According to the 2010 Census, the population of people ages 65 and older was the highest it has ever been at any point in history. Within the next ten years, there will also be more people over 65 than under 5 years old.

This is one of the reasons that gerontology, the study of aging, is quickly becoming a rising field of study. The Iowa Board of Regents approved Iowa State’s interdepartmental master’s and doctoral degrees in August to meet this growing demand.

The new gerontology graduate program will be accepting it’s first students this spring for fall 2015.

“It’s a major need because we’re an older state,” Jennifer Margrett, director of gerontology, said. “As an Iowan, we should be concerned that we don’t have enough professionals trained in adult development and aging, so we have a real shortage of health care professionals. It’s also a huge issue not only in Iowa, but in the nation and the world.”

After 12 years of being offered online as a master’s and certificate, gerontology will finally be offered on campus and will allow for more research and faculty interaction.

Margrett believes studying gerontology also increases students’ marketability and opportunities for employment.

“This is a population that isn’t going away and if we learn more and think more about the whole lifespan and products, environments and families that support healthy development that’s going to help us all have better quality of life throughout our lives,” Margrett said.

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