Degrees & Majors
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The information shared here is intended to provide an overview of Georgia State's offerings. For details on admissions requirements, tuition, courses and more please refer to the university catalogs.
Africana Studies Graduate Certificate
Africana Studies is a growing discipline. An increasing number of employers are seeking to fill positions with people who possess a cultural and historical analysis of Black people in the U.S., the African diaspora, and around the globe. As a discipline that is interdisciplinary and diasporic, African American Africana Studies specifically educates students in:
- Black political, cultural, philosophical and artistic thought and practice
- Black popular and mass culture
- Race in relation to the study of gender and sexuality
- Social justice through community engagement
This certificate program allows master’s and doctoral students in other disciplines to amplify the Africentric analysis in their own course of study. Some may simply want to explore a specific area reflected in their course of study. Others may wish to pursue employment for which a certificate in African American Studies is deemed an advantage.
Africana Studies, B.A.
The Bachelor of Arts in Africana Studies program provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary for the interdisciplinary study of people of African descent, connecting with the community and promoting social justice, while offering a curriculum that reflects the highest aspirations of education in an evolving society.
Our department's research focus engages the experiences of Africans and African descendants in the U.S. and globally through the lenses of ethnicity, culture, gender, sexuality and social structure. Our instruction and curriculum promotes critical thinking, research skills and proficiency in oral and written communication.
Africana Studies, M.A.
Graduate students who want to engage in the interdisciplinary study of Black people in the United States, Africa and in the African diaspora will work closely with our faculty in this program.
Our faculty have expertise in the domestic and global study of race and Blackness in the traditional disciplines of African-American Studies, Anthropology, Art History, History, Interdisciplinary Studies, Social Work and Public Health. There are few departments or programs that match our strengths in:
- Scholar-activism
- Diasporic studies in Black popular and mass culture
- Culturally relevant pedagogy
- Community empowerment
- Gender, sexuality and social relationships
While we have particular emphasis on Social Justice and Community Responsibility in the United States, we support and encourage the study and liberation of Black people everywhere in the world.
Africana Studies offers a master’s degree with competitive funding, which includes a tuition waiver and moderate stipend.
Anthropology, B.A.
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.
Anthropology, Graduate Certificate in Ethnography
The Certificate in Ethnography is ideal for M.A. and Ph.D. students in a range of fields, including anthropology, sociology, community psychology, education, nursing, linguistics, communication, business and area studies. For students who plan to pursue careers in academia, private business or the public sector, the certificate offers applied and marketable skills in culture- and people-focused knowledge production and communication.
Ethnography is a field-based research method for the study of social and cultural patterns and practices. Ethnographers use participant-observation, direct observation and interaction, focus group interviews, and other qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques to uncover detailed patterns of human behavior in their cultural context.
Ethnographic data analysis is especially productive in clarifying complex issues, informing policy and designing innovative, effective, data-driven solutions to organizational problems. This signature methodology of cultural anthropology has broad application in a variety of academic disciplines, creative industries, professional fields and employment settings.
Ethnography encompasses basic and applied research and informs project planning and implementation. Ethnographic data are also relevant and useful in assessing community needs, addressing concerns of personnel and enhancing cross-cultural communication.
Anthropology, M.A.
The Master of Arts (M.A.) degree program in anthropology provides rigorous training in anthropological theories, methods and skills. The program is dedicated to the investigation of a broad range of social, cultural, political-economic and biological issues, processes and problems pertaining to the human experience in its past and present dimensions.
The Department of Anthropology program uses resources in metropolitan Atlanta to promote student learning, offering a concentration in Museum Anthropology and a graduate Certificate in Ethnography.
Anthropology, M.A. , Museum Anthropology Concentration
The Concentration in Museum Anthropology is an option for students enrolled in the M.A. in Anthropology program. In adopting an anthropological approach to museums, this concentration is distinct from generalized museum studies in examining curation, exhibition and museum practice from a comparative and global perspective that sees museums as dynamic institutions embedded in particular social and cultural contexts.
In this concentration, students interrogate the ways in which museums not only represent but also construct notions of cultural patrimony, identity, nationalism and cultural meaning. Emphasis is on the role of museums in disseminating and producing anthropological knowledge, using anthropological theory to contextualize and critique museums' practices in diverse settings and working with a collection or exhibits to gain new knowledge.
The Concentration in Museum Anthropology offers theoretical tools and professional skills related to:
- Obtaining critical perspectives on anthropology and museums in the past and present.
- Gaining practical experience in museum collections/exhibition space/curation.
- Developing skillsets for curation and museum exhibition creation based on the interests of the student.
A highlight of the concentration is the course Museum Experience, which is tailored to the student’s interests. In Museum Experience, students critically engage in a hands-on opportunity at a museum, library, archive, lab or other institution or repository. Projects can also include principles of curation, display or analyses of visual/virtual/material/aural culture, data collection at a museum or a museum internship. Students will develop an appreciation of how museum space is constructed, proficiency in data collection or other responsibilities as appropriate and working knowledge of museum materials, including curated and/or exhibited artifacts.
Applied Linguistics, B.A.
Applied Linguistics, B.A.
Eligible for the Dual Undergraduate/Graduate Program
Program Information
Applied linguistics is an interdisciplinary field that integrates many perspectives on the study of human language. Studying linguistics is not a matter of learning many different languages, but rather it is the study of the nature of language in general. Applied Linguistics is the study of language and communication in relation to real-world problems such as language acquisition and teaching, language assessment, improving intercultural communication, and understanding the relationship between language and social organization.
The Department of Applied Linguistics and English as a Second Language offers (1) a B.A. degree in Applied Linguistics; (2) a certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), (3) ESL credit-bearing courses for non-native speakers of English, and (4) Intensive English Program (IEP) courses for non-native speakers of English.
The B.A. in Applied Linguistics provides the opportunity for students to explore the field of linguistics from an interdisciplinary perspective.
The TEFL certificate program provides students with appropriate skills and a credential that will enable them to teach English as a foreign language abroad. Students majoring in any undergraduate program can earn the TEFL certificate. In addition, the certificate can be earned by any post-baccalaureate student. TEFL certificate requirements consist of the following five courses: AL 3021, AL 3041, AL 3051, AL 3101, and AL 4161. AL 3021 is a prerequisite for AL 3041, AL 3051, and AL 4161. AL 3051 is a prerequisite for AL 4161.
AL 2021 Intro to English Linguistics is a prerequisite to these courses, except for post-baccalaureate students, but students may be exempted from this requirement by taking a departmental exam. AL 3021 is the fist course in the series, but may be taken in conjunction with AL 3051 and AL 3101. AL 4161 should be the last course taken, andAL 3051 is a prerequisite to this practicum course.
For the latest information about required courses, view the Undergraduate Catalog.
For more information about the Minor in Applied Linguistics, view the Department of Applied Linguistics & ESL website.
Applied Linguistics, M.A.
Applied Linguistics and English as a Second Language
We are a multifaceted applied linguistics department that focuses on post-secondary/adult language learning, teaching and use.
Our faculty specialize in a number of sub-disciplines, including second language (L2) acquisition, L2 writing, sociolinguistics, language assessment, corpus linguistics, educational technology and L2 teacher education.
Applied Linguistics, Ph.D.
Applied Linguistics and English as a Second Language
The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) program in Applied Linguistics is a response to societal needs resulting from the status of English as the language of international communication. This worldwide use of English in programs and institutions of higher education has created needs in two areas:
- Research on an assortment of interrelated topics, including language learning by adults who will use English for academic purposes, effective teaching of adult language learners and the nature of English as an academic language.
- Doctoral faculty who can teach in educational programs that prepare master’s level teachers of English as a Second/Foreign Language.
Ph.D. students may focus on a range of topics. Research, for example, may be related to issues in second language writing, reading, listening or speaking; analysis of academic language; assessment; teacher cognition; classroom dynamics; sociolinguistics; or the role of culture in second language acquisition.