Gerontology Institute

Main Office 605 One Park Place; 404-413-5210

Gerontology Institute
605 One Park Place
404-413-5210
Email: gerontology@gsu.edu
gerontology.gsu.edu

Elisabeth Burgess, Director
Wendy Simonds, Director of Graduate Studies

Gerontology is more than an academic subject; it provides a way of understanding ourselves and our families as we move across the life course, and it seeks to explain how our society and the world are being revolutionized by an aging population. We know that the aging process is universal. Gerontology shows us how this process is bounded by our genes, our mind, our culture, and our social networks. It acknowledges the realities that often beset old age, but recognizes that the aging process also is malleable and meaningful. Gerontology provides us with powerful tools for understanding the forces that are fundamentally altering our society as well as how they will shape our own future selves.

The Gerontology Institute offers a Master of Arts (M.A.) and a Certificate in Gerontology for students who wish to prepare for careers in the field of aging and focus their graduate studies in the area of gerontology. Students pursuing the M.A. degree may choose either the program administration concentration or the research concentration. The program administration concentration prepares students to work in aging services and administration and emphasizes program design and management. The research concentration prepares students to enter doctoral programs in gerontology, sociology, psychology, policy studies, family studies, or related fields and for beginning careers with organizations engaged in aging research.

The Graduate Certificate in Gerontology is designed to integrate knowledge of gerontology into students’ own disciplinary fields. It is offered for students preparing for a variety of careers in the aging field and for professionals already working in such areas as health care, social services, recreation, government, and business.

Applicants may obtain additional information about the Gerontology Institute by contacting the addresses above.

Master of Arts-Requirements for Admission

1. The general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences.
2. Three letters of recommendation.
3. A statement of educational and career goals.
4. A current resume.

Graduate Certificate-Requirements for Admission

1. Internal Applicants (Students currently enrolled in graduate degree programs at Georgia State University).
   1. The general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences. (An application fee is not required).
   2. Two letters of recommendation.
   3. A statement of educational and career goals.
   4. A current resume.
2. External Applicants (Those not currently enrolled who plan to pursue the certificate program independently of a degree).
   1. The general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences.
   2. Two letters of recommendation.
   3. A statement of educational and career goals.
   4. A current resume.