Online Masters in Gerontology

Gerontology is the study of aging and the mental, physical, and sociological aspect of the human aging process. A degree in gerontology would best suit one who is surrounded by aging patients or clients at work. Studying gerontology would help you communicate and understand the aging person, allowing you to better take care of the patient. Gerontology is particularly important now due to people living longer and the Baby Boomers generation growing older.

Online Master’s Degrees in Gerontology Requirements

In order to receive an online master’s degree in gerontology, one must have a bachelor’s degree to enter the program. To be a successful candidate for the online master’s degree in gerontology, one must have excellent communication skills, patience, knowledge of social services as well as social policies, and clinical experience working with elderly patients either from a nursing home, hospital, or retirement home.

Most online master’s degree gerontology candidates have a bachelor’s degree in fields such as:

• Nursing
• Occupational Therapy
• Physician Assistant
• Psychology
• Physical Therapy

In addition, online gerontology students may also have bachelor’s degrees as healthcare providers. Healthcare providers also, quite often, have aging patients for which a degree in gerontology would benefit.

Online Gerontology Master’s Degree Education

Good online master’s degree programs in gerontology typically take between 2 to 4 years to complete. The types of gerontology degrees offered by the best gerontology master’s programs online include:

• Master of Science in Gerontology (MS in Gerontology)
• Master of Arts in Gerontology (MA in Gerontology)

Information on Gerontology Courses

The best online master’s degree programs in gerontology emphasize the importance of relationships with the older person and their family, social functions as one ages, the health of the aging population, how to prevent diseases, how to maintain well-being, and focusing on the changing needs of the aging individuals.

Some common courses found in the master’s degree program of gerontology include:

• Psychological Aspects of Aging
  This course focuses on the changes one goes through as the aging process occurs. This course teaches the mental, emotional, intellectual, personality, and behavioral changes in the elderly as well as the normal aging and pathological aging processes.
• Health and Aging
  This course will help students learn normal aging and aging with chronic illnesses. The theories of aging and body changes are emphasized in this course.
• Sociology of Aging
  This course examines the social aspect of the aging process. Students will learn how aging effects society, the cultural side of society, and social policies directed towards the aging population.
• The Aging Family
  Topics in this course include conflicts as the family ages, generation differences, family networking, and changing social roles. This course is valuable to the student to understand family care-giving.
• The Older Learner
  This course covers the theory and research of people learning later in life. Students will focus on the teaching and learning process of the older individual as well as the psychological and social aspect of obtaining an education later in life.

Specializations and Concentrations

Because gerontology is a broad field, in order to become an expert in a specific niche, some online master’s gerontology students will pursue specialties or concentrations in areas including:

• Nursing, especially for those who work in nursing homes
• Social Work with the Elderly
• Sociology
• Psychology

Careers in Gerontology

Getting a masters online in gerontology offers so many work opportunities because gerontology will be a benefit to many careers which work with the elderly. Some of the most popular career choices of an online gerontology master’s degree graduate include:

• Social Work
  Social workers help to improve the quality of life of others by focusing on their mental, health, or social problems. Social workers usually help people with family issues that affect them and how they can overcome these issues. A social worker with a degree in gerontology works with the elderly, assisting them and teaching them how to deal with every day physical and emotional changes as they age. The Bureau of Labor Statistics claims the average salary of a social worker is about $46,000 if they work in hospitals and nursing care facilities. They also predict an increase in the employment of social work.
• Nurse
  Nurses assist doctors and help patients with any needs they may have. A nurse with a master’s degree in gerontology is one that works in a facility with the elderly such as a nursing home or retirement home. The average salary of a registered nurse is about $62,000 and job opportunities are expected to increase.
• Medical and Health Service Manager
  A medical and health service manager is employed in doctor’s offices and hospitals. They are in charge of the daily responsibilities of the facility and can work as administrators of nursing homes, focusing on work with the elderly. The health service manager average salary is about $80,000 a year working in hospitals. The job employment is expected to grow faster than average.
• Social Scientists
  Social scientists study human behavior. One with a master’s degree in gerontology would study and conduct various research projects on how the aging process affects human behavior. The average salary of a social scientist is about $53,000 a year and the job opportunities are expected to grow.
• Occupational Therapist
  An occupational therapist with a master’s degree in gerontology works with the elderly to overcome daily obstacles they face after a stroke or injury. Occupational therapist average $66,000 a year, but can earn even more working in home health care services. The job opportunities are expected to increase a lot faster than average.

A master’s degree in gerontology can be acquired through an online school opening up a variety of job opportunities to put you ahead of job competition, giving you an increased chance of getting and maintaining the job you desire.