Gerontology MinorStudents

The minor in gerontology offers graduate students the opportunity to expand their interest in aging across several disciplines. Alumni with this additional concentration will add to the understanding of the aging process in all careers, improving the quality of life for the aging population.

Successful completion of the gerontology minor requires 15 credit hours of aging-related coursework in at least three different departments. For a list of approved courses, click here.

  • Anthropology
  • Biological Sciences
  • Consumer Science
  • Health and Kinesiology
  • Human Development and Family Science
  • Nutrition Science
  • Psychological Sciences
  • Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences
  • Sociology

Students may propose additional courses, including independent study, to be used in completing the gerontology minor. Credit hours may also be transferred from another university, provided the criteria provided by the Purdue University Graduate School are met. Up to seven credit hours may be approved by petition to the CALC Steering Committee. A maximum of three credit hours from 400-level courses may count toward the gerontology minor. Per the Graduate School, 400 level courses require a grade of B or above to count. 500 and 600 level courses require a grade of C or above.

Download Credit Petition Policies here.

Download the petition form here.

Our alumni with a graduate minor in gerontology hold faculty positions at the University of Notre Dame, Johns Hopkins, Cornell University, and Purdue, to name a few. Others hold positions around the globe at the Institute of Human Performance & Rehabilitation, Trikala, Greece; the Malaysian Health Ministry; and I-Shou University, Taiwan. A minor in gerontology is a valuable credential for those outside of academia as well, where our alumni hold positions such as Research Associate, Healthcare Quality Strategies, Inc., Brunswick, New Jersey; owner of Miracles Fitness in West Lafayette, Indiana; Psychologist, Brown Center for the Study of Children at Risk; and Independent Clinical Psychologist (emphasizing geropsychology).