皇家华人

Total Credit Hours: 54          Degree Format: Online

The Doctor of Education degree with a major in Adult Learning & Development provides advanced, professional learning for individuals pursuing careers in teaching and leadership of adult and career education and related fields.  This program prepares students for working with adult learners in career education fields in the secondary and postsecondary education and private workforce education and government agency contexts. 

Program Coordinator: Dr. Gwen Ruttencutter, email: gwescott@valdosta.edu, phone: 229-333-5978

Adult and Career Education Doctorate Homepage

ADMISSION DEADLINES

• Fall Semester: April 1
• Spring Semester: No Admission
• Summer Semester: No Admission

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Online Graduate Application

• Application Fee (credit or debit card and e-checks accepted)
• Apply Online

Official transcript from your master's degree-granting school and from any graduate coursework.

• Transcripts of coursework completed in-residence at VSU will be obtained by the Graduate School
• Must hold a master’s degree from a regionally-accredited institution.
• Minimum cumulative graduate GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 Scale. GPA will be calculated on all attempted graduate coursework in which a letter grade was awarded.

GRE or MAT Scores

•  or 
• Scores MUST be less than 5 years old.
• Target GRE Requirements:
  • Quantitative Reasoning: 146
  • Verbal Reasoning: 148
  • Analytical Writing: 4.5
• Minimum MAT Requirements:
  • New scoring system - 400

Ed.D. Biographical Career Statement

• Download and complete the Doctor of Education Biographical Career Goal Statement

Ed.D. Letter of Support Form

• The Doctor of Education Letter of Support Form MUST be completed by your supervisor.

Resume

• Must have 3 years minimum acceptable school or related agency experience.

Three Recommendations

• General Recommendation Form
• Please enter the name and email of your recommenders as you complete the application. They should receive an email inviting them to complete the recommendation after that. If they do not receive the email (or find it in their spam folder), they may submit their recommendation as an email attachment to gradschool@valdosta.edu. The General Recommendation Form can be used if the email from the online recommendation system does not arrive.
• Letters must be accompanied by the required form or submitted through the online recommendation system.

VSU Medical Form

• The must be completed and signed by the student/applicant.
• This form must be received prior to enrollment, NOT prior to admission.
• Applicants who are currently enrolled, and those who attended VSU in the past, are not required to resubmit the Medical Form

Verification of Lawful Presence

• This is not required for individuals who do not qualify for in-state tuition or a residency waiver.
• This must be received prior to enrollment (if applicable), NOT prior to admission.
• Citizenship documentation is needed for any applicant who wishes to be considered for in-state tuition.
• Check out the complete list of accepted documents and information on residency here.

Unless otherwise indicated above, all required documents must be received on or before the admission deadline for your file to be reviewed. It is the applicant's responsibility to allow adequate time for document delivery and to en-sure receipt of documents. Please allow at least 7-10 days for delivery by mail.

IMPORTANT PROGRAM INFORMATION

• Doctoral candidates considered for admission by the Doctoral Admissions Committee may be required to appear for an interview before final decisions are rendered.

PETITION FOR ADMISSION BY EXCEPTION

• A minimum Graduate GPA of 3.25 on a 4.0 scale and
• A minimum of 900 combined Verbal and Quantitative scores and an Analytical score of 4.0 (or higher) on the GRE general test.

Applicants with graduate GPAs below 3.25 will not be considered.

The petition must indicate any extenuating circumstances the applicant wishes to have considered and must state why the applicant believes that he or she will be successful if admitted to the program. The graduate dean will review the petition and make a recommendation to the full Doctoral Coordinating Committee, which will make a final determination concerning admission.

INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS 

International applicants must meet all admission criteria and documentation requirements as defined by the program, however, additional documentation may be required.  Please review the information below for specific information and guidelines.

•  or  – Applicants whose first language is not English (based on country of citizenship) must submit official scores on the TOEFL exam or IELTS exam. International applicants whose first language is not English but who have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher from a U.S. institution may be exempt from the TOEFL/IELTS requirement.
• Certificate of Finances- The Certificate of Finance is required of any applicant requiring a student visa to enter the United States to complete his or her studies. This document is considered a part of the application for admission and applications will not be reviewed without this document.  Applicants who do not require an I-20 student visa to complete their studies are exempt from this requirement.
• Evaluation of International Transcripts - Applicants who have completed coursework at an institution outside of the United States must submit a course-by-course evaluation of the coursework.  This transcript evaluation must be completed by an international education credentials evaluation service such as Josef Silny, ECE, etc.  The transcript evaluation does not replace the transcript requirement. Official transcripts are still required.

HAVE QUESTIONS?

• Call Us: 229-333-5694 
• Email Us: gradschool@valdosta.edu 
• Visit Us: Converse Hall (Main Campus), Third Floor, Suite 3100

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

1. A student must successfully complete, defend and submit a dissertation; 
2. A student must successfully complete a written comprehensive examination before being permitted to enroll in dissertation courses;
3.  Prepare a manuscript for publication; 
4. Maintain a GPA of 3.25 or above on all doctoral coursework; 
5. Apply for graduation at least one semester before anticipated graduation date.

RETENTION, DISMISSAL, & READMISSION POLICIES

1. The academic residency requirements are satisfied upon completion of two consecutive semesters of six semester hours or more of coursework.
2. No more than 9 semester hours of post-master’s academic work may be transferred from VSU or another institution into the program.  Following admission, the academic program advisor will evaluate transfer credit for equivalency and appropriateness for the selected concentration.  Courses considered for transfer credit must:
   • Not be over 7 years of age when the student is admitted to candidacy
   • Be earned at an institution that is regionally accredited
   • Be graduate-level courses
   • Upon recommendation of the program advisor, all transfer requests are subject to approval by the Associate Provost of Graduate Studies and Research.
   • Grades transferred fall under the current deficiency point system.
3. Earning grades below “B” in graduate courses will result in the following consequences: Students admitted Fall 2011 and thereafter will be dismissed from the Graduate School if they accumulate three or more academic deficiency points unless otherwise indicated by individual program policy. A grade of “C” (although it may be credited toward a degree) equals one deficiency point. A grade of “D,” “WF” or “F,” or “U” (none of which will be credited toward a degree) equals two deficiency points. Candidates admitted BEFORE Fall 2011 and receiving two grades below “C” (“D”, “F”, “WF”,“U”) will be dismissed from the program. One grade below a "C" results in a warning.
4. If dismissed from the program a student will not be considered for readmission.
5.  Candidates failing to maintain a 3.25 GPA on all doctoral coursework may face academic sanctions as determined by the Doctoral Coordinating Committee.
6. A comprehensive exam must be successfully completed prior to entering candidacy Candidates are permitted two attempts to complete the comprehensive exams. Candidates who fail to successfully complete the comprehensive exam after two attempts will be dismissed from the program.
7. Doctoral candidates may take up to five years from the term in which comprehensive exams are taken and passed to complete their dissertation work. A one year emergency stop-out may be requested by the student through the Emergency Stop-Out Form. During the stop-out the student must register for a minimum of 1 hour of dissertation credit per term. If the dissertation proposal has been approved before the stop-out year then an updated and reapproved proposal is required by the end of the first semester following the stop-out. An additional extension of two years beyond the 5+1 year limit would require successful completion of a second comprehensive exam that is scheduled, taken, and graded within one term of the expiration of the 5+1 year limit. The two years will begin in the term after the second comprehensive exam is passed. The dissertation proposal must be updated to reflect current literature. The updated proposal must be approved by the dissertation committee during the first term of the two year extension. Failure to pass the second comprehensive exam will terminate the dissertation process.