Gerontological nursing and therapy (professional part-time)
Bachelor of Science (B. Sc.)

This degree programme builds upon the training conducted for certified health care professions (see applying and admissions), which can be counted as 70 ECTS Credit Points, in which case the programme can be completed in professional part-time mode over seven semesters. 

The first six semesters of teaching convey gerontological knowledge and the ability to take appropriate action, focusing on the subjects of ageing and the environment and looking at organisational structures in elderly care. Students learn about geriatric medicine, psychology and psychiatry in order to be able to identify, evaluate and treat the particular characteristics of elderly patients and their specific symptoms, syndromes and areas where problems arise. In addition, modules are offered on legal, organisational and financial parameters and on case, quality and project management. Furthermore, students learn the relevant applied scientific methodologies for tackling gerontological issues and the ability to adopt evidence-based approaches to working in teams. In one section of the course, students can choose freely from a broad range of general elective and specialist compulsory elective modules.

During the seventh semester, you will work independently on your bachelor’s thesis, under specialist supervision, as you tackle a scientific question focusing on any aspect of the full spectrum of the degree programme.

Upon successfully completing this degree programme, you will qualify as a gerontologist and the university of applied sciences will award you the academic degree of Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) .

To make it as easy as possible to combine studying with work commitments, we plan in firmly scheduled study days. Classes are held during four-day blocks at the start and end of each semester together with one day per week in between. The timetable for these is firmly fixed for at least two semesters, allowing rotas to be worked out well in advance to accommodate students’ needs.

Professional environment
This programme qualifies you to undertake particularly complex and demanding tasks in advising, treating, supporting and caring for elderly people. Treating, rehabilitating and caring for geriatric patients calls for specially trained staff. Advising and caring for the elderly in their own homes, local authority care facilities or homes for the elderly calls for experts who combine specialist knowledge with skills in advising and planning provision. Our graduates work on full-time and wards, in out-patient clinics or for local authorities, as well as in consultancy roles or for service providers.

Career prospects 
By earning a university degree in “Gerontological Nursing and Therapy”, you will play a pioneering role in driving up academic standards in the health care professions. You can work throughout the entire health care sector – in hospitals, clinics, out-patient clinics, hospices, day and short-term care, medical centres, rehabilitation facilities, elderly and social care homes, or for health insurance funds, training providers, local authority care advisory services or housing management.
Potential roles include:

• Managing or coordinating multi- or inter-professional teams in the health care sector
• Continuing conceptual development of facilities, departments and providers of age-appropriate health-care services 
• Advising and educating patients, advising and training their family members
• Advising on care
• Interface management, e.g. transition from residential to mobile provision
• Managing or working on gerontological projects
• Housing management
• Conducting situational training
• Giving practical instructions

Specific jobs and roles stem from continuing developments in the health sector and the latest legal provisions, according to the changing requirements that need determining and directing collaboratively between the different professions. 

Successful completion of the third semester of this degree programme already earns students official recognition as specialist staff by the MDK Bayern, by providing the required evidence of at least 180 hours of structured curricular additional training in geriatrics to fulfil the technical requirements of OPS 8-550.

In the course of your studies, you will acquire the additional qualifications of “gerontopsychiatric specialist” (§§ 78‑81 AVPfleWoQuG) and “care adviser” (§ 7a SGB XI). 

You can also earn the qualification of “care manager” and “facility manager” (if already a trained carer) by taking an additional module and attending a group seminar (§ 12 AVPfleWoQuG). Upon graduation, you can apply for certification as a practice manager according to Bavarian (or other state) regulations. These two supplementary qualifications incur modest additional costs. These two supplementary qualifications incur modest additional costs. 

Application process
We have pooled all the information and details you might need about applying and the admission requirements .

Admission requirements 
Have you already completed state-certified training in Germany in elderly care, medical and (paediatric) nursing, physiotherapy, ergotherapy or nursing, and are you particularly interested in the health, psychological and social concerns of the elderly? Then you meet the criteria for this bachelor’s degree programme to a tee!
Even if you are not automatically eligible for university, you can also apply on the basis of your vocational qualifications – in the form of either a “promotional qualification” (master in trades or equivalent advanced certificates or qualifications) or the relevant basic vocational training and at least three years of primary professional experience thereafter. You can find further details in the Bavarian Law on higher Education or under Information for trained workers and masters of trades. 

We ascribe to the values of openness, tolerance and acceptance. Our aim is to teach everyone involved at Kempten University of Applied Sciences about education in an international context. As part of this, we support university-wide, inter-faculty measures to promote international projects and cross-cultural interaction aimed at promoting diversity. 

Academic achievements from studies abroad can be counted towards this degree programme if the skills in question are broadly similar.

Would you like to learn more about our international focus and the options we offer to study abroad? Then please take a closer look at our portal. 

• Module Handbook Gerontological nursing and therapy PO Version 01 for students commencing Winter Semester 2021/2022 ( 1 MB / pdf)