Gerontology — PhD Degree Requirements

Please see the general statement of degree requirements for doctoral programs in the “Admissions” section of this publication.

Degree requirements for the Gerontology PhD Program include course work, an empirical research paper, qualifying paper examination, and a doctoral dissertation.

Course Work

Students in the Gerontology PhD program must accumulate 69 credits, through taking courses as listed below:

1. Four foundation courses, which emphasize different disciplinary approaches to aging:

GERON 621 (Social Aspects of Aging)

GERON 626 (Economic Issues in Aging Populations)

GERON 628 (Psychology of Aging)

GERON 724 (Ethnic and Racial Diversity in Aging Societies)

(Total: 12 credits)

2. Six research courses, which emphasize research methods and statistics:

GERON 601 (Research Methods and Experimental Design)

GERON 603-604 (Statistical Methods in the Analysis of Social Problems I and II) or

PPOL G 604-605 (Statistics I and II)

GERON 726 (Current National Data Bases in Gerontological Policy Research)

GERON 727 (Research Practicum in Gerontology)

 and one of the following:

GERON L609 (Qualitative Methods and Field Research) or

GERON 701 (Advanced Statistical Methods in Gerontology) or

GERON 732 (Demographic Methods in Aging)

(Total: 18 credits)

3. Two policy foundation courses:

GERON 623 (Issues in Aging Policy)

GERON 760 (Policy Analysis Techniques)

(Total: 6 credits)

4. One advanced gerontology policy course, which provides a scholarly, in-depth examination of aging policy.

GERON 761 (Advanced Policy Analysis in Aging)

(Total: 3 credits)

5. Three semesters of Colloquium Series

GERON 688 (Multidisciplinary Seminar) one credit each (Total: 3 credits)

6. At least six elective courses at the graduate level; these may be taken in the Gerontology Program or other UMass Boston graduate programs, or at other cooperating universities.

(Total: 18 credits)

7. GERON 899 (Dissertation Research)

(Total: 9 credits)

Please note: Up to 6 credits of appropriate graduate course work not already counted toward another degree may be transferred; please see the University’s general transfer policy in the “Regulations, Procedures, and Degree Requirements” section of this publication. In addition, students who enter the program already holding an appropriate master’s degree may petition the Graduate Program Director for waiver of up to 12 credit hours of required or elective course work. Prior graduate courses will be considered for meeting elective requirements on the basis of their pertinence to the student’s course of studies in gerontology. All courses considered for transfer or waiver must have been completed with at least a grade of B. Consideration will be given only to courses completed within 7 years of enrollment. Acceptance of prior course work is subject to the final approval of the Graduate Program Director and the Dean of Graduate Studies.

An Empirical Research Policy Paper

By the end of the fourth semester of study, students are expected to complete an empirical research policy paper, comparable to an article that would be published in a professional academic journal. The paper is based on the preparatory course work in research methods and statistical analysis undertaken during the first and second years of study.

In the third semester of study, students enroll in GERON 726, and in the fourth semester they enroll in GERON 727. The two courses provide an opportunity to do an in-depth examination of databases in aging, participate in a process of detailed analysis of findings, and learn how academic material is presented for scholarly review. The resulting research paper contains all the elements of a scholarly article: statement of the problem, literature review, research design or analytic framework, presentation of findings, and conclusions. Completion and acceptance of the paper by two faculty reviewers by the end of the fourth term is a prerequisite to taking the qualifying paper examination.

Qualifying Paper Examination

The qualifying paper exam tests students on their ability to lay the foundation for a substantial research project by reviewing diverse literature and developing a sound conceptual/theoretical framework that reflects the current scientific literature. The exam will normally be taken in the spring semester of the student’s third year of study, following the completion of all required course work. After passing the qualifying paper examination, the student becomes a candidate for the PhD degree.

Doctoral Dissertation

Students are required to complete a doctoral dissertation that reflects an original and independent scholarly contribution to the state of knowledge in the field of gerontology. A doctoral dissertation proposal may be prepared upon successful completion of the qualifying paper examination. Following development of a proposal, a dissertation committee is established and approved by the Dean of Graduate Studies. The dissertation is supervised by a primary advisor.

A dissertation committee consisting of at least three members, two of whom must be members of the Gerontology Graduate Faculty and one of whom must be from outside the gerontology faculty, is responsible for approving the dissertation proposal, overseeing the data collection and analysis, and reviewing drafts of the dissertation. Candidates enroll in GERON 899 (Dissertation Research). An oral defense of the dissertation may be scheduled only after all members of the committee agree that the dissertation is ready to be defended.

If the presentation and successful defense of the dissertation does not take place within five years of admission to candidacy, the candidate may appeal for a one-year extension. The extension may be granted by the Dean of Graduate Studies if the dissertation chair and the Graduate Program Director are able to certify that the student is actively working on the dissertation and has a realistic plan in place for completion of the dissertation within one year. (Please see the general statement on time limits and leaves of absence for all graduate programs in the “Regulations, Procedures, and Degree Requirements” section of this publication.)

A student who has not successfully defended her or his dissertation after six years may request a further extension. However, the student must show evidence of active work on the dissertation and a realistic plan for completion of the dissertation; and must enroll in a minimum of one graduate-level course per year until the dissertation is completed. The courses must be pertinent to the dissertation (as certified by the dissertation chair and the Graduate Program Director). An independent study course will not fulfill this requirement. The course may be a repeat of a course taken prior to the qualifying paper examination.

The adequacy of each student’s progress toward the degree is reviewed at least once a year. Until the student’s dissertation committee is formed, this assessment is made by the Graduate Program Director in consultation with the faculty. Criteria for adequate progress include performance in courses, the second-year paper, and preliminary examinations. Students are expected to maintain at least a B average in courses. Students are strongly encouraged to participate in the Gerontology Speaker Series, as well as other events sponsored by the Gerontology Department and Institute.