Gerontology

Types of Degrees Gerontology Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many gerontology graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	393
Bachelor’s Degree	287
Basic Certificate	253
Graduate Certificate	235
Associate Degree	33
Doctor’s Degree	27
Undergraduate Certificate	6

What Gerontology Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to gerontology and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Gerontology Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Skills for Gerontology Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to gerontology:

• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Abilities for Gerontology Majors

As a gerontology major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Gerontology Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with gerontology:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists	13.4%	$84,810
Transportation Planners	6.7%	$81,340

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Gerontology?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 287 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in gerontology in 2021, making it rank #238 in popularity. This major is dominated by women with about 85% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of gerontology majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	28
Black or African American	50
Hispanic or Latino	41
White	142
International Students	3
Other Races/Ethnicities	23

Geographic Diversity

Gerontology appeals to people across the globe. About 1.0% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• Nepal
• South Korea
• India
• Thailand

How Much Do Gerontology Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

The U.S. Department of Education found that students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a bachelor’s degree in gerontology made a median starting salary of $33,387 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $32,043 (25th percentile) and $33,905 (75th percentile).

We don’t know for sure if all of these people took jobs related to gerontology so take that into consideration.

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $85,750 to $96,420 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to gerontology. This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Gerontology

Some degrees associated with gerontology may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to gerontology have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Bachelor’s Degree	34.6%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	0.7%
Master’s Degree	22.4%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	0.1%
Doctoral Degree	16.6%
Post-Doctoral Training	26.0%

Online Gerontology Programs

In 2020-2021, 184 schools offered a gerontology program of some type. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	11	2
Certificate (2-4 Years)	2	0
Associate’s Degree	15	2
Bachelor’s Degree	77	13
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	48	8
Post-Master’s	20	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	15	1
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Gerontology Worth It?

The median salary for a gerontology grad is $85,750 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 115% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $917,000 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Gerontology

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to gerontology.

Major	Number of Grads
Other Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies	34,975
Biological & Physical Science	30,075
Interdisciplinary Studies	9,074
International Studies	7,368
Nutrition Science	5,330
Behavioral Science	4,169
Sustainability Science	3,005
Cognitive Science	2,776
Natural Sciences	2,214
Human Biology	1,939
Human Computer Interaction	1,857
Computational Science	1,360
Data Analytics	1,338
Mathematics & Computer Science	1,302
Peace Studies & Conflict Resolution	1,175
Science, Technology & Society	1,095
Systems Theory	884
Museum Studies	816
Dispute Resolution	648
Data Science	541
Multicultural & Diversity Studies	482
Historic Preservation	416
Cultural Studies & Analysis	405
Marine Science	334
Classical & Ancient Studies	275
Biopsychology	183
Medieval Studies	104
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics	97
History and Political Science	66
Holocaust Studies	66
Maritime Studies	50
Accounting & Computer Science	48
Earth Systems Science	44
Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature	42
Geography and Environmental Studies	40
Environmental Geosciences	20
Anthrozoology	13
Digital Humanities and Textual Studies	12
Mathematical Economics	10
Linguistics and Computer Science	6
Linguistics and Anthropology	4
Economics and Computer Science	2
History and Language/Literature	0
Thanatology	0

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Photo by Chalmers Butterfield under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.