College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) comprises six departments–Fine Arts, Humanities, and Wellness; English Languages, and Cultures; Journalism and Mass Communications; Political Science and Public Affairs; Social and Behavioral Sciences and Social Work. The College offers majors in English, Journalism and Mass Communications, Behavior Analysis, History, Criminal Justice, Social Work, Sociology, Homeland Security and Emergency Management, Political Science, Africana Studies, and Visual and Performing Arts.

The following areas of concentration are offered: Religious and Philosophical Studies, World Languages, Journalism, Public Relations and Strategic Communication, Multimedia & Digital Communication, Applied Forensic Analysis, Pre-Law, Public Administration, and International and Comparative Politics. The College also offers three Master’s degree programs, the Master of Public Administration, the Master of Social Work, and the Master of Science in Urban Studies and Planning.

The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences is committed to the mission of Savannah State University. The College strives to assure an academic milieu that fosters excellent teaching, scholarly activities, service to students and meaningful community outreach. The

College recognizes its rich cultural history as central to the ethos of the University.

The goals of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences are as follows:

To promote the belief that demography is not destiny: all students have a potential to graduate, and all students should be held to a high level of expectation;
To provide students with a body of knowledge in the humanities, social sciences, arts, and wellness that empowers critical, visionary scholarship;
To promote an inclusive environment that encourages students to develop intellectually, physically, ethically, emotionally and aesthetically;
To provide an overarching culture that supports and nurtures students through relationships cultivated between faculty and students; To provide learning experiences that promote critical and analytical thinking and effective communications skills;
To promote applied research and creative and scholarly activity among faculty and students.
To serve as an educational resource for cultural enrichment and economic growth throughout southeast Georgia; To foster cultural diversity;
To emphasize tradition of African-American and African culture and serve as a repository of knowledge about African-American experience; and
To promote a desire for learning, a concern for humanity, human rights and the ideals of equality, citizenship and social justice.

Academic Counseling

Students in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences are assigned a professional academic advisor from the Center of Academic Student Success. as well as a faculty mentor within their major department. Since the advisement process is essential to ensure all prerequisites have been successfully completed prior to enrollment in a particular course; students must consult with both their advisor and faculty mentor before registering. Students should also work with their faculty mentor to develop a plan of academic progress for their major. In addition, students should alert their advisors immediately when they deviate from their approved academic plan.

Transient Students

Students enrolled at Savannah State University in CLASS who would like to be a Transient Student at another college/university for a given semester should follow these instructions:

Select the course(s) you would like to take at the college/university; using the course descriptions from both institutions, make sure the course(s) are comparable to a course(s) here at SSU.

Make a copy of the catalog course description from the other college/university and from Savannah State University.

If the course falls under the College of Business Administration (COBA) or the College of Science and Technology (COST), please have the appropriate department sign off on the course description page to certify that the course is an appropriate transfer course.

Bring the completed Transient Form, catalog descriptions and other supporting documentation to your academic advisor and department chair. Submit the application with signatures for processing to the Dean’s Office. (Allow five business days for processing). All forms turned in after the posted deadlines will be subject to a longer processing time regardless of the deadline for the institution for which you are applying for transient status.