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Curriculum

Gerontology Minor Program Faculty

Theodore Alter

Ph.D. (Yeshiva University) - Gerontology Minor Coordinator and Assistant Professor of Social Work and :  Aging, dementia, life cycle, health care, end-of-life, ethics, chronic illness, and disability.

Merydawilda Colón

Ph.D. (The City University of New York), L.S.W. - Executive Director of the ������Ƶ Center for Community Engagement and Professor of Social Work:  Social work practice, hospice (grief, death, and dying), acculturation and attitudes of Latinos toward hospice, Latinos and community outreach, social work with oppressed groups.

Lisa E. Cox

Ph.D. (Virginia Commonwealth University), L.C.S.W. - Professor of Social Work:  Clinical social work practice, psychopathology and cultural neuroscience, health care, HIV/AIDS clinical trials research, gerontology, research methods, linkage between social support and medication adherence.

Christine V. Ferri

Ph.D. (Duke University) - Associate Professor of Psychology:  Geropsychology, abnormal psychology, psychotherapy, positive psychology, statistical methods.

Jessica Fleck

Ph.D. (Temple University) – Professor of Psychology:  Cognitive neuroscience, research in the behavioral and neural underpinnings of problem-solving and creativity, age-related cognitive decline, neural predictors of cognitive decline and dementia.

Christine A. Gayda-Chelder

Ph.D. (Drexel University)- Associate Professor of Psychology:  Health psychology, clinical neuropsychology, traumatic brain injury, early detection of dementia, caregiver burden.

Gina Maguire

MSW, LSW - Adjunct Faculty, Senior Operations Specialist  and Coordinator of Older Adult Programs for SCOSA

Admission to the Minor

The program is open to matriculated and non-matriculated students. Matriculated students should inform their preceptor and officially declare the Gerontology Minor on the Declaration of Major and Minor Form provided by the University's Center for Academic Advising.

Gerontology courses may fit into students’ overall graduation requirements in several ways, depending on the student’s major.GERO courses are used as:

• Cognates to SOCY/ANTH, SOWK, PSYC, POLS, CRIM, ECON and some programs in the School of Health Sciences and the School of Business.
• At-some-Distance for majors in the Arts and Humanities or Natural Sciences; students from these areas could use GERO as a “career cluster.” The GSS courses would be counted toward students’ General Studies requirements.

GERO is also a suitable minor for majors in Health Sciences or Business.Students should consult with their preceptor and the GERO Coordinator for additional guidance. The decision about where GERO courses fit into a student’s academic plan is usually made by the student’s preceptor in their major. Planning early, particularly in programs with highly structured requirements, can help students complete the minor without taking additional courses beyond the basic 128 credit hours needed for graduation.

Non-matriculated students wishing to enroll in the program must first contact ������Ƶ's Office of Continuing Studies & Adult Education. This office and the ������Ƶ Center on Successful Aging will assist in planning and enrollment; however, Non-matriculated students must be aware that ������Ƶ’s policy gives matriculated students priority in registration, and openings in desired courses may not be available at the time of Non-matriculated student registration.

Career Opportunities

Gerontologists usually work in one of two general areas:

1. Direct services to older adults or
2. Administration of service, research and education.

Undergraduate course work in Gerontology coupled with the appropriate major prepares students for various entry-level positions in these areas. consistently indicate that jobs in fields related to aging will be particularly abundant for the near future as 72 million baby boomers pass the age of 65 during the next three decades. This will be true especially in New Jersey because of the state’s older- than-average population and even more so in southern New Jersey because of its growing popularity as a retirement destination.

Thus, the study of gerontology can enhance one’s performance and marketability as a professional in many disciplines. For example, social workers, physical and occupational therapists, psychologists, nurses, financial managers and health care administrators all require knowledge of aging.