Oklahoma City Guide
ABA Programs in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City is the cheapest metropolitan area in this guide and it pays a median a shade above the national one, which is a combination almost nothing else here manages. Add three programs in the metro, a license dating to 2009 and the state's federally designated developmental disabilities center, and the case is stronger than the city's profile suggests.
Key Takeaways
- 01Oklahoma City has the lowest overall price level of the fifty metros on this site — 9.6% below the national average — and the second-cheapest housing at 26.1% below.
- 02That turns a $59,660 median into about $65,996 in national terms, the sixth-best cost-adjusted figure in this guide — ahead of Seattle, San Jose and every California metro.
- 03Three programs serve the metro. UCO in Edmond runs a 36-credit campus M.S. at $381 per credit in-state; OU in Norman runs a 21-credit post-master's certificate; and Oklahoma State runs a 36-credit M.S. at $234 per credit in-state — the cheapest published rate of any program in this guide.
- 04Oklahoma licensed behavior analysts in 2009, alongside Nevada as one of the earliest states in the country.
- 05The Center for Interdisciplinary Learning and Leadership at the OU Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City is the state's UCEDD and runs the OK LEND program — both inside the metro rather than at a distant flagship campus.
Oklahoma City rarely comes up in conversations about where to build a behavior analysis career, and on the numbers it should. The metro has the lowest overall price level of the fifty covered on this site — 9.6% below the national average — and pays a median of $59,660, a shade above the national figure. Cost-adjusted, that is worth about $65,996, the sixth-best real figure in this guide, ahead of Seattle, San Jose and every California metro.
Three programs serve the metro and they cover different needs. The University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond runs a 36-credit campus-based M.S. in Behavior Analysis at $381 per credit in-state. The University of Oklahoma in Norman runs a 21-credit post-master's graduate certificate, blended and synchronous online, for people whose degree requirement is already met. And Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, about sixty miles away but available fully online, runs a 36-credit M.S. in Special Education on the BCBA pathway at $234 per credit for Oklahoma residents — the lowest published per-credit rate of any program covered on this site.
Oklahoma also licensed early, in 2009, and its federally designated developmental disabilities center sits inside the metro at the OU Health Sciences Center rather than at a distant campus. One thing worth understanding before practicing here: 39 federally recognized tribal nations hold territory in Oklahoma, and tribal health systems are a genuine part of the service landscape with their own funding and governance.
Metro scope
Includes: Oklahoma City, Norman, Edmond, Moore, Midwest City, Yukon, Del City, Shawnee. The Oklahoma City metro, covering Oklahoma County and the six counties around it — the city itself, Edmond to the north, Norman and Moore to the south along I-35, and the eastern suburbs through Midwest City and Del City.
Note: Oklahoma is a single-state metro, and its licensing framework is among the oldest in the country. Oklahoma licenses behavior analysts through the Oklahoma Licensed Behavior Analyst Board, established in 2009 — only Nevada and Maryland moved as early. Your BCBA is the qualifying credential and the state license is your practice authority. The jurisdictional feature that distinguishes Oklahoma is not a state line but sovereignty: 39 federally recognized tribal nations have territory in the state, and tribal health systems and Indian Health Service facilities are a real part of the service landscape. Services delivered through those systems operate under their own funding and governance arrangements, which is worth understanding before you take a role that touches them.
The programs
Every one of the BCBA programs in the Oklahoma City metro
3 programs
University of Central Oklahoma — M.S. in Behavior Analysis
Edmond, north of Oklahoma City · Edmond, OK · On-campus; Edmond is about 15 miles from downtown
- Tuition
- $381 per credit hour in-state, $798 per credit hour out-of-state
- Length
- 36 credits, 2 years
- Format
- Campus-based in Edmond
- Accreditation
- BCBA Pathway 2 coursework; UCO Department of Psychology
- Part-time
- Confirm pacing with the department; the default is a two-year sequence
- A dedicated behavior analysis master's in the psychology department rather than a special education degree with a concentration
- At $381 per credit in-state this is inexpensive even before the metro's cost of living is considered
- Campus-based in Edmond, so you get faculty contact and a cohort
- UCO states a preference for GRE scores of 290 combined with 3.5 in writing, though a 3.0 GPA is the regular admission standard
- The out-of-state rate of $798 per credit is roughly double, so Oklahoma residency matters
Oklahoma State University — M.S. in Special Education, BCBA pathway
Stillwater, about 60 miles northeast; also fully online · Stillwater, OK · Online delivery makes the distance optional
- Tuition
- $234 per credit hour in-state, $880 per credit hour out-of-state
- Length
- 36 credits, 2 years
- Format
- On-campus in Stillwater or fully online
- Accreditation
- BCBA Pathway 2 coursework; OSU College of Education and Human Sciences
- Part-time
- Online delivery designed for working professionals
- At $234 per credit for Oklahoma residents, the cheapest published per-credit rate of any program in this guide
- Available fully online, so the sixty miles from Oklahoma City need not be driven
- A special education framing, so the degree reads as an education credential to an Oklahoma district
- Thirty-six credits at $234 puts the resident tuition for the whole degree in a range very few programs approach
- The out-of-state rate of $880 is nearly four times the resident figure — establish residency if you are moving
University of Oklahoma — Graduate Certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis
Norman, about 20 miles south · Norman, OK · Blended and synchronous online delivery
- Tuition
- $401 per credit hour in-state, $1,120 per credit hour out-of-state
- Length
- 21 credits, about 1 year
- Format
- Blended and synchronous online
- Accreditation
- BCBA Pathway 2 coursework sequence; OU Rainbolt College of Education
- Part-time
- A one-year sequence designed around existing professional work
- A post-master's certificate: it satisfies the coursework requirement and not the degree requirement
- Twenty-one credits in about a year, the fastest route in the metro for someone who already holds a qualifying master's
- Synchronous online delivery means live teaching rather than recorded lectures
- No certificate-specific GPA minimum beyond holding a master's degree
- Norman is inside the metro, so this is a genuinely local option rather than a distant one
Cost of living
What it costs to live in Oklahoma City while you study
Oklahoma City is the cheapest metropolitan area covered on this site. The BEA index puts the whole basket 9.6% below the national average — the lowest of the fifty — and housing 26.1% below, second only to Pittsburgh. Combined with a median slightly above the national figure, that produces the sixth-best cost-adjusted pay in this guide. The metro is flat, spread out and entirely car-based, but distances are short and traffic is light by big-metro standards.
Housing, 2024
73.9
26.1% below the national average
Everything, 2024
90.4
9.6% below the national average
Metro median pay covers
$65,996
of national-average spending
Housing runs 26.1% 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 Oklahoma City, OK, 2024, where the national average is 100. Housing is the services-housing component; the second figure is the whole basket.
All-items price level
9.6% below the national average
BEA Regional Price Parity, all items, 2024 — the lowest of the fifty metros in this guide
Housing price level
26.1% below the national average
BEA Regional Price Parity for housing, 2024; second-cheapest here after Pittsburgh
Transit
EMBARK bus and the OKC Streetcar
Limited; the metro is a car proposition, though distances are short
Car
Required for fieldwork
A seven-county metro, with the programs spread from Edmond to Norman to Stillwater
Tuition, Oklahoma State M.S. (in-state)
$234 per credit hour
$880 per credit hour out-of-state; 36 credits, available online
Tuition, UCO M.S. (in-state)
$381 per credit hour
$798 per credit hour out-of-state; 36 credits, campus-based
Tuition, OU certificate (in-state)
$401 per credit hour
$1,120 per credit hour out-of-state; 21 credits, post-master's
Clinical fieldwork
BCBA certification in Oklahoma City: where metro students do supervised fieldwork
Oklahoma City keeps its federal developmental disabilities infrastructure inside the metro, which is not the case in every state. The Center for Interdisciplinary Learning and Leadership at the OU Health Sciences Center holds the UCEDD designation and runs the OK LEND program from Oklahoma City itself. Around it sit the state's children's hospital, several large districts, and tribal health systems that most metros have no equivalent of.
Center for Interdisciplinary Learning and Leadership
The Center at the OU Health Sciences Center is Oklahoma's University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities and runs the OK LEND interdisciplinary training program, both in Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma Children's Hospital at OU Health
Oklahoma Children's Hospital is the state's pediatric hospital and the top of the local clinical tier for developmental and behavioral work.
Tribal health systems
With 39 federally recognized tribal nations holding territory in Oklahoma, tribal health systems and Indian Health Service facilities deliver services under their own funding and governance arrangements — a genuine part of the landscape here and almost nowhere else.
Oklahoma City and suburban districts
Oklahoma City Public Schools serves the urban core, and Edmond, Moore and Norman run large suburban special education programs.
UCO and OU faculty networks
With three programs inside or near the metro, the supply of qualified supervisors is better than in comparably sized metros with none — a practical advantage when arranging fieldwork.
Hiring market
Major ABA employers across the Oklahoma City metro
The Oklahoma City employer market is anchored by OU Health — the children's hospital, the Health Sciences Center and the UCEDD are all part of the same institution — with school districts and a private agency layer beneath. The distinctive element is tribal: Oklahoma's 39 federally recognized nations run health systems whose services and employment operate under sovereign governance, and which are a real career route in this state.
Center for Interdisciplinary Learning and Leadership
University center for developmental disabilities
Oklahoma's UCEDD and the host of OK LEND, at the OU Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City. A training destination and a research employer.
Oklahoma Children's Hospital at OU Health
Pediatric academic medical center
The state's children's hospital, part of OU Health, with developmental and behavioral services.
Oklahoma City Public Schools
Public school district
The metro's urban district, employing behavior specialists across special education services with Oklahoma Teachers' Retirement System membership.
University of Central Oklahoma
Public university
Runs the metro's campus-based behavior analysis master's in Edmond and anchors part of the local supervision network.
Tribal health systems
Sovereign health services
Health systems operated by Oklahoma's 39 federally recognized tribal nations, delivering services under their own funding and governance arrangements.
Side by side
Comparing the 3 Oklahoma City 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Central Oklahoma — M.S. in Behavior Analysis Edmond, OK | Campus-based in Edmond | 36 credits, 2 years | $381 per credit hour in-state, $798 per credit hour out-of-state | Not required |
| Oklahoma State University — M.S. in Special Education, BCBA pathway Stillwater, OK | On-campus in Stillwater or fully online | 36 credits, 2 years | $234 per credit hour in-state, $880 per credit hour out-of-state | Not required |
| University of Oklahoma — Graduate Certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis Norman, OK | Blended and synchronous online | 21 credits, about 1 year | $401 per credit hour in-state, $1,120 per credit hour out-of-state | Not required |
Metro pay
BCBA salary in the Oklahoma City metro
Metro median
$59,660
National median
$59,350
10th percentile
$36,230
90th percentile
$91,800
BLS metro median, May 2025
$59,660
$310 above the national median
Cost of living, 2024
90.4
9.6% below the national average
Worth nationally
$65,996
the same pay in national-average dollars
Because prices run 9.6% below the national average, $59,660 here goes about as far as $65,996 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, Oklahoma City, OK. 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 $59,660, the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for SOC 21-1018, Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors, across the Oklahoma City metro. That is $310 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 $59,660 as a floor rather than as BCBA pay.
The cost adjustment is the largest of any metro in this guide. Prices across the Oklahoma City metro run 9.6% below the national average — the lowest all-items index of the fifty covered here — so $59,660 goes about as far as $65,996 would nationally. That real figure is sixth-best in this guide, ahead of Seattle ($66,229 is marginally higher, but Seattle's housing runs 51.3% above national against Oklahoma City's 26.1% below), San Jose, Milwaukee and every California metro.
The 10th percentile is $36,230, which is low in absolute terms, and the 90th is $91,800. The floor is the weak point and it is worth negotiating on. But the combination of the country's cheapest cost base, three local programs including one at $234 per credit, and a median above the national figure makes Oklahoma City one of the most financially sensible places in this guide to train and practice. For national context see our BCBA salary guide.
Other cities
Other cities in Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is currently the only Oklahoma metro with its own guide. The state guide carries every program in Oklahoma plus the licensure picture.
Nearby metros
If you are flexible on metro
Oklahoma's other metro is Tulsa, under the same license. The larger regional comparisons are Kansas City and Dallas-Fort Worth, both within a few hours and both with different regulatory regimes.
ABA Programs in Kansas City
Five hours north, with a $107,520 top decile and the third-cheapest cost of living, but no program inside the metro.
ABA Programs in Dallas-Fort Worth
Three hours south, with an ABAI-accredited program at UNT and a higher metro median.
ABA Programs in Oklahoma
The full state picture: UCO, OSU and OU, the 2009 license, and the tribal health landscape.
Common questions
Frequently Asked Questions
01How many ABA programs are in Oklahoma City?+
02Do I need a license to practice ABA in Oklahoma City?+
03Is Oklahoma State really $234 per credit?+
04How much do BCBAs make in Oklahoma City?+
05How do tribal health systems affect ABA practice in Oklahoma?+
06Is Oklahoma City a good place to start a BCBA career?+
Sources
- University of Central Oklahoma, M.S. in Behavior Analysis
- University of Oklahoma, Graduate Certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis
- Oklahoma State University, M.S. in Special Education (BCBA pathway)
- Center for Interdisciplinary Learning and Leadership, OU Health Sciences Center (UCEDD/LEND)
- BACB, U.S. Licensure of Behavior Analysts by State
- BLS OEWS May 2025, Oklahoma City MSA (SOC 21-1018)
- ABAI Accredited Programs Directory