Valdosta State University Ed.D. in Adult Education?

[RingofBarahir]

I've been thinking a lot about a potential doctoral program in the next few years and I wanted to see if anyone had any thoughts on or experience with Valdosta State University's Ed.D. in Adult Education. VSU is an incredibly affordable option for an Ed.D. (and masters degrees) but I rarely see them mentioned on here or the sister board. I didn't know if there were reputational reasons for that. 

https://www.valdosta.edu/colleges/educat...-programs/

It ticks a lot of boxes for me:

1. Brick and mortar school.
2. Public state university.
3. Incredibly affordable for a doctoral program that meets the criteria of No. 1 and No. 2. ($300/hr for 54 hours = $16,200, which is cheaper than an ACE Ed.D.)
4. Has a Human Resources Development track, which aligns with my goals.

It's not accelerated, which I know is a downer for some, but I would appreciate the semester-based structure so I didn't feel like I had to rush through it and I could pay tuition as I go.

Anyway, like I said, I don't see them mentioned much and wanted to see if anyone had any positive reinforcement or red flags.

[Jonathan Whatley]

Valdosta’s Doctor of Public Administration is often mentioned on the sister board. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything bad about Valdosta.

[bjcheung77]

They're a public state institution, ACE.edu is a private institution, you'll get more value for the money with Valdosta. When you get to the doctorate level, the acceleration or speed run option really isn't there, as these degrees should be for academic or research intensive purposes and will take at least 2-3 years for most doctoral programs.

[newdegree]

Hmm, with that price tag, the program's tuition looks pretty tempting. $300 per credit for EdD is very cheap compared to other schools. I am not sure if there is a more affordable program besides Liberty University that offers the Military discount and the first-responder discount. However, even then, this is still cheaper for the average person. I wonder if they accept transfer credits from, like, an EdS program? One could attend South College, speed-run the EdS program in one term, and try to transfer credits to save time. I know some schools offer an EdS bridge completion program. I doubt Valdosta has a full program like that, but they may accept something like 12 transfer credits. Valdosta State University's DPA program is highly regarded, and a few people on the sister forums graduated from it.

[FireMedic_Philosopher]

Hmm, with that price tag, the program's tuition looks pretty tempting. $300 per credit for EdD is very cheap compared to other schools. I am not sure if there is a more affordable program besides Liberty University that offers the Military discount and the first-responder discount. However, even then, this is still cheaper for the average person. I wonder if they accept transfer credits from, like, an EdS program? One could attend South College, speed-run the EdS program in one term, and try to transfer credits to save time. I know some schools offer an EdS bridge completion program. I doubt Valdosta has a full program like that, but they may accept something like 12 transfer credits. Valdosta State University's DPA program is highly regarded, and a few people on the sister forums graduated from it.

Last time I looked, Liberty was up over 500 / Hour for doctorate level studies, even with the First responder discount... In 2025, unless you are a veteran, they are actually one of the more expensive options these days. They were in fact, the most expensive option I considered for a doctorate. Unfortunate perhaps, but multiple state schools are cheaper these days.

[newdegree]

Hmm, with that price tag, the program's tuition looks pretty tempting. $300 per credit for EdD is very cheap compared to other schools. I am not sure if there is a more affordable program besides Liberty University that offers the Military discount and the first-responder discount. However, even then, this is still cheaper for the average person. I wonder if they accept transfer credits from, like, an EdS program? One could attend South College, speed-run the EdS program in one term, and try to transfer credits to save time. I know some schools offer an EdS bridge completion program. I doubt Valdosta has a full program like that, but they may accept something like 12 transfer credits. Valdosta State University's DPA program is highly regarded, and a few people on the sister forums graduated from it.

Last time I looked, Liberty was up over 500 / Hour for doctorate level studies, even with the First responder discount... In 2025, unless you are a veteran, they are actually one of the more expensive options these days. They were in fact, the most expensive option I considered for a doctorate. Unfortunate perhaps, but multiple state schools are cheaper these days.

Yeah, I mentioned that in my post above: Liberty University offers a Military Discount for veterans and active military, bringing the cost down to $375 per credit. If you are a first responder as well, you get an additional 25% off tuition, bringing the overall cost per credit to $281 per class (mind you, this does not include fees, if applicable). This is a slighty cheaper option than Valdosta but wouldn't apply to everyone.