Master of Science in Applied Gerontology

• Interdisciplinary courses cutting across disciplinary boundaries
• Flexible to meet the needs of working professionals
• Asia-focused to address challenges and seize opportunities in the region
• Adaptable with different tracks and electives
• Learner-centric with an outcome-based pedagogical approach
• Relevant to the needs of the different sectors

FlexiMasters in Applied Gerontology is offered through NTU's Academy for Professional and Continuing Education (NTU PACE), with course fee co-funding by Skillsfuture Singapore (SSG) for eligible Singaporeans and PRs.

Information on FlexiMasters in Applied Gerontology is available on the  NTU PACE website.

Our Admissions Committee is committed to forming a diverse cohort that comprises individuals with different academic, professional backgrounds and life experiences. Our past and current students include nurses, physiotherapists, medical doctors, social workers, civil servants, lecturers, engineers and people working in the financial sector. 

Applicants should possess:
• a good bachelor’s degree; and
• a passion for working with older people or on ageing-related matters

International applicants whose medium of instruction was not in English at the tertiary level should have:

• TOEFL iBT
  • For exams taken before 21 January 2026: Minimum total score: 85
  • For exams taken on or after 21 January 2026: Minimum total score: 4.5
• IELTS
  • Minimum total score: 6

Please ensure that you have the following documents ready when submitting your online application.

Take note of the following:
1. All supporting documents are to be submitted via the online application portal. Alternatively, you may email them to [email protected].
2. The maximum file size per email submission is 15MB.
3. There is no refund for the application fee.
4. Late or incomplete applications will not be processed.

If you encounter problems during the online application process, please contact Service Desk via the link here.

 

All students in the full-time, part-time and FlexiMaster pathways are required to complete a total of 30 Academic Units (AUs), comprising:

• 4 common core courses (3 AUs each)
• 2 concentration core courses (3 AUs each)
• 4–5 elective courses (each elective is either 1.5 AUs or 3 AUs)

If you are in the full-time pathway, you can complete all 30 AUs within one year. If you are in the part-time pathway, you typically require a minimum of 1.5 years to complete the 30 AUs.

The FlexiMaster pathway typically requires a minimum of 2 years to complete the programme. In your first year, you will complete the FlexiMaster requirements by taking 5 courses – 4 common core courses and 1 fixed elective – totalling 15 Academic Units (15 AUs). After you successfully complete the FlexiMaster (15 AUs), you can continue with an additional 15 AUs in the second year to attain the MSc in Applied Gerontology, comprising 2 concentration core courses and 3 electives.

To continue to the MSc programme after the FlexiMaster, you must obtain a minimum grade of C+ in all your courses, and these courses must have been taken within the last 5 years, subject to prevailing University policy.

Students in all pathways take the same courses and attend the same classes at the same timings. Each course is taught once a week in a 3-hour session over 13 weeks (one trimester). Classes are held on weekday evenings (7.00 pm – 10.00 pm) and on Saturdays, either in the morning (9.00 am – 12.00 pm) or afternoon (1.00 pm – 4.00 pm). For example, if you register for two courses in a trimester, you will need to attend classes on two separate days each week.

Most weekday classes are conducted at NTU’s One-North campus, with some at the Novena medical school campus, while weekend classes are held at NTU’s main campus.

Each academic year has three trimesters. The first trimester runs from August to October, the second from November to February, and the third from March to May. For the detailed academic calendar, please refer to: NTU Academic Calendar.

Core Courses

The four core courses equip students with foundational competencies in gerontology.

Ageing Asia: Interdisciplinary Perspectives
An overview of the field of ageing from psychological and sociological perspectives, including an understanding of the major theoretical and substantive areas of the field. The course emphasizes the complexity of ageing, recognizing that it is a multidimensional process. Students will examine the demographic, social, and economic trends of global ageing, paying attention to particularly graying Asian societies.

Ageing Policy and Practice in Asian Contexts
This course guides students through a range of key issues that are faced by Asian societies with population ageing, encourages them to critically appraise specific policy responses, and to identify practical lessons to be learned from the experiences of countries experiencing rapid and advanced ageing. Different models of health, income and social care provisions in older populations and policy responses to population ageing at the international, national and regional levels will be considered.

Physiology and Biology of Ageing
Unravel the complexity of the ageing process by providing a systematic study of the biological changes that occur with ageing. Comparison will be made between the structures and “normal” functions of organ systems and age-related modifications. A survey of current theories on mechanisms of ageing, analysis of relationship of late-onset disease to the ageing process, and explanatory models on mental and physical impact of ageing will be explored.

Applied Research in Gerontology
Applied Research in Gerontology provides an overview of the multiplicity of methods available for gerontological research. Research methods in the social sciences, biomedical research, public policy and social work will be covered. Students will gain a broad conceptual understanding of the various methods, gain practical experience on using the methods with data, identify research strategies and conduct research in gerontological topics.

Concentration Courses

LEADERSHIP AND POLICY ENGAGEMENT

Demographic Change, Ageing and Globalization
Population ageing is causing fundamental societal and economic change in many countries and regions throughout the world. This course provides a foundational knowledge on demographic change and population ageing in a cross-cultural, global perspective. Students will gain an understanding of the implications of contemporary demographic change on the welfare of individuals, families and societies; and an awareness of how, with globalization, demographic, social and economic change in one part of the world, impacts upon trends in another.

Leadership and Management in Aged Care
Strong leadership and practical management are required in the provision of services for older people, now and in the future. People involved in all aspects of elderly care will benefit from re-examining their knowledge and experiences of leadership and management, to be better equipped for future challenges and opportunities. This course adopts an action learning approach to help students learn what is most important for them personally and professionally. Students will also gain insights and current knowledge of these areas from leading practitioners in elderly care.

CLINICAL PRACTICE AND CARE MANAGEMENT

Continuum of Care: A Systems Perspective
Continuum of care and concepts of integration of care have gained importance as the awareness that “silo effect”, single disease and service focus do not meet complex patients’ needs. This course aims to introduce students to concepts of continuum of care, integration of care and comprehensive care. It provides a multi-disciplinary overview of a range of perspectives, theories, and clinical practices on continuum of care both Singapore focused and internationally. Each session will be taught by a different consultant.

Ageing and End-of-Life: Exploring Death, Dying and Bereavement
This course provides an interdisciplinary overview of the major psycho-socio-cultural perspectives, theories and clinical practices on death and dying from a global viewpoint with a critical focus on the Asian experience. Through interactive lectures, experiential workshops and creative group projects, students are offered an opportunity to examine the environmental, ethical, financial, political and public health issues of mortality. 

Elective Courses

We offer a set of elective courses that are ageing-related from different disciplines each academic year. Elective courses are offered on a rotation basis, and not all electives will be offered in one trimester. The list below is a partial list of courses that might be offered as electives.

Food, Nutrition, and Ageing
The course explores the role of a balanced nutrition for healthy ageing and for the prevention of age-related diseases.  It consists of three parts: (1) understand the basics of nutrition, (2) focus specifically on the nutrition needs, screening and assessment of older adults based on their health status, and (3) learn about food preparation and consumption among older adults.  By the end of the course, students will have a good understanding of nutritional needs and common nutrient deficiencies associated with chronic diseases in older adults, be able to apply the nutritional screening and assessment tools and be equipped with the knowledge and skills to prepare healthy meals for older adults.

Mental Health in Later Life
Mental disorders are a major contributor to the disease burden in elderly both globally and in Singapore. This course provides students with an overview of the principles and practice of mental health care for older adults, current knowledge gaps and research agendas. We will cover the mental health spectrum from normal to pathological ageing, selected mental disorders of late life, the current state of mental health care and the challenges across the disease trajectory and care continuum.

Arts, Ageing, and Wellbeing
This course provides an overview of the interdisciplinary field of arts and health with focus on the use of arts and creative approaches in the context of ageing and eldercare. We will explore concepts of art, ageing, and wellbeing, historical and contemporary debates, as well as examples of best practices and resources related to the field. This course will also introduce students to resources that supports implementation of art-based projects for older adults in various settings.

Social Entrepreneurship in Aged Care
Investors commonly look for sustainable and repeatable growth in an enterprise's performance, and what differentiates a start-up from making it and falling by the wayside. This course aims to relate theoretical concepts of strategy and organization design with practical and execution issues in an emerging social enterprise context, and studies the key elements that propel scaling up as well as impede growth. Students will be introduced to the overall framework of entrepreneurial business development making an impact in society, equipped with theories and tools to develop specific business development strategies, and apply them to real-life business cases.

Chinese Medicine and Ageing
Chinese medicine has long been used as a complementary treatment for long term diseases and general health maintenance. This new course explores the fundamentals of Chinese Medicine (TCM) and its application to health and wellness of older people. Emphasis will be on age-related issues and illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, cerebrovascular diseases, gastrointestinal problems and cancer. We will also cover the nutrition and dietary therapies that will form holistic treatments for age-related problems.

Gerontology and Counselling
Counselling older people require specific knowledge and skills. Gerontological counsellors assist elderly patients in coping with mental and emotional health issues associated with ageing in order to improve their overall health and quality of life. This course introduces students to the basic counselling skills, approaches and interventions pertinent to working with older people. 

Health Communication
This course is designed to introduce the students to significant concepts and issues in the field of health communication, especially intended for older people. Health communication encompasses theories, research, and practices based on multiple sources of scholarship such as communication, public health, and social psychology. The primary objective of this course is to provide the students with knowledge and skills for communicating health to older people in a wide range of contexts.

Gerontological Practicum
Training supported by an individualized learning plan developed by the student, faculty advisor, and worksite supervisor; gaining an understanding of the workings of a specific programme, agency, or institution; this practicum reinforces knowledge, theories and principles gained through courses in gerontology while engaging in direct, practical experience.

Graduates of our programme can look forward to careers in healthcare, government agencies, social service, and voluntary welfare organizations.