Still Not Sure?
The information shared here is intended to provide an overview of Georgia State University’s offerings. For official details on admissions requirements, tuition, courses and more please refer to the university catalogs.
Creative Writing, Ph.D.
The Ph.D. program in English, Concentration in Creative Writing, is one of the top 15 in the U.S., as ranked by Poets & Writers. The program offers graduate students the opportunity to work closely with our award-winning faculty while living and writing in Atlanta, an international city with a vibrant literary culture.
Our students publish—recently with Random House, Algonquin Books, St Martin’s, Alice James Books, Bloomsbury, Anhinga Press and Louisiana State University Press—and win important prizes and fellowships, including the National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship, the Philip Levine Prize for Poetry, the Walter E. Dakin Fellowship from The Sewanee Writers’ Conference and the Georgia Author of the Year Award.
Our faculty include David Bottoms, Beth Gylys, John Holman, Sheri Joseph and Josh Russell. Visiting writers & editors enrich the program by giving readings and leading workshops and Q&As.
Students may qualify for teaching assistantships, editorial assistantships and fellowships.
Criminal Justice & Criminology, P.h.D.
Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
The Ph.D. in Criminal Justice and Criminology program is designed to train researchers and teacher-scholars in criminal justice and criminology. The program provides intensive one-on-one mentorship, a flexible curriculum, and core teaching and research skills that enable graduates to excel in university settings as well as research think tanks. Current and former doctoral students are involved in presenting their research at regional and national conferences. Faculty members in the department have involved doctoral students in their research projects, resulting in numerous publications with students. In addition, graduate students help plan and attend research colloquia and participate in student governance.
Criminal Justice Administration, M.I.S.
The online master’s degree in criminal justice administration blends courses in criminal justice and criminology with managerial principles and practices in public management.
The criminal justice system is affected and influenced by social, political, and economic factors. The Georgia State online CJ approach will have you studying these interconnected facets, including:
- How offenders and victims fit within the criminal justice system.
- How society influences and is influenced by crime and criminal justice institutions.
- Evidence-based solutions for crime prevention and restorative justice practices.
- Knowledge of how governments fund the criminal justice system and the financial challenges they face to support services
The degree prepares you to:
- Lead and manage in criminal justice systems at the local, state and federal levels.
- Think critically to solve problems and make decisions that affect short- and long-term outcomes for the institutions you lead.
- Articulate and apply a set of ethical principles in the criminal justice system that comports with democratic values and respect for human rights.
- Understand and analyze research on crime and criminal justice policy.
- Communicate and interact productively with a diverse and changing workforce and citizenry.
Our graduates gain a sophisticated understanding of the ways in which law enforcement, judicial and correctional institutions interact with other segments of government and society to administer high-functioning, forward-thinking and humane justice systems.
Criminal Justice Pathway, A.S.
Perimeter College
What Is Criminal Justice?
Criminal justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, sanctioning those who violate laws and delivering penalties and/or rehabilitation efforts.
Why Study Criminal Justice?
Criminal justice courses offer a balanced introduction to the three facets of the criminal justice system: policing, courts and corrections. Students gain insight into criminal courts, security, police and corrections operations. They identify the legal, social and technological challenges in the criminal justice field. The study of criminal justice often serves as an introduction for students planning to attend law school.
A note on pathways: A pathway is an advising guide to help students prepare for their intended bachelor’s degree major. By following the course of study outlined in the appropriate Associate of Arts or Associate of Science pathway, students will have the necessary prerequisite courses to continue in their chosen disciplines. A pathway is not a major and will not be represented on the diploma.
Criminal Justice, B.S.
Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
Designed by award winning faculty in criminal justice and criminology research, the Georgia State online Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice degree will help you advance in your career. The program offers two academic concentrations: Crime and Justice or Legal Studies. The Crime and Justice concentration provides a blend of traditional criminal justice curriculum and forward thinking emphasis on digital criminology, while the Legal Studies concentration is designed for criminal justice majors desiring more intensive exposure to law often in preparation for law school. Students may also elect to pursue a minor in Digital Criminology along with the Bachelor of Science.
Why our program works
- Fair and open dialogue: Our faculty have designed a program that stresses an integrated view of the criminal justice system, highlighting relationships among the many different institutions involved and the need for cooperation and humane practices across: law enforcement, the courts, corrections, and the juvenile justice system.
- Theoretical framework combined with current events: You will study how our criminal justice system was designed and examine the parts of the system, including the roles of victims and offenders. Paired with an examination of the causes and consequences of traditional and digital crime, you will receive a comprehensive criminal justice education to prepare you for a career that is relevant to the critical issues facing justice agencies of today and tomorrow.
- Your success matters: You will work with the undergraduate advisement center throughout your time at Georgia State to make sure you are enrolling in the correct courses.
Because a bachelor’s degree at Georgia State also requires general education classes, you will find yourself speaking more clearly and effectively, thinking more analytically and critically evaluating the materials you read by the time you graduate.
Criminal Justice, M.S.
Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
Crime and criminal justice are at the forefront of national policy and practice. The increasing emphasis on professional preparation in criminal justice careers places additional academic demands on the in-service professional. To meet this need, Georgia State’s Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology offers a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science degree in criminal justice, as well as a Doctor of Philosophy degree in criminal justice and criminology.
Curriculum and Instruction, Ed.D.
The 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 an understanding of 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, early childhood and elementary education, language and literacy education, mathematics education, middle-level 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.
Data Science and Analytics, M.S. — Concentration in Big Data and Machine Learning
The Big Data and Machine Learning (BDML) concentration of the Master of Science in Data Science and Analytics is a three-semester program designed to train professionals in the rapidly growing field of data science. Data science lies at the intersection of computer science, statistical methodologies, and a wide range of application domains. It focuses on the generation, processing, and analyzing of vast amounts of data.
The BDML concentration responds to the growing need for highly qualified professionals who can transform big data into practical and valuable insights. In general terms, data scientists create actionable and valuable insights from data. Students in this program will gain the technical and soft skills that industry increasingly expects from data scientists. The concentration targets employment for students in industries related to the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, health and remote‐sensing data, as well as top research and development (R&D) labs.
The BDML concentration offers strong preparation in statistical analysis, machine learning, information retrieval, and the management and analysis of massive data sets. The courses in the concentration focus on topics such as reproducible data analysis, collaborative problem solving, data and knowledge visualization and communication, as well as privacy and ethical issues that arise in data science.
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 dental school or moving into lead hygienist roles in your practice.
As the first tier-one research university and the second institution 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.
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.
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
In response to the growing number of Georgia schools with Dual Language Immersion programs, the College of Education & Human Development’s Department of Early Childhood and Elementary Education offers two programs in Dual Language Immersion Education.
These programs engage students in comprehensive exploration, research and practice in elementary Dual Language Immersion education.
These programs develop highly prepared teachers who understand Dual Language Immersion 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.
The two programs are:
Master of Education in Elementary Education with a concentration in Dual Language Education
Dual Immersion Early Childhood Education Endorsement
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.
Economics, B.A.
Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
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.