240 miles south and San Antonio 270 miles southwest, so the accredited programs at UH-Clear Lake and UTSA are a relocation rather than a commute.
Note: Texas licenses behavior analysts through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation rather than a standalone board. Since December 2024 TDLR has also recognized the QABA credentialing board as a certifying entity alongside the BACB, so the BCBA is the usual route but not the only one Texas accepts.
The programs
BCBA programs in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex
2 programs
University of North Texas — M.S. in Behavior Analysis
Denton campus, Department of Behavior Analysis · Denton, TX · On campus; Denton is roughly 40 miles north of downtown Dallas and 35 from Fort Worth
- Tuition
- Via UNT's tuition estimator
- Length
- 2 to 4 years
- Format
- On campus, Denton
- Accreditation
- ABAI lists UNT as an accredited master's program; the university does not state which of its two ABA degrees the accreditation covers. Prepares students for BCBA certification.
- Part-time
- Not stated on the program page
- 49 credit hours, the longer and more research-oriented of UNT's two ABA degrees
- Housed in a dedicated Department of Behavior Analysis, not inside an education degree
- Taught on campus, so Denton is a genuine commute from Dallas or Fort Worth
- The right choice if you want an in-person cohort and faculty research access
- Confirm with the department whether ABAI accreditation attaches to this degree or the online M.A.
University of North Texas — M.A. in Applied Behavior Analysis (online)
Denton campus (program delivered online) · Denton, TX · No commute; fully online and asynchronous
- Tuition
- Via UNT's tuition estimator
- Length
- 30 credit hours, ten 3-hour courses
- Format
- Completely online, asynchronous
- Accreditation
- Meets the behavior-analytic coursework requirements for BCBA Pathway 2 eligibility. Supervised fieldwork is arranged separately.
- Part-time
- One to three classes a semester, by design
- 30 credit hours across ten courses, the shorter of UNT's two ABA degrees
- Fully asynchronous, with every course offered every semester
- Runs fall, spring and a 10-week summer term, so there is no waiting for a rotation
- Built for working professionals: take one to three classes a semester
- Pathway 2 coursework only — you arrange your own supervised fieldwork
Cost of living
What it costs to study ABA in DFW
DFW is a moderate-cost metro with no state income tax, which is the single biggest thing separating take-home pay here from California or New York. The practical cost question for ABA students is which UNT program you pick: the online M.A. lets you keep working and live anywhere in the metroplex, while the on-campus M.S. means either living near Denton or driving there regularly from Dallas or Fort Worth.
Housing, 2024
117.9
17.9% above the national average
Everything, 2024
103.1
3.1% above the national average
Metro median pay covers
$60,679
of national-average spending
Housing runs 17.9% above the national average, which is the single biggest reason the overall cost of living lands where it does.
Both figures are BEA Regional Price Parities for Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, 2024, where the national average is 100. Housing is the services-housing component; the second figure is the whole basket.
State income tax
None
Texas has no state income tax, which lifts effective BCBA pay
Denton commute, from Dallas
~40 miles
Relevant to the on-campus M.S. only
Denton commute, from Fort Worth
~35 miles
Relevant to the on-campus M.S. only
Transit
DART, Trinity Metro, DCTA
Three separate systems; the metroplex is car-dependent for fieldwork
Clinical fieldwork
Where DFW students do supervised fieldwork
Neither UNT program places you automatically — the online M.A. states outright that supervised fieldwork is arranged separately — so the local market matters. The metroplex supports it: two large pediatric health systems, some of the biggest school districts in the state, and a private ABA agency layer that has grown quickly with the region.
Pediatric health systems
Cook Children's in Fort Worth and Children's Health in Dallas are the two major pediatric systems in the metroplex, both running developmental and behavioral services.
Large school districts
DFW is served by many separate districts rather than one county system. Dallas ISD and Fort Worth ISD are the two largest, with special education departments across both cities.
The UNT department itself
UNT's Department of Behavior Analysis is one of the longer-established behavior analysis departments in the country, which matters for on-campus M.S. students seeking research-adjacent placements.
Private ABA agencies
The metroplex has a substantial private-agency market. Whichever you land in, confirm your supervisor has completed the BACB 8-hour supervision training before your hours begin — see our BCBA supervision requirements guide.
Hiring market
Who employs BCBAs across the metroplex
Dallas-Fort Worth has considerably more BCBA employment than it has BCBA programs, which is the structural fact worth planning around: many people working as BCBAs here qualified online or out of state. The health systems and districts are also where Public Service Loan Forgiveness generally applies.
Cook Children's
Pediatric health system (Fort Worth)
Major pediatric system on the Fort Worth side of the metroplex, with developmental and behavioral health services.
Children's Health
Pediatric health system (Dallas)
The Dallas-side pediatric system, running behavioral and developmental programs across North Texas.
Dallas ISD
Public school district
One of the largest districts in Texas, with special education services district-wide and PSLF-eligible public employment.
Fort Worth ISD
Public school district
The major Fort Worth district, with special education and behavior support roles across the west side of the metroplex.
University of North Texas
University
Home to both metroplex ABA programs and a long-established Department of Behavior Analysis.
Metro pay
BCBA salary in Dallas-Fort Worth
Metro median
$62,560
National median
$59,350
10th percentile
$38,220
90th percentile
$98,790
BLS metro median, May 2025
$62,560
$3,210 above the national median
Cost of living, 2024
103.1
3.1% above the national average
Worth nationally
$60,679
the same pay in national-average dollars
Because prices run 3.1% above the national average, $62,560 here goes about as far as $60,679 would nationally.
BLS does not publish a separate occupation for behavior analysts. This is the May 2025 median for SOC 21-1018 (Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors), the category BCBAs are counted in, which also contains counseling roles that typically pay less. Read it as a floor for the metro, not as BCBA pay. Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX. Cost of living is the BEA Regional Price Parity for the metro, all items, 2024, where the national average is 100. It is the most recent year BEA publishes, so it sits one year behind the wage figure. Prices: BEA Regional Price Parities.
The published figure for this metro is $62,560, the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for SOC 21-1018, Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors, in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro. That is $3,210 above the national median of $59,350 for the same code. BLS does not publish a separate occupation for behavior analysts, and SOC 21-1018 also contains counseling roles that do not require a master's degree plus board certification, so read $62,560 as a floor for the metro rather than as BCBA pay.
The same release puts the 10th percentile at $38,220 and the 90th at $98,790. Because BCBA-titled roles sit at the credentialed end of that category, the 90th percentile is the more useful marker for what an experienced behavior analyst earns here, and the median is the more useful one for what the wider category pays. Prices across the metro run 3.1% above the national average, so $62,560 here goes about as far as $60,679 would nationally. Housing on its own runs 17.9% above the national average.
Within the metroplex, the school districts and hospital systems hire on published schedules while the agencies set their own scales. Texas levies no personal income tax, which is worth more here than the nominal gap to a coastal metro suggests. For national context see our BCBA salary guide.
Other cities
Other cities in Texas
We also cover 3 other metros in Texas. If you can commute, comparing them is worth ten minutes — the program list changes, but so does the fieldwork market, and that is the half your location actually constrains.
Nearby metros
Houston, San Antonio, and online options
Texas has three ABAI-accredited master's programs and none of them is in the metroplex: UT San Antonio, the University of Houston-Clear Lake, and UNT itself, whose accreditation the university does not attach to a named degree. If accreditation is decisive for you, Houston and San Antonio are the relocations worth pricing. The statewide guide covers every Texas program and TDLR licensure in full.
ABA Programs in Texas
Every Texas ABA program, the three ABAI-accredited options, and TDLR licensure in full.
ABA Programs in Houston
The Houston metro guide, including the ABAI-accredited program at UH-Clear Lake.
ABA Programs by City
Every metro guide we publish, with verified in-city program counts.
Common questions
Frequently Asked Questions
01What ABA programs are in Dallas-Fort Worth?+
02Which UNT ABA program is ABAI-accredited?+
03Should I do the UNT M.S. or the online M.A.?+
04Do I need a license to practice as a BCBA in Texas?+
05Is Denton close enough to Dallas or Fort Worth to commute?+
Sources