Detroit City Guide
ABA Programs in Detroit
Metro Detroit runs three ABA master's programs inside its own boundaries, has licensed behavior analysts since 2016, and is one of only a handful of large American metros where housing costs less than the national average. This guide covers every one of the ABA programs in Detroit and the surrounding metro, the Michigan Board of Behavior Analysts, and why the arithmetic here is better than the headline salary suggests.
Key Takeaways
- 01Three ABA master's programs sit inside the metro, and they are genuinely different. UM-Dearborn runs a 36-credit on-campus M.S., Wayne State a 40-credit online M.S., and Oakland University a 45-credit on-campus M.Ed. in Rochester.
- 02Wayne State's master's is recognized at Tier 2a under ABAI's Tiered Model of Education. That is a reviewed status short of accreditation, and it is the only Detroit-metro program that holds one.
- 03Wayne State charges $833 per credit hour to residents and non-residents alike, which for an online program means an out-of-state student pays the in-state rate — the cheapest of the three on a like-for-like basis.
- 04Michigan has licensed behavior analysts since 2016 through a standalone Michigan Board of Behavior Analysts, not a psychology board with an extra remit. You will hold both a BCBA and a state license.
- 05The BLS reports a $60,890 median for SOC 21-1018 across the metro (May 2025) against national prices that are effectively level — and housing that runs 5.3% below the national average, which is rare for a top-fifteen metro.
Metro Detroit is one of the better-served large metros for ABA education, and the three programs inside it divide the field cleanly rather than competing on the same ground. The University of Michigan-Dearborn runs a 36-credit on-campus M.S. in Applied Behavior Analysis with a 4+1 accelerated track for its own undergraduates. Wayne State University runs a 40-credit online M.S. at a flat $833 per credit regardless of residency, and it is the one metro program carrying ABAI Tier 2a recognition. Oakland University in Rochester runs a 45-credit on-campus M.Ed. in Special Education with an ABA concentration, the education-department route rather than the psychology one.
Michigan is also a comparatively mature licensing state. Behavior analysts have been licensed here since 2016 through the Michigan Board of Behavior Analysts — a standalone board rather than an existing psychology or counseling board absorbing a new profession. In practice that means clearer rules and a board whose members understand the work, which is not true everywhere.
The part worth taking seriously is the cost side. Detroit's metro median of $60,890 is unremarkable on its own, sitting $1,540 above the national figure for the same occupation. What is remarkable is that the metro's overall price level is effectively identical to the national average and its housing costs 5.3% less than the national average. Among metros of this size, almost nothing else can say that. A Detroit salary is close to a national salary in nominal terms and considerably better in real ones.
Metro scope
Includes: Detroit, Warren, Dearborn, Rochester, Sterling Heights, Livonia, Troy, Pontiac. The Detroit-Warren-Dearborn metro, covering Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston, Lapeer and St. Clair counties — the city itself, the Dearborn and Downriver corridor, the Oakland County suburbs from Royal Oak to Pontiac and Rochester, and the Macomb County belt through Warren and Sterling Heights.
Note: Michigan is a single-state metro for these purposes, so there is no cross-border licensing puzzle — though Windsor sits directly across the river and Canadian credentials do not transfer either way. What you do need is a Michigan license. Michigan has licensed behavior analysts since 2016, through the Michigan Board of Behavior Analysts within the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. That is a standalone behavior analyst board rather than a psychology board taking on an extra profession, which is the more favorable arrangement: the people setting your rules are behavior analysts. Your BCBA is the qualifying credential; the state license is the practice authority.
The programs
Every one of the BCBA programs in Detroit and the metro
3 programs
Wayne State University — M.S. in Applied Behavior Analysis
Midtown Detroit; delivered online · Detroit, MI · No commute; online delivery
- Tuition
- $833 per credit hour, the same rate for residents and non-residents
- Length
- 40 credits, 2 years
- Format
- Online
- Accreditation
- Recognized at Tier 2a under ABAI's Tiered Model of Education; Wayne State College of Education
- Part-time
- Built around working behavior technicians and teachers
- The only Detroit-metro program with an ABAI status: recognized at Tier 2a under the Tiered Model of Education
- A flat $833 per credit for residents and non-residents alike, so an out-of-state student pays the Michigan rate
- Wayne State also hosts the Michigan Developmental Disabilities Institute, the state's UCEDD, on the same campus
- A 2.75 minimum GPA is the lowest admission threshold of the three metro programs
- Online delivery means you arrange supervised fieldwork yourself, which in this metro is not hard
University of Michigan-Dearborn — M.S. in Applied Behavior Analysis
Dearborn, west of Detroit · Dearborn, MI · On-campus; about 20 minutes from downtown Detroit by car
- Tuition
- $960 per credit hour in-state, $1,740 per credit hour out-of-state
- Length
- 36 credits, 2 years
- Format
- On-campus
- Accreditation
- BCBA Pathway 2 coursework; UM-Dearborn College of Education, Health, and Human Services
- Part-time
- Evening scheduling; a 4+1 accelerated track exists for UM-Dearborn undergraduates
- The shortest of the three metro programs at 36 credits
- A University of Michigan degree at a regional-campus price rather than an Ann Arbor one
- The 4+1 accelerated track lets UM-Dearborn undergraduates finish the master's in a fifth year, at a 3.25 GPA threshold
- On-campus delivery, which gives you a cohort and faculty contact that the online options do not
- The out-of-state rate of $1,740 per credit is the steepest in the metro; this is a program for Michigan residents
Oakland University — M.Ed. in Special Education, Applied Behavior Analysis concentration
Rochester, northern Oakland County · Rochester, MI · On-campus; about 30 miles north of downtown Detroit
- Tuition
- $952 per credit hour in-state, $1,078 per credit hour out-of-state
- Length
- 45 credits, 2 years
- Format
- On-campus
- Accreditation
- BCBA Pathway 2 coursework; Oakland University Department of Human Development and Child Studies
- Part-time
- Designed to accommodate practicing teachers
- The education-department route: an M.Ed. in Special Education with an ABA concentration rather than a psychology master's
- The right choice if you intend to work in schools, because the degree reads as a special education credential to a district
- At 45 credits it is the longest of the three, which is the trade for the dual framing
- The out-of-state premium is small — $1,078 against $952 — which is unusual and makes it viable for non-residents
- Rochester sits in northern Oakland County, so factor the drive if you live in Wayne or Macomb
Cost of living
What it costs to live in metro Detroit while you study
Detroit is the large American metro where the cost of living does not distort the salary conversation. The BEA index puts the whole basket 0.3% above the national average and housing 5.3% below it — figures that in most metros of this size would be 15 or 20 points higher. What you pay for that is a metro built entirely around driving, with transit that does not realistically serve a fieldwork caseload spread across six counties.
Housing, 2024
94.7
5.3% below the national average
Everything, 2024
100.3
level with the national average
Metro median pay covers
$60,708
of national-average spending
Housing runs 5.3% below the national average, which is less of a factor here than the rest of the basket.
Both figures are BEA Regional Price Parities for Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI, 2024, where the national average is 100. Housing is the services-housing component; the second figure is the whole basket.
Housing price level
5.3% below the national average
BEA Regional Price Parity for housing, 2024 — rare for a top-fifteen metro
All-items price level
0.3% above the national average
BEA Regional Price Parity, all items, 2024; effectively level with national
Transit
DDOT, SMART and the QLINE
Serves the city and some suburban corridors; not a realistic basis for a multi-county caseload
Car
Effectively required
The metro spans six counties and placements are spread across all of them
Tuition, Wayne State M.S. (all students)
$833 per credit hour
Flat rate for residents and non-residents; 40 credits
Tuition, UM-Dearborn M.S. (in-state)
$960 per credit hour
$1,740 per credit hour out-of-state; 36 credits
Tuition, Oakland University M.Ed. (in-state)
$952 per credit hour
$1,078 per credit hour out-of-state; 45 credits
Clinical fieldwork
BCBA certification in Detroit: where metro students do supervised fieldwork
Fieldwork in metro Detroit runs through a genuinely strong set of institutions. Wayne State hosts the Michigan Developmental Disabilities Institute, the state's federally designated UCEDD, and it also leads MI-LEND, a consortium training program run jointly with Michigan State and Western Michigan. Children's Hospital of Michigan anchors the pediatric clinical tier, and the metro's districts range from a large urban system to some of the best-funded suburban districts in the Midwest.
Michigan Developmental Disabilities Institute
MI-DDI at Wayne State University is Michigan's federally designated University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, and it also runs a LEND program from the same Detroit campus.
MI-LEND consortium
Michigan's LEND training program is run as a consortium led from Wayne State with Michigan State University and Western Michigan University, which gives trainees access to faculty across three institutions rather than one.
Children's Hospital of Michigan
Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit is the region's pediatric hospital and the most competitive clinical placement in the metro for developmental and behavioral work.
Detroit and suburban school districts
Detroit Public Schools Community District serves the urban core, while Oakland and Macomb county districts — Rochester, Troy, Utica, Warren Consolidated — run well-resourced special education programs.
Private ABA agencies and centers
Michigan's autism insurance mandate and Medicaid behavioral health benefit support a large agency layer across all six counties, running in-home, center-based and school-consultation services.
Hiring market
Major ABA employers across metro Detroit
The Detroit employer market has three tiers and an unusual funding feature. Michigan's autism insurance benefit is structured with an age cap, which means the caseload profile skews younger than in states without one and the transition-age population is served differently. That shapes where the jobs are: early intervention and school-age work dominates, and adult services are a smaller share of the market than in some neighboring states.
Michigan Developmental Disabilities Institute
University center for developmental disabilities
Michigan's UCEDD and LEND program, based at Wayne State in Detroit. A training destination first, and an employer for policy-facing and interdisciplinary work.
Children's Hospital of Michigan
Pediatric hospital
The region's children's hospital, part of the Detroit Medical Center, hiring into developmental and behavioral services.
Detroit Public Schools Community District
Public school district
The metro's largest district by enrollment, employing behavior specialists across special education services, with a school calendar and Michigan public school retirement benefits.
Judson Center
Nonprofit human services agency
A long-established Michigan nonprofit running autism services, behavioral health and child welfare programs across the metro from centers in Royal Oak, Redford and Warren.
Corewell Health
Health system
One of Michigan's largest health systems, formed from the Beaumont hospitals in southeast Michigan, with pediatric and behavioral health services across the metro.
Side by side
Comparing the 3 Detroit programs
The same programs as above, set against each other on the things that decide which one you apply to: how it is delivered, how long it runs, what it costs, and whether it asks for the GRE.
| Program | Format | Length | Tuition | GRE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne State University — M.S. in Applied Behavior Analysis Detroit, MI | Online | 40 credits, 2 years | $833 per credit hour, the same rate for residents and non-residents | Not required |
| University of Michigan-Dearborn — M.S. in Applied Behavior Analysis Dearborn, MI | On-campus | 36 credits, 2 years | $960 per credit hour in-state, $1,740 per credit hour out-of-state | Not required |
| Oakland University — M.Ed. in Special Education, Applied Behavior Analysis concentration Rochester, MI | On-campus | 45 credits, 2 years | $952 per credit hour in-state, $1,078 per credit hour out-of-state | Not required |
Metro pay
BCBA salary in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn metro
Metro median
$60,890
National median
$59,350
10th percentile
$38,490
90th percentile
$94,760
BLS metro median, May 2025
$60,890
$1,540 above the national median
Cost of living, 2024
100.3
level with the national average
Worth nationally
$60,708
the same pay in national-average dollars
Prices in the metro sit level with the national average, so $60,890 buys about what it would anywhere else.
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, Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI. 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 $60,890, the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for SOC 21-1018, Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors, across the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn metro. That is $1,540 above the national median of $59,350 for the same code. BLS publishes no separate occupation for behavior analysts, and SOC 21-1018 also contains counseling roles requiring neither a master's nor board certification, so read $60,890 as a floor for the metro rather than as BCBA pay.
The 10th percentile is $38,490 and the 90th is $94,760. Neither end is dramatic, and the nominal picture is unexceptional. The cost adjustment is where Detroit does something interesting: prices across the metro run 0.3% above the national average, so $60,890 here is worth about $60,708 nationally — a haircut of less than $200. For comparison, the same exercise takes New York's $61,020 down to $54,192 and Los Angeles's $51,910 down to $45,695.
Housing is the reason. At 5.3% below the national average on the BEA index, Detroit is one of the cheapest housing markets among large American metros, and housing is the single biggest line in a graduate student's or an early-career clinician's budget. Add Michigan's standalone licensing board and three local programs, and the case for training here rather than moving is stronger than the headline salary suggests. For national context see our BCBA salary guide.
Other cities
Other cities in Michigan
We also cover one other metro in Michigan. 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
If you are flexible on metro
Michigan's ABA education is spread across the state rather than concentrated in Detroit, so widening the search changes what is available rather than just where you live. Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo is the heavyweight — ABAI-accredited at both master's and doctoral level — and Grand Rapids sits within reach of it.
ABA Programs in Grand Rapids
West Michigan, within reach of Western Michigan University's ABAI-accredited programs and paying a higher metro median than Detroit.
ABA Programs in Cleveland
Across Lake Erie, with two programs, a similar cost structure and a state that licenses through its psychology board.
ABA Programs in Michigan
The full state picture: every Michigan program including Western Michigan's accredited master's and doctorate, and how the 2016 license works.
Common questions
Frequently Asked Questions
01How many ABA programs are in Detroit?+
02Do I need a license to practice ABA in Detroit?+
03How much do BCBAs make in Detroit?+
04Where do Detroit-area ABA students do supervised fieldwork?+
05Which Detroit ABA program is the best value?+
06Is Detroit a good place to start a BCBA career?+
Sources
- University of Michigan-Dearborn, M.S. in Applied Behavior Analysis
- Wayne State University, M.S. in Applied Behavior Analysis
- Oakland University, M.Ed. in Special Education, ABA concentration
- ABAI Tiered Model of Education, recognized programs
- BACB, U.S. Licensure of Behavior Analysts by State
- BLS OEWS May 2025, Detroit-Warren-Dearborn MSA (SOC 21-1018)
- Michigan Board of Behavior Analysts, LARA
- ABAI Accredited Programs Directory