Certificate in Gerontology

Courses and Curriculum

The Certificate in Gerontology is a 15-credit program, 5 courses: 3 required courses and 2 elective courses. *Please note, students are required to take HDF 190 (Internship). All courses are 3 credits unless otherwise noted.

Students begin the certificate program by enrolling in SOC/HDF 020: Aging – Change and Adaptation.

Required Courses (9 Credits)

SOC 020: Aging: Change and Adaptation or HDF 020: Aging: Change and Adaptation
Required introductory course for the Gerontology Certificate. Individual and social meanings of aging and old age; physical, physiological, psychological, and sociological changes accompanying aging; individual, family, community, and societal adaptations to aging. This is a cross-listed course; students may enroll in either version for the certificate. Offered in the fall. 

HLTH 100: Biology of Aging (Online) OR HDF 221:  Psychology of Aging

HLTH 100: Human aging examined emphasizing biological and non-pathological physiological changes and their effects on the functioning of elders. Prerequisites: BIOL 004, ANPS 019 and ANPS 020, or Instructor permission. Offered online Fall and Spring semesters.

HDF 190: Internship
Contact the Program Director, Prof. Jackie Weinstock (jsweinst@uvm.edu) to discuss possible placements and timing for this course; this requirement may be waived for CDE students with extensive experience working with and/or for seniors. Pre-requisites: 9 credits towards the Gerontology Certificate, including HDF/SOC 020, HLTH 100 or HDF 221, and one elective course.  Offered every semester as an independent study.

OR

HDF 221: This course provides students with a comprehensive overview of psychological aspects of aging as broadly conceptualized. Students will gain core knowledge and understanding of both normative and non-normative biological, psychological, and social age-related changes in late adulthood. Attention will also be paid to institutional and societal factors that affect late adulthood. In addition to learning about these aspects of late adulthood, key lessons and facilitative practices for supporting positive aging will be explored. A guiding question throughout the course will be: What does it mean to age positively, and how do we, as social service professionals, support positive aging? Offered approximately once every two years.

Elective Courses (6 Credits)

Students who have prior experience working with elders take two electives instead of the internship. Students who enroll in the internship take one elective.

ANTH 189: Aging in Cross-Cultural Perspective
Aging from an anthropological perspective. Topics include exploration of biological and cultural aspects of human aging across the adult life-cycle in a variety of cultural groups. Prerequisite: ANTH 021 or SOC 020. Offered approximately once every two years.

HDF 221: Psychology of Aging
This course provides students with a comprehensive overview of the psychological aspects of aging as broadly conceptualized. Students will gain core knowledge and understanding of both normative and non-normative biological, psychological, and social age-related changes in late adulthood. Attention will also be paid to institutional and societal factors that affect late adulthood. In addition to learning about these aspects of late adulthood, key lessons and facilitative practices for supporting positive aging will be explored. A guiding question throughout the course will be: What does it mean to age positively, and how do we, as social service professionals, support positive aging? Offered approximately once every two years.

HLTH 100: Biology of Aging (Online)
Human aging examined emphasizing biological and non-pathological physiological changes and their effects on the functioning of elders. Prerequisites: BIOL 004, ANPS 019 and ANPS 020, or Instructor permission. Cross-listed with: HDF 152: Psychology of Aging. Offered online Fall and Spring semesters.

NH 120: Health Care Ethics (Online)
A study of ethical principles and applications used to help resolve dilemmas in health care delivery. Introduction to ethical decision-making models used in the practice of modern health care. Offered Spring semesters.

NFS 143: Nutrition in the Life Cycle (Summer, Online)
Nutritional needs of people throughout the life cycle. Physiological and environmental factors which affect nutritional status. Designed for Nutrition majors. Prerequisite: NFS 043. Offered Fall semesters, and online in Summer semesters.

SOC 154: Sociology of Death & Dying
Comparative examination of socio-cultural adaptations to mortality with special attention to family, medical, legal, religious, and economic responses to fatal illness and death in contemporary society. Prerequisite: Three hours of Sociology. Typically offered in the Fall Semester.

SOC 224: Health Care and Aging
Health and health care issues in aging and old age with emphases on chronic illness and health care institutions, occupations, financing, and long-term care. Prerequisites: Six hours of Sociology including SOC 001 and SOC 100, or SOC 001 and SOC 101, or Instructor permission. Offering dependent on instructor availability. 

*An approved aging related course in another relevant program (e.g., PRNU 121: Introduction to Gerontology, available to select majors in CNHS) may fulfill one elective course requirement.

Example Sequence of Courses

Students Taking Two Courses Per Year:

Year 1: (1) HDF/SOC 020 Fall; (2) HLTH 100 or HDF 221 Spring
Year 2: (3) Elective Course (potentially the other of HLTH 100 or HDF 221)
Year 3: (4) HDF 190 Internship; (5) Elective Course 2

Students Taking One Course Per Year:

Year 1: HDF/SOC 020
Year 2: HLTH 100 or HDF 221
Year 3: Elective Course 1 (may be the other of HLTH 100 or HDF 221)
Year 4: HDF 190 Internship or Elective Course 2
Year 5: HDF 190 Internship or Elective Course 2