Academic Programs
Choose from a wide range of undergraduate, graduate, certificate and endorsement programs in education and human service fields.
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The information shared here is intended to provide an overview of Georgia State’s Education & Human Development offerings. For official details on admissions requirements, tuition, courses and more please refer to the university catalogs.
Birth Through Five, B.S.Ed.
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
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.
Elementary Education, B.S.Ed.
Early Childhood and Elementary Education
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:
- Early childhood education (pre-kindergarten through 5th grade) certification with an English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) endorsement
- Early childhood education (pre-kindergarten through 5th grade) and early childhood special education (pre-kindergarten through 5th grade) dual certification
Our students receive content and pedagogy in all academic disciplines taught in elementary classrooms. There are also opportunities for teacher preparation in 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.
Exercise Science, B.S.
The exercise science program 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.
Health and Physical Education, B.S.E.
The health and physical education bachelor’s degree program offers two concentrations: teacher certification and sport coaching.
The teacher certification concentration is designed to prepare graduates for a teaching career in kindergarten through 12th grade schools. After completing a series of activity and content classes, students will have the opportunity to complete methods of teaching classes in four settings (elementary, secondary, adapted physical education and health education) prior to student teaching.
The sport coaching concentration prepares sport coaching, physical activity, and heath and wellness professionals to work in community sport and movement settings. These settings include early childhood through later adulthood. This concentration does not lead to initial teacher 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.
Human Learning and Development, B.I.S.
The Human Learning and Development program provides students an opportunity to acquire a career-oriented range of skills and knowledge. Students choose from the coursework in behavior and learning disabilities, counseling, deaf studies, educational psychology, family and community literacy, learning technologies, and research methods and problem-solving. Courses are taught by faculty across the College of Education & Human Development’s seven departments.
No application is required for this bachelor’s degree. Students are required to declare two selected disciplines with their academic adviser or online.
Middle Level Education, B.S.Ed.
The B.S.E. in Middle Level Education prepares you to teach in schools in historically marginalized communities by emphasizing political, historical and cultural community contexts and integrating a strong justice and equity orientation.
The Middle Level Education degree program is designed for students who seek a bachelor’s degree and initial teaching certification in Middle Level Education grades 4-8 in two of the following concentration areas:
- English Language Arts
- Mathematics
- Science
- Social Studies
This program leads to a Bachelor of Science in Middle Level Education (B.S.E.) and a clear and renewable (T4) Induction Certificate in Georgia.
Throughout the program, you’ll take specialized courses and gain practical teaching experience in the field. Our program features technology integration and offers study-abroad opportunities. Faculty support planning, instruction, assessment and reflection with colleagues, faculty and partner schools who are committed to excellence in education. Students may also complete three additional classes in order to be English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) endorsed to teach the growing population of English language learners by the time of completion.
Our urban communities need highly skilled, compassionate and advocacy-oriented Middle Level teachers whose content knowledge and instructional practice honor students’ diversity and promote equity.
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.
Sign Language Interpreting, B.A.
Sign Language Interpreting is an interdisciplinary field that combines highly developed competency in American Sign Language and English with knowledge of linguistics, interpretation, translation and principles of professional practice.
The Sign Language Interpreting major prepares students with the theoretical and practical knowledge needed to enter field of American Sign Language/English interpretation. Students develop confidence in their working languages, proficiency in linguistic and cultural analysis, and the interpersonal skills needed to develop a relevant and sound professional practice.
Special Education, B.S.Ed.
Our Special Education B.S.Ed. is a program that prepares you to teach children and youth with mild to moderate behavior and learning disabilities. Those disabilities may include:
- dyslexia and other specific learning disabilities
- attention disorders
- emotional behavior disorders)
- intellectual disabilities
- autism spectrum disorders
- hearing impairments
We develop highly prepared teachers to be leaders in the field of special education. As a teacher preparation program we are committed to helping teachers ensure all students live up to their fullest potential.
The bachelor of science degree program in special education includes rigorous, practical course-work and full-time student teaching. It leads to initial certification at the induction level in one of three concentration areas:
- adapted curriculum
- general curriculum
- deaf education
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.
Sport Administration, B.I.S.
Kinesiology and Health
The B.I.S. in Sport Administration prepares you to work in a vast, diverse and complex sport business industry. The sport business industry is among the largest industries in the United States, often listed in the top 10 industries. Size estimates of this industry show it to be somewhere between $422 billion to more than $2 trillion.
Careers range in a myriad of segments, including but not limited to, sport management, sport marketing, sport finance, sport communication, sport hospitality and management, sport facility and event management, sport journalism, public relations, sport coaching, social media marketing, and/or sport or marketing agencies.
The interdisciplinary nature of the program, with hospitality administration, journalism and public relations, and sport coaching, provides a wide scope of opportunities for students to focus their efforts.
Urban Education Endorsement
Urban Education Endorsement
Georgia State’s Urban Education Endorsement provides specialized preparation for teaching in urban settings. Teachers pursuing it may be enrolled as non-degree students or may be enrolled in specific programs.
This endorsement is offered through the Department of Early Childhood and Elementary Education and the Department of Middle and Secondary Education.
The undergraduate-level endorsement can be added by undergraduates who have been admitted to a teacher education program, have a 2.5 undergraduate GPA and hold a pre-service teacher certificate. View the Admissions Requirements tab below and listing in the undergraduate catalog for the requirements.
The graduate-level endorsement is offered to certified teachers or those admitted to a Georgia State initial teacher preparation program and hold a pre-service certificate. For more information, view the Admissions Requirements tab below and the listing in the graduate catalog for the requirements.
World Languages Teacher Education, B.I.S.
The Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (B.I.S.) concentration in World Languages Teacher Education provides students an opportunity to further develop their skills and knowledge in French or Spanish language, culture and literary skills while completing requirements recommended for kindergarten through 12th-grade teaching certification to the Georgia Professional Standards Commission. World language educators completing the program will be prepared to support multilingual speakers in urban environments to value diverse perspectives and language varieties and to act as responsible global citizens.
This program is grounded in educational theory, research and best teaching practices, integrating principles of social justice and equity. Throughout the program, students take specialized education and content courses and gain practical experience in kindergarten through 12th-grade. Faculty support teacher candidates in planning, instruction, assessment and reflection with colleagues, faculty and partner schools who are committed to excellence in education.