Curriculum Guide for the Master of Science in Aging Studies Program

Program Total Credit Hours: 36

IMPORTANT NOTES:

For information regarding the duration of courses and which half of the semester an accelerated course is offered, please refer to the list of GERO Graduate Course Descriptions.
Refer to UIndy’s online course search to determine when/if courses are offered. All course offerings are subject to change based on enrollment and other factors.
Additional electives housed in other programs at UIndy are available to MS-AGST students. Refer to the list of Potential Electives for Students in the MS-AGST Program and consult your Academic Advisor for more information.

REQUIRED COURSES

Students pursuing only the MS-AGST must complete 21 credit hours of Required courses. Students in a dual program may have different requirements and should consult with their Academic Advisor.
All Required courses are 3 credit hours.
HSCI 536 is a course housed in the Doctor of Health Science program with the prefix HSCI.

GERO 596 - Capstone Seminar
- This course may not be offered every semester depending on student enrollment. Students should consult with their Academic Advisor for more information.
- Registering for this course requires permission from the Program Director.
- Prerequisites for taking this course are successfully completing 30+ credit hours and a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Students pursuing only the MS-AGST must complete 6 credit hours of Elective courses. Students in a dual program may have different requirements and should consult with their Academic Advisor.
GERO 590 - Practicum (conditionally required)
- This course is only required for MS-AGST students who have not previously worked or volunteered with the older adult population.
  - Students without previous experience should register for 3 credit hours of GERO 590.
  - Students who have previous experience should register for 3 credits of Elective courses instead of GERO 590.
- Students in a dual program will fulfill GERO 590 by successfully completing their fieldwork placement, serving a population that has at least half of the people over 50 years old.
GERO 599 - Independent Study is a variable 1.5-6.0 credit hour course and is a possible elective arranged individually with permission of the Aging Studies Program Director.
Additional electives, including those in the Concentration Track section below, are available to MS-AGST students. Refer to the list of Potential Electives for Students in the MS-AGST Program and consult your Academic Advisor for more information.

The following elective courses listed below are 1.5 credit hours each. Courses may not be offered every semester.

Students pursuing only the MS-AGST must complete 9 credit hours of Concentration courses from their chosen track. Students in a dual program may have different requirements and should consult with their Academic Advisor.
All Concentration courses are 3 credit hours.
Students are expected to apply concepts of aging studies to their learning activities within Concentration courses.
Students will select one of the following three Concentration Tracks: Education, Healthcare Administration, or Population & Community Health.

All courses in the Education Track are housed in the Doctor of Health Science program and have the prefix HSCI.
Students in this track must complete the following 3 courses:
- HSCI 510 - Foundations in Adult Learning (Fall semester)
- HSCI 614 - Transformational Instructional Design: Classroom & Digital Learning Strategies (Winter semester)
- HSCI 621 - Development & Evaluation of Health Programs (Fall semester)
For more information, see the HSCI Course Descriptions section of the Doctor of Health Science Curriculum website.

MPH 520 is a course in the Healthcare Administration Track housed in the Master of Public Health program and has the prefix MPH. The remainder of the Healthcare Administration & Leadership Track courses are housed in the Healthcare Administration program and have the prefix HCA.
Students in this track must complete MPH 520 - Health Systems Management (Winter Semester) in addition to 2 of the following courses:
- HCA 515 - Healthcare Accounting & Finance (Fall semester)
- HCA 550 - Managing Quality in Healthcare (Winter semester)
- HCA 555 - Federal Regulatory Standards in Healthcare (Summer semester)
For more information, see the HCAL Course Descriptions section of the Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Administration & Leadership Curriculum website, or the MPH Course Descriptions section of the Master of Public Health Curriculum website.

All Population & Community Health Track courses are housed in the Master of Public Health program and have the prefix MPH.
IMPORTANT NOTE: MPH 525 and MPH 590 have required, synchronous sessions as a component of the course. Students should consult their Academic Advisor for more details.
Students in this track must complete MPH 525 - Social & Behavioral Science Applications (Fall semester) in addition to 2 of the following courses:
- MPH 550 - Public Health Policies, Ethics & Advocacy (Winter semester)
- MPH 585 - Global Perspectives on Nutrition & Food Security (Winter semester)
- MPH 590 - Health Disparities & Inequities in the United States (Fall semester)
- MPH 595 - Population Health Approaches to Non-Communicable Disease Prevention & Management (Winter semester)
For more information, see the MPH Course Descriptions section of the Master of Public Health Curriculum website.

Curriculum is subject to change.
Revised 01-2025