Degrees & Majors

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.

The elementary education bachelor’s degree program prepares teachers to work with children in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. The program reflects research and evidence-based practice in the field of early childhood education, elementary education and teacher education.

We offer two concentrations:

• Elementary Education certification (pre-K – 5)
• Elementary Education and Special Education general curriculum (pre-K – 5) dual certification

Our students receive content and pedagogy in all academic disciplines taught in elementary classrooms. There are also opportunities for teacher preparation in English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), as well as in urban education and dual immersion settings.

The program provides integration of the visual, theatrical and musical arts in the context of digital technology. The broad and extensive field-based experiences effectively develop your knowledge and ability to select and implement developmentally appropriate technology, resources and activities for teaching and learning in diverse settings across grade levels.

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.

Click the “View Catalog Button” below to see the program breakdown for the dual certification concentration program. For the early childhood education (pre-kindergarten through 5th grade) certification program, visit the program description page.

Georgia State University’s Dual Degree (or 4+1) program allows students to earn a B.A. in English and an M.A.T. in English Education in as little as five years, saving time and tuition dollars.

The English education master’s program is designed for students who seek an initial teaching certification in secondary English (grades 6-12). This program leads to a master of arts in teaching (M.A.T.) and a clear and renewable (T5) induction certificate in the state of Georgia.

English educators are responsible for constructing learning environments that support students’ development in reading literature, writing for multiple audiences, expressing ideas and opinions in speech and interpersonal communication and exploring the potential of the arts in language arts.

This program will allow you to build a foundation to transform your passion into a professional career, providing an initial certification for teaching English language arts for 6th-12th grades, and recognition of master’s level proficiency in the subject area, putting you into a higher pay grade in Georgia school systems.

At the undergraduate level, the accelerated program is designed for English majors concentrating in Pre-Education.

The B.I.S. in Environmental Science program provides a foundation in the physical and life sciences, policy, and global and urban sustainability issues. This concentration emphasizes a broad-based course of study, exposing students to the complex social and scientific processes involved in understanding and addressing environmental issues. Students are encouraged to develop specific areas of focus depending on their future goals (e.g., graduate school, government agencies, and environmental consulting firms).

Georgia State’s BS in Exercise Science prepares students for careers in adult fitness and wellness, worksite health promotion/corporate fitness, personal training, clinical exercise physiology, cardiac rehabilitation and other related fields. Preparation is also provided in biomechanical analysis, program management, sports skills development and enhancement, strength and conditioning, and related topics.

Employers value Exercise Science majors. In every class, at every event, and in every program in which you participate, you practice skills that connect to the competencies employers value most.

• Heath care, exercise, and fitness thrives in team-based environments, and the B.S. Exercise Science curriculum is designed to enhance collaboration skills that will transfer in the field. This is accomplished through group activities and labs.
• The Exercise Science Program integrates critical thinking and problem-solving skills in program-level courses.
• Technology is evolving in the health and fitness industry, and allowing our students to experience and train with the most recent technology to help evaluate the human body is paramount.
• Many classes aim to help students evaluate their strengths and weaknesses and work develop as leaders in the field.

The B.B.A. in Finance program provides students with a thorough understanding of financial operations in both non-financial and financial businesses as well as a broader understanding of financial markets.

Students learn to develop and implement financial strategies that maximize firm value, understand and apply state-of-the-art analytical financial tools, and analyze and manage financial market risks.

The Department of Finance is noted for its faculty’s outstanding teaching, research, and business experience as well as for its diverse course offerings, ranging from corporate strategy and asset management to fintech and financial data analytics.

Check out our cost calculator or visit Student Financial Services for information on estimated costs.

The B.A. in Game Design trains interested students to integrate game arts with related advanced technology software platforms in which videogames are conceptualized, designed and created.

The team at the Creative Media Industries Institute (CMII) is composed of scholars and professors of practice who work with students on theory and practical industry knowledge. Our students have access to a unique group of professionals with diverse backgrounds and strengths to give them a more well-rounded education and view of the creative industry.

Students have access to professionals who are well-regarded in the industry, including a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and documentary filmmaker, and a professor of practice who has created cutting-edge visual effects for some of Hollywood’s biggest feature films, including “Avatar” and the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy.

Students who are interested in deeper training in game programming or whose career interests might include work in the wider data sciences, might consider the B.S. in Game Development program at CMII.

Geography focuses on the interdisciplinary study of the human and physical world. As the Association of American Geographers describes it, human geography examines “spatial aspects of human existence,” while physical geography examines patterns of climates, landforms, vegetation, soils and water.

The geography concentration prepares students for a variety of public and private sector jobs, and provides a solid intellectual foundation for students getting advanced degrees in the social or natural sciences.

The Department of Geosciences includes a diverse faculty of scholars from the disciplines of geography, geology and hydrology. Research clusters in the department investigate pressing urban environmental issues, including water, from water governance to water quality and quantity, climate change and quantity, geochemical processes, and geographic information systems and informatics.