About the Program

The Gerontology PhD Program is designed to prepare students for leadership roles as teachers, researchers, planners, and policy makers in this field of growing importance for both the private and the public sectors. The program’s approach reflects the urban mission of the University of Massachusetts Boston. Special attention is given to the needs of the low-income elderly, and to issues of racial and cultural diversity.

The program may be completed in four years: five semesters of full-time course work, one semester of combined course and dissertation work, and two semesters of full-time dissertation work.

The program’s location on campus adjoins UMass Boston’s Gerontology Institute. The Gerontology Institute, established by the Massachusetts Legislature, constitutes a major resource for the doctoral program. The Institute’s mission is to focus attention on the economic, social, and political issues that confront the aging population. Institute activities include policy research and analysis, as well as publication of two journals: Demography of Aging and the Journal of Aging & Social Policy. The Institute emphasizes the demography of aging, income security, health care, long-term care, retirement and pensions, and productive economic and social roles for the elderly. The Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging was created with the goal to promote the demographic and applied research capacity within the Gerontology Institute. Older people themselves are often involved in the design and execution of Institute activities. Students in the program gain experience by participating in the Institute’s research and policy projects.