Rare Majors offered by Barton Barton College is home to over 35 different programs and majors, where people come

from all over the world to be a part of. Within the walls of Barton, some of the rarer majors in North Carolina are taught. Like Deaf Education and Gerontology. Barton is one of three colleges in the state that offers Deaf Educations as a major and one of six colleges that offer Gerontology as a major. Bartons deaf education program is rare because there are only around 35 other programs just like it in the nation. And Bartons is the only one on the east coast between New Jersey and Florida. The program gets its students ready to teach deaf and hard of hearing students from birth to 12th grade. One way they do that is by having the students teach not just at the Eastern North Carolina School for the Deaf, but also in public schools. While participating in the program the students are expected to take courses like American Sign Language and Language Development and Linguistics. Students are also expected to intern, which is known as a practicum, which is where they spend time in the class room with kids. All of the practicums and student teaching takes place in the School for the Deaf and public schools in Wilson County and the surrounding counties like Johnston County. Gerontology is also another of Barton Colleges rare majors. Since it first got its start here at Barton in 2003, it has been preparing students who plan on working with older patients.

Bartons program is very unique because it one in a handful of schools in the country to offer Gerontology as an undergraduate program. The Gerontology program branches out to many different programs by having its students participate in other majors classes. For example, students are required to take classes in Philosophy and Religion, Social Work, Psychology, and Nursing. Students will participate in the Alzheimers Association Memory Walk and the Caregiver Educational Conference. They are also expected to complete a 300 hour internship their senior year. I will be speaking at the North Carolina Caregiver Conference in Charlotte on Oct. 18, said Olivia Brown, a senior Gerontology major. Dr. Steven Fulks, Associate Professor of Gernotolgy, is in charge of the entire Gerontolgy program and has more than 20 years of undergraduate and graduate teaching under his belt. He has also worked as an administrator in congregate housing and has been a branch coordinator for a senior citizen center. Fulks said, I have been the director of this program since the very beginning and I have watched it grow over the years to become the innovative and unique program that it is today.