Kansas State University

Online Masters Program in Gerontology

Please Note: Applications are currently being accepted for admission in 2010. This program has moved to a rolling admissions policy. Applications will be reviewed within 1 month after the completed application has been received.

Masters Program in Gerontology

Working together, the Great Plains IDEA (Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance) has developed an Internet-based gerontology curriculum. The inter-institutional M.S. program draws on the expertise of graduate faculty and graduate courses from six universities. The program is taught entirely via the Internet and, upon completion of the curriculum, students complete a masters degree. Students completing the program at Kansas State will earn an M.S. in Gerontology. The program has been in place at Kansas State University since Fall 2003.

Program content for this degree is based on core competencies identified by AGHE (Association for Gerontology in Higher Education). The program requires 36 credit hours, 24 of them in specific courses and the remainder in elective courses.

Most courses will use Internet classrooms. Some have supplemental materials on DVD or CD and others may require phone conferencing. Interactivity between students and professor is through e-mail, phone conferencing and the Internet classroom. Students should be able to complete the 36 credit hour program in three years or less while employed full time.

The employment opportunities for gerontological specialists are growing as rapidly as the older population and are as diverse. They will only grow in the future.

KSU Applications

Kansas State University currently is accepting applications. The application packet (Adobe Acrobat) will include all the required information including deadline dates, course schedule and description, etc. The application process is competitive and a limited number of slots are available to incoming students. Please e-mail regarding specific semester deadlines and space availability. In the event that a student is not accepted to our program due to limited space, they should contact one of our partner institutions which offer the same degree program at the same tuition rate.

To enroll in the courses, students will need a computer meeting minimum requirements and capability to access and download materials from the internet as specified by KSU’s Division of Continuing Education, an e-mail address, and access to a DVD player and FAX. For specific requirements, and a quiz to see if you would be a good distance education student, visit K-State's Division of Continuing Education web site.

For answers to your questions or for more information on the Masters in Gerontology please contact the Center on Aging at or (785) 532-5945.

Careers in Gerontology *

Gerontology is the multidisciplinary study of the aging processes and individuals as they grow from middle age through later life. It includes:

  1. the study of physical, mental, and social changes in older people as they age;
  2. the investigation of the changes in society resulting from our aging population; and
  3. the application of this knowledge to policies and programs.

It offers challenging and rewarding careers in an area that is growing rapidly, that needs people with a broad range of skills, and that will improve people's lives.

We live in an aging society, one in which the older population is growing both in absolute numbers and in proportion to all other age groups. Businesses, government agencies, service organizations, educational institutions, and self-employed professionals from every economic sector are recognizing the need for specialized knowledge and skills to meet the needs of this changing demography.

People who are interested in this diverse field come from many disciplines, professions, and clinical areas, such as social work, nursing, counseling, recreation, public policy, long-term care administration, medicine, architecture, psychology, adult education, and rehabilitation therapy. Some people work directly with older persons in a wide variety of programs and services in the community. Others work on behalf of older persons in areas such as advocacy and teaching about aging.

For more information on career opportunities and options in the field of gerontology please visit Careers in Aging.

* Material adapted from Careers in Aging by the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE).

Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance

The Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance (GPIDEA) is a consortium of Human Sciences Colleges at ten universities. Students who participate in inter-institutional programs matriculate at one institution, take courses at several, and meet graduation requirements at the institution at which they matriculated. Inter-institutional programs are developed and implemented by teams of graduate faculty representing all institutions.