Applied Gerontology
The study of aging from beginning to end is everyone’s business. Join a degree program that impacts your future!
Applied Gerontology? What is that?
Gerontology deals with the study of aging throughout the life cycle. That includes you, right now! Part of the educational focus is to educate current students on principles of healthy and successful aging throughout life to better improve healthy and successful aging outcomes for everyone.
Are you a visionary who wants to prepare for the future?
The census indicates that older adults will continue to increase and represent the most substantial portion of the US population by 2025. So, no matter where you work, live or play, you will be engaging with significant numbers of individuals older than you are. Understanding how biologic, psychosocial, environmental and cultural components can influence the diversity in the aging process provides an intriguing professional foundation for you personally and professionally.
Are you serious about finding diverse occupational opportunities?
Because of the population shift (significant increase in older adults), whatever occupation you choose (entry level or graduate level) you will be engaging with older adult. Understanding this demographic will prepare you to enter a competitive workforce consisting of diverse agencies and organizations (many of which you will be exposed to during your coursework and internship).
Are you interested in having a healthy and successful life course experience?
Successful aging is everyone’s business! Since we are living longer, are you interested in being a leader in the industries and organizations that will be providing services to older adults in the future to assure that services and opportunities are appropriate, diverse, and readily accessible to current older adults and evolving to meet the even more diverse needs of future generations? What do you expect your senior years to provide? Help be a change agent to lead the change you want to happen before you reach your older adult years.
I want to be a doctor, nurse, dietitian, banker, business owner, chef, etc.
OK, but guess who will be the largest group seeking your services by 2025? Individuals over 50 years of age. You can major in Applied Gerontology and still complete requirements for numerous jobs or graduate programs. Come talk to us about how this new degree can prepare you even more for the future you desire.
Overview
The B.S. in Applied Gerontology prepares students to be competitive in a variety of aging-related occupational venues or admission to a variety of graduate degree programs. Students are required to complete an official minor from another discipline or declare a second major to provide expanded academic exposures.
About the Program
This program is designed to provide a program of study to meet the career goals of a broad spectrum of students—some wanting to work in health care, some wanting to specialize in eldercare or gerontology within a future graduate or professional program—but all wanting a competitive edge into the job market of the future. There is a documented population shift coming due to longer lifespans. This degree prepares students to move effectively into the future labor workforce. Its unique inter-professional educational (IPE) structure prepares students to have a very comprehensive educational foundation, including classroom instruction and diverse community engagement experiences, to provide service-learning exposures and prepare them to interact effectively with elders and the professionals and organizations providing services to them.