Augusta State University

Institution Overview

Located in the second-largest city in Georgia, Augusta State University is a unique blend of the old and the new, the traditional and the innovative. The academic program is built on a strong undergraduate liberal arts tradition while offering graduate students the opportunity to pursue studies in professional disciplines.

The strong liberal arts and humanities program is nationally recognized for innovativeness, and it enriches the core curriculum of all students at Augusta State University. The university is particularly strong in biology and is the largest feeder institution to the Medical College of Georgia. The graduate program features master's degrees in business administration, education, psychology, and public administration, a specialist degree in education, and a cooperative doctoral program in education leadership with Georgia Southern University.

Augusta State University maintains strong ties with local government, businesses, industries, school systems, and military representatives, which provide a real-world, collaborative connection for students in the classroom.

Nearly all classes are held on the main 80-acre campus of Augusta State. Steeped in history, it is located on the site of a former federal arsenal that was founded in 1827 and abandoned in 1955. Several administration buildings date from the early 1800s, yet an ambitious building program has resulted in 75 percent of the academic space now located in new, technology-rich facilities that have opened since 2000. The 244-acre Forest Hills campus is home to the physical education/athletic complex and the Jaguar athletic programs. Men and women compete in NCAA Division I and II. Women compete in basketball, softball, volleyball, cross country, and tennis, and men compete in baseball, basketball, and tennis in Div. II. Men and women compete in Division I golf. The Jaguars compete on the university's 18-hole golf course, which was designed by famed architect Donald Ross. Students have a wide choice of activities outside of class with opportunities for leadership and fellowship in over 60 chartered clubs and organizations, student newspaper and magazine, theater, concerts, art exhibitions, fraternities and sororities, honor societies, and intramurals.

More than 6,400 students attend Augusta State, mostly from the state of Georgia, although 56 countries and 47 states are represented. The institution is proud of its diversity and has a 35 percent minority enrollment, one of the largest in the university system.

Augusta State University traces its roots to 1783 when its parent institution, the Academy of Richmond County, was chartered. In 1925, the Junior College of Augusta was organized and it separated from the academy in 1957, moving to the historic grounds of the abandoned Augusta Arsenal. The following year it joined the University System and its name was changed to Augusta College. In 1963 it became a four-year college, and graduate programs were added in 1973. It became Augusta State University in 1996.