Psychology

Application

1. Obtain advising from your Faculty Advisor regarding which courses are most appropriate for you given your interests. See list of Approved Aging Courses.
2. Complete and submit the Gerontology Certificate Application Form.Submitting this form ensures that your plan for certificate completion meets the certificate requirements and will be approved on completion. Your plan of study can change after you have completed the application, as long as you complete the required number of Approved Aging Courses. The application must be submitted at least two semesters prior to certificate completion. Submit this form in person or by email to psych-info@ufl.edu Psychology Main Office, Room 114. For open hours, contact (352) 392-0601.
3. You must also apply for the certificate through the UF Admissions portal. Visit http://www.admissions.ufl.edu/start.html Scroll down to Certificates.

Procedures

1. Approved Courses. The certificate has a required core course and three elective courses for a total of 12 credits. All courses must be on the Approved Aging Courses list. Most courses should be at the 5000 level or higher. One course may be at the 4000 level, but only if that course is not offered at the graduate level. The core course for the certificate is an online course. Only one other online course can be used as an approved course. Your other two courses must be taken in person.
2. Independent Study (GEY 6905; 3 credits). For one of the required courses you can substitute an independent study if that better fits your goals. No more than 3 credits may be applied to the certificate from an independent study. The goal of this is to allow students to develop breadth of interest. Given that, this work must be done with a faculty member other than the student’s dissertation or thesis advisor. To complete an Independent Study, contact the Certificate Director, Dr. Susan Bluck, for details (bluck@ufl.edu). You must submit a 2-page proposal before enrolling. The Director will ensure that the proposed project is sufficiently related to aging and that the proposed mentor understands the requirements.
3. Required Research Project. All master’s theses and dissertations on aging approved by the major department and accepted by the University of Florida are automatically accepted for the research project requirement if students submit the required pages as listed on the Graduate Certificate Completion Form. Students in non-thesis programs must complete an independent scientific research report endorsed by a faculty member whose primary research area is in aging.

Completion & Certification

There are two steps to certification:

1. Submit Completion Form. When you complete the UF Degree Application form during the semester in which you intend to graduate, please notify the Psychology Main Office about your graduation plans and fill out the Graduate Certificate Completion Form. Send to psych-info@ufl.edu
2. Certify through ONE.UF. Follow the UF Academic Term Calendar deadlines as posted for each semester. You also need to apply for completion through the ONE.UF site by the appropriate deadline for that term. To apply for certificate completion, follow these steps.
   • Under “My Record,” select “Academic Programs” to verify what certificate(s) you seek.
   • Under “My Record,” select “Certificate/Degree Application”
   • After logging in, select “Add certificate application.”
   • Students select the term, then proceed to the next screen.
   • Students select the certificate(s) by checking the boxes.
   • Verify spelling of your name. This is how it will appear on the certificate.
   • Click the “Submit Application” button.
   • You will see green text below the “Application Summary” to ensure your successful submission.