Degrees & Majors

The Georgia State University Arts Administration concentration provides students with a broad-based knowledge of business and the arts and positions graduates for managerial positions in galleries, theaters and other arts organizations, especially in the nonprofit sector. The program allows students with an interest in the arts to develop widely marketable skills. Students take courses in nonprofit management, business communication and marketing with electives in business administration, creative media industries study, entrepreneurship, marketing and nonprofit management. There are four thematic concentrations: Art History Administration, Music Administration, Studio Administration and Theatre Administration. Students can pursue their interest in the arts in one of these four areas while also taking courses in nonprofit management, business communication and marketing. An internship course is required for Art History Administration and Theatre Administration or can be taken as an elective in Music Administration and Theatre Administration. Other possible electives include business administration, creative media industries and world languages courses. Our campus is in the heart of downtown Atlanta. We are part of a thriving, vibrant arts scene with many arts administration opportunities in art, music and theatre.

The Ph.D. in Communication Studies with a concentration in Moving Image Studies is specifically designed to provide students with the conceptual and methodological tools to study the complex and vastly expanded moving image environment of the 21st century, where the boundaries separating cinema, television and new media are breaking down. Moving Image Studies is an outgrowth of cinema studies, television studies, new media studies, cultural studies and critical theory. Many of our core seminars are designed to cut across media boundaries (by examining how models, paradigms and methods are problematized and enriched, as we move across specific media); while other seminars are devoted to intensive examination of problems within a specific media formation. The doctorate in Moving Image Studies is designed to give students a solid foundation in a specific moving image medium (whether cinema, television, or new media), while at the same time give them the preparation and the confidence to research and write about moving images wherever they circulate. The program encourages innovative new work that challenges existing paradigms of media study, that is theoretically rigorous, and that is aware of historical and cultural specificity.

The Georgia State Film and Media major is devoted to the interdisciplinary study of film, television and new media. Courses focus on the histories and theories of cinematic, electronic and digital media and provide the opportunity for practical experience in film/media production. Students work closely with faculty members to devise an optimum program of study integrating creative and collaborative thinking. This liberal arts approach to film, television and new media provides the student with the necessary skills and knowledge to adapt to the changing media environment.

The Georgia Film Academy (GFA) supports the Georgia Film Consortium (GFC), which is a unique-in-the-nation, state-wide collaboration of institutions of the University System of Georgia, Technical College System of Georgia and independent institutions that offer professional courses in film, television, digital entertainment, Esports and game development. The academy certifies workforce-ready employees in needed areas of film-making crafts such as lighting, special effects makeup, sound and production design, and editing. The academy provides students with a basic level of on-set film production skills, knowledge and experience with film-industry standard organizational structure, professional equipment and on-set procedures. Students are trained by professionals in the film, television and new media industries and have opportunities to work on major professional productions. The following tracks are available.

• Standard Track
• Film and Television Production Track
• Film and Television Post-Production Track
• Digital Entertainment, Esports & Game Development Track

Students completing the Film and Television Production, Film and Television Post-Production or Digital Entertainment, Esports & Game Development Track will also receive a  certification through the Georgia Film Academy.

The BIS in Theatre with a Concentration in Acting readies students for a career in the entertainment industry with a focus on all aspects of theatre and film performance. The curriculum promotes the development of students whose interests and talents will lead them to pursue successful careers as artists, with training in various areas on and off stage, including film, TV, media and commercial work. Students will receive practical experience through participation in quality productions and projects that mirror and hold to professional standards. Internships are encouraged and available to students.