Online Master’s Degrees in Gerontology & Nursing Home Management
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As of 2016, the number of seniors living in the United States reached 50,000,000, and the population of Baby Boomers turning 65 happens at an estimated 10,000 people per day. This influx of older adults in the US population will mean an increased demand for geriatric-specific healthcare services. Hospital-based care, long term care facilities, in-home care, chronic-condition management, and hospice will all require a more robust, qualified workforce ready to handle the unique needs of seniors.
While those just turning 65 may not need constant care and attention, a workforce that understands the healthcare needs of adults living into their 70s, 80s, and 90s will be required. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the population of adults over the age of 80—the average age of many nursing home residents—will increase by around 30 percent by the year 2030, from 2 to 2.9 percent of the total population.
Currently, the United States has a shortage of healthcare professionals qualified to manage the systems and teams capable of responding to this demand. John Whitman, executive director of the TRECS Institute, indicated in a recent lecture that nursing facilities are experiencing increased difficulty filling key nursing home positions. Whitman stated that he is “concerned we don’t have enough people coming into these DON (director of nursing) and administrator positions.”
Professionals already in healthcare looking to advance into management or those with management backgrounds looking to transition into healthcare may consider pursuing a master’s degree in gerontology or nursing home management. A graduate-level education in nursing home management can put degree-holders in a strong position to find employment at one of the more than 15,000 nursing homes in the U.S.
In addition, the medical management field is both lucrative and predicted to be a high-growth occupation. According the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), growth for medical and health managers is predicted at 20 percent in the decade preceding 2026—much faster than the average job growth predicted for all occupations (7 percent). According to the BLS, the annual mean salary for a medical or health manager is $96,540. Using data from well-recognized, reputable compensation consulting firms, Salary.com found that the median annual salary for nursing home managers was $109,468.
Experienced professionals interested in earning a master’s degree in gerontology and nursing home management have the option to expand their skills through online programs. Designed with the busy schedules of working professionals in mind, online master’s programs provide the opportunity for advancement into managerial or leadership positions in the field, often without requiring a student to physically relocate or drastically change the established schedule by which they live their lives.
Keep reading for more information on distance-based programs and distinguished professors leading courses in online master’s programs in gerontology.
Featured Online Master’s Degrees in Gerontology
The USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology offers an online master of arts in gerontology (MAG), as well as a master's in aging services management, a master of science in gerontology, a master of long term care administration, and a graduate certificate in gerontology.
The MAG program is specifically designed for working professionals and the required 28 credits are available completely online. The MAG program is noted to be "ideal for individuals who already have obtained expertise in a field such as law, medicine, physical therapy, occupational therapy or other health related professions who find themselves working with an aging population and desire additional training in this area." Graduates from the online MAG program have gone on to work for prestigious companies such as Merrill Lynch as well as nursing homes across the country.
Required courses for the MAG degree include the mind and body connection through the lifespan; social policy and aging; administration and system management; complementary medicine for health and longevity; and the aging family.
- Location: Los Angeles, California
- Accreditation: Western Association of Schools and Colleges
- Expected Time to Completion: full-time (one to 1.5 years), part-time (two to three years)
- Estimated Tuition: $1,800 per credit
The Webster University master of arts in gerontology is offered completely online and requires 36 credits to complete. Students may also choose to complete an MBA with an emphasis in gerontology, which requires a total of 54 credits. Students who graduate from the MAG program will have advanced knowledge of concepts related to healthy aging and will be able to apply scientific research to real world issues in the area of aging.
Required courses for the MA include gerontology, economic issues for older adults, the physiology of aging, the psychology of aging, management of programs for older adults, research and assessment in gerontology, social science perspectives in gerontology, and integrated studies in gerontology. Students at Webster have the opportunity to select elective courses either from within the gerontology major or from other majors at the graduate school, providing provide a breadth of learning that not all programs offer.
- Location: St. Louis, Missouri
- Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission
- Expected Time to Completion: Two years
- Estimated Tuition: $780 per credit
McDaniel College offers a 100 percent online master of science degree in gerontology. Students can also choose to earn the MS on campus or in a hybrid online/campus format. Applicants to the McDaniel program are not required to submit GRE scores. In addition to the MS degree, gerontology courses at McDaniel College are eligible for Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for social workers, psychologists, and counselors. Some of the core courses in the MS curriculum include biology of aging and aging in a diverse society.
The MS program at McDaniel College requires 36 credit-hours and allows students the opportunity to "master an interdisciplinary approach to studying gerontology and improve their ability to work with a diverse population of older adults and their families." Enrolled students are expected to complete and present a thesis prior to being awarded their degree. Students at McDaniel have full access to the school's Center for the Study of Aging, which offers lectures and events throughout the year. Graduates of the program are prepared to obtain managerial or administrative positions at healthcare facilities, long-term care facilities, government agencies, research institutions, or a wide array of private businesses.
- Location: Westminster, Maryland
- Accreditation: Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
- Expected Time to Completion: Two years
- Estimated Tuition: $475 per credit
The University Massachusetts, Boston (UMB) offers an online master of science degree in the management of aging services. The UMB program is specifically designed for students to find or grow in jobs in the aging field, including long-term care, assisted living, elder housing, senior centers, and adult day care.
The MS degree requires 30 credits to complete. UMB also offers a graduate certificate in gerontology that requires only 15 credits to complete. In addition to coursework that covers topics such as program development and management, advocacy, organizational finance, service delivery, resource management, marketing, and health, students in the MS program must complete a capstone project in order to graduate. Recent capstone projects of distinction have included topics such as bullying in senior housing, care for aging veterans, and hoarding among the elderly.
- Location: Boston, Massachusetts
- Accreditation: Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc.
- Expected Time to Completion: Three semesters on a full-time basis, two years for a typical part-time student
- Estimated Tuition: $1,413 per credit
Nova Southeastern University offers an online master of arts in gerontology that does not require any campus visits. The program consists of 33 credits, including six core courses, three concentration courses, a capstone seminar, and a capstone project. Students choose from one of the following concentrations, which will dictate their course of study: public health, gerontology and the family, emergency preparedness, or professional geriatric care management.
Applicants to the MA program do not need to submit GRE scores as part of their application. The varied concentration options make it possible for graduates of this program to pursue many different careers in industries as diverse as travel and hospitality to the more traditional nursing home management.
- Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
- Expected Time to Completion: Two years
- Estimated Tuition: $730 per credit
At Concordia University Nebraska, students can earn a master of health administration with a concentration in gerontology. The program is completely online and does not require a GRE to apply. The MHA program requires 36 credits to complete, including core coursework such as health services organization, health information technology, and health law and ethics.
To complete the concentration in gerontology, students must take specialized coursework including issues in gerontology and aging, social gerontology, and long-term care administration. Students must also complete a three-credit capstone practicum prior to graduation. MHA courses at Concordia are taught by healthcare leaders through a Christian ethics framework, with both industry professionals and aspiring professionals in mind.
- Location: Lincoln, Nebraska
- Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission
- Expected Time to Completion: Two years
- Estimated Tuition: $500 per credit
Texas Tech University offers an online, 36-credit master of science in human development and family studies, with an option to specialize in gerontology. The gerontology specialization requires students to complete 24 credits of core coursework and 12 credits of electives. The Texas Tech program is made possible by the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance. The university also offers a gerontology certificate that requires completion of only 21 credit-hours. Applicants to the MS program must submit a GRE score.
Some of the core courses that students at Texas Tech can expect to take include perspectives in gerontology, adult development, physical health and nutrition in aging, and economics, public policy, and aging
Texas Tech has membership with the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA), which means that students from most U.S. states can legally complete an online course through Texas Tech.
- Location: Lubbock, Texas
- Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
- Expected Time to Completion: Two years
- Estimated Tuition: $530 per credit
Professors to Know in Online Master’s Programs in Gerontology
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Susan Enguídanos, PhD, MPHDr. Susan Enguídanos is an associate professor of gerontology at USC. Dr. Enguídanos has focused her academic research on critical gerontological topics like palliative care, continuity of care, end-of-life care, and physician-patient communications. Her research on end-of-life care received a national Kaiser Permanente Award for quality. At USC, Dr. Enguídanos has a joint appointment with the School of Social Work and teaches teaches psychological and social aspects of death and dying, end-of-life care, and continuum of care: systems perspective.
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Edward Alan Miller, PhD, MPADr. Edward Alan Miller is a professor in the Department of Gerontology and Public Policy PhD Program. Dr. Miller also serves as the director of the McCormack Graduate School graduate program, gerontology PhD program, and gerontology policy/research MS program at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Dr. Miller holds a PhD in political science from the University of Michigan, utilizing the background to delve into research devoted to "understanding the determinants and effects of federal and state policies affecting vulnerable populations, including the frail and disabled elderly, mentally ill, and Veterans." At UMB, Dr. Miller teaches contemporary issues in health politics and policy, and advanced policy analysis.
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Gary Kannenberg, PhDDr. Gary Kannenberg is a professor in the psychology department at Webster University, teaching integrated studies in gerontology. Just one of his many academic publications, Dr. Kannenberg presented a paper he co-authored in 2015 with the title "The Use of Capstone Course in the Assessment of an Online Gerontology Graduate Program." Dr. Kannenberg has followed his research interests to study such topics as drug and alcohol dependence, counseling process and theory, and government and human behavior. Notably, Dr. Kannenberg's recent paper, "Course Development Guidelines for Online Capstone/Thesis Courses," was accepted for presentation for the 17th Annual Hawaii International Conference on Education in 2019.
