Gerontology — PhD Program

UMass Boston’s PhD Program in Gerontology is located in the McCormack Graduate School for Policy Studies. The PhD Program is designed to prepare students for leadership roles as teachers, researchers, planners, and policy makers in this field of growing importance for both the private and the public sectors. The program’s approach reflects the urban mission of the University of Massachusetts Boston. Special attention is given to the needs of the low-income elderly, and to issues of racial and cultural diversity.

The PhD Program in Gerontology qualifies a select group of skilled researchers and policy analysts to extend the frontiers of this growing field through research, teaching, or policy development; and to prepare themselves for leadership roles in our aging society. Advanced work in gerontology is interdisciplinary, bridging theories, concepts, and research methods drawn from several social sciences.

The curriculum of UMass Boston’s PhD Program in Gerontology is designed to give graduates command of a broad body of specialized knowledge in aging and social policy, as well as the capacity to develop methodologically sound procedures to expand that base of knowledge and understanding. The program can be completed in four years: five semesters of full-time course work, one semester of combined course and dissertation work, and two semesters of full-time dissertation work.

The program’s location on campus adjoins UMass Boston’s Gerontology Institute. The Gerontology Institute, established by the Massachusetts Legislature, constitutes a major resource for the doctoral program. The Institute’s mission is to focus attention on the economic, social, and political issues that confront the aging population. Institute activities include policy research and analysis as well as publication of the Journal of Aging & Social Policy. The Institute emphasizes the demography of aging, income security, health care, long-term care, and productive economic and social roles for the elderly. Older people themselves are often involved in the design and execution of Institute activities. Students in the program gain experience by participating in the Institute’s research and policy projects.