Degrees & Majors

Robinson’s Ph.D. program in accountancy aims to graduate individuals who are highly qualified and sought after for faculty positions in research-oriented universities.

The program focuses on preparing students to critique and produce accounting research that is publishable in premier accounting journals. During the program, students take required doctoral seminars in accounting and research methodology as well as elective seminars in other areas consistent with their research interests (e.g., economics, finance and psychology). Students are expected to work closely with faculty to develop a research portfolio in addition to their required dissertation.

Students typically offset the cost of the program through an assistantship that includes full tuition waivers. Contact us for information on tuition and funding your doctoral studies.

Adenike Brewington, [email protected]

Astronomers at Georgia State are involved in four main areas of research:

Black Holes and Active Galaxies:  Monster black holes, with masses that are a million to a billion times more than our Sun, live at the centers of most galaxies. We specialize in observational studies of these massive compact monsters to measure their masses, study the accretion process and understand their effects on their host galaxy.

Stars and Extrasolar Planets:  Stars are the beacons of the universe, and it is around stars that planets are formed and that life may exist. Using ground and space-based facilities, we are creating the most detailed maps to date of the distances, distribution and space motions of stars nearby, and in our galaxy.  We use the Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) Array to measure the properties of stars in exquisite detail and test the predictions of how stars evolve.  We are also leading searches for exoplanets around young and nearby stars.

Solar Physics:  The solar wind consists of charged particles streaming away from the surface of the Sun at high velocities. Occasionally, energetic events release million-degree plasma into space in a process called a solar flare. The solar wind and solar flares are the key influence on space weather, and ultimately space climate and Earth.  We are developing data-mining techniques to predict solar flares and solar eruptions, and developing computational models of coronal loops and magnetic reconnection. We develop simulations of the plasma flows deep inside of stars that ultimately produce their magnetic fields via the dynamo mechanism. We test theoretical models of the Sun's interior by observing oscillation of its surface, an area called helioseismology.

High Angular Resolution Imaging:  Georgia State owns and operates the CHARA Array, the world's highest resolution optical interferometer.  This facility is able to image the surfaces of stars, revealing for the first time temperature variations across their surface caused by star spots and rapid rotation.  We develop techniques for image restoration/reconstruction when observed with interferometric techniques, and for ultra high-resolution imaging done through strong turbulence in the atmosphere.

The Department of Chemistry has research programs in each of the five traditional areas of chemistry, with a bioinformatics option available in each:

• Analytical
• Biochemistry
• Biophysical
• Chemical Education
• Geology
• Organic/Medicinal
• Nutritional Sciences

Our students have the opportunity to conduct research at the interface of chemistry and biology under the guidance of our dynamic research faculty, many of whom are distinguished and noted scholars. The department’s goal is to deliver high-quality instructional programs at the graduate level to prepare students for productive careers in academia, industry and government. The emphasis of the graduate program is the training of scientists.

The Ph.D. program in communication sciences and disorders (CSD) trains researchers and scholars to address the needs of children and adults with communication disorders. The program prepares doctoral students for academic careers in research and university-level teaching in speech-language pathology, and speech and language science. Students make significant contributions to the profession’s research base.

The objectives of the doctoral degree in communication sciences and disorders are:

• To develop doctoral students to become researchers and scholars in the vast area of communication sciences and disorders.
• To prepare doctoral students who are equipped to lead and collaborate across disciplines.
• To prepare doctoral students who will pursue and obtain research faculty positions at research colleges and universities in CSD programs and related disciplines.

Students now have the option of full- or part-time enrollment in Georgia State University's CSD Ph.D. program. Full-time enrollment consists of nine credit hours per semester; part-time enrollment consists of up to six credit hours per semester which allows our doctoral students added flexibility and the opportunity to continue their regular employment in Atlanta's excellent schools, clinics and hospitals. The curriculum plan for students choosing part-time enrollment must still be completed within the time frame stipulated by Georgia State University.

The Georgia State University doctoral program in communication encourages students to engage in theoretically rigorous, methodologically sophisticated and ethically informed research. Our students are encouraged to undertake research that makes a difference and contributes substantively to the human understanding of how communication and media fundamentally shape and are shaped by an increasingly complex social world.

The curriculum draws upon social scientific and humanities-based theories and methods to prepare a diverse group of students for a job market that expects them to be literate across multiple sub-disciplinary domains of communication, in particular, media studies, rhetoric and speech communication.

Doctoral students work with graduate faculty who have gained national and international prominence across a diverse range of research areas, including:

• International media and politics
• Health communication
• Strategic communication
• Media effects and psychology
• Media representation and stereotypes
• Rhetorical studies
• Legal communication
• Journalism studies
• Media ethics
• Visual communication
• Environmental and critical animal studies
• Terrorism studies
• Public argument and deliberation
• Persuasion, public relations
• Interpersonal and intergroup communication
• Networks
• Ideological formations of power and resistance

The intellectual and creative energies activated by this rich and interdisciplinary activity within Atlanta’s dynamic urban location make the department an ideal place for students from around the world to prepare for a career in communication.

The Georgia State University Computer Science Ph.D. program offers educational and research opportunities for students in a wide variety of research and technology areas, including:

• Artificial Intelligence
• Machine Learning
• Deep Learning
• Bioinformatics
• Health Informatics
• Computer Architecture
• Database
• Data Mining
• Big Data
• Graphics and Visualization
• Networks
• Security and Privacy
• Parallel and Distributed Computing
• Cloud Computing
• Cyber Physical Systems
• Internet of Things (IoT)
• Programming Languages
• Algorithms
• Simulation and Software Engineering

Concentrations in Bioinformatics and Security & Privacy are available.

The department encourages applications from technology and teaching professionals and those with non-computer science but closely related degrees. Pursuing the Ph.D. program part-time is possible, so working professionals are encouraged to consider applying.

Move your life forward toward obtaining a doctorate degree to better enhance your career prospects in the field of counseling. Our Counselor Education and Practice Ph.D. is the degree program for you if you are interested in educating, training and supervising future clinical mental health, clinical rehabilitation or school counselors. This program is also for those interested in research, leadership and social justice in the counseling profession.

Our Ph.D. degree is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). This program nurtures students to generate their own research, critically enhance their counseling competencies and advance new skills in teaching and clinical supervision. Upon completion of the program, students teach and supervise in university settings, work in community agencies as clinicians and administrators and become directors of practice and research institutes.

Students also have the capability to continue specializing and developing areas of expertise in the following areas:

• Multicultural counseling
• Play therapy with children and adolescents
• School Counseling Systems
• Trauma and stress
• LGBTQ issues in counseling and counselor education
• Disability, health and chronic illness
• Suicide and crisis
• Program evaluation
• Quantitative, qualitative and mixed research methodologies

The Georgia State University Ed.D. program in curriculum and instruction prepares master teachers to become instructional leaders and curriculum specialists who wish to develop expertise in advocacy for equity in teaching and learning, curriculum theory and development and pedagogical leadership.

Our Ed.D. program consists of a rigorous, collaborative, interdisciplinary program that promotes understanding the complex dynamics among theory, research and practice. Our graduates are empowered scholar-educators who advocate for social justice and educational equity at the classroom, school, district and state levels. Grounded in educational research, our interdisciplinary courses offer students the opportunity to conceptualize, theorize, dialogue, problem-pose, problem-solve, create and evaluate a wide range of educational theories, practices and policies related to curriculum and instruction.

Concentrations include art education, middle level, language and literacy education, mathematics education, foreign language education, music education, science education and social studies education.

Education programs leading to professional licensure or certification (nursing, education, social work, counseling, accounting, allied health professions, etc.) may require additional approval from separate licensing boards, depending on the state. Students who live or plan to live outside Georgia and are considering a professional program should contact the appropriate board in their state of residency prior to beginning a course of study. To help students find the best-known contact information for the appropriate state licensing board and for a list of Georgia State program contacts, visit the Student Consumer Information website.

Robinson’s Doctor of Business Administration is a 3-year, cohort-based, part-time doctoral degree program designed for senior-level professionals. Upon graduation, you will be able to apply research methodology and business theory to practical problems, and develop new perspectives on leadership, global change, and decision making. Through this rigorous and intellectually stimulating process, you will be transformed on a personal and professional level.

This mission is accomplished by helping executives develop general competence in applied research (including demonstrating knowledge of relevant theory and scholarly literature) while creating new knowledge on contemporary business problems through rigorous, hands-on coursework as well as the writing and defense of a dissertation.

Choose a Unique Program Design
To help students graduate in 3 years, the Georgia State DBA program use a unique design that consists of two major parts.

• First, in semesters 1-3 we provide students with the knowledge and experiences they need to develop a dissertation. This includes courses where students learn qualitative and quantitative research methods, as well as a group research project in which students experience a full research cycle from real-world problem to publication.
• Second, in semesters 4-6 students build on this theoretical and practical foundation to develop and defend their individual dissertations in close collaboration with their advisor and dissertation committee, and
• Third, in addition to teaching our students problem-solving skills through rigorous research, throughout the program we also develop their skills and theoretical knowledge to be better business leaders with coursework on decision-making, managing organizations, leadership, digital innovation, and evidenced-based management.

Program fees include tuition, class materials, assessments, mentoring, printed books, electronic materials, required software, parking while in residency, breakfast, lunch and snacks during each residency, and a membership to the World Affairs Council of Atlanta. See the tuition repayment schedules below for both in-state and out-of-state students.