Long-Term Care, Senior Housing and Aging Services, MS

Students may pursue either of two career options for this professional degree. One option satisfies the Texas requirements for licensure as a long-term care administrator, and the other prepares individuals for alternative careers in administration of community-based services.

Admission and general degree requirements

Admission requirements

Before being admitted to a master’s program in the Department of Sociology, the applicant must meet the requirements for admission to the Toulouse Graduate School specified in the Admission section of this catalog. Applying is a two-part process. First, prospective applicants for a master’s program must obtain and file an application for admission to the UNT Toulouse Graduate School. Second, applicants for a master’s degree must also obtain and file a separate application for admission to the Department of Sociology.

A competitive score on the general test of the Graduate Record Examination must be submitted. No specific undergraduate major is required. However, 3 semester credit hours of social gerontology is a prerequisite for all master’s degree candidates. This prerequisite may be taken concurrently with courses that apply to the master’s degree.

General degree requirements

All majors require completion of 46 graduate hours. Students must complete a capstone course, Proseminar on Applications in Practice, for 3 hours of credit. One of the requirements of this course is the production of a major written project.

Master’s degree candidates must pass an oral comprehensive examination.

Candidates for the MA degree must demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language (normally French, German or Spanish). See “Foreign Language Requirement” in the Master’s Degree Requirements section of this catalog for further details.

Degree requirements

Required courses

Electives in applied gerontology

Licensure

Students seeking licensure as long-term care administrators must take:

Additional requirements

Requests for course substitutions are considered on an individual basis and may be approved if warranted by the student’s academic background and/or professional experience. Students earn 3 hours of credit by completing a required 500-clock-hour supervised internship in a suitable aging services organization. Students seeking licensure as long-term care administrators must serve a 1,000-clock-hour internship, for 6 hours of credit, in a licensed long-term care facility. Internship placements are available nationwide under the preceptorship of experienced professionals.

Licensed long-term care administrators may be allowed to substitute additional course work for the internship.