Georgia Southwestern State University

Institution Overview

Founded in 1906, Georgia Southwestern State University is located in Americus, one of Georgia's most historic and graceful antebellum cities. The university provides a wide variety of undergraduate and master's degree programs serving the southwestern region and attracting students from throughout Georgia.

More than 2,600 residential and commuter students are enrolled and the student body averages 24 years of age. Students come primarily from Georgia, but some 25 states and 37 nations also are represented among enrollees.

The university offers 38 bachelor's degree programs in arts and sciences, including a bachelor of fine arts, business administration, computer and information sciences, education and nursing; 20 master's degree programs in education, administration, computer science, and midwifery, plus a specialist program in education and pre-professional programs in law, medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and various allied health-care professions. Georgia Southwestern and the Georgia Institute of Technology offer a dual-degree program in engineering leading to a bachelor's degree in science or mathematics from Georgia Southwestern and a bachelor's degree in engineering from Georgia Tech. The university also offers cooperative programs with South Georgia Technical College and other two-year institutions, culminating in a baccalaureate degree from Georgia Southwestern.

The campus is located on 270 wooded acres in Americus, a city of 17,000 boasting two National Historic Sites, and a National Register Historic District. There are 35 buildings, including residence halls. The campus features a lake for fishing and boating and a large covered swimming complex.

The university has strong ties to the community. Its Southwest Georgia Writing Project has trained hundreds of area teachers during intense summer programs and the Center for Asian Studies provides education and exchange opportunities. A variety of free campus lectures, concerts and art exhibits are open to the public. Both President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter attended the university, as well as former Attorney General Griffin Bell, and the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Human Development was founded there in 1987.

The school competes in the Georgia-Alabama-Carolina Conference and its athletic teams have won 10 conference championships in the last three years. Intercollegiate sports include basketball, baseball, softball, tennis and volleyball. Students may participate in such extracurricular activities as intramural sports, cultural events in music, theater, visual arts and lectures; and more than 60 student clubs and organizations, including honor societies, fraternities and sororities.

Originally named the Third Agricultural and Mechanical School, the university was named Georgia Southwestern College in 1932 and became part of the University System of Georgia. In 1996, it became Georgia Southwestern State University.