Requirements

Individuals employed in adult education, counseling, library science, nursing, public administration, recreation, social work, speech pathology, and related fields are serving growing numbers of older people. The department's graduate-level specialist certificate program is designed for health and human service professionals who wish to complement their existing knowledge and skills with an understanding of aging and services for the aged. Faculty of two-year and four-year colleges and universities and doctoral candidates in other fields may also find the Specialist Certificate a valuable adjunct to their academic credentials. The five-course, 15 semester credit-hour program, includes 9-12 credit-hours of core courses and 3-6 elective credit-hours in applied gerontology.  The total coursework requirement for those holding Retirement Housing Professional (RHP) Certification in good standing will be 12 semester credit-hours (four rather than five courses).

Core Courses in Applied Gerontology (9-12 hours)*

AGER 5700 Social Gerontology (3 hrs)
AGER 5710 Health Aspects of Human Aging (3 hrs)
AGER 5780 Federal, State, and Local Programs in Aging (3 hrs)
AGER 5860 Seminar on Psychology of Aging (3 hrs)

Elective Courses in  Applied Gerontology (3-6 hours)*

Students may choose from courses such as the following:

AGER 5200 Seminar on Research Methods and Design (3 hrs)
AGER 5250 Topics in Gerontology (may be repeated) (3 hrs)
AGER 5350 Basic Mediation Skills in Aging (3 hrs)
AGER 5400 Health Delivery Systems (3 hrs)
AGER 5500 Retirement and Retirement Preparation (3 hrs)
AGER 5600 Housing for the Elderly (3 hrs)
AGER 5650 Ethnic & Cultural Variations in Service Delivery (3 hrs)
AGER 5790 Needs Assessment and Planning for the Elderly (3 hrs)
AGER 5800 Proseminar on Programs in Aging (3 hrs)
AGER 5890 Psy. Counseling for Late Maturity & Old Age (3 hrs)
AGER 5960/70 Studies in Aging Institute (3 hrs)
AGER 6150 Theories of Aging (3 hrs)

*Internet students must substitute AGER5750 Processes of Aging for AGER5700 and AGER5860, and complete an additional 3 hours of elective coursework.