Overview
Georgia Highlands College (GHC), a four-year institution, was founded in 1970 to provide educational opportunities for the physical, intellectual, and cultural development of a diverse population in seven northwest Georgia counties. With the advent of distance learning technologies, specialty programs, five thriving campus locations, and collaborative arrangements, the College has expanded its scope of influence beyond the institution’s original geographical area.
GHC has locations in Rome, Cartersville, Marietta, Dallas and Douglasville and draws students from counties across northwest Georgia, including Floyd, Polk, Chattooga, Gordon, Bartow, Cobb, Paulding, Cherokee, Douglas, Carroll and Haralson Counties in Georgia, as well as counties in eastern Alabama and southeastern Tennessee.
GHC offers four degree options: an Associate of Arts degree, an Associate of Science degree, a Bachelor of Science degree, and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. In all, there are over 30 areas of study for students to choose from, including 10 that are fully online.
The philosophy of Georgia Highlands College is expressed in the beliefs that education is essential to the intellectual, physical, economic, social, emotional, cultural, and environmental well-being of individuals and society and that education should be geographically and physically accessible and affordable. In support of this philosophy, the college maintains a teaching/learning environment, which promotes inclusiveness and provides educational opportunities, programs, and services of excellence in response to documented needs.
GHC serves more than 6,000 students and provides a growing number of bachelor’s degrees, including nursing, dental hygiene, and business degrees in healthcare management and logistic and supply chain management.
Georgia Highlands College has saved students over $6 million by eliminating textbook costs and providing free digital options. GHC’s faculty have been working since fall 2015 to expand Open Education Resources (OER) courses each semester. OER course conversions are aided by the University System of Georgia’s Affordable Learning Georgia (ALG) initiative which promotes student success by providing cost-free alternatives to expensive textbooks.
GHC had an economic impact of nearly $150 million during FY 2016.
