Georgia Highlands College opened in 1970 as Floyd Junior College, on a campus south of Rome built around Paris Lake, with a protected wetland and boardwalk behind the classrooms. It has since grown into a regional state college with sites in Cartersville, Marietta, Dallas and downtown Rome. Most students start on associate-degree pathways, and a growing group finish bachelor's degrees in nursing, business and health fields.
About this site
Georgia Highlands College is a college & university in Rome, Floyd County. It is one of 3 colleges & universities documented in Floyd County, among 160 historic sites cataloged across the county on Georgia Roam.
The site sits at 34.1698, -85.2074 near Rome. The nearest cataloged historic site is Six Mile Cemetery (cemetery), about 0.4 miles away. Others within a short drive include Ware Cemetery, Vanns Valley Cemetery, and Birdsong Cemetery.
This record is drawn from Georgia Roam. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
What makes Georgia Highlands College different
Behind the Floyd campus is a 20-acre protected wetland with a 1,200-foot boardwalk and two observation platforms, used as an outdoor classroom. en.wikipedia.org
The Floyd campus has its own observatory, the Bishop Observatory. en.wikipedia.org
In 2024 the Aspen Institute named GHC one of the top 10 finalists for the 2025 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. sites.highlands.edu
Since 2015 the Floyd campus has also hosted a Georgia Public Safety Training Center site for law enforcement training. en.wikipedia.org
Students have published Old Red Kimono, an annual book of student art, poetry and short stories, for four decades. sites.highlands.edu
Since 1997 GHC has offered geology credit for summer field trips to Wyoming. en.wikipedia.org
The Paulding site sits in historic buildings on the Dallas town square, and the Cartersville student center is built around a two-story stone fireplace. en.wikipedia.org
The Board of Regents authorized a junior college for Floyd County in 1968, and Floyd Junior College opened in the fall of 1970. Its first classes met in temporary space in downtown Rome while the permanent campus off U.S. 27 south of the city was built. The school became Floyd College in 1987. It then began spreading beyond Rome, opening Heritage Hall downtown in 1994 for nursing and dental hygiene, and later sites in Cartersville (2005), Marietta (2005) and Dallas in Paulding County (2009).
That regional reach led to a new name. In August 2005 Floyd College officially became Georgia Highlands College, after the northwest Georgia highlands it serves. In 2011 the University System of Georgia made it a state college, and it began adding bachelor's degrees, in fields such as nursing, business, health science, digital media, and environmental and natural resources. The Floyd campus took on a new role in 2015, when the Georgia Public Safety Training Center began training law enforcement officers there. Athletics began in 2012–13, when the Chargers started play in the NJCAA.
GHC is an access college within the state system. In 2024 the Aspen Institute named it one of ten finalists for the 2025 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, a national award for two-year colleges. Mike Hobbs is president.
Top 10 finalist, Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence — The Aspen Institute, 2025source
Majors & programs
Most GHC students follow an associate-degree 'pathway' built to transfer into a bachelor's program. The college also awards its own bachelor's degrees in fields tied to regional jobs, including nursing, health science, logistics and environmental resources. The list below is from GHC's academic programs page in September 2026.
Known for
Nursing (ASN and BSN)
ACEN-accredited, with an associate degree, a traditional BSN, an LPN/paramedic bridge and an RN-to-BSN, taught at Heritage Hall in downtown Rome and other sites.
Known for
Dental Hygiene
CODA-accredited associate program, plus an RDH-to-BSDH completion degree.
Known for
Environmental and Natural Resources (B.S.)
Suits a campus with its own protected wetland, lake and observatory.
Known for
Logistics and Supply Chain Management (BBA)
One of two GHC business bachelor's degrees, backed by a student logistics association that connects students with local industry.
Known for
Geology pathway
GHC has run summer geology field courses in Wyoming since 1997.
All degree programs at Georgia Highlands College (46)
Bachelor's degrees
Building Information Modeling Management · B.S.
Criminal Justice (eMajor) · B.S.
Dental Hygiene (RDH to BSDH completion) · B.S.
Digital Media & Communication · B.S.
Environmental and Natural Resources · B.S.
Health Science · B.S.
Healthcare Management · BBA
Logistics and Supply Chain Management · BBA
Nursing (traditional BSN and RN to BSN completion) · BSN
Organizational Leadership (eMajor) · B.S.
Health sciences (associate)
Nursing (ASN, including LPN/Paramedic bridge) · A.S.
Dental Hygiene · A.S.
Health Professions pathway · A.S.
Associate pathways – arts, humanities and social sciences
Art · A.A.
Communication · A.A.
Criminal Justice · A.A.
English · A.A.
Film & Digital Entertainment · A.A.
Graphic Design · A.A.
History · A.A.
Journalism · A.A.
Political Science · A.A.
Psychology · A.A.
Sociology · A.A.
Spanish · A.A.
Associate pathways – science, business and education
GHC and Atrium Health Floyd at Aspen Institute Award 2025 · Georgia Highlands CollegeGHC LADY CHARGERS BASKETBALL GCAA CHAMPS · Georgia Highlands CollegeGHC Disaster Simulation 2025 · Georgia Highlands College
Is Georgia Highlands College a two-year or four-year school?
Both. It began as a two-year junior college and still awards many associate degrees, but since becoming a state college in 2011 it has added bachelor's degrees in nursing, health science, business, digital media and other fields.
Where are Georgia Highlands College's campuses?
The original Floyd campus is six miles south of downtown Rome on U.S. 27. GHC also has Heritage Hall in downtown Rome and sites in Cartersville, Marietta and Dallas (Paulding County), plus online programs.
What division is Georgia Highlands College?
The Chargers compete in NJCAA Division I as members of the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (Region XVII).
How many students attend Georgia Highlands College?
5,382 students in Fall 2024, all undergraduates, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
What was Georgia Highlands College called before?
Floyd Junior College (1970–1987), then Floyd College, before it became Georgia Highlands College in 2005.
What is Georgia Highlands College known for?
Affordable transfer pathways, nursing and dental hygiene, and a lakeside Floyd campus with a protected wetland. It was a top 10 finalist for the 2025 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence.
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