The Gerontology program is designed for the professional in an allied medical field to develop advanced knowledge in gerontology with a focus on a practical or associated aging-related health care need.  The curriculum provides the graduate student with essential advanced theoretical and applied knowledge in gerontology.  Because the quality of services available to older adults depends directly upon the quality of personnel who provide them, coursework emphasizing health and service delivery provide the graduate student with opportunities to integrate gerontology theory with the unique service needs of the elderly population.  The student selects a focus of study in either a service or program need in the field of aging (for example, health promotion, consultation, cognition, etc.), and selects coursework to meet the goals set forth with the academic advisor.  Supportive coursework is  available through Pathology, Psychology, and Sociology.
 

The Graduate Interdisciplinary Specialization in Aging offers students advanced educational opportunities in the field of aging. The program allows graduate and professional students an opportunity to gain specific expertise in the care of older adults through both required and elective coursework. The Specialization's core curriculum focuses on the basic components of gerontology shared by many disciplines, while the electives allow students to pursue either a research agenda or a more clinically-oriented pathway. Students are exposed to a broad range of settings and must successfully complete at least 21 hours of course work from the Master List of Courses in order the Specialization to be noted on their transcript.

The Specialization consists of two components. The core curriculum provides students with an integrated series of courses that stress:

• Essential theories in aging
  
• Issues related to diversity
  
• Public policy
  
• Opportunity to apply these skills and concepts in a broad range setting
  
• Health promotion & disease prevention
  
• The interdisciplinary, inter-professional & transdisciplinary approaches to care
  

In addition, departments supplement this course work with discipline-specific instruction and training. Successful completion of the Specialization will appear on students' transcripts.

Students must apply to enroll in this program and will need to complete at least twenty one (21) hours of graduate course work from the Master List of courses, including:

• Nine (9) credit hours from the core curriculum;
• Courses from two (2) or more graduate programs outside the student's major program;
• Up to six (6) credit hours in approved independent study.