EXTENT OF GERONTOLOGY INSTRUCTION IN AMERICAN INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION

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Abstract
Gerontology instruction in American institutions of higher education has increased rapidly over the past 20 years. A number of studies have reported this growth in single professions, various types of institutions, geographic regions, or individual states. However, there have been few comprehensive surveys that collected data from of all colleges, community colleges, and universities in this country. This report of a 1985 survey by the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education and the Andrus Gerontology Center at the University of Southern California indicates that the number of campuses offering at least one credit course in gerontology has nearly doubled in the past nine years. Courses are now available at most large campuses and those that offer graduate degrees. Small campuses, especially those of community colleges, are still not likely to offer gerontology instruction. Course work is not evenly distributed among the states. In some states, 75% of campuses offer gerontology courses while in others less than 30% do. This preliminary report of the national survey suggests that gerontology instruction is continuing to expand, and that it is likely to do so in the foreseeable future.