Each Valentine’s Day, millions of Americans rush to stores to find flowers, candy, cards and gifts to show how much they love and appreciate that special someone in their life.
On Feb. 14, we don’t have any chocolate or roses for you, but we do have some student stories about their degree programs!
While Cupid himself might not have matched Georgia State University and these students, they all have a different reason why they love being an online student at GSU. Let’s take a closer look at the factors that led these students to fall head over heels for their programs, professors and experiences.
Economical degree programs
Georgia State takes your investments seriously. We’re committed to giving you the best education at the greatest value possible.
Bachelor’s degree programs start at $11,076 per year for Georgia residents and $30,114 for non-Georgia residents, while graduate degree programs start at $11,680 and $32,344, respectively. A closer look at these costs, including a cost calculator for your degree, can be found here.
“Being a Georgia resident, you can go to Georgia State and pay tuition and also manage the tuition costs a lot more feasibly than other programs,” Master’s in Public Health student Ryan Fisher said. “I was looking at competitive online programs as well, but being an out-of-state student and not receiving scholarships, it made it a little intimidating. You have to be strategic not only with cost but also with the credits.”
These competitive costs allow students of all walks of life to afford their next degree. Georgia State’s scholarship search gives opportunities to borrow less and save more through scholarships. The tool enables students to filter university and external scholarship offerings by student type, Georgia State category, external category, major or keyword.
With reasonable costs and expansive scholarship offerings, Georgia State helps students put their dollars towards date nights and flowers instead of fees and credit hours.
Checking all the boxes
It can be hard to find a perfect significant other – or program curriculum – that aligns with your values and goals. But Georgia State’s curriculum is geared to challenge, educate and provide real-world experiences before you graduate.
A Very High Research Activity Institution, Georgia State’s strategic plan includes an area dedicated to high-impact practices, including experiential, project-based and service-learning opportunities. These practices promote leadership, teamwork, civic engagement and problem-solving along with experiences that students can add to curriculum vitae or resumes.
Mary Alice Cain earned an online master’s degree in nutrition, and the experiential learning component in her degree program led to future work with a Fortune 500 company.
“Having that opportunity to do that master’s project and it being applicable to the real world and helping me move forward in my career is so huge,” she said. “I think back to had I not chosen Georgia State for my master’s program, what would that look like today, what a different path my life may have taken had I not done that program and project.”
Special someones
You and your Valentine share a special bond, and students of our online programs enjoy a special connection with the professors and peers of their online courses.
Georgia State University promotes Regular and Substantive Interactions (RSIs) in all of its online courses. This instructor-initiated and course-oriented interaction is both frequent and consistent, ensuring all students have access to their professors throughout the semester.
These instructor’s aren’t simply academics; they are professionals with extensive experience in their respective industries. Diana Florez is a graduate of the Health Informatics Graduate Certificate program, and she spoke to the link that Georgia State professors and instructors have with the areas and courses they teach.
“The professors are people who are actually in the field, so that’s always helpful,” Florez said. “It’s not just somebody teaching you something that they have no connection to.”
Georgia State’s heterogeneous population enriches every learning community, bringing students with a myriad of experiences together.
The U.S. News & World Report included Georgia State in its 2023 list of most diverse campuses, and Georgia State’s 77% minority population speaks to its enriching culture. Distinguished as a Predominantly Black Institution and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI), this student body allowed social work student Catherine West to gain a real-world understanding of populations before she entered the workforce and served clients.
“I knew one of the biggest limits for myself was that I didn’t have enough exposure to different people of different backgrounds,” she said. “The area we live in is a veritable bubble. As a social worker, I didn’t want to have any biases or be disrespectful of anyone, so I felt GSU was the best way to connect and understand others. I always knew GSU was wonderfully diverse.”
Did these stories tug on your heartstrings? Talk to one of our Application and Enrollment Coaches at 404-413-4393 or email them at [email protected] to learn more about online degree programs that fit your schedule and career goals.