Online Gerontology Degree

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Gerontology is the name which refers to the study of old age. It takes a close look at the social, psychological and biological factors of growing old. It's a fact that people in the United States are living longer and as a result it is anticipated that the growth of this industry will grow by up to 24% leading up to 2016 with hundreds of new job opportunities.

People with a degree in gerontology can work within such industries as:

Enrolling for an online gerontology degree program

Plenty of colleges and universities offer online courses in gerontology and there is a choice of certificate, undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral program. The basic requirement for this type of degree is a high school diploma.

The type of person enrolling for this particular degree should have the following characteristic traits:

Certification requirements within this profession vary from state to state. Individuals who have completed a certificate program or who have an associates degree can find work as a gerontological coordinator. Those graduates with a Bachelors degree can apply for credentials as a specialist in gerontology and those with a Masters degree will be able to receive designations as a specialist in gerontology.

Students can choose from the complete range of online programs resulting in degrees in gerontology. For example they could specialize in aging with a certificate, choose to study for a geriatric Masters,a Bachelors degree in gerontology or concentrate on geriatric nursing with a Masters of Science Degree.

Additional online training in subjects such as management, business, and policy planning can further the career of a gerontologist professional allowing them to enter leadership roles in private care facilities, federal, state or local government, or even aging research labs.

Depending on which degree is chosen, students will learn how to meet the social, emotional and physical needs of elderly Americans, how to implement or plan geriatric programs for long term facilities or how to teach gerontology. Students will also study ethical concerns in the care given to geriatrics as well as developing their counseling skills. Other subjects covered in the degrees will include the effects of stress, chronic conditions, risk factors, death and dying, work and aging, plus government policies and medical funding issues.

Career outlook and wages

Jobs are fairly plentiful for gerontologists looking to enter social work and the US Labor of Statistics has already predicted that the amount of jobs for human and social service assistants will have risen by 34% by 2016 resulting in 114,000 new jobs for that period.

Wages vary according to the job role and state, but here are some average figures for a few of those job roles you could consider:

By the year 2030 21% of the United States population will consist of men and women over the age of 65, so as you can see that is a lot of elderly people who will require looking after. Therefore, this is a great profession to choose for a career if you have a real love for old people and see the job as something very worthwhile and rewarding rather than just a pay check.

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