General Information

The GDip, MSc and PhD programs in Aging and Heath are tailored to meet the evolving needs of today’s student. These programs are designed to be completed at a distance by working professionals. The programs are offered full-time, through a blended format of online learning and short onsite sessions.  Participants will enjoy the professional networking and experiential opportunities of an onsite program with the benefits of distance learning flexibility.

Program Objectives

Queen’s University Graduate Diploma (GDip), Master of Science (MSc) and Doctorate (PhD) in Aging and Health provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of aging, with a focus on health and healthy living. Students will develop multi-disciplinary knowledge of individual aging processes, the effect of aging on social systems, and the policies needed to support healthy aging.

Admission Eligibility

For the GDip or MSc programs, a minimum of B+ average from any four year undergraduate degree program or equivalent.

For admission to the PhD, applicants must have a master's degree in a related discipline with a minimum of B+ average.

For more information on admission requirements: https://rehab.queensu.ca/academic-programs/aghe

Financial Assistance

The Graduate Diploma (GDip) and Master of Science (MSc)

The MSc and GDip students are not funding-eligible.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

PhD students are expected to apply to the external granting agencies for fellowships available to them. Thereafter they will be considered, without further application, for Queen's Fellowships. Graduate students may receive support from grants held by members of faculty, or from departmental funds. Teaching assistantships are available to suitably qualified candidates.

Faculty

Vice-Dean (Health Sciences) and Director
Nixon, S.

Associate Director (Research and Post-Professional Programs)
Norman, K.E.

Professor
Aldersey, H.³,  Cramm, H., Finlayson, M., Mathur, S.¹, Nixon, S., Norman, K.E., Pedlar, D., Trothen, T., Woo, K.Y.

Associate Professor
Auais, M.², Collins, P.A., DePaul, V., Deshpande, N., Dhavernas, C., Donnelly, C.¹, Ghahari, S., Jull, J., Kessler,D., Lawson, T., Miller, J., Puxty, J. 

Assistant Professor
Bobbette, N., Fakolade, A., Goldie, K., MacKay, C.

Continuing Adjunct Assistant Professor
Bergeron, K., Lam, C.Y.

Professor Emeritus
McColl, M.A. 

¹

On leave July 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025

²

On leave July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026

³

Canada Research Chair (Tier 2)

Associated Schools, Centres and Departments Rehabilitation Therapy, Nursing, Geography and Planning, Medicine, French Studies, Religious Studies, Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health, International Centre for the Advancement of Community Based Rehabilitation, Canadian Frailty Network.

Please see the Aging and Health website for more details about faculty and associated schools, centres and departments: https://rehab.queensu.ca/academic-programs/aghe

Programs of Study

Courses

Courses listed below represent the range of Aging and Health (AGHE) graduate course offerings in the School of Rehabilitation Therapy. Not all courses will be offered in each academic year and the current calendar should be consulted for the term. The Aging and Health program offers 3.0 credit-unit 'term' courses.

NOTE: All AGHE 900 level courses will normally be open only to Ph.D. students.

AGHE 800 Evaluating Aging-Related Programs and Services 
This course introduces learners to evaluation principles and practice as applied to programs that address social, physical and economic determinants of wellness and participation for older adults. Learners will acquire skills necessary to identify and apply program evaluation methods to inform ongoing program development. Topics will include theoretical aspects of program evaluation, as well as strategies for program development, monitoring and change with a focus on participatory approaches. Current debates in the field will be discussed, with particular attention to issues underlying research and evaluation with older adult populations in community and institutional contexts. Attention will be given to knowledge mobilization strategies that foster inclusion, empowerment and innovation. Winter.

AGHE 802 Ethics and Aging
This course will explore ethical issues arising in the wellbeing and care of aging adults. Aspects of three streams of ethics will be addressed: professional ethics, organizational ethics, and biomedical ethics, as these streams relate to wellbeing and aging. Issues that will be addressed include: the organizational importance placed on aging adults, moral distress, advance directives, consent, values, and the ethics of wellbeing. Fall.
EXCLUSION: RHL-930 Ethical Issues in Rehabilitation and Health Leadership 

AGHE 803 Demography and Geography of Aging    
This course surveys the latest literature on the demography and geography of aging highlighting the latest census and survey data from Statistics Canada and international sources. Attention is placed on the underlying demographic factors and socio-economic characteristics of population aging and how issues like fertility, mortality, morbidity, life expectancy, mobility and immigration are changing the demography of the older population in Canada and internationally. Emphasis is also placed on how demographic and socio-economic characteristics of population aging result in complex and uneven geographies of aging at various scales from neighbourhood to international comparisons. Please contact department for course availability.

AGHE 804 Health and social systems for older adults     
Health and social systems for older adults are amongst the most complex in many societies. They include parts or all of the primary care, acute care, chronic care, palliative care and home care systems, and rehabilitation services on the health provision side. On the social systems side, they include parts of the transportation, social housing, social work and legal systems. The complexities of health and social systems for older adults are the foci of this course and are examined through a review of the literature mainly with an emphasis on the health and social systems for older adults in Canada. Please contact department for course availability.

AGHE 810 Epidemiology of Aging   
Students are introduced to an overview of the core principles central to the epidemiology of aging, with an emphasis on health and disease processes in older adults. Essential epidemiologic design/analytic issues and common themes of age-related factors and disease are addressed. Topics include: definition and measures of disease, application of cohort and experimental studies to aging, bias and confounding arising from the process of aging, causal inferences, and special topics on aging. Please contact department for course availability.

AGHE 811 Issues in Aging and Health    
This course will differentiate normal from abnormal aging and examine the theories, models and strategies for healthy aging in Canada. These principles will be studied through a mix of online and group learning activities in the context of a variety of health concerns related to aging and with respect to individual and community action and public policy. Fall.

AGHE 812 Religion, Spiritual Health and Aging     
Spiritual well-being is a defining aspect of healthy aging. This course will pay attention to the spiritual challenges as well as resources that come with aging. The following topics are addressed with attention to their complexity: mortality, loss and grieving, dementia, developmental theory and faith, religious participation, the relevance of diverse faiths and culture, and ultimate questions of meaning. Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist perspective will be included. Participant will have the opportunity to explore listening skills, self-awareness, and relational dynamics such as transference, as these relate to the course. Please contact department for course availability.

AGHE 814 Mobility and functioning amongst older adults     
In this seminar course students will gain knowledge on psychosocial and physiological risk factors for and consequences of age-related decline in mobility and physical function. Indicators of functional health in aging population will be discussed. Self-reported and performance-based assessment tools of mobility and physical function designed for older population will be critically evaluated. The disability associated with age-related decline in mobility and physical function will be discussed with respect to incidence, prevalence, possible interventions and economic impact. Please contact department for course availability.

AGHE 815 Chronic conditions and self-management     
This course provides an overview of strategies to support and help older people develop skills to manage the challenges of living with chronic health conditions. Specific approaches to health promotion and disease prevention will be addressed. Please contact department for course availability.

AGHE 816 Pharmacology and Aging     
The focus of this course is an overview of basic pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic processes and how these are altered with advancing age. An emphasis is placed on assessment of risk, commonly prescribed medications in the elderly population, and strategies to optimize polypharmacy and medication-related problems. Please contact department for course availability.  

AGHE 818 Rethinking Aging and Dying     
This course will seeks to question widespread approaches to aging, terminal illness and death by exploring alternative ways of addressing these realities through artistic and literary media (literature, film, painting), that is through examples that challenge current notions, assumptions and understandings through which we approach and define aging and the end of life. Please contact department for course availability.

AGHE 819 Planning for Age Friendly Communities     
This course will introduce students to the environmental conditions and policy contexts that create or impede opportunities for healthy aging at the local level. Applying a determinant’s of health perspective, various dimensions of age friendly communities will be examined, such as community design, housing, transportation and mobility, recreation, social and civic participation, and social inclusion. Please contact department for course availability.

AGHE 820 Developing educational resources for older adults     
This course is designed to provide learners with the opportunity to integrate theory, practice, and evidence in order to develop competency in the design and delivery of educational resources for older adults. Learners will build on their prior knowledge, collaborate to analyze and evaluate current resources in a variety of health care settings, and design client-centered resources that empower older adults. Please contact department for course availability.

AGHE 821 Aging and Mental Health
This course examines the interface between mental health and healthy aging. Students will examine theories of mental health and aging, the mind-body connection, and approaches to optimize cognitive vitality and psychosocial well-being. The course will address common mental health conditions associated with aging, and explore issues related to these conditions. Please contact department for course availability.

AGHE 830 Legal Considerations in Aging and Health
Legal Considerations in Aging and Health introduces students to the effect laws, professional practices, and personal attitudes have on aging and health. Students will apply legal theory and research tools to evaluate issues of ageism, capacity and consent, elder abuse, professional responsibilities, the social determinants of health, and the engagement of older adults with the healthcare system. Please contact department for course availability. 

AGHE 831 Social Justice in Aging and Health
This course provides students with the foundational knowledge necessary to identify issues of social justice at the intersection of aging and health (e.g., ageism, social isolation, and discrimination), analyze the precursors and consequences of these issues, and discuss possible responses. Students will critically analyze conceptual, theoretical, policy, and practice literature related to key aspects of social justice in the context of aging. Please contact department for course availability.

AGHE 898 Master’s Project     
Students will develop research skills to search for evidence on a clearly defined question related to aging, methods for the critical appraisal of the evidence retrieved on the issue under investigation and skills in integrating the existing evidence. The course will include discussion, seminar presentations, and will culminate in a final research paper. 

AGHE 900 Qualitative Research Methods
The course will cover the philosophical traditions that have guided the development of qualitative research methodologies and methods. Traditions and methods covered may include but are not restricted to Phenomenology, Hermeneutics, Action Research, Ethnography, participant observation, focus groups, and interviews. Participants will have the opportunity to develop a research proposal in the area of Aging and Health.  Winter. 
PREREQUISITE: Master’s level qualitative research course, or permission of the instructor. 

AGHE 901 Knowledge Translation and Uptake     
An examination of the foundations of knowledge synthesis, translation, and uptake into practice with emphasis on definitions, frameworks, barriers and facilitators, interventions and evaluation and developing knowledge translation plans. Winter.  

AGHE 902 Statistical Methods for Aging Research 
This course provides a comprehensive review of the application of advanced statistical analysis in aging research. Topics include assessment of the validity and treatment of results in scientific literature, sampling variability, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, univariate analysis, analysis of variance, regression models and non-parametric statistics. Emphasis will be placed on appropriate interpretation and appraisal of statistical information.  Please contact department for course availability.
PREREQUISITE: Master’s level statistics course, or permission of the instructor. 

AGHE 903 Critical Analysis of Theories of Aging     
Major theoretical perspectives on aging from different disciplines will be explored and critically evaluated for their usefulness in guiding and informing practice and research in the broad area of healthy aging.  Emphasis will be on developing a critical approach to theory development, testing and implementation. Fall.

AGHE 904 Foundations of Quantitative Research
This course prepares students to do quantitative research by examining designs and quality of evidence. Students will develop skills to design and conduct a rigorous study, including posing a research question, searching the literature, selecting a design and measurement strategy, appraising evidence, communicating findings, and pursuing funding. Please contact department for course availability. 

AGHE 976 Independent Study
A study, offered through distance education, under the guidance of a faculty member, in a subject area related to the faculty member’s area of expertise or special interest that is not covered within existing courses. The Independent Study must be linked to studies in Aging and Health but not directly overlap with the student’s thesis work. 

AGHE 999 Ph.D. Thesis