Degrees & Majors

We are a multifaceted applied linguistics department that focuses on post-secondary/adult language learning, teaching and use. Our faculty specialize in a number of sub-disciplines, including second language (L2) acquisition, L2 writing, sociolinguistics, language assessment, corpus linguistics, educational technology and L2 teacher education.

The Middle East Institute offers an interdisciplinary major in Middle East Studies, a minor in Middle East Studies and a minor in Arabic. The major is ideal for students who want a well-rounded understanding of the Middle East along with the opportunity to study languages of the region. Students take courses on the Middle East in a variety of disciplines, including history, political science, religious studies, communication and women’s studies. Each student selects the specific courses included in his or her program of study in consultation with an MEI adviser. The MES major prepares students for graduate school or for careers in government, business, the non-profit sector or the military. For the latest information about required courses, view the enrollment program page.

Specific objectives for students completing the M.A.Ed. program include:

• Expanding their skills and understandings in studio art production and contemporary art concepts;
• Developing their pedagogical skills and strategies as master teachers;
• Empowering them to integrate theory and best practices in their classrooms;
• Fostering their critical thinking skills and life-long learning as members of a professional community;
• Developing their leadership and advocacy skills to have an impact on students, classrooms, communities, schools, districts and professional organizations.

The graduate Art History program in the Ernest G. Welch School of Art & Design emphasizes the study of visual art in relation to the historical and cultural contexts in which it was created. Students receive training in various time periods and geographical areas of art history, while also gaining depth of knowledge in a particular specialization. The M.A. is a two-year degree program with thesis and non-thesis tracks. Coursework takes the form of mixed-level lecture classes, graduate-only seminars, including Methodology and Historiography of Art, and electives in subjects outside art history. The program is open to students with undergraduate degrees in art history as well as those with degrees in other fields who have completed upper-level coursework in art history. It provides a foundation for individuals who wish to pursue careers in museums and galleries, as well as undertake doctoral studies. The graduate Art History program features established faculty with active publishing and research profiles. Students normally focus on one of the following areas: Early Modern (Renaissance) Art, Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century European Art, Modern and Contemporary American and European Art, or Contemporary African Art, and work closely with a faculty mentor when developing a thesis. Interested individuals are encouraged to make contact with the appropriate faculty member prior to applying. Highlights of the program include its urban setting, interface with local arts organizations and museums, the Art History Graduate Forum, an annual student-run visual culture symposium, assistantships and funding to present at conferences and symposia elsewhere. Many of the program’s diverse course offerings emphasize one or more of the following themes: gender, race, identity, the body and cities.

The Artist Certificate in Music is a post-master’s certificate in either performance or conducting. The program is 18 semester hours and takes two semesters to complete. To be admitted into the Artist Certificate program, students must have either a master’s degree in music or equivalent professional experience. The mission of the Georgia State School of Music is to preserve, promote and advance humanity’s rich and expanding tradition of artistic music-making through performance, composition, education and research in accordance with the urban and global initiatives of the university. The graduate programs in the School of Music offer unparalleled opportunities in one of America’s most vibrant urban centers. The school enrolls about 90 students in Master of Music degree programs, Artist Certificate programs, and Ph.D. and Ed.D. programs in music education. Students have the opportunity to work with an internationally acclaimed faculty of 40 full-time and 24 part-time faculty in concentrations such as performance, pedagogy, music education, conducting, composition and jazz studies.

The Artist Certificate in Music is a post-master’s certificate in either performance or conducting. The program is 18 semester hours and takes two semesters to complete. To be admitted into the Artist Certificate program, students must have either a master’s degree in music or equivalent professional experience. The performance emphases consist of intensive, individualized instruction in performance and a recital. The conducting emphases consist of intensive, individualized instruction and a terminal project consisting of a public performance and a research document. The program is open to exceptional students who are ready for doctoral- or professional-level instruction. The mission of the Georgia State School of Music is to preserve, promote and advance humanity’s rich and expanding tradition of artistic music-making through performance, composition, education and research in accordance with the urban and global initiatives of the university. The graduate programs in the School of Music offer unparalleled opportunities in one of America’s most vibrant urban centers. The school enrolls about 90 students in Master of Music degree programs, Artist Certificate programs, and Ph.D. and Ed.D. programs in music education. Students have the opportunity to work with an internationally acclaimed faculty of 40 full-time and 24 part-time faculty in concentrations such as performance, pedagogy, music education, conducting, composition and jazz studies.

The Artist Certificate in Music is a post-master’s certificate in either performance or conducting. The program is 18 semester hours and takes two semesters to complete. To be admitted into the Artist Certificate program, students must have either a master’s degree in music or equivalent professional experience. The conducting emphases consist of intensive, individualized instruction in performance and a recital. The conducting emphases consist of intensive, individualized instruction and a terminal project consisting of a public performance and a research document. The program is open to exceptional students who are ready for doctoral- or professional-level instruction. The mission of the Georgia State School of Music is to preserve, promote and advance humanity’s rich and expanding tradition of artistic music-making through performance, composition, education and research in accordance with the urban and global initiatives of the university. The graduate programs in the School of Music offer unparalleled opportunities in one of America’s most vibrant urban centers. The school enrolls about 90 students in Master of Music degree programs, Artist Certificate programs, and Ph.D. and Ed.D. programs in music education. Students have the opportunity to work with an internationally acclaimed faculty of 40 full-time and 24 part-time faculty in concentrations such as performance, pedagogy, music education, conducting, composition and jazz studies.

The purpose of this program is to provide a broad-based knowledge of the fine arts and business in order to prepare students for managerial positions in the fine arts areas. This program should allow the student with an interest in the arts to develop widely marketable skills. Please contact the School of Film, Media & Theatre or faculty advisement in the program.

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.