I think that the MSc course is fabulous and Southampton is truly a world-class University. The course is run in such a professional and supportive way that it makes me feel part of the university even though I’m distance learning.
My background is in public health and I have an interest in research within ageing, but lacked a professional degree. I chose Southampton due to its position as one of the world’s top universities and that it has a dedicated gerontology department with internationally renowned work.
I think generally this course is very wonderful. One thing I loved so much was the content of the materials and you take on a number of subjects that really look at all of the aspects of ageing.
The MSc Gerontology part-time taught course offered that flexibility, and a breadth of study, to stimulate and challenge my 'medical model' background.
I’m a nurse by background and was looking for a Masters that would be really applicable to practice. I won the Hazel Muras-Osborn Award for my dissertation because of its impact into practice.
I have enjoyed the content of the course – the teaching and support is the best I’ve experienced. I am currently working in an academic field and want to help with the ageing population in Nigeria, to play an active role in affecting change in my country.
The content of the modules has been a delight. They have included some areas, such as Demography, that I knew very little about before the course. Learning in completely new areas has been a real pleasure.
I find studying long distance really exciting, I can stay home, I can be in my bedroom or I can be at the beach when I do my reading. I can look up in the middle of the night and study then, it is up to me.
I am the first woman from my family to have the chance to study abroad and to be awarded a fully paid scholarship to study in the UK at Southampton. I am very proud of this achievement and have become a role model and mentor for many young women so far.
The course supports you in critically engaging with headlines e.g. “older people have tremendous health problems and do not contribute a lot to society”. You are able to find your arguments to change the way older people are perceived and to argue for policy change.
When I first visited the Centre for Research on Ageing, I was impressed by the scope of the academic work being undertaken and by the friendly yet professional attitude of the staff.
The course has helped understand the way older adults age [in Trinidad and Tobago] and it has encouraged me to set up places that will assist older adults especially those suffering from depression.
Initially I was highly deficient and rather sceptical about writing but one of the main reasons I wanted to study gerontology was that I thought this programme would expose me and make me do a lot of writing. I am very happy with what I have achieved.
