Either someone sold Brittany a pack of lies or she's just making excuses to study abroad.

I sort of can understand the latter but not the former. Here is the reason an American student from the East Coast, Brittany Chan, chose to study at the University of Kent (UK) to obtain her master's in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). 

Right off the bat there's a red flag. Anyone who has done a modicum of research on applied behavior programs in the United States would realize that the States offers many programs in applied behavior analysis and programs leading to BCBA certification. Chan's "there were only a few places in the US offering Master's degrees in this area [applied behavior analysis" is factual wrong. 

Looking at the official site of ABA International and using its program directory, it lists that the United States has 611 programs that lead to BCBA certification either using the 4th of 5th Edition Task List. The United Kingdom besides Kent? 11.  These 11 programs are dispersed between five universities: University of Kent (UK), Bangor, Queen's University - Belfast, Ulster Coleraine and South Wales. How many have heard of these universities? One may have heard of them at one time, maybe if they're wondering about studying abroad or if they're mulling over a map of the UK. I can list two countries outside North America that have more pathways to become BCBA certified than the UK. Israel with 19 and Italy with 15. If we return to North America, Canada currently has 35 programs.

This is not to say said universities are insignificant or that they do not offer a sound education within the field (Chan herself, who graduated from Kent in 2017, is now a BCBA on the East Coast). Now compare those names to universities within the States that do offer a master's in ABA: Pepperdine, University of Southern California (USC), Southern Illinois, University of Kansas and University of South Florida to name a few. Chan has never heard of at least three of these universities before? I've never heard of St. Cloud State before but after some research I realized it's one of the best programs at the master's level for ABA. Chan's very own alma mater at the undergraduate level, Rutgers, offers a master's in ABA. 

Sure, there are a good number of institutions offering a master's in ABA that one probably hasn't heard of. For instance Rollins College, Simmons College, Caldwell University and McNeese University - all universities I haven't heard of until I searched for programs that offered BCBA certification. 

Chan carries on stating that Kent's ABA faculty is prominent within the field. Maybe they are; I'm still new to learning who are the big names doing research in ABA at this time, but if one asks around on what programs Stateside have a good reputation within ABA research names such as the University of Nevada - Reno, Western Michigan University (WMU), Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) and the University of Kansas, the birth place of what is now known as applied behavior analysis - will pop up more than once. It's hard to believe that Chan had slim pickings on where to attend if she decided to stay in The Land of the Free. 

ABA is a relatively new field and its practice can be met with a mix bag ranging from approval to disdain. Nonetheless the field is mostly practiced in the States and the farther you are from the shores of America the less likely you will meet people who are familiar with the term and, therefore, professional programs teaching and researching it can be counted on one hand. To further put into question Chan's statements, ABA practice and research abroad does not even come close to what is found in the States. A paper published in 2014 in the Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders entitled "Autism and ABA: The Gulf Between North America and Europe" explains the gap of acceptance between the two continents. Two of the lead writers are faculty members at European universities in the departments of School Psychology and Education. All listed authors are from Europe. 

The United States does not necessarily lack programs, whether masters or certification, online, on-campus or hybrid, that lead to BCBA certification. One can argue that the States needs more programs and that there needs to be more funding to expand research and innovation. With that said, no other country is doing what America is doing in the field to the degree it currently has. In most major and minor cities there will be agencies that offer ABA services. Depending on your public school district there may be a BCBA staffed. In their curriculum, there are introductory ABA courses that are required for special education teachers, especially at the master's level.

In the end, Chan's reasonings immediately do not pass the test to anyone who knows better about the field in the Sates. What was published in her student bio were not little white lies, but outright falsities. By stating what she said about the lack of ABA programs in America she diminishes the quality research found in places like Nevada-Reno and FIT; ignores decades of effort to bring ABA into the discussion of clinical practice to address developmental disabilities such as autism; all the while forgetting the people who advocated for the field to be seen as a science. To add to that, she has the audacity to return to the States to make a living alongside other BCBAs who have obtained their degrees from various US-based programs, have trained in the States, and probably are paying off educational loans that allowed to them to pursue their career. 

Chan could become the supervisor of RBTs (Registered Behavior Technicians) who may have aspirations to become BCBAs themselves, and will most likely be looking at programs located in America. If they go to her for career advice is she going to tell them that there are not many master's programs for them to choose from in America and to look aboard? Now the real question is who paid for Chan's degree. 

EDIT: This was written in Chan's Youtube channel in her "About" tab. It was probably written before she was certified as a BCBA. 

Given what I have written and what has been discovered it's reasonable to conclude that her true motivation on why she sought out advanced education abroad was due to her "wanderlust," and nothing to do with the lack of ABA master programs in the States.