Degrees & Majors

Actuaries have been called financial architects and social mathematicians because of their unique blend of analytical and business skills in the insurance and financial services industries. They serve as consultants in firms that specialize in employee benefits and pensions, in the government sector, and in a variety of other roles. To be recognized as a qualified actuary, a person should become a member of the Society of Actuaries or the Casualty Actuarial Society. Membership is obtained by passing a series of examinations. Completion of Robinson’s actuarial science program greatly enhances the possibility of passing those exams.

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

Anthropology, the study of human beings and their primate relatives, provides students with a perspective on the nature of humanity over time and in different environments.

Anthropology is concerned with biological aspects of humans and other primates in the past and present (biological anthropology), with material culture and an investigation into past lifeways (archaeology), with contemporary cultures (cultural anthropology) and with the complexities of language and communication (linguistic anthropology).

The Department of Anthropology has a strong and growing program with faculty representing all four of these subfields. Our faculty have research activities on four continents (North and South America, Europe and Africa). Several faculty members have expertise and research projects in Latin America. Undergraduate and graduate students benefit from the experience and ongoing research of faculty working there. Faculty members have taught field methods courses and supervised student research in socio-cultural anthropology, medical anthropology and archaeology.

The Georgia State University undergraduate concentration in Art Education prepares pre-kindergarten through 12^th grade art educators with expertise in the visual arts and the skills to plan and teach in a way that is responsive to all students and their communities.

The program builds a community of collegial professionals who demonstrate disciplinary expertise, including art teaching skills with sound pedagogical strategies, an understanding of current scholarship and issues within the field and the ability to positively impact student learning. Special emphasis is placed on the teaching of diverse learners in urban and metropolitan settings. The program bridges the gap between theory and practice—helping students develop skills as an instructor and an artist.

Art Education students benefit from the activities of the National Art Education Association, which provides a variety of early professional experiences for pre-service teachers, including the organization of exhibitions of art education student and alumni artwork, the sponsorship of fundraisers and service projects in the Atlanta area and travel to state and national conferences.

The program also reflects a professional art school commitment to the mastery of art media. Students are required to take several courses in one art discipline to gain the depth needed for teaching and personal artistic development, as well as a broad range of elective studio courses to master the diverse skills that will be needed as a classroom teacher.

The student experience: Three of the four pre-student-teaching courses include on-site classroom observations.  The last semester of the program is spent student-teaching with master’s-level teachers in the Atlanta metropolitan area.

The Georgia State University Arts Administration concentration provides students with a broad-based knowledge of business and the arts and positions graduates for managerial positions in galleries, theaters and other arts organizations, especially in the nonprofit sector. The program allows students with an interest in the arts to develop widely marketable skills. Students take courses in nonprofit management, business communication and marketing with electives in business administration, creative media industries study, entrepreneurship, marketing and nonprofit management.

There are four thematic concentrations: Art History Administration, Music Administration, Studio Administration and Theatre Administration.

Students can pursue their interest in the arts in one of these four areas while also taking courses in nonprofit management, business communication and marketing.

An internship course is required for Art History Administration and Theatre Administration or can be taken as an elective in Music Administration and Theatre Administration. Other possible electives include business administration, creative media industries and world languages courses.

Our campus is in the heart of downtown Atlanta. We are part of a thriving, vibrant arts scene with many arts administration opportunities in art, music and theatre.

Political science is the study of “who gets what, when and how” in the distribution of goods and values in society and in groups. Political scientists study the forces that determine such distributions, including political parties and voters, public opinion, interest groups, bureaucracies and administrative behavior, public law, international relations, international law and organizations, national security, intergovernmental relations, political behavior, political philosophy, comparative politics, public policy and conflict.

Students may specialize in any of the five fields of the discipline:

• American politics and government
• Comparative politics
• International politics
• Political theory, or
• Public policy and administration

The department also provides specific concentrations for majors and minors in pre-law and in international affairs.

The department sponsors intercollegiate academic teams for Mock Trial, Model United Nations and Model Arab League. The department sponsors student honor societies and clubs in pre-law, international relations, and political science. The department also provides advisement for pre-law students.

Students also have the option to earn an undergraduate certificate in European Union Studies in cooperation with the University System of Georgia. Courses that count towards the certificate can also be applied to their political science major and towards the International Affairs concentration. For more information, visit European Union Studies Program. The Georgia State faculty representative for the certificate program is Dr. Jeannie Grussendorf.

The career possibilities are endless with a Georgia State University 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.

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

Teacher Certification leads you toward completing all requirements for a certification in this field. The non-certification program is not eligible for 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 Georgia State University Ceramics emphasis fosters personal exploration of subject matter, technical proficiency in a broad range of working methods, and professional presentation. Students in this program develop a broad base of technique and process knowledge that emphasizes experimentation and conceptual development. The program encourages mixed media exploration, stemming from a core knowledge of ceramic art. The students develop an understanding of ceramics’ vast history as well as an investigation of contemporary practices.

Methods taught include handbuilding, wheel throwing, mold-making, slip casting, press molding, clay extrusion, figure sculpting, portrait sculpting, glaze calculation, decal creation and china painting.

Students gain the experience of organizing events and marketing through their involvement with the student organization, Student League of Independent Potters (SLIPS). The organization is responsible for managing a budget, participating in fundraising through two annual sales of work and coordinating two annual visiting artist workshops.