Center on
Aging Studies
at the University of Missouri-Kansas City
The Undergraduate-level minor and certificate prepares students for beginning careers in the field of aging and for graduate study in aging-related pursuits. Gaining this information, knowledge, and these skills relevant to serving and/or working with older persons is increasingly important in our aging society and is applicable to a wide range of professional roles.
In addition, an undergraduate minor in gerontology will appear on your permanent transcript, to show prospective employers that you have earned 18 credit hours of organized formal education to better understand the sociological, psychological, and biological aspects of the process of aging. This knowledge will better equip you to separate the truths of aging from the myths, and to understand the aging society around you.
ENROLLMENT:
If you are an active, enrolled undergraduate student at UMKC, and would like to earn a certificate and minor in gerontology, please fill out the the ENROLLMENT FORM. You may then email it to GERONTOLOGY COORDINATOR. The gerontology studies coordinator will call you and set a time when the two of you can meet to discuss the details of your certificate/minor.
NOTE: If you want to declare a Minor in gerontology, be sure and obtain a Declaration of Major (DOM) form from your advisor, and take it with you when you meet with the gerontology studies coordinator!
If you are not currently enrolled as a student at UMKC, and desire to earn an undergraduate certificate in gerontology, simply fill out the enrollment form (above) and email it to the coordinator, who will contact you. Non-degree seeking undergraduate students must have a minimum of an Associate's Degree, or the equivalent, to enroll in the Undergraduate Gerontology Certificate.
REQUIREMENTS:
Eighteen (18) credit hours include a total of:
 |
three (3) credits in each of three aging core areas (sociology, psychology, and health/biology)--for a total of nine (9) core credit hours, |
|
six (6) credit hours of electives, and |
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three (3) credits of field practicum experience in aging |
These credits are in addition to those required for a major, except where departmental requirements can be met by taking gerontology courses in that discipline.
UNDERGRADUATE CORE COURSE OPTIONS:
You may also contact the instructor-of-record for a copy of a class syllabus for descriptions and further course details.
*Class identification numbers, letters, and instructors may be subject to change.
SOCIOLOGY (3 cr. hrs. needed)
Sociology 410R Aging in Contemporary Society (3 cr. hrs.); or
Social Science 411P Aging in America - Past and Present (4 cr. hrs.)
PSYCHOLOGY (3 cr. hrs. needed)
Psychology 440 Psychology of Aging (3 cr. hrs.); or
Psychology 441 Adult Development and aging (3 cr. hrs.); or
Psychology 450 Special Topics: Counseling the Older Adult (3 cr. hrs.).
HEALTH / BIOLOGY (3 cr. hrs. needed)
Nursing 430A, B, & C The
Experience of Health in Aging
(3 1-cr. hr. classes)
(Completion of all three is required to satisfy the Health/Biology core
requirement.); or
Natural Science 430PC - Biological and Ethical
Issues of Aging (3 cr. hrs.)
(This course also fulfills the cluster course requirement for
undergraduate degree-
seeking students.)
FIELD PRACTICUM EXPERIENCE (3 cr. hrs. needed)
Arts & Sciences 492 Field Practicum in Aging
(3 cr. hrs.)
(Consent of Instructor and completion of 3 core courses required for
enrollment.)
ELECTIVES (a total of 6 cr. hrs. needed from the classes below) Electives can be chosen as follows:
|
You may choose two additional core course options in addition to the ones you have already taken, |
|
You may choose any six of the one-credit electives offered each semester, or |
|
You may choose a combination of a second core course and three one-credit electives |
(Many of the
electives are not offered on a regular basis. Hence, please
check the current semester’s
UMKC
Class Schedule for options.)
ELECTIVES
Note: It is possible to choose a second selection from the core areas for an elective, however, please check with the Gerontology Advisor prior to doing so.
Many of the following elective courses are not offered on a regular basis, but rather as interest or timeliness of the topic merits. Please check the current semester’s UMKC Class Schedule, www.umkc.edu/ or university catalog for options.
Electives may include three (3) credit hours from the following:
Class identification numbers and letters may change each semester. For further details and descriptions of courses, please refer to our web page of Current and UpcomingClasses.
Arts and
Sciences 490, Aging in Literature & Film (2 credits.)
Philosophy 401PC, Biological and Ethical Issues of Aging (3 credits)
Political Science 380, Public Policy and Aging (3 credits)
Psychology 450, The Psychology of the Aging Family (1 credit)
Sociology 300, Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: The Skip-Generation Families (1 credit)
Sociology 300, Aging American Veterans: Their Issues and Their Stories
Sociology 300, Social Security: Dispelling the Myths (1 credit)
Sociology 300, Legal, Medical, and Ethical Issues of Aging (1 credit)
Sociology 300, Volunteerism (1 credit)
Sociology 300, Elder Abuse (1 credit)
Sociology 300, The Dynamics of an Aging Workforce (3 credits)
Sociology 316, The Sociology of Death and Dying (3 credits)
Sociology 300, The Sociology of the Aging Woman (3 credits)
Sociology 416, Aging and Developmental Disabilities (2 credits)
Sociology 417, Aging and Developmental Disabilities Practicum (1credit)
(This course can only be taken in conjunction with Soc.416, above.)
Sociology 300, Caregiving: Paradigm and Paradox (1 credit)
Sociology 300, Intimacy and Aging (1 credit)
Sociology 300, Successful Aging (1 credit)
Sociology 300. Substance Abuse and the Elderly (1credit)
Sociology 300, Aging in the Movies (1 credit)
(Please refer to UMKC Class Schedules and Classes by Semester Offered websites for further details on courses)
Note: Undergraduate students enrolling in the entire PACE block on Aging--and who choose Natural Science 430PC from the cluster course--will earn 12 credit hours toward the undergraduate gerontology certificate. Upon successful completion of this block, the student will only need to take a three-credit core option in psychology and aging, and complete the field practicum experience in aging, to earn an undergraduate Gerontology Certificate. Gerontology students enrolling in the PACE block on Aging who enroll in Phil.401PC will also need to complete N430A, B, AND C to complete their certificate requirements.
(Also see the following pages):
All Courses by Semester Offered
.