For 116 years, since 1890, Savannah State University (SSU)—a four-year institution—has been an important part of higher education. As the oldest public HBCU in Georgia and the oldest institution of higher learning in the historic city of Savannah, SSU has served this community with distinction while meeting the educational needs of an increasingly diverse student population. Savannah State provides a comprehensive college experience that adds value to the academic, personal, social and cultural growth of its students.
Savannah State University develops productive members of a global society through high quality instruction, scholarship, research, service and community involvement. The University fosters engaged learning and personal growth in a student-centered environment that celebrates the African American legacy while nurturing a diverse student body. Savannah State University offers graduate and undergraduate studies including nationally accredited programs in the liberal arts, the sciences and the professions.
The university enrolls more than 3,800 students, many of who come from Georgia, with a growing number hailing from out of state and abroad. The average age of students attending Savannah State University is 25, and the majority are female.
Students may choose from 23 undergraduate and five graduate degree programs offered through the colleges of Business Administration, Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, and Sciences and Technology.
Thanks to the campus' location next to a salt-water estuary, the nationally-recognized Marine Sciences program is the only degree program in Georgia taught in a natural setting allowing students to conduct research in three environments: marsh, ocean and wetland.
Savannah State is one of the few institutions in the country to offer the Bachelor of Arts degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Management, which prepares a new generation of leaders to lead recovery efforts in the aftermath of natural and man-made disasters.
The Georgia Tech Regional Engineering Program (GTREP) is available at Savannah State. Students take engineering courses in Savannah and earn a bachelor of science degree in civil, computer, electrical or mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech. Savannah State University also offers the region's only four-year Naval ROTC program with tuition-assisted training in science and technology leading to military and related technology careers.
SSU had an economic impact of more than $127.6 million during FY 2010.