Student Learning Outcomes - The recipient of a Graduate Certificate in Social Gerontology will use the knowledge and skills obtained in the program to:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the social, psychological, economic and physical aspects of aging.
- Identify the major issues associated with each stage of life with special focus on the older years.
- Recognize the impacts of social policies on older adults, their families, professionals in the field of aging, and the organizations for which they work.
The Graduate Certificate in Social Gerontology addresses the needs of students with career interests that will bring them into close contact with older adults. As the number of older persons in the world continues to increase and older adults come to represent even greater proportions of societies, a growing range of professionals will require knowledge about the psychosocial, biobehavioral, physiological, social policy, economic, and service delivery aspects of aging. The Social Gerontology Graduate Certificate provides a means of developing students’ competencies in these areas, and because it complements many other graduate degree programs, students may take courses to earn their certificate while working toward their graduate degree.
To earn the Certificate a student must be admitted to graduate strudy and successfully complete 15 credit hours as set out below. The Certificate may be earned either as a stand-alone credential or as part of a degree program. Students earning the Certificate as a stand-alone credential may later apply those credits earned not more than 8 years prior towards completing the M.S. degree in Social Gerontology, if they so choose.
To be accepted into this program, a student must have a bachelor’s degree with a minimum overall grade-point average of 2.75.
