The Aging Services Leadership degree is for those interested in becoming an administrative leader serving aging populations to enhance their quality of life and overall wellness. This program will provide a foundational understanding of the wellspan and healthspan, physiological, and social aspects of aging, coupled with the skills required to implement patient-center care, including understanding the rising needs of our aging population, planning and preparation for the coming demographic shifts, long term care/gerontology business acumen, and the role society plays in the aging process.

Through the Aging Services Leadership online program you will gain hands-on experiences in the aging services sector through immersive classroom experiences, expert course content, and your personalized Senior Experience – all of which will prepare you to be an advocate for improving the quality of life and aging experience of our rapidly growing population of older adults.

The links below will take you to the current catalog year to see the program course requirements. If you are a current MSU Denver Student, for the most accurate course list, please use your personal catalog year, which can be found on a student’s degree progress report or on Navigate360. If you are a prospective student, please use the most current catalog year for reference.

Aging Services Leadership Program Options

The links below will take you to the current catalog year to see the program course requirements. If you are a current MSU Denver Student, for the most accurate course list, please use your personal catalog year, which can be found on a student’s degree progress report or on Navigate360. If you are a prospective student, please use the most current catalog year for reference.

Within the Aging Services Leadership Pathway there are multiple program options to meet your needs. All are ONLINE programs.

• • Aging Services Leadership Major, B.S.
  • Aging Services Leadership Minor
  • Aging Services Leadership Certificate
  • Aging Services Digital Badge

Career Opportunities

Upon completion of MSU Denver’s fully online Aging Services Leadership Degree you will have the knowledge and skills necessary for an administrative or leadership role in long term care administration, nursing home administration, or other aging services leadership roles in the following health care fields:

• Long Term Care/Nursing Home Services
• Hospice and Palliative Care
• Home Care
• Community Health and Advocacy
• Hospital Systems
• Information Technology Systems

Career Outlook

The Colorado chapter of LeadingAge provides some key data relevant to the growing need for assistance and the importance of Aging Services Leadership itself.

The population of adults age 65 and older will increase from 47.8 million in 2015 to 88 million in 2050.

The US will need 2.5 million LTSS workers by 2030 to keep up with the growth of America’s aging population.

Through 2026, the projected growth of jobs in healthcare settings is at 18%. But, the demand for home health and personal care aides will far outpace the sector’s growth, with an increase of 41% to more than 4 million jobs.

Amy Dore, DHA is the Aging Services Leadership program coordinator. You can set up a career advising appointment with Dr. Amy Dore by emailing her at  [email protected].

You can also request an advising appointment on our Academic Advising Webpage.

Become an advocate for the aging

Learn more about this course! This introductory course serves as starting point for those eager to pursue careers caregiving for – or working with — aging populations, whether you’re a healthcare professional, a family member, or someone interested in working in the field.

The course explores support systems, services, and policy considerations designed to meet the needs of older adults and includes topics such as the physical and mental changes associated with aging, common health issues affecting seniors and the older population, and effective communication strategies for senior engagement and inclusion.

This introductory online course serves as an ideal starting point for those eager to pursue careers caregiving for our aging population and can stack into a MSU Denver credential or degree. 

Aging Services Management Digital Badge

Students must complete 6 credit hours (courses listed below) and 1 immersive experience (webinar, interview, volunteering). The Aging Services Digital Badge can be a stand-alone achievement, add on, or it can be utilized as a feeder into a certificate or bachelor’s degree program. Students in any major whether undergraduate or graduate, can complete the Digital badge.

The Aging Services Management Digital Badge requires the following courses.

Required Courses:

• AGE 1010 – Aging Services Leadership: Introduction to Aging and Long-Term Care Service Credits: 3
• AGE 2020 – Ageism and Ableism in Society Credits: 3

Accreditation

Academic Accreditation is an assurance of the quality of an academic program. The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an independent corporation that was founded in 1895 as one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States. HLC accredits degree-granting post-secondary educational institutions in the North Central region, including Colorado and 18 other states. The mission of the HLC is to serve the common good by assuring and advancing the quality of higher learning. For more information, please visit the Higher Learning Commission.