Education Programs at GSU-Armstrong
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Armstrong State University is now a branch of Georgia Southern University and offers many of the same degree programs that the larger university does. This includes education programs for undergrads. The elementary education program has a certification track that helps students get their Georgia teaching licenses. This is also available for students who want to earn two certificates to teach special education classes and general courses to students between the ages of pre-k and fifth grade. Those in the single certification track only receive the licenses necessary to teach traditional elementary school students.
Also available is an elementary education program that awards students education degrees but will not help them meet the requirements to get their licenses. This program features the same classes but does not include any fieldwork. The full elementary education program requires that students do observation fieldwork and some student teaching. The university’s health and physical education program is also available with a certificate or a non-certificate track. Both programs ask feature courses on teaching health and gym to young children. Some of the other undergrad education programs available from the university include majors in music education, secondary education, and special education.
The university offers even more programs for graduate students such as its Master of Education in Adult Education, which started in 2018. Designed for those who want to teach adults in vocational schools and other settings, it includes 10 required classes. Those classes include History and Theory of Adult Education and Literacy, Program Planning and Evaluation and Training and Development in the Workplace. An accredited counselor education program is also available from the university’s College of Education.
Some of the programs offered by Georgia Southern University – Armstrong Campus are online, including its Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction. Professional Decision Making, Curriculum Design for Student Achievement and Trends, Issues and Research in Education are among the required classes in the program. Armstrong State University also offers graduate education degree programs in fields that include elementary education, middle grades education, and evaluation, assessment, research, and learning.
About Georgia Southern University – Armstrong
Armstrong State University is the old name used by the university now called Georgia Southern University – Armstrong Campus. Also known as GSU – Armstrong, it opened in 1935 as Armstrong Junior College. The college opened during the Great Depression and helped the region recovery as it provided funds for the local economy and helped train students for the jobs they could get during that period. It would later become Armstrong College of Savannah and join the University System of Georgia. This junior college became a community college and continued offering vocational training. Though it also served as Armstrong State University for several years, it announced in 2017 that it would merge with Georgia Southern University (GSU).
Students applying to the university will use the GSU website and pick which campus they want to attend. The Armstrong campus is close to the Savannah Mall and is home to many buildings in the southern plantation style. Though enrollment on this campus is smaller than that on the main campus, GSU – Armstrong has an enrollment of more than 7,000 students.
Georgia Southern University – Armstrong Accreditation Details
The GSU – Armstrong campus has accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), which is the university’s regional accreditation. Students can transfer their credits because of this accreditation and apply for financial aid too. All the university’s education programs also have accreditation, which comes from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).
GSU Armstrong Application Requirements
Students applying to the Armstrong campus must meet the same requirements as other GSU students do. They’ll also use the GSU application. Prospective undergrads can create individual accounts and log in to see if the university made a decision on their applications. GSU requires that incoming freshmen have a GPA of 2.5 or higher and a transcript that shows they took the 17 credits that make up the Georgia high school prep curriculum. Those credits include math, English, science, and social studies classes. Students should also score a minimum of 17 on the ACT or 1030 on the SAT. In addition to sending in their test scores and transcripts, students need to submit a list of the classes they took or will take in their final year of high school.
The deadline for all graduate students applying to GSU is July 15 for the fall semester. GSU looks for students who have a minimum GPA of 2.5 and a bachelor’s degree from a school with regional accreditation. Students will submit an application and pay the GSU application fee, but they must make sure that they select the Armstrong campus on the form. They will also provide a letter of intent that follows the format shown online. This letter will explain the reasons the student had for choosing an Armstrong program and how that program will help with the student’s career goals. GSU also asks for two letters of recommendation.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Students attending class on the Armstrong campus of GSU pay $2,665 per semester for full-time enrollment if they are also Georgia residents. Nonresident GSU undergrads pay $9,406 per semester. All undergrads also pay fees of nearly $500 each semester too. Georgia grad students attending the university pay $3,318 per semester with fees of more than $500 each semester. Nonresidents pay the same in fees and a tuition rate of $13,786 per semester. GSU offers housing for all types of students but requires that those living on the campus also purchase a meal plan.
Grad students can work for the university as assistants. Assistants receive a large stipend that allows them to pay just $25 in tuition each semester, but they’ll pay out of pocket for room and board and some expenses. Though undergrads cannot work as assistants, they can work in other jobs for the university. They can also use federal and state aid such as loans and grants. Based on the FAFSA and applications that students submit, the Armstrong campus may offer them some scholarships too. All education majors at Georgia Southern University – Armstrong Campus can get the same financial aid that other Georgia Southern University students get.
