Student Programs

What are the Certificate curriculum policies?


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Transfer Credits

In special circumstances, students have the opportunity to take a graduate level gerontology course at another institution in a traditional classroom situation or through distance learning. Students may transfer one graduate course into their Certificate program, if appropriate. A student must supply the Assistant Director of the Institute of Gerontology with a copy of the syllabus that will be used in the course. The Assistant Director, in consultation with other gerontology faculty if necessary, will review the syllabus to determine if the course is appropriate for Certificate credit. Approval for completed courses should not be obtained retroactively. Therefore, the student must take responsibility to seek approval from the Institute of Gerontology before enrolling in a course at another college or university.

 

 

Independent Study Credits

In certain circumstances, the GRNT 8000 and GRNT 8010 courses may be taken as independent study courses. Generally, no more than three hours of the Certificate Program can be taken in this manner. The student may enroll in an independent study course of a specific department and also have the course counted under GRNT designation to apply towards the Certificate, if appropriate. The Assistant Director of the Institute of Gerontology must approve the use of GRNT courses for independent study during the semester before enrollment in the independent study begins.

The procedures for crafting an independent study are:

  • The student will complete the Application Form for GRNT 8000 or 8010 included in this booklet on Page 15 to identify a specific area of interest for these credits. The form must be submitted to the Assistant Director and a meeting held to discuss how this particular content cannot be investigated in any of the other approved Certificate courses.
  • The student must also secure consent in writing from a gerontology faculty member who will supervise the independent study. If a student does not have a particular faculty member identified, the Assistant Director can assist the student with this process.
  • The student, in conjunction with the supervising faculty member, will construct learning objectives for the independent study. These will concretely identify what the student will learn from the experience.
  • The student will submit a proposal that outlines the requirements for the independent study along with the Application Form to the Assistant Director of the Institute of Gerontology. The form will include the assignments the student will complete (e.g., a literature review of a particular area) and the product which will be evaluated for the course grade (e.g., completed paper, article or chapter submitted for publication, grant proposal). Both the student and the faculty member who will supervise the independent study will sign the proposal.
  • The student will supply the Institute of Gerontology with a copy of the independent study course assignment at the conclusion of the semester.

 

 

Inactive Student Status

There is no time limit for completing the Certificate Program in Gerontology. However, students who have not taken a course in the Certificate Program over a three-year period will be classified as "inactive" status. If an inactive student chooses to complete the Certificate, he or she should contact the Assistant Director of the Institute of Gerontology who will make an appointment for advising. At this meeting, the student’s tentative program of study will be reviewed, appropriate courses for completing the Certificate will be discussed, and the "inactive" status will be lifted.

 

 

Completion of the Graduate Certificate of Gerontology

Upon completing the requirements for the Gerontology Certificate, the student should complete the form on Page 19 of this booklet and submit it to the Assistant Director. The Institute of Gerontology will obtain a copy of the student’s transcript from the Registrar’s Office to verify that the required program of study has been completed.