Gerontology Certificate

Ron Aday, Program Director
(615) 898-2125
Ronald.Aday@mtsu.edu

The certificate program in Gerontology provides supplementary education in gerontology for students preparing for careers in a broad range of positions. This program is also designed to give those already working in the field an opportunity to enrich existing skills and knowledge and to provide further opportunities for career advancement.

Admission Requirements

Admission to the graduate certificate program requires an earned bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or college with an undergraduate grade point average of 2.75 or higher (4.0 scale).

Application Procedures

All application materials are to be submitted to the College of Graduate Studies.

Applicant must

submit application with the appropriate application fee (online at www.mtsu.edu/graduate/apply.php);
submit official transcripts of all previous college work;
submit a letter demonstrating their interest, detailing prior field experience, and outlining career goals and aspirations.

Certificate Requirements

Candidate must

complete 15 hours of graduate courses (see Curriculum section below for specifics);
maintain a cumulative graduate grade point average of 3.00 in courses leading to the certificate.

Curriculum: Gerontology

Candidate must complete 15 hours in the following course of study:

Core Requirement (3 hours)*

PSY 5610 - Adult Psychology and Aging 3 credit hours OR
SOC 5020 - Sociology of Aging 3 credit hours OR
SOC 6550 - Seminar on Aging 3 credit hours

*Note:

All students are required to complete at least one core course.

Electives (12 hours)

The remaining hours are to be selected from the following courses in conjunction with career goals and aspirations. Additional core courses may be completed as electives.

CDFS 5390 - Families in Later Life 3 credit hours
CDFS 5391 - Aging Health and Development 3 credit hours
CDIS 5800 - Speech and Language Disorders in the Adult Population 3 credit hours
LSM 5380 - Disabilities and Diversity in Leisure, Sport and Tourism 3 credit hours
LSM 5470 - Leisure and Aging 3 credit hours
NFS 5210 - Nutrition in Aging 3 credit hours
PSY 5610 - Adult Psychology and Aging 3 credit hours
PSY 5630 - Death and Dying 3 credit hours
SOC 5020 - Sociology of Aging 3 credit hours
SOC 5030 - Topics in Gerontology 3 credit hours
SOC 5040 - Health Care Delivery Issues 3 credit hours
SOC 5800 - Special Projects 1 to 3 credit hours
SOC 6510 - Independent Study 3 credit hours
SOC 6550 - Seminar on Aging 3 credit hours
SOC 6661 - Program Evaluation 3 credit hours
SOC 6670 - Mental Health and Aging 3 credit hours
SOC 6680 - Counseling Elders 3 credit hours
SOC 6900 - Practicum: Applied Analysis 3 credit hours

Program Notes

Students with little or no experience working with the elderly are encouraged to complete SOC 6900 - Practicum: Applied Analysis . Special projects, independent study, and thesis research may also be counted toward the certificate with approval of the program director.

Students may transfer up to six (6) credit hours of approved coursework into the certificate program. The time limit for use of credit toward the certificate is six years from the date of enrollment in the earliest course applied toward the certificate, including transferred courses.

Candidate must file a Notice of Intent to Graduate form in the College of Graduate Studies within the first two weeks of the semester in which candidate intends to graduate.