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Gerontology Certificate Requirements
A grade of C or better is required in all Gerontology Certificate coursework to count towards the certificate. In addition, the GPA for Gerontology Certificate coursework must be 3.0 or higher.
Please use USU's unofficial GPA Calculator to compute Gerontology Certificate GPA: http://www.usu.edu/advising/gpa/Files/GPACalculatorExcel2011.htm
All Gerontology course work must carry a letter grade. Gerontology courses may not be taken pass/fail.
1) Coursework
Required courses (6 credits):
- FCHD 3540: Adult Development and Aging (3 credits)
- FCHD 4240: Social and Family Gerontology (3)
OR
NFS 4480: Community Nutrition (3)
Elective courses (6 credits):
Students pick six additional credits from a list of approved courses across various majors and departments. Students are encouraged to choose electives that will be most applicable to their chosen field of study.
In elective courses, if a student is given an option to choose a topic for a paper or project, the student is encouraged to choose a topic related to adulthood and aging.
Students should use the course catalog to determine the semesters that the following courses are offered and/or if there are any additional requirements (example: pre-requisites, junior standing). Some of these courses are offered only rarely – the student is responsible for checking to make sure the course is offered when he or she wants to take it.
| COMD 2910 | Sign Language I (3) |
| FCHD 3340 | Housing: Societal and Environmental Issues (3) |
| FCHD 3350 | Family Finance (3) |
| HEP 3200 | Consumer Health (3) |
| HEP CI 3600 | Introduction to Community Health (3) |
| HEP CI 5000 | Race, Culture, Class, & Gender Issues in Health (3) |
| MUSC 3320 | Psychology of Music I (2) (see instructor) |
| NFS 2020 | Nutrition Through the Life Cycle (3) |
| NFS 4540 | Nutritional Assessment (3) |
| NFS 4550 | Clinical Nutrition I (2) |
| NFS 5200 | Nutritional Epidemiology (2) |
| NFS 5630 | Nutrition in Aging (2) |
| PHIL 3500 | Medical Ethics (3) |
| POLS 3810 | Introduction to Public Policy (3) |
| PRP 3100 | Leisure and Aging (2) |
| PRP 4500 | Diverse Populations (3) |
| PSY 1210 | Human Adjustment (3) |
| PUBH 3120 | Family and Community Health (3) |
| SOC 3200 | Population and Society (3) |
| SOC 3330 | Medical Sociology (3) |
| SOC 3600 | Sociology of Urban Places (3) |
| SOC 6460 | Sociology of Health (3) |
| SW 3550 | Social Gerontology (3) |
| SW 3750 | Medical Social Services (3) |
| SW 4900 | Special Topics (if related to Aging) (3) |
Other courses not listed are subject to Approval by Gerontology Certificate Coordinator, who will need to see the syllabus, and may ask to see assignments and a writing sample from the course.
2) Practical Experience
FCHD 4970: Gerontology Practicum (3 credits)
The Gerontology Practicum requires that students work 150 hours in a professional setting of their choice, which deals directly with the aging population. The goal of the practicum is to provide students with "hands-on" experience working with an older population, while also giving them training for future job opportunities. The practicum arrangements are coordinated by Grant Bartholomew.
Email: grant.bartholomew@usu.edu
Phone: (435) 797-1593
3) Integrative Paper
FCHD 4940: Gerontology Integration (1 credit)
As students near the end of their certificate requirements, they write an 8-10 page paper on an approved topic of their choice, in which they integrate their academic knowledge and their practical experiences within their chosen field of study. In this course you will work one-on-one with the gerontology certificate coordinator.
4) Service and Professional Development
Students participate in USU's Student Gerontology Association (SGA) for at least two semesters (5 hours of club-related activity is required to be considered active in the club). SGA is a club that meets regularly and conducts service projects with older adults in the community. The club also arranges activities which foster career development, such as inviting speakers to campus to talk about jobs in aging, or touring facilities or organizations that work with older adults. Students who are not located at USU's Logan campus can meet this requirement by participating in 10 hours of volunteer service within their own community.
