Degrees & Majors

The Music Education Faculty believes all cultures should be represented and that both traditional and novel settings should be used to teach music. You will take traditional method classes but will also learn to improvise, use electric instruments, compose and much more. You will learn to be the best possible ensemble/choral director in addition to being able to design novel student-centered instruction. Most important, you will learn to channel your passion for music through effective instruction. Music Education prepares you to teach music in schools or other group settings from early childhood through adulthood. After graduation, you qualify for a Georgia teaching certificate in K-12 music. In addition to performance, you will study child development and learning, as well as methods of teaching music. Applicants should have a strong background in music performance and music reading and should have a particular interest in sharing their love of music with others. The mission of the 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. 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.

Music Technology (Recording/Music Production) prepares students for work in artistic, technical or producer/director capacities in music and music-related media industries. Students are aesthetically and practically trained for work as audio engineers and music technologists. Auditions are required. The mission of the 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. 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.

Through the Bachelor/J.D. Accelerated Degree Program with the Honors College, a small number of highly talented and qualified students will have the opportunity to complete a bachelor of arts, a bachelor of science, bachelor of social work or a bachelor of business administration and a J.D. at Georgia State University in six years rather than seven. Learn more at honors.gsu.edu/acceleratedjd. Questions about the J.D.? Contact Jessica Gabel Cino, associate dean for academic affairs and associate professor of law. For the latest information about required courses, view the College of Law website.

The career possibilities are endless with a bachelor’s degree in biology. A strong foundation in life science is a strong foundation for almost any career path. While students can choose to stay on the General Studies track, we offer concentrations in:

• Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology
• Microbiology
• Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology
• Neurobiology
• Pre-Medical/Pre-Health

Undergraduate students can get involved in research and two interdisciplinary areas of focus — The Molecular Basis of Disease program and The Brains and Behavior program — provide competitive fellowships, seminars and symposia to support Biology undergraduate and graduate researchers. The Department also offers students the unique opportunity to participate in community outreach through the Bio-Bus program, which sends a mobile teaching laboratory to primary and secondary schools throughout metro-Atlanta.

Earning an M.S. degree in biology can be a stepping stone to a career in the biosciences or in preparation for a professional degree. The Master of Science (M.S.) degree program in Biology offers a flexible curriculum that can incorporate courses from other departments and colleges at Georgia State. Students must complete at least 40 credit hours of approved coursework. Students may apply under a specific area/concentration, though a concentration is not required. Upon admission, a master's student is assumed to be non-thesis until acceptance into the thesis option. The non-thesis program emphasizes coursework, and a capstone paper or project is required. The capstone can either be literature-based or laboratory-based. The thesis option emphasizes research. Acceptance into the thesis option requires approval of a thesis proposal. Completion of the thesis option requires an approved thesis as well as a successful defense of the thesis. The thesis option is only recommended for students who are planning to pursue a Ph.D. For information about the M.S. in Medical Sciences in Biology program, which is designed for students who plan to apply to medical school, go to https://cas.gsu.edu/program/medical-sciences-in-biology-ms/.

The Master of Interdisciplinary Studies (M.I.S.) in Biomedical Enterprise program equips students to enter the biomedical enterprise workforce through its unique interdisciplinary coursework in science, law and business, accompanied by interactive projects and internships. In partnership with the nationally ranked J. Mack Robinson College of Business and the College of Law, this innovative program teaches students how to bring biomedical advances to the marketplace, empowering them to make important contributions that could improve human health and save lives. Students gain a competitive edge by developing the skills sought by employers, such as problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity, communication and collaboration across disciplines. They are also prepared to work in a number of areas, including biotechnology, pharmaceutics, entrepreneurship, consulting, education, outreach, government and other fields.

The B.S.Ed. program in birth through five (B-5) prepares teachers and other early care and education professionals to work in varied settings with young children and their families. Age ranges from infancy through kindergarten, including children who are typically developing and those with disabilities. Our program:

• Offers evening and online classes
• Allows students to complete clinical field experience in their work-based settings
• Prepares students to be innovative, creative and high-quality early childhood educators
• Offers certification and non-certification options

There are two concentrations:

• Teacher certification
• Non-teacher certification

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.

The overall goal of the concentration in business analysis is to provide the student with specialized training in the use of advanced analytical techniques for managerial decision making. These areas span statistical data analysis, management science, business intelligence and decision support systems. This concentration also prepares students for Six Sigma certification. The contextual topics include data warehousing, data mining, online analytical processing, enterprise resource planning and supply chain management. This concentration prepares students for careers in business analysis, financial analysis, marketing analysis, operations analysis, strategic analysis and corporate planning. Students will be prepared for the utilization of information technology for corporate decision making. For the latest information about required courses, view the Robinson College of Business website.

The mission of the MBA concentration in business economics is to prepare students with a deeper understanding of economics in the corporate and business environment. More specifically, the program endeavors to build a solid background in micro and macroeconomic theory, equip students with an extensive knowledge of analytical and statistical techniques, provide expertise and practice in applying theory and quantitative tools to actual business problems, and ensure that students are able to communicate this information both in a technical way to peers and in a more general way for decision-making by upper management. For the latest information about required courses, view the Robinson College of Business website.