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.
Applied Behavior Analysis, M.S.
Learning Sciences
The Applied Behavior Analysis program gives students the opportunity to work in a clinical and community environment to help people with disabilities. It teaches mastery of basic behavior-analytic skills, such as measurement, experimental design, and various principles and procedures of behavioral change to help students become better therapists, teachers and clinical practitioners.
Program highlights include collaborations with faculty members, opportunities for practicum internship placements and a cohort model that fosters lasting professional relationships. You will also learn client-centered responsibilities, such as problem identification, methods of intervention and implementation, management and supervision. This program also gives you important foundational knowledge, including the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts. Additional program highlights are detailed in the sections below.
Exam pass-rate data are not published for sequences with fewer than six first-time candidates in a single year or for sequences within their first four years of operation. To access current pass rates, current and potential students may visit BACB’s University Pass Rates page.
The Association for Behavior Analysis International has verified the program course sequence toward the coursework requirements for eligibility to take the Board Certified Behavior Analyst ® examination. Applicants will need to meet additional requirements before they can be deemed eligible to take the examination.
There is also a non-degree version of this program for students who have already obtained a master’s degree and are interested in taking coursework toward certification as a behavior analyst. Please view more details on this program below.
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.
Birth Through Five, Graduate Certificate
The Birth Through Five Graduate Certificate is an online program for professionals who work in early care and learning settings, and individuals interested in pursuing careers in the diverse professional field of early care and childhood education.
This certificate program was designed with three specific objectives:
- Provide a flexible professional development format for the early childhood workforce.
- Offer a quality, student-centered online teaching and learning approach to early childhood teachers’ preparation.
- Introduce students to the Early Childhood and Elementary Education Master of Arts in Creative and Innovative Education degree program.
Clinical Mental Health Counseling, M.S.
In our Clinical Mental Health Counseling, M.S. program you will collaborate and consult with other mental health professionals to take the next steps in your career as a mental health counselor.
This Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accredited master’s degree meets the educational requirements for professional licensure as a counselor and prepares you to work with people across the lifespan in individual, couples and group settings.
You will gain a comprehensive understanding of:
- psychological and emotional wellness
- professional and ethical practices
- social and cultural diversity
- social justice and advocacy
- human growth and development
- counseling theories, interventions and best practices
- career development
- assessment, research and program evaluation
- and more
Your program culminates in a three-semester practicum-internship. In that experience, you will work with clients in community settings to resolve their challenges.
There is also a non-degree version of this program. To view admissions requirements and deadlines visit the Admissions Requirements tab below.
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.
Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling, M.S.
The clinical rehabilitation counseling program is an on-campus learning experience that prepares students to help people with cognitive, physical, sensory, psychiatric and other disabilities from all cultures, races and backgrounds.
Rehabilitation counselors assist people with disabilities to become more independent, increase their access to education and employment and ensure they are respected members of society.
This program was accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs through October 31st, 2027.
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.
Communication Sciences and Disorders, M.S.
Communication Sciences and Disorders
The communication sciences and disorders program offers a unique educational opportunity for students to become highly qualified speech-language pathologists.
Our downtown Atlanta location gives students excellent clinical experiences across the city. Our faculty’s commitment to students’ success provides an exceptional learning environment. Cohorts of 30-32 students begin each fall semester and students receive individual attention and work together through the year.
The program’s intensive field-based education prepares students to:
- Implement best practices in the profession
- Communicate effectively with colleagues and clients
- Work collaboratively with other professionals who serve individuals with communication disorders and their families
- Pursue opportunities for advanced degrees
The Master of Science education program in speech-language pathology at Georgia State is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2200 Research Boulevard, #310, Rockville, MD 20850, 800-498-2071 or 301-296-5700.
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.
Communication Sciences and Disorders, Ph.D.
Communication Sciences and Disorders
The Ph.D. program in communication sciences and disorders (CSD) trains researchers and scholars to address the needs of children and adults with communication disorders. The program prepares doctoral students for academic careers in research and university-level teaching in speech-language pathology, and speech and language science. Students make significant contributions to the profession’s research base.
The objectives of the doctoral degree in communication sciences and disorders are:
- To develop doctoral students to become researchers and scholars in the vast area of communication sciences and disorders.
- To prepare doctoral students who are equipped to lead and collaborate across disciplines.
- To prepare doctoral students who will pursue and obtain research faculty positions at research colleges and universities in CSD programs and related disciplines.
Comprehensive Intervention Model
The Comprehensive Intervention Model (CIM) is a well-coordinated, Response to Intervention seamless design for providing intervention services to struggling readers.
The CIM is a systemic model for reversing the reading failures of struggling readers through layered interventions, including differentiated classroom instruction and supplemental interventions in small groups or one-to-one.
The goal is two-fold. In kindergarten through third grade, the goal is to increase the overall literacy achievement by the end of the third grade and to reduce the number of children identified with learning disabilities within 1.5% or less of the general population.
In fourth through sixth grade, interventions focus on research-based strategies for reading and writing in the content areas.
Computer Science Endorsement
The computer science endorsement program is 100% online and designed for teachers who are interested in adding computer science to a current, renewable teaching certificate held in another content area. Candidates who successfully complete the program are prepared to effectively teach computer science courses at the pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade level.
The program has four courses:
- Digital literacy, information literacy and cybersecurity
- Computational thinking and human-computer interaction
- Programming concepts for teachers
- Computer science teaching methods
The programming and methods courses are offered over the seven-week summer semester in partially synchronous courses. These courses typically meet online once a week with other coursework completed between meetings.
The other two courses can be completed during the fall and spring semesters in traditional courses or they can be completed by earning badges through self-paced courses hosted by Georgia Virtual School.
The self-paced courses do not include instructor or peer support, but they require only a nominal fee to evaluate assessments and can be traded for course credit for free. We recommend these self-paced courses to teachers who
- 1) need to complete the program quicker,
- 2) need a lower-cost alternative to the traditional program, or
- 3) have prior knowledge of computing.
Applicants’ certificate level must be level 4 or higher and at any grade level pre-kindergarten through 12th grade or another eligible field.
Review the Pathways to Computer Science Endorsement at Georgia State document for more information.
Corporate Learning Professional Certificate
Learn to design online training and educational programs for organizations of all sizes with Georgia State’s online graduate certificate in corporate learning. Four courses from the master of science program in instructional design and technology come together to make up this 12-hour certificate.
Professionals who know how to design online training programs are in high demand. Corporations and businesses of all sizes need instructional designers and e-Learning specialists who know how to:
- Present content of all lengths and complexity
- Create engaging learning experiences
- Gather learning analytics for the purposes of tracking impact and outcomes
Alumni are working in a variety of education and training roles in government agencies, the military, nonprofit organizations, large corporations and businesses of all sizes. Whether you want to advance in your current organization, or switch career directions in instructional design or human performance technology, the current market for graduates with these skills is good.
Coursework will have you designing, managing and evaluating corporate learning solutions, which means you can put to use the competencies you develop right away in job-related situations.
Counseling Psychology, Ph.D.
Counseling psychology is an applied specialty within the field of psychology that has focused on client strengths, the interaction between the person and the environment, career development and multiculturalism.
The Counseling Psychology Doctoral Program is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA). Validation can be attested by contacting the APA Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation, 750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242; telephone 202-336-5979; email: apaaccred@apa.org. Completion of the doctoral program contributes to students’ eligibility to become licensed and practice as a psychologist. The Ph.D. in counseling psychology is designed for students who want to pursue careers as university professors, researchers, psychotherapists or directors of psychological services.
Our program classes are in downtown Atlanta near five American Psychological Association-accredited pre-doctoral internship sites, where our students can take advantage of practicum training opportunities.
Student Admissions, Outcomes and Other Data for Georgia State Counseling Psychology Program
Counselor Education and Practice, Ph.D.
Our counselor education and practice degree is for you if you are interested in educating, training and supervising future clinical mental health, rehabilitation or school counselors. This program is also for those interested in research, social justice and advocacy in the counseling profession. Move forward towards obtaining a doctorate degree to better enhance your career choices.
Our Ph.D. degree is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). This program allows future students to generate their own research, critically enhance their counseling competencies and learn new skills in teaching and supervision. Upon completion, students teach and supervise in university settings, work in community agencies as clinicians and administrators and become directors of practice and research institutes.
Program Performance Data 2018-2019
Students also have the capability to continue specializing and developing areas of expertise in:
- Multicultural counseling
- Play therapy with children and adolescents
- Trauma and stress
- LGBTQ issues in counseling and counselor education
- Disability, health and chronic illness
- Suicide and crisis
- Program evaluation
- Quantitative, qualitative and mixed research methodologies
Creative and Innovative Education, M.A.
Early Childhood and Elementary Education
The M.A. program in creative and innovative education (MACIE) is designed for people who wish to further their knowledge about children as creative thinkers and innovative makers. Our graduates work in diverse fields, such as business, nonprofits, the creative arts, kindergarten through 12th grade education and community outreach organizations.
- Education courses provide students with a background in child development theories, learning strategies, critical and creative thinking skills and examinations of children’s lives in contemporary society, all through the lens of creative education
- Additional coursework in business, policy, education or the arts allows students to focus on content that will prepare them for their specific goals
- Apprenticeships connect students with organizations and businesses in the metro-Atlanta area to expand their knowledge and skills in areas such as nonprofit organizations, start-up companies, after-school programs and teacher leadership
Note: This program does not prepare students to earn a Georgia teaching credential.