The Gerontology Program is proud to announce that a Master of Arts in Applied Gerontology degree is being planned. Interested students can apply for admission to our post-baccalaureate certificate program in the meantime to begin earning course credit.

General Program Information

The Graduate School will offer a 36 hour master’s degree in applied gerontology in response to area workforce needs. The goal of the program is to provide an academic foundation for anyone who plans to work with aging adults. As those who serve the elderly must be aware of all aspects of aging, course work will be multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary. Our dynamic curriculum will be taught using the talents of our own faculty and members of the North Carolina Gerontology Consortium. Courses include a number of different disciplines such as: biological sciences, communication studies, English, health, philosophy and religion, psychology, social work, sociology, therapeutic recreation and nursing. Our program provides a broad practical perspective on aging with service-learning experiences.

Course Descriptions of Required Courses:

GRN 501 Aging and Society (3)
Study of age as a structural feature of changing societies and groups, aging as a social process, and age as dimension of stratification. Students participate in a group service-learning project stressing research.

GRN 503 Applied Research in Gerontology (3)
Principles of quantitative and qualitative methods used in gerontological research and inquiry.

GRN 523 Physiology of Aging (3)
An overview of the aging process with special emphasis on anatomical and physiological changes that occur with human aging. Current theories as to the mechanisms of aging are considered. Premature aging diseases and age-related diseases are discussed.

PSY 524 The Psychology of Aging (3)
Advanced topics on the effects of aging on a variety of psychological processes including attention, memory, complex cognition, personality, mental health, and social support.

GRN 590 Practicum in Gerontology (6)
Prerequisites: GRN 501, PSY 524, GRN 523. A field experience designed to demonstrate knowledge and skills related to geriatric or gerontological practice.

Electives

GRN 518 Women and Aging (3)
Examines women’s experience of old age and the aging process with specific emphasis on family, medical, and economic institutions. Students participate in an on-going group research project.

GRN 524 Literature of Aging (3)
Contemporary fiction and nonfiction by Philip Roth, Doris Lessing, May Sarton, and others, selected for their depictions of older protagonists and explorations of opportunities and challenges of later life, are analyzed. Literary theories, literary criticism, and gerontological scholarship contribute to the interpretations. The texts’ ways of challenging our culture’s ageism are emphasized. Students give oral reports, write essays, and participate in an e-mail project with a senior group in the community.

GRN 526 Psychosocial Adjustment to Retirement and Later Life (3)
A seminar focusing on the psychosocial aspects of retirement and post-employment years. Theories of aging and scientific inquiry applied to retirement, and their significant others.

GRN 546 Health Care Access for the Elderly (3)
An introduction to the US health care system with an emphasis on issues related to the elderly.  Problems of access to health care for the aging population, their families, and communities.

GRN 591 Directed Individual Research in Gerontology (3)
Prerequisites: GRN 501, PSY 524, GRN 523 or consent of Program Director. Involves research in gerontology under faculty supervision beyond what is offered in existing courses.

GRN 595 Special Topic Seminar in Gerontology (3)
Discussion of special topic related to gerontology. Topics change each semester. May be repeated for credit. Past topics include Elder Law Issues, Social Service Practice for the Elderly, The Transformative Power of the Menopause Time, Epidemiology, and Communication with Alzheimer’s Patients.

GRN 598 Final Project in Gerontology (6)
Click here for instructions.

PAR 505 Bioethics and Aging (3)
Examination of the principles and problems in the application of ethical theory to medical research and practice with emphasis on the special ethical problems of providing health care services to the aging population and involving elderly patients in medical research.

PSY 516 Adult Development and Life Transitions (3)
Explores the major normative and non-normative changes that take place during adulthood.  Operating from a lifespan perspective, topics include an examination of how adults initiate, understand, cope with and resolve life transitions (i.e., parenting, loss, illness, career change, relationship change, etc.)

Additional course offerings through the North Carolina Gerontology Consortium.

For More Information:

Director, Eleanor Krassen Covan, PhD
Gerontology Program, UNCW
601 S. College Road
Wilmington, NC 28403-5625
covane@uncw.edu
Phone: 910-962-3435
Fax: 910-962-7906
Web address: http://www.uncw.edu/gero