Degrees & Majors

Training in the joint Clinical/Community Psychology concentration is informed by the traditions of prevention and social justice in community psychology and by the focus on assessment and individualized mental health interventions in clinical psychology. This dual-enrollment program provides a strengths-based, culturally competent approach to mental health and healthy development that emphasizes theory, research and practice at multiple levels of analysis – psychological, sociopolitical and ecological.  Upon graduation, students will have completed predoctoral requirements for clinical licensure in most states and will have solid preparation for American Board of Professional Psychology certification in their areas of specialty. For more information about professional licensure, download our Professional Licensure Sheet PDF document. In addition, CLC students receive training in a range of indirect services necessary for interventions at the institutional and community levels: Consultation Program development and evaluation Social policy Action research The CLC concentration is jointly administered by the Community and Clinical program areas. Students participate in both the Clinical Psychology and Community Psychology program areas. Faculty in areas serve as primary advisers. A secondary adviser is assigned in most cases to ensure appropriate training in both areas. We offer three clinical training concentrations: General Clinical Psychology, Clinical Neuropsychology and Clinical/Community Psychology. Each prepares students for distinctive paths within psychology. Welcome from the Directors of Graduate Studies FAQs for Graduate Program Applicants Faculty Accepting Students for Fall 2022

The Cognitive Sciences concentration encompasses interdisciplinary interests in experimental psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, computer science and translational science. With cognition as its unifying thread, the program provides opportunities to specialize in research and training in basic or applied cognitive psychology, cognitive neuroscience, social cognition, language and cognitive development, psycholinguistics and comparative cognition. Research methods include noninvasive behavioral and cognitive testing with children, adults and non-human primates, as well as electroencephalography, magnetic resonance imaging, transcranial magnetic stimulation, diffusion tensor imaging, eye-tracking, virtual reality/virtual environment testing, neurogenomics and cognitive neuroinformatics. We accept students with wide-ranging interests across the cognitive sciences for this terminal Ph.D. program. Students shape their own programs of research in consultation with their advisers. Prospective applicants should contact faculty for more information about individual research programs. Specific faculty interests include learning and memory; language acquisition and use, including the roles of experience, gesture and specific brain structures and processes; economic decision-making; attention and executive functioning (such as metacognition, planning, cognitive control); false memories and eyewitness accuracy; decision-making, including speeded judgments, economic decision-making and reasoning; inequity perception and response; comparative cognition; individual and group differences (such as species, race, gender, diagnostic category, age); cooperation and prosocial behavior; and brain-behavior relations that underlie various cognitive competencies. Welcome from the Directors of Graduate Studies FAQs for Graduate Program Applicants Faculty Accepting Students for Fall 2022

The 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.

The School of Public Health is proud to offer a new bachelor of science (B.S.) degree program that puts a special emphasis on urban and global health issues. Our bachelor of science curriculum includes elements of the life and biological sciences, social sciences, and humanities to provide students with an understanding of public health from a broad spectrum of approaches. Students will build the knowledge and skills needed to excel in a wide array of public health professions, or to continue on to graduate school in any number of medical, science, social science, or public health fields.

The Graduate Certificate in Public Health is a 16-credit hour program of study. The content is nearly the same as the core courses taught in the Master of Public Health degree program. The graduate certificate program is offered in flexible formats that are convenient for busy professionals: online, in-person or a mix of both. You’ll gain the foundational knowledge to maintain, upgrade or advance your public health knowledge and skills or further your career. The program is specifically designed for students working in public health or professionals coming from a variety of backgrounds, including physicians, nurses, health educators, clinical research professionals, policy experts and more. Note that applicants must possess at least a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution to be considered for admission.

The nonprofit leadership minor allows students to learn about the important role of nonprofit organizations in addressing social issues and interests in a democratic society and participating in the formulation and implementation of public policy. Through this minor, students will become aware of the many and diverse career opportunities in the nonprofit sector, in areas such as the arts, social services, education, health care, the environment, policy advocacy, and international relief and development, and they will learn the skills, knowledge and challenges of leadership in this sector. This minor will prepare students for entry level jobs in nonprofit management and for graduate study in nonprofit organizations, philanthropy, and related fields. For information on program requirements, visit the Andrew Young School of Public Policy website.

By pursuing a degree in Public Management and Policy students will acquire skills in professional writing, evidence-based critical thinking and policy analysis in the policy core coursework and in elective concentrations.  Students can choose from three distinct concentrations:  Nonprofit Leadership, Planning and Economics Development, and Public Management and Governance.  Students also will gain valuable skills during the internship course portion of their program.  This program prepares students for a leadership or management career in public services.

Societal needs—for economic growth, better health care, environmental protection, etc.—and resource limitations challenge policymakers to make difficult public policy choices. The doctoral program in public policy prepares its graduates to conduct original research to help scholars and policymakers understand the trade-offs involved in such choices across a broad range of critical issues. Students can focus on: Policy analysis and program evaluation: How can we predict the consequences of our policy choices? What values should drive those choices? How can we determine which government and nonprofit programs work – producing benefits that exceed their costs? Public budgeting and finance: How can governments raise the funds necessary to provide public services in as equitable a manner as possible without impeding economic growth? How should and do governments decide which services and programs to fund? How can taxes achieve socially desirable goals? Public and nonprofit management: How should functions be divided among the governmental, nonprofit and for-profit sectors? How should managers allocate financial and human resources to meet public needs? How should managers balance equity and efficiency claims? Urban and regional planning and development: How can we assess and evaluate the complex and dynamic context and forces that shape the growth of cities, communities and regions? What strategies can be employed to promote equitable and sustainable development? What roles do systems (for example, transportation, housing) play in creating the environments and communities we desire?

If you’re enrolled in a doctoral program at Georgia State, you’re eligible to study for a graduate certificate in Qualitative Research in Education. The program is for those interested in conducting research or gaining expertise in qualitative research. To earn the certificate, you must complete a minimum of eight 3-credit-hour doctoral-level qualitative research methods courses with a collective GPA of 3.5 or higher in those courses, with no grade lower than a B in any course to be counted toward the certificate.