Official Certificate Program in Gerontology
The Official Certificate Program (OCP) in Gerontology is designed to prepare students to meet the growing demand for professionals who understand the opportunities, concerns, and needs associated with our aging population. The program is geared toward a diverse group of students and professionals who desire to increase their aging literacy and find their niche in this growing and exciting field. The U.S. Department of Labor has identified careers in aging as a high-growth industry. The program curriculum is tailored to meet the needs of each student within this interdisciplinary field and can be applied to a wide variety of careers including medicine and caregiving, social service and non-profits, policy and outreach, business and marketing, architecture and urban planning, law and advocacy, exercise science, and management and administration. A graduate certificate in gerontology will provide graduates with a solid foundation in gerontology that will allow them to better meet the needs of the aging population within their particular field or industry.
Program Learning Outcomes
1. Utilize gerontological frameworks to examine the physical, psychological, and social factors underlying the aging process.
2. Critically assess the social policies that affect diverse individuals, families, and societies as members age.
3. Demonstrate understanding of ethical principles to guide work with and on behalf of older adults.
4. Engage with interdisciplinary research to advance knowledge and promotes individual and community based interventions to benefit older adults.
5. Demonstrate ability to communicate their gerontological perspective.
Admission Requirements
Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education. Applicants must also have a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.00 on a 4.00 point scale (where A is 4.00), or its equivalent. Applicants with a GPA between 2.40 – 2.99 who demonstrate potential and whose coursework and/or experiences relate to gerontology can be considered for conditional admission.
The admissions application, application fee, and official transcripts from each college and university attended (except Central Connecticut State University) must be submitted to the Graduate Recruitment and Admissions Office.
Requirements (15 credits)
Required Courses (9 credits)
Directed Electives (6 credits)
| CNSL 565 | Foundations of Gerontology Conseling | 3 |
| CNSL 566 | Community Resources, Systems, and Challenges in Counseling the Older Adult | 3 |
| ENG 483 | Advanced Creative Nonfiction | 3 |
| ENT 475 | New Venture Challenge: Lean Launch Methodology | 3 |
| EXS 592 | Advanced Physiology of Sport & Exercise I | 3 |
| EXS 593 | Advanced Physiology of Sport and Exercise II | 3 |
| GERO 590 | Special Topics in Gerontology | 3 to 4 |
| GERO 591 | Advanced Independent Reading and Research in Gerontology | 1 to 3 |
| GERO 595 | Graduate Internship in Gerontology | 3 |
| MGT 475 | New Venture Challenge: Lean Launch Methodology | 3 |
| PSY 520 | Global Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 541 | Health Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 542 | Psychology of Stress | 3 |
| PSY 543 | Stress Management: Theory & Research | 3 |
| PSY 544 | Biofeedback: Principles and Practices | 3 |
| PSY 547 | Clinical Health Psychology and Chronic Illness | 3 |
| PSY 550 | Community Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 551 | Prevention and Community-Based Research | 3 |
| PSY 553 | Evaluation Research | 3 |
| PSY 571 | Psychology of Women's Health | 3 |
| SOC 441 | Sociology of the Aging Body | 4 |
| SOC 461 | Intimacy and Aging | 4 |
Total Credit Hours: 15