Degrees & Majors

The Ph.D. in Criminal Justice and Criminology program is designed to train researchers and teacher-scholars in criminal justice and criminology. The program provides intensive one-on-one mentorship, a flexible curriculum, and core teaching and research skills that enable graduates to excel in university settings as well as research think tanks. Current and former doctoral students are involved in presenting their research at regional and national conferences. Faculty members in the department have involved doctoral students in their research projects, resulting in numerous publications with students. In addition, graduate students help plan and attend research colloquia and participate in student governance.

Designed by award winning faculty in criminal justice and criminology research, the Georgia State Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice degree will help you advance in your career. The program offers two academic concentrations that can be earned on-campus or online: Crime and Justice or Legal Studies. The Crime and Justice concentration provides a blend of traditional criminal justice curriculum and forward thinking emphasis on digital criminology, while the Legal Studies concentration is designed for criminal justice majors desiring more intensive exposure to law often in preparation for law school. Students may also elect to pursue a minor in Digital Criminology online along with the Bachelor of Science.

Why the Criminal Justice Program at Georgia State Works

• Fair and open dialogue: Our faculty have designed a program that stresses an integrated view of the criminal justice system, highlighting relationships among the many different institutions involved and the need for cooperation and humane practices across: law enforcement, the courts, corrections, and the juvenile justice system.
• Theoretical framework combined with current events: You will study how our criminal justice system was designed and examine the parts of the system, including the roles of victims and offenders. Paired with an examination of the causes and consequences of traditional and digital crime, you will receive a comprehensive criminal justice education to prepare you for a career that is relevant to the critical issues facing justice agencies of today and tomorrow.
• Your success matters: You will work with the undergraduate advisement center throughout your time at Georgia State to make sure you are enrolling in the correct courses.

Because a bachelor’s degree at Georgia State also requires general education classes, you will find yourself speaking more clearly and effectively, thinking more analytically and critically evaluating the materials you read by the time you graduate.

The Department of Criminal Justice & Criminology offers a minor in criminal justice to all undergraduate Georgia State students.  The minor is comprised of 15 credit hours and offer students the opportunity to complement their major studies with practical, career-orientated courses that will lead to additional skill sets marketable to the public or private sector.

Why our program works

• Fair and open dialogue: Our faculty have designed a program that stresses an integrated view of the criminal justice system, highlighting relationships among the many different institutions involved and the need for cooperation and humane practices across law enforcement, the courts, corrections and the juvenile justice system.
• Theoretical framework combined with current events: You will study how our criminal justice system was designed and examine the parts of the system, including the roles of victims and offenders. Paired with an examination of the causes and consequences of traditional and digital crime, you will receive a comprehensive criminal justice education to prepare you for a career that is relevant to the critical issues facing justice agencies of today and tomorrow.
• Your success matters: You will work with the undergraduate advisement center throughout your time at Georgia State to make sure you are enrolling in the correct courses

The Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology emphasizes issues of crime and justice occurring in urban environments from a multicultural, interdisciplinary perspective to inform science, policy and practice. The department produces students who are critical and ethical thinkers, knowledgeable about the issues of crime and justice, and prepared for leadership positions in public and private criminal justice.

An undergraduate degree in economics prepares students with the quantitative and qualitative skills to think critically and learn how to make optimal decisions. Students will learn by doing with a curriculum taught by nationally acclaimed economists and faculty. The BA program has a qualitative focus with a foreign language requirement.

With internationally renowned faculty and research centers, our master of economics degree program takes a pioneering approach to economics that emphasizes public policy and empirical evaluation.

As a student in our innovative program, you’ll learn the fundamentals of economic theories as they apply to the environment, education, economic development, healthcare, public finance, social welfare and other pressing public issues. Our broad and customizable curriculum combines the latest theoretical advances with the analytical skills and practical experience you’ll need to tackle the complex problems facing analysts and economists today.

Our program has received STEM designation putting it on par with other STEM fields. This designation recognizes the rigorous instruction students receive. It also benefits international students who can, upon graduation, apply for a STEM Optional Practical Training (OPT) visa extension that allows them to work in the United States for up to 29 months rather than one year.

The certificate program in Nonprofit Management and Social Enterprise has two focuses. First, it will cover the skills in management, economic decision-making, marketing, fundraising and financial management that graduates can use (but which they are unlikely to get on the job) in any part of the nonprofit sector: social service provision, education, health, the arts, the environment, international relief or religion. Second, while most nonprofit management certificates have an exclusively practitioner focus, the Andrew Young School program will prepare students interested in pursuing nonprofit studies in graduate programs in public administration, policy analysis or economics.

This certificate will serve two main groups of professionals: those in the nonprofit sector who want to acquire new skills or need a credential to advance professionally, and those outside the sector wishing to enter.

Georgia State's Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) Bachelors of Interdisciplinary Studies (B.I.s.) helps students become familiar with and capable of contributing to ongoing debates about the nature of good political and economic institutions, as well as the policies and practices that are best suited for creating and sustaining them. Students will develop the intellectual skills of the social scientist, who seeks to understand how the social world operates, and the moral philosopher, who seeks to critically evaluate the social world in relation to how it ought to be.

This interdisciplinary program makes use of the analytically rigorous tools of its three disciplines to promote serious thought about practical issues, allowing students to delve deep into moral, social, political and economic issues. This program is great for pre-law students preparing for law school and a career in law.

PPE graduates contribute intelligently to public dialogue, many in positions of power in government and corporate life. The PPE program supports the Civil Discourse Forum, a student group that encourages discussion of controversial issues and is often led by PPE students.

To learn more about our program's faculty, events and related resources, go to the Philosophy, Politics, and Economics homepage.

The certificate program in Planning and Economic Development provides a credential for students preparing for careers in the public, private or nonprofit sectors that require familiarity with planning and economic development concepts and methods. This certificate is not intended as a substitute for a professional degree in planning, but as an opportunity to supplement another graduate degree.

The Georgia State Master of Public Administration (MPA) is the degree of choice for individuals with an interest in public affairs and professional management in the public and nonprofit sectors. Whether you’re seeking a first job in government or with a nonprofit organization, or are interested in advancing in an existing career, Georgia State's MPA program provides the skills and knowledge government and nonprofit agencies seek. Join us as we explore new ideas and perspectives on public and nonprofit administration, policy and governance in the 21st century.

Our MPA program is fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA). Read the NASPAA Code of Good Practice. The college is also a member of the Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management. Recent national studies have ranked our overall public affairs curriculum among the top 21 programs nationwide, and among the top 10 for public finance and budgeting, urban policy, nonprofit management and local government management. Our Department of Public Management and Policy provides access to a community of research and teaching scholars with national and international reputations for their expertise and contributions to knowledge and practice across a broad range of administrative processes and policy concerns.

For answers to frequently asked questions about the MPP program (and its sibling MPA program), check here.