Degrees & Majors
Georgia State’s online programs are designed and taught by the same faculty who teach on-campus. Choose from dozens of degrees and certificates that will propel your career forward.
The information shared here is intended to provide an overview of Georgia State’s offerings. For official details on admissions requirements, tuition, courses and more please refer to the university catalogs.
Programs labeled offer all classes required to meet the degree requirements online. Note: Some programs may have in-person orientation and/or skills testing requirements.
Programs labeled as hybrid offer 50% or more of required courses online. The amount of in-person class or meeting times vary among the programs using this modality.
Middle and Secondary Education
The Reading Endorsement qualifies an individual to be considered “in field” in reading at the level of the base certificate. Teachers pursuing the reading endorsement may be enrolled as non-degree students or may be enrolled in specific programs.
We offer graduate courses in literacy, which apply to Georgia’s Reading Endorsement for classroom teachers. These courses focus on three areas: (a) understanding readers and the reading process, (b) linking assessment and instruction and (c) using instructional strategies in specific content areas.
Successful completion of the three courses and the portfolio qualifies a person for the bachelor’s, master’s or specialist endorsement, depending on the level of certification.
Tuition
Learn more about the cost of an online endorsement, or use Georgia State’s Cost Calculator to get an idea of the investment required for your path of study. For information on how to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and to determine eligibility, visit the FAFSA tips page.
Georgia State is dedicated to providing affordable and accessible programs for all prospective students because we value the investment each student makes in their education. We understand that the path to a student’s future shouldn’t be blocked due to finances and we pride ourselves on offering financial assistance and scholarships that can support students through their education.
Middle and Secondary Education
The Literacy Education M.Ed. online program at Georgia State University is designed to prepare certified teachers and education professionals to serve as leaders in literacy education. Tailored for the working professional, this program is offered completely online. The goal of the program is to equip educators with the knowledge and tools to advance the literacy abilities of culturally, racially and linguistically diverse P-12 students in urban and multicultural learning environments.
This online M.Ed. program requires completing 36 semester hours of coursework and an electronic portfolio. Through coursework, M.Ed. students will learn the theoretical, historical and social foundations of literacy. They will also develop and implement literacy curricula, assessments and instructional strategies.
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.
Department of Respiratory Therapy
As a health care professional, you already know what you look for in trusted colleagues. As you move up in your respiratory therapy career, let the Georgia State online Master of Science in Health Science with a concentration in respiratory therapy prepare you to be the team member who others see as the “go-to expert.”
Georgia State’s online respiratory therapy master’s degree program will prepare you for:
- Clinical specialist certification
- Leadership and managerial positions
- Clinical teaching positions
- Respiratory care research roles
Our master’s degree in respiratory therapy program is designed for credentialed and experienced practitioners to advance. Registered Respiratory Therapists (RRTs) who hold master’s degrees are in demand as directors of clinical education at respiratory care education programs nationally. There are also opportunities for our master’s graduates to fill leadership and research positions at facilities nationwide and around the globe.
Recognized by the profession as a top producer of leaders in the field, Georgia State is proud of our continuing record for 100 percent employment for our graduates. Many of our graduates even receive offers before their graduation.
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education, M.Ed. Online
Middle and Secondary Education
The M.Ed. program in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education will help teachers develop science, mathematical and digital literacies and equip them with the tools to teach their students. This transdisciplinary program integrates knowledge and skills from various STEM disciplines so that teachers and their students can benefit from a well-rounded and holistic approach to STEM education. This online program provides teachers with an opportunity to expand their STEM content knowledge and implement standards-based curricula at the middle and secondary school levels. In addition to obtaining the degree, certification and embedded STEM endorsement, teachers will be exposed to content that embraces justice, equity and identity in STEM education.
Georgia State University’s (GSU) Master of Science in Social Foundations of Education is an interdisciplinary master’s program that examines the historical and contemporary factors that shape educational inequity and injustice in our society. Course topics engage students in discourse about the influence race, class, disability and gender have on education and school systems.
Students are prepared to:
- Develop critical perspectives on education, inside and outside school.
- Evaluate the complex interrelationships among school, society, education and culture.
- Incorporate a number of disciplines, including history, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, political science and cultural studies.
- M.S. students in Social Foundations work closely with their advisors to craft a program of study that is individualized according to student interests. Customizing student coursework allows students to take courses in the university’s other colleges and schools (for example, Arts and Sciences, Public Policy, Public Health and so on).
Social Work - Advanced Standing, M.S.W.
School of Social Work
Georgia State's Master of Social Work program strives to prepare students for social work leadership roles in the effort to solve, in partnerships with others, the existing and developing challenges that confront communities in the United States and internationally. Community partnerships, based on a generalist practice model, is the sole focus of the M.S.W. program. Students in the Community Partnerships specialization are educated to advance the needs and capacities of the total community by promoting social and economic justice and maximizing human potential. They are educated to commit themselves to addressing the life circumstances, such as poverty, violence, discrimination and disparities in social and economic justice that fall disproportionately on vulnerable groups and challenge the spirit of the entire community. This unique focus provides students with the opportunity to learn about social issues facing urban communities through a social and economic justice framework. Our graduates have become leaders in various service delivery sectors including health care, public child welfare services, non profit management and numerous other contexts.
To accomplish the mission of the M.S.W. program, the School of Social Work has set forth these goals: (1) students will be able to think critically and communicate effectively in the application of social work knowledge, skills and values to community partnerships practice, and (2) students will be able to engage as social work leaders to build and strengthen communities.
Tuition
- $450 tuition per credit hour (same for all students, regardless of geographic location)
- $660 per semester online learning fee (if enrolled in 6 or more credit hours)
Learn more about the cost of an online master’s degree, or use Georgia State’s Cost Calculator to get an idea of the investment required for your path of study. For information on how to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and to determine eligibility, visit the FAFSA tips page.
Social Work
What Is Social Work?
Social workers are trained professionals responsible for helping people with personal and social challenges affecting their lives. Social workers help clients with disabilities, health crises and family conflicts, delinquency, substance abuse, unemployment and others. At the advanced level, students become familiar with community partnerships and resource development. Social work is a field for those with a passion for social justice, an interest in social policy and a love of working with people from all walks of life.
Why Study Social Work?
Studying social work strengthens students’ ability to think critically about the world around them, to better understand the role of social structure in our lives and to learn to put theory into practice. Students will take coursework in research methods, social theory, communications and social welfare policy.
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.
Social Work, B.S.W.
School of Social Work
Social workers fight for social justice, help children and families, improve connections in communities and improve lives. It’s a noble profession and it can lead to a rewarding career for you. Jobs are numerous, including roles in hospitals, community health centers, schools, homeless shelters, nursing homes and nonprofit organizations. The bachelor of social work will prepare you for entry level work with these types of employers and also will make you ready to enter a master of social work program in the future.
Our curriculum is focused on nine competencies that are connected to our accreditation and licensure rules in Georgia.
- You will have a foundation for understanding human behavior in a variety of different contexts and social settings.
- You will practice methods for intervention with individuals, families, groups, communities and organizations, and systems.
- The curriculum is designed to develop your skill in:
- critical thinking and ethics
- intervention approaches with diverse populations
- understanding of human functioning and the social environment
- practice evaluation and research.
Getting started: You can apply to the BSW program for admission after you completed your lower division classes, which typically takes two years. You can start at Georgia State as an “Exploratory Social Work” status student while you gather the necessary credits and then apply to be a BSW student the spring before your junior year.
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.
Social Work, M.S.W.
School of Social Work
Georgia State's part-time, hybrid Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) program prepares you for social work leadership roles in the effort to solve, in partnerships with others, the challenges facing our communities. This program focuses on community partnerships through the lens of a generalist practice model.
You will learn:
- Principles of community engagement and partnership to promote social and economic justice and maximize human potential.
- Practice models and interventions to work effectively with client populations and collaborative partners in a variety of contexts and social settings.
- Strategies and techniques to address social and economic disparities and injustice.
- How to critically analyze social issues facing communities through a social and economic justice framework.
Our program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.
Part-Time, Hybrid Structure
Part-time study may be the right path for you if you work full time or need to balance a lot of other commitments while you go back to school. You can finish in three years. You will come to campus once a month during the semester and the rest of your coursework will be completed online.
Total degree hours: 60 semester hours for full-time and part-time students; 39 semester hours for advanced standing students.
The curriculum includes content on:
- Social work values and ethics
- Diversity
- Social and economic justice
- At-risk populations
- Human behavior and the social environment
- Social welfare policy and services
- Social work practice and research
- Two-semester supervised field placement
Specialization: Community Partnerships
Our M.S.W. focuses on community partnerships. Social work practice occurs in the context of communities where partnerships are developed for promoting social and economic justice and maximizing human potential.
This specialization requires social work practitioners to analyze social issues and develop solutions that are responsive to the broader community dynamics that impact individuals, families and groups with a particular emphasis on those considered to be vulnerable and at risk.
Sociology B.A. Degree Completion Program
Sociology
Georgia State’s online sociology degree explores the study of society, including identities, cultures, institutions and particularly the power dynamics that animate societal structures and social interactions.
Why the Online Sociology Program at Georgia State Works
- Theoretical framework combined with current events: Sociology uses data and theory to analyze the causes, processes and consequences of social ideologies, social behaviors, institutional discourses and institutional practices. Undergraduate students in our online sociology bachelor’s program critically explore topics like race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, urbanization, health, illness, wealth, deviance, social problems, inequality and activism.
- 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. To support your need for a versatile education, Georgia State also allows you to complete your online sociology bachelor’s degree in a part-time or full-time capacity.
- A well-rounded education: Because earning a sociology degree online 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.
- College to career preparation: Our students build career skills through internships at organizations, including government agencies, schools, nonprofits and healthcare providers.
- Online learning for the busy student or working professional: Every class you need to earn a bachelor’s degree in sociology can be completed online.
Tuition
Learn more about the cost of an online bachelor’s degree, or use Georgia State’s Cost Calculator to get an idea of the investment required for your path of study. For information on how to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and to determine eligibility, visit the FAFSA tips page.
Georgia State is dedicated to providing affordable and accessible programs for all prospective students because we value the investment each student makes in their education. We understand that the path to a student’s future shouldn’t be blocked due to finances and we pride ourselves on offering financial assistance and scholarships that can support students through their education.