College & University

Augusta University

Augusta · Richmond County

Georgia's campuses and the stories they hold.

The Story

Augusta University pairs one of the country's oldest medical schools with a hilltop campus inside a former U.S. Army arsenal. The Medical College of Georgia was chartered in 1828, the Summerville Campus still uses the arsenal's 1820s headquarters, and a riverfront cyber center trains students next to state and federal cyber agencies. It is Georgia's public health sciences university and home to the state's only dental school.

About this site

Augusta University is a college & university in Augusta, Richmond County. It is one of 2 colleges & universities documented in Richmond County, among 249 historic sites cataloged across the county on Georgia Roam.

The site sits at 33.4721, -81.9858 near Augusta. The nearest cataloged historic site is Stoney Nurses Home (historical marker), about 0.2 miles away. Others within a short drive include The Medical College of Georgia, Cauley-Wheeler Memorial Building, and Mary S. Byrd Gallery of ART.

This record is drawn from Georgia Roam. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.

What makes Augusta University different

  • The Medical College of Georgia was chartered in 1828, making it the 13th-oldest medical school in the United States. augusta.edu
  • Its first permanent home, the 1835 Old Medical College Building on Telfair Street, is a Greek Revival landmark with six Doric columns and a central dome. It was named a National Historic Landmark in 1996. en.wikipedia.org
  • The Summerville Campus is the old Augusta Arsenal. The Army moved the post up the hill in 1827 to escape fever outbreaks by the river, and the 1827–29 headquarters building is now Payne Hall. en.wikipedia.org
  • Poet Stephen Vincent Benét spent part of his youth at the arsenal while his father commanded it from 1911 to 1919. The commandant's house on campus is a National Historic Landmark. en.wikipedia.org
  • Augusta State's golf team, with future Masters champion Patrick Reed, won the NCAA Division I men's title in 2010 and again in 2011, while the rest of the athletic program played in Division II. en.wikipedia.org
  • The Dental College of Georgia is the only dental school in the state. augusta.edu
  • In 2024 the NSA and its partners designated AU a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations. It is the only Georgia school that holds both the cyber defense and cyber operations designations. jagwire.augusta.edu
Science Hall and the outdoor amphitheatre on Augusta University's Summerville Campus
Science Hall and the outdoor amphitheatre on Augusta University's Summerville Campus. Photo: GRUcrule, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
History

The university's oldest root is the Medical College of Georgia. A group of Augusta physicians led by Milton Antony won a state charter in 1828 for what began as the Medical Academy of Georgia, renamed the Medical College of Georgia in 1833. In 1835 the school moved into a domed Greek Revival building on Telfair Street designed by Charles B. Cluskey. That building still stands and is now a National Historic Landmark. MCG became the first institution in the new University System of Georgia in 1932 and later added dental, nursing and allied health colleges.

The other root is the Academy of Richmond County, which in 1925 chartered the Junior College of Augusta, the first chartered junior college in Georgia. In 1955 the college acquired the recently closed Augusta Arsenal in Summerville, a U.S. Army post that had occupied the hill since 1827. Renamed Augusta College, it became a four-year school in 1963 and later Augusta State University. Its golf team won back-to-back NCAA Division I titles in 2010 and 2011.

In 2013 the University System merged Augusta State with Georgia Health Sciences University, the successor to MCG. The combined school was first called Georgia Regents University and took the name Augusta University in 2015. Since then it has opened the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center on the Savannah River (2018–19). In 2023 its hospitals became part of Wellstar Health System as Wellstar MCG Health. Russell T. Keen, an Augusta native, is president.

Around campus

Morning over the Summerville Campus, the hilltop grounds of the former Augusta Arsenal
Morning over the Summerville Campus, the hilltop grounds of the former Augusta Arsenal. Photo: GRUcrule, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The 1835 Old Medical College Building on Telfair Street, a Greek Revival National Historic Landmark
The 1835 Old Medical College Building on Telfair Street, a Greek Revival National Historic Landmark. Photo: Bubba73, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
An early-1900s postcard of the Medical College of Georgia's domed Telfair Street building
An early-1900s postcard of the Medical College of Georgia's domed Telfair Street building. Photo: Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The medical school's campus in the 1930s–40s, when it was the University of Georgia School of Medicine
The medical school's campus in the 1930s–40s, when it was the University of Georgia School of Medicine. Photo: Boston Public Library, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center's two riverfront buildings, seen across the Savannah River from South Carolina
The Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center's two riverfront buildings, seen across the Savannah River from South Carolina. Photo: Jdduffy, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
The J. Harold Harrison, MD, Education Commons, the Medical College of Georgia's teaching building opened in 2014
The J. Harold Harrison, MD, Education Commons, the Medical College of Georgia's teaching building opened in 2014. Photo: Georgia Regents University, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The bell tower in front of Allgood Hall on the Summerville Campus
The bell tower in front of Allgood Hall on the Summerville Campus. Photo: Heather, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The university's teaching hospital on the Health Sciences Campus, now Wellstar MCG Health
The university's teaching hospital on the Health Sciences Campus, now Wellstar MCG Health. Photo: Vreddy92, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Allgood Hall, a classroom building on the Summerville Campus
Allgood Hall, a classroom building on the Summerville Campus. Photo: Flickr user Stacie Wells, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Majors & programs

Augusta University is organized into 11 colleges and schools and offers more than 150 degree programs. The health sciences are its core, from medicine and dentistry to nursing and allied health, alongside the arts and sciences, business, education and one of the South's most developed cybersecurity programs. The list below shows each college with some of its representative programs. The official catalog has the complete list.

Known for
Medicine (M.D.)
The Medical College of Georgia, chartered in 1828, is the state's public medical school and trains students in Augusta and on regional campuses around Georgia.
Known for
Dentistry (D.M.D.)
The Dental College of Georgia is the only dental school in the state.
Known for
Cyber Operations (B.S.)
It is one of fewer than 25 programs nationwide with the National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations designation, and it is taught inside the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center.
Known for
Nursing
The College of Nursing is part of the state's only public academic health center, and students do clinical work at the university's own hospitals, now Wellstar MCG Health.
Known for
Allied health professions
Programs such as physical therapy, occupational therapy and the physician assistant program are taught alongside the medical and dental schools.
All degree programs at Augusta University (10)

Medical College of Georgia

  • Majors include medicine (M.D.) and M.D./Ph.D.

Dental College of Georgia

  • Majors include dental medicine (D.M.D.) and dental hygiene

College of Nursing

  • Majors include nursing (B.S.N.), graduate nursing and nurse anesthesia

College of Allied Health Sciences

  • Majors include physical therapy, occupational therapy, physician assistant, respiratory therapy and medical laboratory science

School of Computer and Cyber Sciences

  • Majors include cyber operations, cybersecurity, computer science and information technology

College of Science and Mathematics

  • Majors include biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics

Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

  • Majors include art, music, English, history, communication, political science, psychology and sociology

Hull College of Business

  • Majors include accounting, finance, management, marketing and the M.B.A.

College of Education and Human Development

  • Majors include teacher education and kinesiology

School of Public Health and The Graduate School

  • Majors include public health (M.P.H.) and biomedical science Ph.D. programs

Notable alumni

  • Patrick Reed — 2018 Masters champion; helped Augusta State win the 2010 and 2011 NCAA Division I golf titles (business major) en.wikipedia.org
  • Leila Denmark — Atlanta pediatrician credited as a co-developer of the whooping cough vaccine (M.D., Medical College of Georgia, 1928) en.wikipedia.org
  • Judith Ortiz Cofer — Puerto Rican-American poet and author of 'Silent Dancing' and 'The Line of the Sun' (B.A. in English, Augusta College) en.wikipedia.org
  • Raymond Moody — psychiatrist and author of 'Life After Life', which popularized the term near-death experience (M.D., 1976) en.wikipedia.org
  • Hervey M. Cleckley — psychiatrist, author of 'The Mask of Sanity' and co-author of 'The Three Faces of Eve' (M.D., 1929) en.wikipedia.org
  • Isaac S. Hopkins — first president of Georgia Tech (Medical College of Georgia, 1861) en.wikipedia.org
  • Paul Broun — physician and U.S. congressman from Georgia (M.D., 1971) en.wikipedia.org
  • Joelle Carter — actress on FX's 'Justified' (attended Augusta State on a swimming and cross-country scholarship) en.wikipedia.org

Athletics: Augusta Jaguars

NCAA Division II (golf in Division I) · Peach Belt Conference (golf: West Coast Conference, as an affiliate member)

BaseballBasketballCross countryGolfSoftballTennisTrack & fieldVolleyballCheer and dance
  • NCAA Division I men's golf national champions, 2010 and 2011 (as Augusta State) en.wikipedia.org
  • Men's basketball reached the NCAA Division II national championship game in 2008 and 2022 en.wikipedia.org
  • Golf programs joined the West Coast Conference as affiliate members in 2025 augustajags.com

Home venues: Christenberry Fieldhouse (basketball, volleyball; opened 1991) · Jaguar Field (baseball, softball) · Newman Tennis Center

Watch

Hometown History: AU Summerville Web Video · WJBF
Reliving the Golf National Championship | Augusta University · Augusta University
Northwest Missouri State vs. Augusta | DII men's basketball championship highlights · NCAA Championships
Georgia Cyber Center celebrates its 5-year anniversary · WRDW News 12
Dr. Joseph Hobbs - 50th Anniversary of MCG Desegregation · Augusta University

Walk it with Georgia Roam

Official links

Augusta University: questions & answers

What is Augusta University known for?

Health sciences. It is home to the Medical College of Georgia (chartered 1828), Georgia's only dental school, and large nursing and allied health colleges. It is also known for cybersecurity, taught at the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center.

Is the Medical College of Georgia part of Augusta University?

Yes. MCG is Augusta University's medical school. It trains students in Augusta, at a partnership campus with UGA in Athens and at regional campuses around the state.

How big is Augusta University?

It had 10,900 students in Fall 2024 (6,049 undergraduates and 4,851 graduate and professional students), according to the U.S. Department of Education.

What division is Augusta University?

The Augusta Jaguars compete in NCAA Division II in the Peach Belt Conference. The men's and women's golf teams compete in Division I.

Has Augusta University won a national championship?

Yes. As Augusta State, the men's golf team won NCAA Division I titles in 2010 and 2011. Men's basketball has reached the Division II title game twice, in 2008 and 2022.

Can you visit the Augusta Arsenal on campus?

Yes. The Summerville Campus on Walton Way occupies the old arsenal grounds, and its historic buildings, including Payne Hall and the Benet House, can be seen from campus walkways. The university schedules admissions tours through its visit page.

Why did Augusta University change its name?

In 2013 Augusta State University and Georgia Health Sciences University merged as Georgia Regents University. The name changed to Augusta University in 2015.

Sources: augusta.eduen.wikipedia.orgen.wikipedia.orgen.wikipedia.orgen.wikipedia.orgnces.ed.gov

📍 33.4721, -81.9858 · Augusta, Richmond County
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