BCBA applicants must complete supervised fieldwork in applied behavior analysis. This guide summarizes the fieldwork rules in the BACB BCBA Handbook (updated 06/2026). It is a summary, not a substitute: the handbook says that if requirements are not met, trainees may lose qualifying fieldwork hours and a Notice of Alleged Violation may be filed against the supervisor. Read the handbook’s Supervised Fieldwork Requirements section with your supervisor.
The two fieldwork types at a glance
| Supervised Fieldwork | Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork | |
|---|---|---|
| Hours required | 2,000* | 1,500 |
| Supervisory period | 1 calendar month | |
| Fieldwork hours per month | At least 20, at most 130 | |
| Supervisor contacts per month | 4 | 6 |
| Observations with a client per month | 1 | |
| Supervision as a share of hours | 5% | 10% |
| Individual supervision | At least 50% of supervised hours (group supervision cannot exceed 50%) | |
| Unrestricted activities | At least 60% of total fieldwork hours | |
What counts as an hour
The totals include both independent hours (supervisor not present) and supervised hours (supervisor present). All hours must relate to specific client programming. The handbook lists these as acceptable: assessments, designing and monitoring skill-acquisition and behavior-reduction programs, writing behavior plans and progress summaries, overseeing others’ implementation, training others and managing performance, and communicating with stakeholders.
The handbook says these do not count: conferences, workshops or university courses; coursework assignments and quizzes; meetings with little or no behavior-analytic content; non-behavior-analytic interventions, administration or trainings (it names crisis management, CPR and billing systems); diagnostic or intellectual assessments, paperwork, documentation and billing not directly related to behavior analysis; listening to podcasts; and role-playing procedures that are not client related.
Restricted and unrestricted activities
At least 60% of total fieldwork hours must be unrestricted: for example, observation and data collection, training staff and caregivers, conducting behavior-analytic assessments, meeting with clients about services, data graphing and analysis, researching literature relevant to a current client, and writing or revising programs. Restricted activities, meaning delivering therapeutic and instructional procedures, may be no more than 40% of the total. The 60% does not have to be met every month; it has to be satisfied across your total accumulated hours. The handbook’s example is at least 1,200 unrestricted hours out of 2,000.
Supervision rules
- Contacts. A contact is a real-time interaction between supervisor and trainee, individual or group. You need 4 per month for Supervised Fieldwork and 6 for Concentrated.
- Group supervision. 2 to 10 trainees with similar experiences. It cannot exceed half of your supervised hours each month, and it generally must come from the same supervisor who provides your individual supervision unless you are at an organization with multiple supervisors.
- Observation. At least one supervisor must observe you with a client in the natural environment each month. In-person is preferred, but live video or recorded video is allowed.
- Supervisor qualifications. An active BCBA with no current disciplinary sanctions who meets the ongoing supervision CEU requirement and is either certified for at least one year, or certified for less than a year and receiving monthly consultation from a qualified consulting supervisor. Supervisors must also complete an 8-hour supervision training and may not be related to, subordinate to, employed by, or in a multiple relationship with you during the fieldwork period.
A worked example (our arithmetic)
These numbers apply the BACB percentages to a sample month; they are an illustration, not BACB guidance. If you log 100 fieldwork hours in a month under Supervised Fieldwork, 5% means at least 5 supervised hours. At least half of those, 2.5 hours, must be individual. Under Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork the same month needs at least 10 supervised hours, with at least 5 individual.
How long does it take?
Also our arithmetic from the BACB limits. At the 130-hour monthly maximum, 2,000 hours takes about 15.4 months and 1,500 hours about 11.5. Fieldwork must be finished within five continuous years, calculated by calendar month, so spreading 2,000 hours over the full 60 months means averaging at least about 33 hours a month. Whatever your pace, you must stay between 20 and 130 hours in every month you accrue.
Starting, combining and documenting
- Before you start. You may not accrue hours until you have a qualified supervisor, a signed supervision contract with each supervisor, and (for pathways 1 and 2) have started qualifying graduate-level behavior-analytic coursework. The handbook says hours begin after the first class meeting, and a passing grade in that initial course is needed for the hours to count.
- Mixing types. To estimate progress toward 2,000 when you mix types, multiply your Concentrated hours by 1.33 and add your Supervised hours. Record only the actual hours on forms; the multiplier is for estimating.
- Contract. The written supervision contract must be signed before supervision begins. The handbook says to keep a copy and your supervision documentation for at least seven years from the final supervision meeting.
- Forms. Each month your supervisor and you complete a Monthly Fieldwork Verification Form (M-FVF), signed by the last day of the following calendar month. At the end, a Final Fieldwork Verification Form (F-FVF) goes in your application, and the M-FVFs may be requested if you are audited. Keep copies of completed forms for at least seven years after obtaining certification, and use only current BACB forms.
- Ongoing records. The handbook asks you to document each independent session, supervision contact and observation (date, start and end time, fieldwork type, and whether the activity was restricted or unrestricted, among other fields).
The BACB also notes that you may be an RBT while accruing fieldwork, but many tasks done for RBT work and RBT supervision may not count toward fieldwork. For exam format and cost after fieldwork, see the BCBA exam guide.
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Frequently asked questions
How many fieldwork hours do I need for the BCBA?
2,000 hours of Supervised Fieldwork or 1,500 hours of Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork, or a combination, according to the BACB BCBA Handbook (updated 06/2026). Under eligibility pathway 4 only 500 hours of Supervised Fieldwork are required.
How much supervision do I need each month?
5% of your fieldwork hours for Supervised Fieldwork or 10% for Concentrated, with 4 or 6 contacts respectively, at least one observation with a client, and at least half of supervised time in individual meetings.
How many hours can I log per month?
At least 20 and no more than 130 hours per calendar month. Fieldwork must be completed within five continuous years.
Do my RBT hours count as BCBA fieldwork?
Not automatically. The BACB says you may hold an RBT certification while accruing fieldwork, but many of the tasks completed as part of RBT work and RBT supervision may not count. The activity must meet the fieldwork requirements.