BYU offers an undergraduate minor in Gerontology. Students are able to double count classes, internships, and research projects for their major and minor.
Step 1: Go to the College Advisement Center for your major to declare the Gerontology Minor.
Step 2: Seek course approval for an internship or research project by emailing us with the course number and project description.
Step 3: Complete 12 credit hours selected from core and elective courses, and complete a 3-credit internship or mentored research course that focuses on older adults.
Requirement 1: Internship or Mentored Research Course
Complete an internship or research experience that is primarily focused on older adults. Students should enroll in an internship or research course provided by their major department. Students must email the course number and experience description to the Gerontology Program in order to request approval of their internship or research experience for Gerontology Minor credit. If approved, the Gerontology Program will substitute the student's internship or research course for GERO 399R or GERO 403R. If an internship course is not available through the student's major department, they may sign up for GERO 399R. Information on how to apply for an internship can be found here.
- GERO 399R: Gerontology Internship
- GERO 403R: Gerontology Research
- Research capstones can count if primarily aging-related
- NURS 491: Nursing Capstone*
- And NURS 492: Clinical Practicum for Capstone Nursing*
- EXSC 399R: Senior Games Internship
- STDEV 399R: Health Professions Internship
Requirement 2: Core Courses (Complete 6 credits)
Core courses can be substituted for elective credit
- CELL 305: Human Physiology (with lab)*
- OR CELL 362: Advanced Physiology (CELL Majors should take this course)*
- COMD 420: Neurofoundations of Language, Speech, and Hearing
- EXSC 387: Lifestyle and Chronic Disease Prevention
- EXSC 460: Orthopaedic Impairments and Therapeutic Exercise (Included to give additional options to students in EXSC) ( CELL 220 & EXSC 440 required prior to taking EXSC 460)
- HLTH 466: Health and the Aging Process
- NEURO 205: Neurobiology*
- NEURO 460: Behavioral Neuroscience
- NURS 291: Nursing Care of the Older Adult*
- And NURS 292: Clinical Practicum for Nursing Care of the Older Adult*
- And NURS 333: End-of-Life-Care
- SOC 333: End-of-Life Care
- PSYCH 220: Human Development: Life Span
- PSYCH 322: Developmental Psychology: Adulthood*
- PSYCH 381: Behavioral Neurobiology
- SFL 334: Adult Development and Aging in the Family*
- SOC 365: Sociology of Aging
Requirement 3: Elective Courses (Complete 6 credits)
Core courses can be substituted for elective credit
- CELL 205: Human Biology Independent Study
- CELL 220: Human Anatomy (with in-person lab)
- OR CELL 210: Human Anatomy (online with virtual lab)
- CELL 365: Pathophysiology
- CELL 550R: Biology of Aging (CELL 305 and CELL 362 required prior to taking CELL 550R)
- CELL 561: Physiology of Drug Mechanisms
- CELL 565: Endocrinology
- COMD 430: Medical Speech Pathology
- EXSC 221: Science of Wellness
- EXSC 470: Functional Neuroanatomy (Included to give additional options to students in EXSC) (CELL 220 or EXSC 440 required prior to taking EXSC 470)
- FIN 200: Personal Finance
- FIN 418: Financial Planning
- HLTH 314: Health, Disease and Their Determinants
- HLTH 320: Advanced First Aid and Safety
- HLTH 345: Principles of Epidemiology*
- HLTH 425: Working with Vulnerable & Diverse Populations (Health Science majors only)
- HLTH 450: Women's Health Issues
- MMBIO 261: Infection and Immunity
- NDFS 100: Essentials of Human Nutrition
- NDFS 424: Nutrition Through the Life Cycle
- PSYCH 342: Psychopathology
- PSYCH 375: Cognition
- SFL 210: Human Development
- SFL 260: Family Finance
- SFL 306: Death and Dying
Other electives may be approved by the committee. Email gerontology_info@byu.edu if you are taking an aging-related course that is not included here.
*Must take pre-requisites before registering for this particular course