The Graduate School Bulletin
Gerontology Program
124 McIver Building
(336) 256-1020
http://www.uncg.edu/gro
Graduate Programs:
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Gerontology, 16 hours
Master of Science in Gerontology (MS), Aging and Business or Non-Profit Management optional concentration, 37-49 hours
Master of Science in Gerontology/Master of Business Administration (MS/MBA) dual degree, 58 hours
Admissions Information
Faculty
Overview
GRO Gerontology Courses
Interdisciplinary Faculty and Advisors:
Program Director:
Janice I. Wassel, PhD, Demography; financial resources and the aging family; retirement decisions of professionals, women, and married couples; caregiving and family systems (Gerontology Program).
Professors
Beth E. Barba, PhD, Human/animal interactions with older adults, Eden Alternative (team care delivery, animals and children) in nursing homes, failure to thrive in older adults (School of Nursing).
Linda Buettner, PhD, Dementia, depression, and Therapeutic programs for older adults, Alzheimer's disease care, and community based interventions for frail older adults (Department of Recreation, Tourism, and Hospitality Management).
Laurie M. Kennedy-Malone, PhD, Community-gerontological nursing (School of Nursing).
Jane E. Myers, PhD, Gerontological counseling, adult development, developmental counseling, wellness, clinical assessment, adult children of older adults (Department of Counseling and Educational Development).
William L. Tullar, PhD, Knowledge management, human resource metrics, and employee selection (Department of Business Administration).]
Associate Professors
Kenneth A. Klase, DPA, Public administration, public budgeting and finance, public financial management. (Department of Political Science).
Olav Rueppell, PhD, Life history and behavior of social insects, aging and genetics of complex traits (Department of Biology).
Martha Taylor, PhD, Nutritional health and needs of older adults, health promotion/disease prevention, nutrition education (Department of Nutrition).
Assistant Professor
Kurt W. Kornatz, PhD, Adaptations of the neuromuscular system in response to aging and training (Department of Kinesiology).
Lecturer
Sandra Leak, MHA, Comparative long term care policy at the community and state level (Department of Public Health Education).
Overview
Graduates of the gerontology programs are prepared to meet the growing demand for trained professionals in public service at local, state, and federal agencies and private, nonprofit agencies or organizations or for business professionals educated on aging issues and ready to face the markets and demands of society's changing demographics in areas such as residential options, home care markets, human resource or long term care options. All options include internship/research opportunities. Students work closely with faculty to prepare a customized portfolio according to individual's career goals.
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Gerontology
The Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Gerontology requires 16 semester hours that must be successfully completed during four academic years. Courses fulfilling the certificate program may be used to meet requirements in a degree program in accordance with the policies of The Graduate School.
Application and Admission
In addition to the application materials required by The Graduate School, applicants must submit a personal essay elaborating on their experience and/or interest in working with older adults.
Students wishing to pursue the certificate in gerontology while pursuing a graduate degree should consult with the Director of the Gerontology Program and with the department of interest.
Certificate Requirements
Required Core Courses (10 hours)
GRO 501 Seminar: Critical Issues of Aging (3)
GRO 600 Proseminar in Gerontology (1)
GRO 621 Health and Aging (3)
GRO 649 Gerontology Internship or Research Experience I (3)
GRO 501, GRO 600, and GRO 601 should be completed during the first academic year after acceptance to the certificate program.
Electives (6 hours)
To meet the student's educational objectives, three courses (6 hours) are selected under advisement from three core areas:
Biology/health
Gerontology
Psychosocial
MS - Master of Science in Gerontology
The MS in Gerontology requires 37-49 semester hours of course work and internships/research experiences. The programs offers concentrations in aging and business and nonprofit management (jointly with the Department of Political Science) and thesis and non-thesis options.
Application and Admission
In addition to the application materials required by The Graduate School, applicants must submit a personal essay elaborating on their experience and/or interest in working with older adults.
Applicants to the nonprofit management concentration must apply simultaneously to the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in nonprofit management offered by the Department of Political Science.
Degree Requirements
Required Core Courses (22 hours)
GRO 501 Seminar: Critical Issues of Aging (3)
GRO 600 Proseminar in Gerontology (1)
GRO 620 Research Methods in Gerontology (3)
GRO 621 Health and Aging (3)
GRO 649 Gerontology Internship or Research Experience I (3)
*GRO 651 Integrative Seminar in Gerontology (3)
GRO 679 Gerontology Internship or Research Experience II (3)
ERM 517 Statistical Methods in Education (3) or
STA 571 Statistical Methods for Research I (3) and STA 571L Statistical Methods Laboratory I (1)
*Indicates Capstone Experience
Students are required to complete GRO 501 and GRO 600 in the first fall semester enrolled in the program. Additionally, students will be strongly encouraged to take both GRO 620 and GRO 621 during their first 16 semester hours after acceptance into the MS program. It is recommended that students complete the statistics requirement prior to enrolling in GRO 620. Students accepted without an undergraduate statistics course are encouraged to complete such a course prior to enrolling in the graduate statistics course for all MS options.
Electives (15 hours)
To meet the student's educational objectives, fifteen (15) hours are selected under advisement from three academic areas:
Biology/health
Gerontology
Psychosocial
Thesis Option
GRO 699 Thesis (1-6)
With faculty approval, students who are interested in exploring a specific research problem in depth may choose to complete a thesis. Students must register for up to six (6) hours of thesis thereby reducing elective hours.
Aging and Business Concentration
The Aging and Business concentration requires 49 hours for the thesis option or 43 hours for the non-thesis option. The concentration is designed to prepare graduates to integrate the critical issues of aging and business across a wide-range of settings, including health and wellness programming, older adult housing and retirement communities, product development and marketing, policy and program development, or financial gerontology.
Required Core Courses (22 hours)
GRO 501 Seminar: Critical Issues in Aging (3)
GRO 600 Proseminar in Gerontology (1))
GRO 620 Research Methods in Gerontology (3)
GRO 621 Health and Aging (3)
GRO 649 Gerontology Internship or Research Experience I (3)
*GRO 651 Integrative Seminar in Gerontology (3)
GRO 679 Gerontology Internship or Research Experience II (3)
ERM 517 Statistical Methods in Education (3) or
STA 571 Statistical Methods for Research I (3) and STA 571L Statistical Methods Laboratory I (1)
*Indicates Capstone Experience.
Additional Aging Requirements (9 hours)
GRO 610 Life Planning for the Third Age (3)
GRO 622 Financing Longevity: Issues in Insurance (3)
GRO 631 Planning and Evaluation for Professionals in Aging (3)
GRO 611 Issues in Aging and Business (3)
Students must choose two:
GRO 611A Silver Industries (1.5)
GRO 611B Boomer Demographic Phenomena (1.5)
Business Applications Requirements (6 hours)
MBA 702 Financial and Managerial Accounting (3)
MBA 703 Economic Environment of the Firm (3)
Electives (6 hours)
Elective courses are selected with faculty advisement to permit tailoring of the program of study to the student's specific interests. With faculty consultation, students select 6 hours of elective courses at the 500 or 600 level from a range of disciplines including gerontology, sociology business administration, counseling, human development and family studies, public health education, and/or social work.
Thesis Option
GRO 699 Thesis (1-6)
With faculty approval, students who are interested in exploring a specific research problem in depth may choose to complete a thesis.
NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT CONCENTRATION
The Nonprofit Management concentration requires 46 hours for the thesis option and 40 hours for the non-thesis option. The concentration is designed to prepare graduates to meet the growing demand for trained professionals in public service at local, state and federal agencies; private, nonprofit agencies, and voluntary organizations serving the elderly and older adult population and/or meeting the needs of an aging society. Course work fulfills the requirements for the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Nonprofit Management through the Department of Political Science. Students must submit an application for the certificate.
Required Core Courses (25 hours)
GRO 501 Seminar: Critical Issues of Aging (3)
GRO 600 Proseminar in Gerontology (1)
GRO 620 Research Methods in Gerontology (3)
GRO 621 Health and Aging (3)
GRO 649 Gerontology Internship or Research Experience I (3)
*GRO 651 Integrative Seminar in Gerontology (3)
ERM 517 Statistical Methods in Education (3) or
STA 571 Statistical Methods for Research I (3) and
STA 571L Statistical Methods Laboratory I (1)
PSC 540 Nonprofit Management and Leadership (3)
PSC 550 Philanthropy and Resource Development (3)
*Indicates Capstone Experience.
Choice Requirements (3 hours)
Students must choose one of the following:
PSC 511F Problems in Public Management: Financial Management (1) or PSC 511R Problems in Public Management: Nonprofit Budgets (1)
And students choose two of the following:
PSC 511B Problems in Public Management: Marketing for Public and Nonprofit Agencies (1)
PSC 511D Problems in Public Management: Strategic Planning (1)
PSC 511G Problems in Public Management: Grant Writing (1)
PSC 511N Problems in Public Management: Nonprofit Law (1)
Elective Requirements (9 hours)
Elective courses are selected with faculty advisement to permit tailoring of the program of study to the student's specific interests. With faculty consultation, students select 9 hours of elective courses at the 500 or 600 level with at least 3 credit hours in political science and 3 credit hours in gerontology. Other possible electives include courses in business administration, counseling, human development and family studies, public health education, and/or social work.
Internship or Research Experience Requirement (3 hours)
GRO 679 Gerontology Internship or Research Experience II (3)
With advisement of faculty in the Gerontology Program, students select an appropriate structured setting as an experiential learning activity within a public or nonprofit agency. The internship or research experience will provide students with practical experience in the ongoing operations of an agency of government or in an organization engaged in public affairs activities serving the elderly or addressing the needs of an aging society.
Thesis Option
GRO 699 Thesis (1-6)
With faculty approval, students who are interested in exploring a specific research problem in depth may choose to complete a thesis.
MS/MBA - Master of Science in Gerontology / Master of Business Administration
The MS/MBA is offered jointly by the Gerontology Program and the Bryan School of Business and Economics and requires a minimum of 58 semester hours.
Application and Admission
In addition to the application materials required by The Graduate School, applicants must submit a personal essay elaborating on the applicant's experience and/or interest in working with older adults.
Applicants may take either the GMAT or GRE qualifying exam and must have a minimum of two years of relevant work experience. Applications are reviewed by both the Director of Gerontology Program and the MBA Program Director.
Degree Requirements
Computer Literacy
Upon entry to the MS/MBA degree program, students should have a working knowledge of word processing and spreadsheet applications in a PC environment. Familiarity with Excel is required. Students must also be familiar with basic probability and statistics as covered in computer-based training modules approved by the MBA Program.
Required Core Course (46 hours)
Students are strongly encouraged to enroll in GRO 600 and GRO 501 concurrently.
MBA 701 Quantitative Analysis for Decision Making (3)
MBA 702 Financial and Managerial Accounting (3)
MBA 703 Economic Environment of the Firm (3)
MBA 704 Leadership Assessment and Career Enhancement (3)
MBA 705 Processes, Information Systems, and Business Value (3)
MBA 706 Marketing Management (3)
MBA 707 Financial Management (3)
MBA 708 Operations for Competitive Advantage (3)
MBA 709 Human Capital in Organizations (3)
MBA 710 Ethical Leadership and Sustainable Business (3)
*MBA 712 Strategic Management (3) or GRO 679 Gerontology Internship or Research Experience II (3)
GRO 501 Seminar: Critical Issues of the Aged (3)
GRO 600 Proseminar in Gerontology (1)
GRO 620 Research Methods in Gerontology (3)
*GRO 649 Gerontology Internship or Supervised Research I (3)
GRO 651 Integrative Seminar in Gerontology (3)
*Indicates Capstone Experience
Electives (12 hours)
Selected upon advisement to permit tailoring of the program of study to the student's specific interests and to include at least 9 semester hours in gerontology or gerontology electives.
GRO Gerontology Courses
501 Seminar: Critical Issues of Aging (3:3)
Intensive review and analysis of the literature and research on issues of aging and the unresolved problems. (Fall)
589 Experimental Course
This number reserved for experimental courses. Refer to the Course Schedule for current offerings.
600 Proseminar in Gerontology (1:1)
Introduction and gateway to the profession and study of gerontology including career roles and paths, professional development and ethics, and research processes and conduct.
601 Practical Issues in Aging (1:1)
Examination of a topic in aging from an applied perspective applicable to professionals working in the field of aging. May be repeated for a maximum of 3 credits when topic varies.
610 Life Planning for the Third Age (3:3)
Pr. permission of instructor
Integrative approach to explore how trends in finances, relationships, health, self-development, housing and work/leisure time interact to impact quality of life and options available to aging adults.
611A Silver Industries (1.5:1.5)
Comprehensive overview of the gerontological trends and associated business consequences that characterize an aging society. Case illustrations highlighted.
611B The Boomer Demographic Phenomena (1.5:1.5)
Comprehensive overview of the current and future societal and demographic trends as a consequence of the Boomer Demographic Phenomena with implications for government, community, and business markets. Applied demographic exercises.
611C Workforce and Human Resource Polices for Aging Societies (1.5:1.5)
Examines the impact of aging societies on workforce issues and the need for government and employer policies and programs.
620 Research Methods in Gerontology (3:3)
Pr. 501 and permission of instructor
The integration and application of qualitative and quantitative research designs and methods used in gerontology. Additional attention focuses on the formulation and writing of a research proposal.
621 Health and Aging (3:3)
Examines aspects of health and aging from an integration of biomedical and psychosocial perspectives. Foundations for the professional practice of gerontology.
622 Financing Longevity: Topics in Insurance (3:3)
Overview of concepts and products of insurance related to financing longevity in the United States. Topics include Medicare, Medicaid, long term care insurance and related products.
631 Planning and Evaluation for Professionals in Aging (3:3)
Introduction to the knowledge and skills related to planning and evaluating innovative responses to the aging of society using program theory as a foundation.
632 Communities Responding to an Aging Society (3:3)
Addresses community responses to an aging society and how those responses may be enhanced through civic engagement, infrastructure development, and public/private initiatives. Emphasizes developing and sustaining innovative programs.
633 Long Term Care Public Policy (3:3)
Addresses public policy related to the organization, financing, and delivery of the broad continuum of long term care with a concentration on the care of frail older adults.
649 Gerontology Internship or Research Experience I (3:0:10-12)
Pr. 501 and permission of instructor
First internship or research experience for graduate students in gerontology. 140 to 160 hours in a program approved site developed from among nonprofit, governmental, or business settings. (Graded on S-U basis)
651 Integrative Seminar in Gerontology (3:3)
Pr. enrollment in the MS in gerontology program and completion of at least 24 hours of course work including: 501, 620, 649, ERM 517 or STA 571 (plus lab), and 12 hours of gerontology electives
Integration of current literature and theoretical applications in gerontology focusing on specific area(s) of student's specialty and internship experiences. Additional emphasis on professional writing, presentations, networks, and extramural funding. (Spring)
676 Special Topics in Gerontology (1-3)
Study of a special topic in gerontology. May be repeated for credit when topic varies.
677 Entrepreneurship Opportunities in Healthy Aging (3:3)
Examination of entrepreneurship opportunities related to the aging population, with specific attention to products and services that extend the healthy lifespan. Includes development of Business Opportunity Analysis. (Same as KIN 677 and ENT 677)
679 Gerontology Internship or Research Experience II (3:0:12-15)
Pr. admission to the MS in gerontology. Completion of at least 2/3 course work, including 501, 600, 620, and 649, CITI certification for social and behavioral sciences, and permission of instructor
Final internship or research experience for graduate students in gerontology. 160 to 200 hours in a program approved site developed from among nonprofit, governmental, or business settings (Graded on S-U basis)
695 Independent Study (1-3)
Intensive study in an area of special interest in gerontology. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 semester hours credit.
699 Thesis (1-6)
Pr. 501, 620, 649, 651, 660
Individual guidance in the development of a specific research problem. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 hours credit. (Graded on S-U basis)
711 Experimental Course
This number reserved for experimental courses. Refer to the Course Schedule for current offerings.
801 Thesis Extension (1-3)
803 Research Extension (1-3)