The purpose of the Ph.D. in Gerontology is to provide high level multidisciplinary education in individual and population aging to develop leadership in the field of gerontological policy. The program is designed to enhance the potential of able students to make scholarly and professional contributions to the field of gerontology through teaching, research, consultation, and policy planning and administration. To obtain this goal, the Ph.D. in Gerontology provides (1) high level rigorous training in basic research and policy analysis, (2) the acquisition and application of scientific gerontological and public policy knowledge and (3) the development of leadership skills in the fields of gerontology and public policy.

Admission Requirements

Applicants for admission to the doctoral program must meet the following requirements:

(1) Graduate standing in the University of Southern California.

(2) Academic promise, as evidenced by above average achievement in previous undergraduate and professional education. A minimum GPA of 3.5 on all prior graduate work is required. In addition, a 3.25 GPA in an appropriate undergraduate major and a baccalaureate degree are required.

(3) Personal qualities compatible with high level performance in gerontology and indicating a potential for leadership in the field. Applicants to the Ph.D. program must submit a resume of professional and academic experience, three letters of reference (academic and professional), a statement of objectives and examples of written work.

(4) Satisfactory performance on the Graduate Record Examinations - existing test scores may be submitted if the GRE has been completed no more than five years prior to the date of application. A minimum score of 550 each on the Verbal and Quantitative GRE is required. A minimum score of 550 on the Analytic exam will be preferred but not required.

(5) Submission of application materials as required. Instructions for application to the Doctor of Philosophy in Gerontology may be obtained by contacting the director of the program.

Degree Requirements

Course Requirements

Students must complete a minimum of 64 units of course work (with at least 24 of these units being completed in residency at USC), as well as additional dissertation units as required. All students will take courses in four areas:

(1) A basic scientific core area, taught by School of Gerontology faculty, will stress the physiological, psychological, sociological and theoretical dimensions of both individual and population aging. Required courses include GERO 610 The Aging Society, GERO 628 Theories of Aging, GERO 510 Physiology of Development and Aging, and GERO 520 Life Span Developmental Psychology. GERO 555 Integrating Gerontology: A Multidisciplinary Approach may be substituted for GERO 510 and 520.

(2) A second core area of policy oriented courses, taught by School of Gerontology faculty, will draw upon course work in gerontology, political science, public administration, social work, sociology, and political economy. Required courses include GERO 540 Social Policy and Aging, GERO 650ab Advanced Seminar in Public Policy, GERO 645 Politics and Policy Processes in an Aging Society and GERO 655 Economic Foundations of Aging Policy.

(3) A third core area will focus on research and policy analysis skills, including both traditional social science research design, methods and statistics and a sequence of policy analysis skills and methods courses. Competence in advanced research methodology, statistics and policy analysis is required through satisfactory completion of GERO 593ab Research Methods, SOCI 621 Advanced Social Statistics, and PUAD 626 Seminar in Public Policy Processes and Analysis. In addition, the School of Gerontology requires all graduate students to demonstrate basic competency in statistics as a prerequisite of enrollment.

(4) A fourth area of courses will involve electives which allow students to concentrate in a particular policy or analytic field of inquiry. Areas of concentration include but are not limited to: (a) politics and policy processes; (b) policy analysis; (c) federalism and state policy roles; (d) social values and policy choices.

Foreign Language Requirements

There are no foreign language requirements for the Ph.D. program.

Transfer Credits

Students with master's degrees or prior graduate course work in gerontology can petition to apply the credit toward required courses. Petition for credit will be based on the Graduate School's policies and requirements for "transfer of credit" and on approval by the doctoral advisory committee. Transfer credits toward the Ph.D. requirements will be limited to 20 units and must be credits taken within 10 years of entering the program.

Time Limit

The normal time for completing the Ph.D. is four to five years (without a prior master's degree). The first two years will consist of required and elective courses. The third year will consist of electives, the Ph.D. qualifying exams and completion of the dissertation proposal. The final year(s) will involve the completion of the dissertation. The maximum time to complete all requirements for the Ph.D. degree is eight years from the first course at USC applied toward the degree. Students who have completed an applicable master's degree at USC or elsewhere within five years of the proposed enrollment in the Ph.D. program must complete the Ph.D. in six years.

Screening Procedures

When students have completed a minimum of 16 but not more than 24 units of doctoral course work, the doctoral advisory committee assesses their performance through a screening process and makes a decision regarding their ability to continue in the program. If the student is granted permission to continue, a guidance committee is established.

Guidance Committee

The guidance committee is composed of five faculty members, three of whom are from the School of Gerontology, one of whom is either gerontology based or outside, and one from another academic unit of the university. The function of the guidance committee is to oversee the development of the student's academic progress through the qualifying examination, including the preliminary dissertation proposal.

Qualifying Examination

As a prerequisite for candidacy for the Ph.D., students must pass a qualifying examination in their specialized field of study that is comprehensive in nature and that necessitates independent study beyond course requirements. Students must have completed at least 28 units of course work in the doctoral program with a GPA of at least 3.25 before attempting the qualifying exam. The exam is designed to test mastery of knowledge and scholarly skills and to test readiness to undertake independent research. If the student fails this exam, it may be repeated one time. When the exam is successfully completed, the student then must develop and have a dissertation proposal approved before the student is officially admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree.

Doctoral Dissertation

Upon admission to candidacy, a dissertation committee is established which consists of three members of the faculty, some of whom may be from the guidance committee, one of whom must hold his or her primary appointment outside the School of Gerontology.

The dissertation committee has responsibility for providing guidance and consultation during the research process, approving the dissertation, conducting the final oral examination, and recommending the candidate for the Ph.D. degree. The doctoral dissertation should make original contribution to the development of knowledge and theory in gerontology and public policy.

Final Oral Examination

Upon approval of the final draft of the dissertation by all members of the dissertation committee, the candidate must pass a final oral examination. Upon successful completion of this final examination, the committee recommends the candidate to the Graduate School for award of the Ph.D. degree.

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