University of Southern California
The Leonard Davis School of Gerontology
Los Angeles, California
Overview
The University of Southern California is the oldest and largest independent coeducational university in the West. In 1964, the Gerontology Center was established as a major research and training institute for the study of aging. The Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, opened in 1975, was the first professional school of gerontology in the United States.
The total on-campus enrollment at the University of Southern California is 30,000 students. Of these, 16,000 are enrolled in undergraduate programs and 14,000 are graduate students, including about 100 in the graduate program of the Davis School. Students come from all parts of the world and have diverse academic and cultural backgrounds.
The Location and Community
The University is conveniently located in the Los Angeles area, where students can take advantage of numerous cultural, internship, and professional opportunities. A number of nearby universities cooperate in seminar and library programs. The recreational opportunities provided by the University are supplemented by the outdoor activities for which southern California is famous.
Programs of Study and Degree Requirements
The Leonard Davis School of Gerontology offers Ph.D., M.S., online M.A., online Master of Long Term Care Administration, and graduate certificate programs. The online programs afford professionals who are currently working in organizations that serve older adults and who cannot come to the campus the opportunity to acquire skills and formal training in gerontology or long-term-care administration.
As the world's older-adult population continues to increase rapidly, the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology continues its commitment to training individuals for leadership roles in career fields that respond to the needs of an aging society. The Master of Science in Gerontology (M.S.G.) allows students to study the basic science of gerontology and to apply courses that teach the skills needed in a wide variety of applied settings.
Dual-master's-degree programs are also available in gerontology and business administration (M.S.G./M.B.A.), gerontology and public administration (M.S.G./M.P.A.), gerontology and social work (M.S.G./M.S.W.), gerontology and Jewish communal services (M.S.G./M.J.C.S.), gerontology and urban planning (M.S.G./M.Pl.), gerontology and health administration (M.S.G./M.H.A.), gerontology and Doctor of Dental Surgery (M.S.G./D.D.S.), gerontology and Juris Doctor (M.S.G./J.D.), and gerontology and Doctor of Pharmacy (M.S.G./Pharm.D.).
The Doctor of Philosophy in gerontology is designed to enhance the potential of promising individuals to make scholarly and professional contributions to the fields of gerontology through teaching, research, consultation, policy planning, and administration. The program provides high-level rigorous training in basic research and policy analysis, combined with the acquisition and application of knowledge from the fields of gerontology and public policy.
Facilities & Resources
As a major research and teaching institution, the Andrus Gerontology Center applies research on the many phases of aging and provides graduate and postgraduate training in the biological, social, and behavioral sciences. Specific areas of study are neurobiology, cognitive development, histopathology, social policy, architecture, long-term care, employment and retirement, and Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Research and resource centers include the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, National Parkinson's Foundation Research Laboratory, California Center for Long Term Care Integration, Laboratory for the Cognitive Studies of Aging, Longitudinal Study of Generations, Los Angeles Caregiver Resource Center, National Resource Center on Supportive Housing and Home Modification, and USC/UCLA Center of Biodemography and Population Health.
Expenses and Aid
The tuition is $16,590 per semester for a full course load (15 to 18 units).
Financial Aid:
Financial aid awards are made by both the USC Financial Aid Office and the Leonard Davis School. Full-tuition assistance is awarded through the David A. Peterson Fellowships in Aging and the Doris T. Westcott Endowed Fellowship in Aging. (Please see www.usc.edu/gero/fellowships for details.) Other types of financial aid available include federal loans; Federal Work-Study Program awards; tuition grants, which are available to all students on the basis of financial need; teaching assistantships; Davis Scholars Awards, for students with outstanding academic records; short-term loans for emergencies; and funded internships.
Housing/Living Expenses:
A variety of accommodations are available on campus for single and married students. A large number of privately owned rooms and apartments near the campus are available at rents that vary widely.
How to Apply
Admission to the graduate program requires an undergraduate degree (not necessarily in gerontology), GRE General Test scores, three letters of recommendation, a statement of interests and goals, and a completed USC application form. The application packet, containing the required forms and instructions, can be obtained by calling or writing to the Leonard Davis School. For master's and graduate certificate programs, the spring priority deadline is October 1, the fall priority deadline is February 1, and the summer priority deadline is March 1. For Ph.D. programs (fall admission only), the priority deadline is December 10. Applications received after these dates are given consideration as time permits.
Who to Contact
Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California 90089-0191
213-740-5156
213-740-0792
E-mail: ldsgero@usc.edu
Faculty
• Maria Aranda, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Social Work. Social work processes, case work integration.
• Raquel D. Arias, M.D., Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine. Obstetrics, gynecology.
• Vern L. Bengtson, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology, AARP-University Chair in Gerontology, and Director of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Aging families, grandparenthood, social-change theories of aging.
• Donna Benton, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor of Gerontology and Co-Director, Los Angeles Caregiver Resource Center. Clinical psychology of aging.
• James E. Birren, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Gerontology.
• William Bondareff, Ph.D., M.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Gerontology. Aging brain.
• Leah Buturain-Schneider, Ph.D., Lecturer. Aging and literature.
• Eileen Crimmins, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology and Edna M. Jones Chair in Gerontological Research. Demography of older populations, sociology and research methodology.
• Kelvin J. A. Davies, D.Sc., Professor of Neurogerontology and James E. Birren Chair in Gerontology. Free radicals in aging.
• Richard Davis, Ph.D., Emeritus Research Associate Professor of Gerontology.
• Caleb Finch, Ph.D., Professor of Gerontology and Biological Science and ARCO/Kieschnick Chair in Neurobiology of Aging. Cell biology, mechanisms, controlling postnatal development and aging in man and other mammals, Alzheimer's disease.
• Margaret Gatz, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology and Gerontology. Clinical aspects of the psychology of aging.
• Roseanne Giarrusso, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor of Gerontology. Intergenerational relations.
• Michael Gilewski, Ph.D., Clinical Associate Professor. Clinical psychology of aging.
• Anne Katz, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Clinical Gerontology and Co-Director of Tingstad Older Adult Counseling Center. Community services and aging.
• Bryan Kemp, Ph.D., Clinical Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Gerontology and Co-Chief of Gerontological Services, Rancho Los Amigos Hospital. Health and rehabilitation of the elderly.
• Bob Knight, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology; Co-Director, Tingstad Older Adult Counseling Center; and Co-Director, Los Angeles Caregiver Resource Center; Merle H. Bensinger Professorship in Gerontology. Alzheimer's disease, caregiving, dementia, mental health.
• Gerald Larue, Th.D., Adjunct Professor of Gerontology and Emeritus Professor of Religion. Ethics, values, and aging.
• Martin Levine, J.D., United Parcel Service Professor of Law, Psychiatry, Behavioral Sciences, and Gerontology. Elder law.
• Phoebe Liebig, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Gerontology and Public Administration. Long-term care, intergovernmental relations and state-level policy process.
• Loren Lipson, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine and Gerontology. Diabetes and aging.
• Valter Longo, Ph.D., Assistant Professor and Paul F. Glenn Foundation Chair in Cellular and Molecular Gerontology. Cell biology and genetics, regulation of aging and multiple stress resistance systems in yeast and mammals, Alzheimer's disease.
• Jeffrey McCombs, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pharmacy, Public Administration, Economics, and Gerontology. Health policy.
• Michal Mor-Barak, D.S.W., Associate Professor of Social Work and Gerontology. Employment and aging.
• Todd Morgan, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor of Gerontology. Alzheimer's disease.
• Roseann Mulligan, D.D.S., Associate Professor of Dentistry and Gerontology. Health promotion and dental services.
• Robert Myrtle, D.P.A., Professor of Public Administration and Gerontology. Human resources.
• Mike Nichol, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pharmacy and Gerontology. Health resource utilization.
• David A. Peterson, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor of Gerontology and Education, Rita and Edward Polusky Chair in Education and Aging, Associate Dean of the Andrus Gerontology Center, and Director of the Leonard Davis School. Development and impact of gerontology instruction, education of older people.
• Christian Pike, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Gerontology; Albert L. and Madelyne G. Hanson Family Trust Assistant Professorship. Alzheimer's disease, hormonal regulation of cell viability.
• Jon Pynoos, Ph.D., Professor of Urban Planning and Development, UPS Foundation Chair in Gerontology, and Director of the Programs in Policy and Services Research. Housing, long-term-care policy.
• Victor Regnier, M.Arch., Professor of Architecture and Gerontology. Architecture and aging, urban planning.
• Carl Renold, Ph.D., Adjunct Assistant Professor of Gerontology. Medical ethics, diversity in aging.
• Edward L. Schneider, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Biological Sciences, William and Silvia Kugel Dean's Chair in Gerontology, and Executive Director of the Andrus Gerontology Center. Demographics and health care.
• Lon Schneider, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Gerontology. Neurology, psychiatry, and aging.
• Freddi Segal-Gidan, Ph.D., Clinical Assistant Professor of Gerontology. Neurology, stroke rehabilitation, in-patient care.
• Debra Sheets, Ph.D., Adjunct Assistant Professor of Gerontology. Long-term disability.
• Merril Silverstein, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Sociology; Albert L. and Madelyne G. Hanson Family Trust Association Professorship in Gerontology. Family and intergenerational relations.
• Fernando Torres-Gil, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor of Gerontology and Public Administration. Human services to the elderly, politics and aging, ethnicity and aging, social policy and aging, public policy and public administration.
• John Tower, Ph.D., Professor of Biological Science and Gerontology. Biochemistry and molecular biology.
• Marlene Wagner, Ph.D., Adjunct Assistant Professor of Gerontology and Literature.
• John Walsh, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Gerontology and Biological Science. Biology of aging, neurophysiology.
• Monika White, Ph.D., Adjunct Associate Professor of Gerontology. Community-based service delivery.
• Kathleen Wilber, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Gerontology and Public Administration; Mary Pickford Foundation Professorship in Gerontology. Administration, long-term care, program evaluation.
• Bradley Williams, Pharm.D., Associate Professor of Clinical Pharmacy and Clinical Gerontology. Medication, aging.
• Elizabeth Zelinski, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Gerontology and Psychology and Associate Dean and Director, Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. Psychology of aging, memory in the elderly.