The Gerontology Graduate Degree Program - Professional Master's Degree - was approved by CAPES in 2016, linked to the Health Sciences Center and Instituto Paraibano de Envelhecimento da Universidade Federal da Paraíba (IPE-UFPB). The proposal seeks to meet the needs of care for the elderly in the context of health services, in the city of João Pessoa/Paraíba, considering it to be the third largest Brazilian city in number of elderly, training professionals who can offer care to this population as advocated the Ministry of Health.

The first selection process took place in April 2016, in which 19 health and related professionals were approved, covering mandatory and elective courses, starting in the first semester of 2016. The course has been consolidating and with a view to dissemination in the region by establishing interactions with other services, by seeking to meet social demands, thus contributing to these services through the work developed in the Professional Master's Degree in Gerontology.

It seeks to meet the training needs of human resources in this area compatible with the problem of the local social reality, to minimize the existing situation by privileging the social role of the educational institution in the Northeast region, as well as, it is intended for the training of health professionals in the Primary Care, Lauro Wanderley University Hospital (HULW-UFPB), and other public teaching hospitals.

It develops a comprehensive training modality to positively impact the quality of life of the elderly, their family and community. This generalist professional, integrated to the multiprofessional team, will be able to act autonomously, being responsible for the management of care for the elderly and the aging process in different contexts.

It represents an important resource for the organization of care for the elderly, meeting physical, psychological and socio-cultural needs. The professional who graduated from this course will have the competence to actively participate in the transformations in the epidemiological profile of health, political and economic, in a transition process, as well as to prevent diseases and promote healthy, active and significant aging. In this sense, it seeks to value the integration of knowledge into practice (praxis) based on partnerships: educational institution, services and community made possible throughout the course.