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Aging Studies Experiential Minor

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People in the U.S. and around the world are living longer, and our society needs to adapt. The change is impacting career fields from health care to social organizations, business and the economy.

With Augustana’s aging studies experiential minor, students in multiple majors can expand their opportunities and skill sets to help meet the needs of an aging population. Some examples of good academic pairings for aging studies include:

Distinctions

  • The "experience" part of the experiential minor is the time each student spends (at least 100 hours) during an internship or significant volunteer experience with members of the aging population and/or an agency that serves them. The Quad Cities metro area (pop. 470,000) offers plentiful sites for internships, volunteering and other career-building experiences.
  • The faculty coordinator for aging studies also leads the college’s program in pre-music therapy; she also has specific expertise with older generations through her work as a former registered nurse and in her research on singing for older populations.
  • Twice as many Augustana students double major than the national average for undergraduates (about 50% compared with about 25% nationwide)—and even more add at least one minor, for greater flexibility and versatility in their careers.
Students performing

Creative Therapies students take show on the road

"Everyone’s going to age, and helping those out who are no longer capable of doing certain tasks, forming relationships and being able to learn from the elderly is huge in making strides for the future." - Alex Cruz '23, engineering physics. → Read more

Recent graduates

Gwendolyn Flannery '23 is taking advantage of Augustana’s agreement with Trinity College of Nursing in their accelerated BSN program.

Courtney Baker '20 is a clinical audiologist with a doctorate of audiology from Northwestern University.