Degrees & Majors
Choose from dozens of nationally ranked and recognized programs and more than 250 majors, minors and pathways at Georgia State offering the widest variety of fields of study.
Still Not Sure?
The information shared here is intended to provide an overview of Georgia State’s offerings. For details on admissions requirements, tuition, courses and more please refer to the university catalogs.
Deaf Studies, Sign Language Interpreting Concentration, B.A.
Sign Language Interpreting is an interdisciplinary field that combines highly developed competency in American Sign Language and English with knowledge of linguistics, interpretation, translation and principles of professional practice. The Sign Language Interpreting concentration prepares students with the theoretical and practical knowledge needed to enter field of American Sign Language/English interpretation. Students develop confidence in their working languages, proficiency in linguistic and cultural analysis, and the interpersonal skills needed to develop a relevant and sound professional practice. For students who are interested in pursuing careers working with deaf/hard of hearing children or adults, the B.A. Deaf Studies degree will allow for a concentration in Deaf Education or Sign Language Interpreting.
Dental Hygiene, A.S.
What is Dental Hygiene? Dental Hygiene encompasses the relationship between oral health care and total body health. Providing individualized oral hygiene care requires knowledge in the application of principles of biomedical, clinical and social sciences. The profession demonstrates ethical principles of health care, appropriate communication skills and critical thinking skills while delivering consistent, safe clinical treatment to patients, families, groups and communities in a variety of health care settings. Accredited by the American Dental Association, the Perimeter College Dental Hygiene guided pathway is a two-year, five-semester course of study that begins each fall. Graduates who earn an associate degree are eligible to join a preventive oral health profession that promotes quality health and education in a variety of practice settings. Why Study Dental Hygiene? A dental hygienist has the opportunity to influence a patient’s overall health by providing knowledgeable oral hygiene treatment. The profession requires an interest in science and health care and, equally important, a desire to work with and help people. Perimeter College’s Dental Hygiene guided pathway is approved by the Georgia Board of Dentistry and accredited by the American Dental Association. The pathway offers a dynamic and licensed faculty, advanced training in dental technology equipment, service learning opportunities and the potential for advanced degree transfer. Admission to the Dental Hygiene Program This program requires special admission. The Dental Hygiene sequence of professional courses starts only in the fall semester, and enrollment is limited. Official notification of acceptance to the program is confirmed by the Department of Dental Hygiene. Admission requirements include the following: Acceptance to Perimeter College of Georgia State University Satisfaction of all Learning Support requirements Additional requirements as defined by the Department of Dental Hygiene Applicants should visit the Dental Hygiene website for additional information.
Dental Hygiene, B.S.
Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions
The Georgia State online dental hygiene bachelor of science degree program is for registered dental hygienists who already have an associate degree. This online bachelor’s completion program will help you advance in the profession by giving you the education you need to move into other roles, such as: providing clinical instruction for future hygienists, attending graduate school or moving to roles outside of clinical practice. As the first tier-one research university in the Atlanta metro to offer an R.D.H. to B.S degree completion program, we are ready to help you succeed. Georgia State is nationally recognized for our student success initiatives and helping students like you advance in your profession is part of our core mission. The online B.S. in Dental Hygiene includes 10 courses to provide coursework necessary to enable graduates to advance to more marketable positions in the profession. All courses are fully online and are three credit hours each.
Digital Criminology, Minor
The minor in digital criminology is open to all undergraduate Georgia State students. The Department of Criminal Justice & Criminology offers a minor in digital criminology. The minor is comprised of 15 credit hours and offers students across Georgia State the opportunity to understand cybercrime and develop real-life, practical skills to prepare them for public or private sector careers in cybersecurity. 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. The Evidence-Based Cyber-Security Group is housed within the department and strives to advance our empirical understanding of cyber crime and cybersecurity and train the next generation of professionals to put these lessons into practice.
Digital Filmmaking, Filmmaking Concentration, M.F.A.
Launching in fall 2022, the new Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) in Digital Filmmaking program and its Filmmaking concentration leverage the rich curriculum of the School of Film, Media & Theatre to create an ethically sustainable and socially engaged future for film and media production. The program cultivates diverse perspectives in an active and demanding learning environment within Atlanta's vibrant cultural and historical traditions. The Filmmaking concentration prepares candidates to produce documentary, fiction, experimental, community-based and advocacy media, and 16mm and 35mm filmmaking through a combination of rigorous practice, collaboration and study. The program shapes candidates into well-rounded and skilled individuals with a thorough knowledge of film and media production and may contribute to the ongoing social justice work while developing distinctive styles of visual expression attractive to industry, artistic and activist communities. Georgia State has been teaching film production at the graduate level for over 25 years, making it the longest-running graduate film school in Georgia. Students in the Filmmaking concentration will: Gain a thorough grounding in the strategies, complexities and varieties of contemporary filmmaking and creative mediamaking. Be exposed to new storytelling perspectives to challenge traditional filmmaking structures and realize alternative possibilities to represent the human experience and condition. Engage in mentorship with award-winning and internationally recognized faculty filmmakers. Become adept in a diverse and expressive range of approaches to do work that synergizes arts-based and industrial practices. Partner with critical studies and scholarship in the School of Film, Media & Theatre, including the internationally renowned research group liquid blackness Leverage creative opportunities with other arts disciplines across the College of the Arts, including theatre, music, visual arts and design. Discover and hone an artistic voice through courses in directing, producing, screenwriting, cinematography, editing, sound design, documentary and experimental media in preparation for each candidate's thesis project. Explore filmmaking in multicultural Atlanta, the third-largest media capital in America in the heart of Georgia's booming film and television industries. This unique environment provides filmmakers with access and experience to navigate the demands of a fast-changing and competitive film industry. Engage in rigorous, hands-on learning and professional training and develop a rich understanding of cinema and media history, theory and aesthetics while anticipating and developing future media practices. Gain practical teaching experience through funded teaching assistantships that prepare candidates for a career in education. The M.F.A. degree is a terminal degree required for most college/university teaching positions in film/media production. Acquire industry experience through Georgia Film Academy and Trilith Studios (formerly Pinewood Studios) for specialized technologies and crafts such as post-production, lighting and art direction, etc. The M.F.A. in Digital Filmmaking offers two concentrations. The Filmmaking concentration is administered through the School of Film, Media & Theatre. The Visual Effects & Virtual Production concentration is offered through the Creative Media Industries Institute (CMII). Applicants applying for the Visual Effects & Virtual Production concentration should visit CMII.
Digital Filmmaking, Virtual Production & Visual Effects Concentration, M.F.A.
Launching in fall 2022, the program in Virtual Production and Visual Effects provides advanced post-production technology and content creation training for media professionals. Housed at the Creative Media Industries Institute (CMII), the program provides students access to the most advanced motion and performance capture technologies in industry use and opportunities to create multimedia content in virtual production tools. Students will create polished, finished products through advanced coursework in video editing, game design, volumetric, and motion capture software packages. A key focus of the concentration is its emphasis on the examination of real-time workflow models, including production work connected to LED and virtual previsualization technologies, which are available to students in the new CMII production studios. The benefits of close industry collaboration and advanced production tools The special effects used to capture performances for games and film/television are technologically aligning. For example, the software most commonly used in game design, Unreal Engine, was also used to accomplish virtual preproduction and animation work in the film Lion King, in The Mandalorian and Ford v Ferrari. The Creative Media Industries Institute trains students in the high-end content creation technologies now central to big-budget filmmaking and game development. Is this graduate program for me? The program is organized to meet the needs of industry professionals, responsive to Georgia’s growing demand for above the line qualified production and post-production professionals, in these categories: Mid-career film/TV production and post-production professionals, where training in advanced technology tools is useful as they undertake supervisory roles in production companies or need to retool for work connecting to virtual production. Industry professionals wishing to undertake new forms of work in the content creation industries, including, for example, workers who want to shift their work from a film-industry-focused career path into animation or game design, or vice versa. Early-career media professionals who wish to continue their production educations, where access to sophisticated industry tools facilitates portfolio building and early festival submissions utilizing state-of-the-art VFX. The unique technology advantages of the CMII program will, we hope, be especially attractive to students who received basic film training elsewhere and are looking to specialize in virtual production. Industry professionals who wish to shift into a higher education teaching career, for which the MFA provides a terminal degree qualification suitable for tenure-track employment in a university setting or teachers for whom the MFA enables an educational promotion path while equipping them to run educationally housed new media and film production centers. Newly graduating students with a passion for visual effects or virtual production and a desire to pursue an M.F.A. We also welcome applications from individuals seeking mid-career transitions (such as veterans training for second careers and teachers shifting areas of instructional focus) and from applicants who are passionate about content creation who may not have had prior access to advanced technology tools necessary to launch first career-ready projects. The M.F.A. in Digital Filmmaking offers two concentrations. The Visual Effects & Virtual Production concentration is offered through the Creative Media Industries Institute (CMII). The Filmmaking concentration is administered through the School of Film, Media & Theatre. Applicants applying for the Filmmaking concentration should visit the School of Film, Media, & Theatre.
Digital Innovation Concentration, Ph.D. in Business Administration
Robinson College of Business
You will be part of the Center for Digital Innovation, a college-level interdisciplinary research center on digital innovation that focuses on adding value and addressing high-impact problems in business and society. You will receive a Ph.D. in computer information systems and leave prepared for a career at a major research university.
In consultation with the Ph.D. coordinator and other faculty, you will configure a program of study that will include subject matter seminars in information systems and other disciplines, a rigorous sequence of research methods courses (e.g., econometrics, statistics, computational techniques, experimental design, qualitative techniques), a course in theory development, and a course in university teaching. A collaborative mentoring approach is used for your ongoing scholastic development. From the start of the program, you will work closely with one or more faculty members.
Our faculty are ranked among the leading scholars in information systems and routinely publish their work, often in collaboration with current and former Ph.D. students, in the best scholarly journals in information systems and other disciplines.
Tuition
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, abrewington1@gsu.edu
Disruptive Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Graduate Certificate
Hatching an idea is one thing. Executing it is a whole different ball game. Many great ideas fail because the people behind them lack the skills to bring them to fruition. Robinson’s Certificate in Disruptive Innovation and Entrepreneurship fills that knowledge gap.
Over the course of the program, students not only explore tools that stimulate creative thinking but also design compelling value propositions, develop viable and profitable business models and learn to pitch to investors.
Application Process
- Online application and $50 application fee
- College transcripts
- Personal statement
- Resume – Work experience preferred but not required.
- Video interview as part of the online application
- Additional requirements apply for international applicants
Learn more about the application process and what you will need to apply.
Tuition
Georgia residents: $4,058 per semester
Non-Georgia residents: $8,912 per semester
Nonrefundable seat deposit: $250
Tuition is subject to change.
Please note: the above tuition rates apply to new non-degree-seeking students. Current master's students who embed a certificate within their degree will be charged at a different rate. See the Tuition tab below to learn more.
Doctor of Business Administration
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.
Tuition
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.
Doctor of Nursing Practice, D.N.P.
Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions
For those called to seek the highest level of clinical nursing practice, the Georgia State doctor of nursing practice (D.N.P.) hybrid program is your solution. You will finish the program ready to lead others to implement cost-effective practices that also improve outcomes. One hundred percent of our D.N.P. students work full-time, and still, they are preparing for work in: healthcare administration; professional nursing organizations; higher education; and many practice settings throughout Georgia. You will move through the program as a cohort of colleagues, allowing you to network with industry leaders and build relationships that last well beyond graduation. *The hybrid program combines online (web-facilitated) classes with a limited number of on-campus sessions. Students attend on-campus sessions (also known as intensives) one day at the beginning of each fall and spring semester. The web-facilitated classes are a combination of real-time and on-demand courses. Is a Ph.D. or D.N.P. degree right for me?
Doctor of Philosophy in Health Sciences
Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions
The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) program in health sciences prepares dietitians, occupational therapists, physical therapists and respiratory therapists with master’s or clinical doctorate degrees to be scholars and educators. Our Ph.D. graduates become leaders in health sciences, higher education, hospital administration and public health. The program offers full-time and part-time study, with hybrid coursework. As part of the largest urban university in Georgia, located in the heart of Atlanta, students will have access to and collaborate with some of the finest healthcare facilities in the country. Exceptional learning opportunities await each student as they receive mentorship from elite faculty members to conduct state-of-the-art research projects to contribute to the scientific fields. Students have the opportunity to present their research at local, state, national and international meetings and learn to be effective educators for future generations of healthcare professionals. Concentrations Nutrition - prepares clinical and public health professionals to teach, conduct research and practice in an inter-disciplinary environment, using evidence-based practice to improve lives. Occupational Therapy - prepares students to improve human lives through evidence-based clinical practice and research, delivery of health services in interprofessional settings, community programming, interventions, advocacy and leadership in occupational therapy and rehabilitation. Translational Rehabilitation Science - prepares students to discover and disseminate rehabilitation knowledge and improve the quality of life, participation, health, performance and well-being of people with and without disabilities. Cardiopulmonary Care - trains students as leaders in the cardiopulmonary field overall and specifically with a focus on advancing the scientific field of respiratory therapy, educating the next generation of respiratory therapists and leading healthcare organizations.
Drawing and Painting, M.F.A.
The Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) in Drawing and Painting program supports artists who explore unique approaches to the creative endeavor and who transcend boundaries. We are interested in applicants who are searching for new insights into our culture and our time. The faculty encourages innovative and original ideas. The curriculum of the Drawing and Painting program ensures a comprehensive exposure to an array of perspectives as represented by the various approaches to media, content, imagery and teaching styles of our faculty. Students are encouraged to explore the traditions of printmaking as well as drawing and painting, and to work in pursuit of new forms and with contemporary issues. While students work in the drawing, painting and printmaking combined seminar for a majority of their studio credit hours, they are highly encouraged to move among media in the discipline, as well as with other studio areas in the Ernest G. Welch School of Art & Design.
Drawing, Painting and Printmaking B.F.A.
The Drawing and Painting concentration hosts diverse media-specific and conceptually focused classes, dedicated classroom studios and a project/critique space. A stylistically diverse faculty offers courses in specific media and material content—oil-based, water-based, life drawing, digital possibilities—as well as concept-driven courses such as “Figure as Content,” “Sound and Radio,” “Anthropocene Studies,” “Research Methodologies,” “Maps and Messages,” “Science + Art” and more. Philosophically, the faculty engender a range of visual expression, media experimentation, social practice and conceptual art—all grounded in traditional technical training. Faculty areas of expertise include classical drawing, mixed-media, collage, video, sound, animation, trompe l’oeil /ultra realist and abstract painting, sculpture and installation. A range of international travel programs have been hosted by area faculty and student internships are supported by faculty. The Printmaking curriculum introduces students to cross-disciplinary modes of working while enhancing their understanding of foundational principles of design and the importance and beauty of method, process, discipline, repetition and perseverance. Emphasis is placed on mastering the elements of mark-making while encouraging variation and risk-taking with the tools at hand. Stressing the notion of drawing and the formal elements of process and design as a language, the faculty encourage students to broaden their vocabulary and fluency in the medium, honing and translating their perceptions of a tangible world into legible and poetic works. Students look at the history of art and the tradition of printmaking in order to trace the evolution of the medium to the position it now enjoys as a vibrant and viable means of creating contemporary art. They are taught technique and concept through discussions, demos, examples, museum/studio/gallery visits and readings that demonstrate the uses of print-based techniques for image-making, which serves as a vehicle for learning and the proliferation of meaning and messages, taking cues from all aspects of the contemporary political, philosophical and social sphere. Students gain technical skill and are shown methods of employing the techniques unique to printmaking’s fundamental processes to make work that marries form and content in meaningful ways and when appropriate reaches beyond the confines of the traditional print. The Printmaking area cultivates a culture of collaboration and is enhanced by a student-run organization, Printmaker’s Workshop, which organizes trips to conferences, museums and studios in Atlanta and beyond.
Dual Language and Immersion Education Endorsement
In response to the growing number of Georgia schools with Dual Language Immersion (DLI) programs, the College of Education & Human Development’s Department of Early Childhood and Elementary Education offers a fully online endorsement in Dual Language Immersion. A valuable asset in a world of global connections, bilingualism is an advantage that parents want for their children regardless of their native tongue. This online endorsement program is designed to prepare teachers like you to meet this need, to be sensitive and responsive to the needs of dual language immersion learners' and to be advocates for DLI in a variety of educational settings. Coursework is designed to address effective learning environments for bilingual students and methods and materials for engaging DLI students in challenging educational experiences. The program develops highly prepared teachers who understand DLI education and are teacher-leaders in establishing learner-centered classrooms consistent with the standards of the Georgia Professional Standards Commission and the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium. It is open to students who are enrolled in a foreign language certification program at Georgia State University and to current educators who hold a Level 4 or higher induction or professional foreign language education certificate from the state of Georgia. The endorsement qualifies successful candidates to teach in kindergarten through fifth-grade dual immersion classrooms. Credits earned in this program can be applied to the online Master of Education in Elementary Education with a concentration in Dual Language Education.
Early Childhood and Elementary Education, Ph.D.
Our early childhood and elementary education program will prepare you to be researchers and teacher educators in areas such as applied research, curriculum development, teacher education, literacy/digital literacy, multicultural education, science education, math education and more. Our doctorate degree prepares you to move into various roles and content areas in the early childhood and elementary education fields. You will learn to be active scholars informed in the historical, political, developmental and theoretical paradigms that shape education in today’s rapidly changing world. Through coursework, research and teaching apprenticeships and individual mentoring, you can become inquisitive researchers and reflective teacher educators equipped to affect the lives of children, their families and the larger society. Meet the doctoral students in our Ph.D. program.
Economics, B.A.
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.
Economics, B.S.
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 BS has a focus on quantitative and mathematical reasoning. This program is recommended if students are considering a graduate degree in economics or related areas in business.
Economics, M.A.
Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
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.