Graduate programs
The School of Community Health graduate programs are designed to prepare students for professional work in the fields of community health, health promotion, and aging in a wide variety of settings. Students may also complete a plan of study that prepares them to pursue a doctoral degree in a health-related area.
The School of Community Health offers three graduate degrees and one certificate:
1. A Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) degree in Health Promotion as a partner in the Oregon Master of Public Health Program, a statewide collaborative of Oregon Health & Science University and Portland State University;
2. A Master of Arts/Master of Science (M.A./M.S.) degree in Health Studies.
3. The Institute on Aging offers a graduate certificate in Gerontology.
4. The doctoral program (PhD) in Community Health is an interdisciplinary course of study designed to provide students with advanced learning in conducting research and developing instructional skills in public health with a focus on community engagement and the social determinants of health.
Students with a wide variety of undergraduate degrees and professional experience are admitted to the School of Community Health.
Gerontology Graduate Certificate
The graduate certificate in gerontology provides multidisciplinary specialized training for postbaccalaureate and graduate students interested in acquiring or upgrading skills appropriate to working with or on behalf of elders in a variety of settings. Students need not be enrolled in a degree program to receive the graduate certificate in gerontology.
The certificate program consists of a six-course format (18 credits minimum) made up of a three-course multidisciplinary core, two elective courses, and an internship or independent research project. The coursework will provide students with a general multidisciplinary overview of the field of aging, while the internship or independent project will allow a student to acquire experiential learning in a community-based aging services organization.
Course requirements for the Graduate Certificate program:
Three required classes
| PHE 556 | Health Aspects of Aging | 4 |
| PHE 558 | Perspectives on Aging | 3 |
| SW 544 | Mid-Life and Beyond | 3 |
| SW 574 | Social Work with Frail Older Adults | 3 |
| | | |
| Psy 562 | Psychology of Adult Development and Aging | 4 |
| | Or | |
| Soc 569 | Sociology of Aging | 4 |
For MSW students the three (3) required courses are:
PHE 558 - Perspectives on Aging
SW 544 - Mid-life and Beyond
SW 574 - Social Work with Frail Older Adults
FOR ALL STUDENTS: Two electives from the following or other aging-specific courses as available:
A good rule of thumb in determining if a course is "aging-specific" is if "aging", "elderly" or "older adult" are in the title.
| PHE 516 | Families and Aging | 4 |
| PHE 557 | National Long-term Care Policy | 3 |
| PHE 559 | Economics of Aging | 3 |
| PHE 560 | Mental Health and Aging | 3 |
| PHE 561 | Cultural Variations in Aging | 3 |
| PHE 562 | Global Aging | 3 |
| PHE 563 | Service Learning in Nicaragua: Enhancing Communities for an Aging Society | 3 |
| SW 544 | Mid-Life and Beyond | 3 |
| SW 569 | Social Work in End-of-Life and Palliative Care | 3 |
| SW 574 | Social Work with Frail Older Adults | 3 |
| USP 564 | Political and Administrative Issues in Aging | 3 |
| USP 585 | Housing and Environments for the Elderly | 3 |
There may be other approved classes – they will be listed on the web each quarter at www.pdx.edu/ioa/class-schedule
Students may only select one 510 course per certificate program, and 510 courses may not be
substituted for core requirements but only used as electives. The following 510 courses are examples of
courses that may be offered by PHE in the field of aging.
PHE 510: Business & Aging
PHE 510: Health & Housing Across the Life course
PHE 510: Images of Aging
Internship Requirements
An internship in an aging-services program or an independent research project, normally during the last term of certificate work.