History of Albany State University's Graduate Programs

In the fall of 1972, Georgia State University and then Albany State College entered into a cooperative agreement to provide, at Albany State College, graduate studies leading to the Master of Education degree. By a similar cooperative agreement with Valdosta State College, Albany State began the Master of Business Administration degree program in October 1974.

In the fall of 1981, Albany State received approval from the Board of Regents to award independently both the Master of Business Administration and the Master of Education degrees. One year later in 1982, with the approval of the Board, the University offered the Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice. Again with the collaborative effort of the University of Georgia, Albany State offered the Education Specialist degree in Educational Administration and Supervision and was later approved as a Level II Master's institution in January 1984.

The Master of Public Administration degree and the Master of Science degree in Nursing became effective in the fall of 1987 and 1988, respectively. In the fall of 1991, Albany State was granted approval to offer the Education Specialist degree in Educational Administration and Supervision. In January 1999 Albany State University inaugurated doctoral education in the Albany area with the acceptance of the first cohort of students into the joint Ed.D. program with Valdosta State University.

The University received approval from the Georgia Board of Regents (BOR) to develop a Master of Social Work program in March of 2008. The Georgia Department of Families and Children Services (DFACS) awarded a Curriculum Development Grant to the Social Work Department for the purpose of meeting the need for clinically-trained MSW’s in Southwest Georgia. The program was developed and received the full approval of the Georgia BOR on May 27, 2010. On August 13, 2010, the MSW received approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), the accrediting body of all colleges and universities in the Southeastern United States. The Master of Social Work achieved Candidacy status from the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) in February of 2012 and was granted Initial Accreditation status in February of 2014. The MSW Self-Study was reviewed and approved for full reaffirmation by the CSWE Board of Commissioners in February of 2018.  Both the BSW and MSW programs will have its next reaffirmation review in June of 2024. Please contact the MSW Program Director or refer to the CSWE website (http://www.cswe.org) for further information about the accreditation process.

In August 2011, the Graduate School was decentralized and the admission process was transferred to ASU's Admissions Office. All other functions of the Graduate Programs were handled by the departments and colleges.

In the fall of 2014, the Graduate School was re-centralized as a functioning department. During this time, the Master of Business Administration degree program added Supply Chains and Logistics Management as a concentration.

In fall of 2016, the Master of Education in Secondary Education was added with concentrations in English Education, Mathematics Education and Science Education.

In fall of 2017, the Master of Education in School Counseling degree program was officially changed to a Master of Education in Counselor Education with concentrations in school counseling, mental health counseling, and rehabilitation counseling.