GTPE EU General Data Protection Regulation Privacy Notice for Degree Programs

GTPE EU General Data Protection Regulation Privacy Notice for Degree Programs

This is the Georgia Institute of Technology’s (Georgia Tech) Professional Education (Degree Programs) privacy and legal notice for compliance with the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (“EU GDPR”). For more information regarding the EU GDPR, please review Georgia Tech’s EU General Data Protection Regulation Compliance Policy.

Lawful Basis for Collecting and Processing of Personal Data

Georgia Tech is an institute of higher education involved in education, research, and community development. In order for Georgia Tech Professional Education (Degree Programs) to provide in-person and online education, conduct surveys for program evaluation and improvement, conduct marketing activities to engage in educational program outreach, conduct student and faculty/instructor recruitment, review and process applications for admission, review and process applications for employment and provide educational support services, it must collect, use and process this personal data.

The lawful basis for the collection and processing of personal data by Georgia Tech Professional Education (Degree Programs) falls under the following category:

  • Processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by Georgia Tech or third parties in providing in-person and online education, conducting surveys for program evaluation and improvement, conducting marketing activities to engage in educational program outreach, conducting student and faculty/instructor recruitment, reviewing and processing applications for admission, reviewing and processing applications for employment and providing educational support services.

Types of Personal Data collected and why

In order for Georgia Tech Professional Education (Degree Programs) to provide in-person and online education, conduct surveys for program evaluation and improvement, conduct marketing activities to engage in educational program outreach, conduct student and faculty/instructor recruitment, review and process applications for admission, review and process applications for employment and provide educational support services, it needs to collect the following categories of personal data:

  • Name
  • Contact information including, without limitation, email address, physical address, phone number, and other location data
  • Unique personal identifiers and biographical information (e.g. date of birth)
  • Photographs of you
  • Details of your education and/or employment qualifications
  • Information related to visa requirements, copies of passports and other documents to ensure compliance with U.S. laws
  • Financial information gathered for the purposes of administering fees and charges, loans, grants, scholarships, etc.

The personal data collected by Georgia Tech Professional Education (Degree Programs) will be shared as follows:
 

Georgia Tech Unit Purpose
Georgia Tech Academic Departments Communication with prospective students for the purpose of recruitment and outreach concerning areas of interest about programs of study
Georgia Tech Academic Departments Communication with and about enrolled students in the context of the pursuit of a degree/program of study
Bursar’s Office Administering financial services for student account details including invoicing, payments and collection
Division of Student Life Discussions concerning matters handled by the Dean of Students Office and the Office of Student Integrity
Office of Graduate Studies Completion of graduate admission processes
Office of Human Resources Information for employment related processes
Office of International Education Management and support for international students
Office of the Registrar Completion of enrollment and/or degree information

 

Third-Party Name Purpose
Digital marketing agency (currently MediaCurrent) Database access requirements for supporting GTPE departmental websites containing student data
Online learning management systems To deliver learning activities and management for educational courses


Georgia Tech is a unit of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia (the “BOR”), and data is shared with the BOR and its employees.

FERPA

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) provides that “Directory Information” is information not generally considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed. Directory Information is considered public information, but the categories of information that comprise Directory Information also comprise “personal data” under the EU GDPR. Please review Georgia Tech's definition of Directory Information for further information, including how to prohibit the release of Directory Information.

If you have specific questions regarding the collection and use of your personal data, please contact the Office of Enterprise Data Management at eugdpr@edm.gatech.edu

If a data subject refuses to provide personal data that is required by Georgia Tech in connection with one of Georgia Tech’s lawful bases to collect such personal data, such refusal may make it impossible for Georgia Tech to provide education, employment, research or other requested service.

Where Georgia Tech gets Personal Data and Special Categories of Sensitive Personal Data

Georgia Tech receives personal data and special categories of sensitive personal data from multiple sources. Most often, Georgia Tech gets this data directly from the data subject or under the direction of the data subject who has provided it to a third party (for example, application for undergraduate admission to Georgia Tech through use of the Common App).

Individual Rights of the Data Subject under the EU GDPR

Individual data subjects covered by Georgia Tech’s EU General Data Protection Regulation Compliance Policy will be afforded the following rights:

  • information about the controller collecting the data
  • the data protection officer contact information
  • the purposes and legal basis/legitimate interests of the data collection/processing
  • recipients of the personal data
  • if Georgia Tech intends to transfer personal data to another country or international organization
  • the period the personal data will be stored
  • the existence of the right to access, rectify incorrect data or erase personal data, restrict or object to processing, and the right to data portability
  • the existence of the right to withdraw consent at any time
  • the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (established in the EU)
  • why the personal data are required, and possible consequences of the failure to provide the data
  • the existence of automated decision-making, including profiling
  • if the collected data are going to be further processed for a purpose other than that for which it was collected

Note: Exercising of these rights is a guarantee to be afforded a process and not the guarantee of an outcome.

Any data subject who wishes to exercise any of the above-mentioned rights may do so by filling such request with the Office of Enterprise Data Management at eugdpr@edm.gatech.edu

Cookies

Cookies are files that many websites transfer to users’ web browsers to enable the site to deliver personalized services or to provide persistent authentication. The information contained in a cookie typically includes information collected automatically by the web server and/or information provided voluntarily by the user. Our website uses persistent cookies in conjunction with a third-party technology partner to analyze search engine usage and web traffic patterns. This information is used in the aggregate to monitor and enhance our web pages. It is not used to track the usage patterns of individual users.

Security of Personal Data subject to the EU GDPR

All personal data and special categories of sensitive personal data collected or processed by Georgia Tech under the scope of the Georgia Tech EU General Data Protection Regulation Compliance Policy must comply with the security controls and systems and process requirements and standards of NIST Special Publication 800-171 as set forth in the Georgia Tech Controlled Unclassified Information Policy.

Georgia Open Records Act

As a state university, Georgia Tech is subject to the provisions of the Georgia Open Records Act (ORA). Except for those records that are exempt from disclosure under the ORA, the ORA provides that all citizens are entitled to view the record s of state agencies on request and to make copies for a fee. The ORA requires that Georgia Tech produce public documents within three business days. For more information on Georgia Tech’s ORA compliance, please visit the Open Records Act page on the Legal Affairs website.

Data Retention

Georgia Tech keeps the data it collects for the time periods specified in the University System of Georgia Records Retention Schedules: https://www.usg.edu/records_management/schedules/
 

Record Type Retention Schedule Link
Academic Affairs https://www.usg.edu/records_management/schedules/925
Administration https://www.usg.edu/records_management/schedules/924
Finance https://www.usg.edu/records_management/schedules/935
Human Resources https://www.usg.edu/records_management/schedules/930
Information Technology https://www.usg.edu/records_management/schedules/2520
Student Records https://www.usg.edu/records_management/schedules/934