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Gerontology

Types of Degrees Gerontology Majors Are Earning

Those studying Gerontology have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	3
Associate’s Degree	16
Bachelor’s Degree	136
Master’s Degree	649
Doctor’s Degree	29

What Gerontology Majors Need to Know

Programs in Gerontology emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Gerontology graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Gerontology emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 6.0 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a Gerontology program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Gerontology careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Gerontology graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.6 / 7
Working with Computers	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.4 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.4 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.3 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Gerontology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Blackboard Learn	Computer based training software	—
Collaborative editing software	Word processing software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Gerontology graduates include:

• Professor
• Clinical Professor
• College Professor
• Instructor
• College Faculty Member
• Faculty Member
• University Faculty Member
• Assistant Professor
• Associate Professor
• Lecturer
• Dental Laboratory Technology Teacher
• Activity Therapy Teacher
• Hearing Therapy Teacher
• Virology Teacher
• Recreation Therapy Teacher

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Gerontology graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	38.0%
Master’s degree	32.9%
Post-doctoral training	13.8%
Bachelor’s degree	8.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.6%
First professional degree	2.2%
Postsecondary certificate	1.6%
Post-master’s certificate	0.4%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Gerontology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 83.4% of Gerontology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	726	83.4%
Men	144	16.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Gerontology graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	466	53.6%
Asian	52	6.0%
Hispanic or Latino	89	10.2%
Black or African American	105	12.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	6	0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	2	0.2%
Two or More Races	34	3.9%
Race Unknown	25	2.9%
International Students	91	10.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Gerontology Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Gerontology graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$47,164
4 years	$49,632
5 years	$55,960

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $55,960 — roughly 19% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Gerontology Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for Gerontology. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	3	1
Bachelor’s	3	4
Master’s	8	9

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Gerontology Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Gerontology graduates earn a median of $49,632 four years after completion — roughly 31% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Multi Interdisciplinary Studies	30
Accounting and Computer Science	30.16
Anthrozoology	30.34
Behavioral Sciences	30.17
Biological and Physical Sciences	30.01
Biopsychology	30.10
Classical and Ancient Studies	30.22
Climate Science	30.35
Cognitive Science	30.25
Computational Science	30.30
Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature	30.36
Cultural Studies/Critical Theory and Analysis	30.26

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.