Academic Programs

Georgia State’s BS in Exercise Science 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.

Employers value Exercise Science majors. In every class, at every event, and in every program in which you participate, you practice skills that connect to the competencies employers value most.

• Heath care, exercise, and fitness thrives in team-based environments, and the B.S. Exercise Science curriculum is designed to enhance collaboration skills that will transfer in the field. This is accomplished through group activities and labs.
• The Exercise Science Program integrates critical thinking and problem-solving skills in program-level courses.
• Technology is evolving in the health and fitness industry, and allowing our students to experience and train with the most recent technology to help evaluate the human body is paramount.
• Many classes aim to help students evaluate their strengths and weaknesses and work develop as leaders in the field.

Georgia State University’s Health and Physical Education B.S.E with a teacher certification concentration prepares teachers to educate pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade students about physical and motor skills, individual and team sport skills and tactics, physical fitness, nutrition, and health to encourage active lifestyles across the lifespan. Students complete prerequisite classes and apply to the program in the spring of their sophomore year. After completing a series of activity and content classes in both physical education and health education, students will have the opportunity to complete methods of teaching classes in four settings (elementary, secondary, adapted physical education, and health education). Students gain full-time semester-long student teaching placements at both an elementary and secondary (middle or high school). Students who earn teaching certification can serve in a head coach position in public schools in Georgia.

Sport Coaching is teaching in an athletic venue instead of a classroom.  This program merges theoretical understanding of psychological, scientific, and pedagogical aspects of coaching with practical experiences to prepare students to succeed in coaching at all levels of sport. Students apply to the program in the spring of their sophomore year. Practical experiences in field-based settings with professional and community coaches, athletic trainers and strength and conditioning coaches underlie the application of theory and practice. The curriculum follows the knowledge and skills outlined by The Society of  Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE America) National Standards for Sport Coaches preparing students to be effective leaders and advocates of athletes regardless of the sport. This concentration does not lead to initial teacher certification. Students graduating with a concentration in sport coaching are not currently eligible to serve as head coach in a public school K-12 setting.

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.

Our program M.Ed. in Health and Physical Education degree is for those who are pre-kindergarten through 12th grade health and physical educators.

This program will:

• Extend your content and pedagogical knowledge for improved professional practice.
• Develop leadership skills that will allow you to lead curriculum development, program administration and leadership roles at the local school level and in professional organizations at the state, regional and national level.

This is the only fully-online master’s program in Higher Education Administration offered by a research-intensive (R1) university in the state.

Georgia State University is an enterprising urban public research institution. Faculty in our program are breaking new ground in how we understand diversity and equity in higher education, minority-serving institutions, higher education policy and student success.

This program provides the skills to be successful in careers in higher education administration:

• Knowledge of institutional landscape of higher education, governance and issues faced by colleges and universities, especially institutional types in Georgia such as minority-serving institutions and community colleges.
• Understanding of how colleges and universities shape – and are shaped by – race, gender and class
• Understanding of social and academic integration and how to design support services based on these principals
• Ability to apply higher education theory and concepts in a real-world setting

The online graduate certificate in instructional design and technology prepares you for jobs focusing on the creation of training and education materials. The four courses in the program (12 credit hours) are from the master of science curriculum of the same name. You can complete the graduate certificate to reach your career goals or move on to the full M.S. program.

Technology training needs have never been greater. Jobs for experts in managing e-Learning programs and performance support in the workplace are in high demand.

You will gain the skills necessary to design, develop, facilitate and manage learning and technology training programs, including HR training and human performance support systems.

The Instructional Technology Ph.D. program is designed for those working in the instructional technology field in a variety of educational, training and development areas, such as those found in schools, higher education, business, industry and government agencies. The Ph.D. prepares students to conduct research on technology-enhanced learning environments.

The Instructional Technology Ph.D. program provides specialization for individuals in the following areas:

• instructional design
• alternative instructional delivery systems
• research
• management and consulting