Main Office
Academic Advising
Richard A. Lusky, Chair
Flexible scheduling of courses allows currently employed professionals to earn either a degree or a certificate while maintaining their employment.
The department conducts research on various social, psychological and policy aspects of aging; organizes continuing education programs for people employed in the field of aging and provides technical assistance to groups and organizations in the field.
1. Hours for the Degree: Completion of a minimum of 128 semester hours; 42 hours must be advanced.
2. General University Requirements: See "General Degree Requirements" in the Academics section of this catalog.
3. University Core Curriculum: Minimum 47 semester hours. See specific degree plan for exact hours.
4. Major/Minor Requirements (Professional Development Areas): Minimum of 42 hours in at least three areas, one of which must be studies in aging; minimum of 12 hours in each area.
5. Occupational Specialization: 24-36 semester hours in related fields. Certain requirements of the UNT Core Curriculum may be included in the Occupational Specialization.
6. Electives: Sufficient electives may be selected, with the approval of the academic adviser, to fulfill the 128-hour requirement for the degree.
7. Other Course Requirements: Minimum of 12 hours of laboratory science in at least two different fields.
Each Professional Development Area consists of a minimum of 12 semester hours. Suggested Professional Development Areas to complement the studies in aging major include (but are not limited to) behavior analysis, business administration, communication studies, counselor education, health promotion, merchandising and hospitality management, psychology, public administration, recreation, rehabilitation, social work, sociology, and speech and hearing sciences. Transfer students with sufficient semester hours of course work in other fields related to studies in aging (e.g., mental health, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy) may use these fields as Professional Development Areas. Specific courses for the Professional Development Areas are chosen with the approval of the academic adviser.
A certificate program is available for those desiring credentials in the field of aging. Eighteen semester hours of graduate-level courses in aging must be completed to qualify for the certificate.
The mission of the Minority Aging Research Institute (MARI) in the Department of Applied Gerontology is to increase scholarly and public awareness of contemporary aging issues facing ethnic minority communities at the local, state and national levels. MARI is the only university-endorsed program in Texas that combines gerontology and minority aging concerns and research. Both graduate and undergraduate students are involved in MARI's research and training efforts, and MARI staff are engaged in a variety of minority aging research projects.