Online Course General Information
A new section of each course starts monthly for our general classes and accredited health care certificate programs. Lessons for each course are released on Wednesdays and Fridays of each week over a six week period. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.
As with the traditional classroom experience, the course begins with a message from the instructor regarding the syllabus and mechanics of the class. Paced courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. You do not have to be present when lessons are released. You will have access to all lessons until the course ends. However, the interactive discussion area that accompanies each lesson will automatically close two weeks after the lesson is released. As such, we strongly recommend that you complete each lesson within two weeks of its release. Following the lesson is a short quiz on which you receive instant feedback and analysis. You may retake the quiz as often as necessary until you feel you have mastered the objectives.
At the end of each course is an exam testing comprehension of the materials covered. The final exam will be released on the same day as the last lesson. Once the final exam has been released, you will have an additional two weeks to complete all of your course work, including the final exam. After submitting the final you will receive a letter of completion summarizing your performance. These test grades are between you and the instructor - Valdosta State University does not receive a copy, only notification of course completion. Upon this notification, VSU will send you a certificate showing course completion and CEU (Continuing Education Units) awarded for applicable courses.
Click here for an index of Instructor-paced courses.
Self-Paced Career Training and Certificate Programs
These programs are designed to provide the skills necessary to acquire professional caliber positions for many in-demand occupations, all within a six-month delivery window.
ed2go (formerly Gatlin Education Services) builds their programs with a team of professionals from each respective field, who work with an existing text book or base of material to provide the most effective web-based learning experience. The Programs are all open enrollment, asynchronous, and interactive. Instructors are actively involved in the students' online learning experience. They respond to any questions or concerns as well as encouraging and motivating students to succeed. Each program has a set of lessons and tests; grades are a combination of computer-graded tests and the instructor’s evaluation of the students' work.
Demonstrations are available for many of the available certificate programs. Once you decide on a certificate program simply call the VSU Continuing Education Department or complete the online registration form and mail or fax it in us. After your registration and payment have been received you will be sent a confirmation email from VSU. GES will then contact you and give you the necessary information (URL, username, and password) to access your classroom. Within 3 - 5 business days they will ship you the appropriate courseware and your instructor will be alerted that he/she has a new student.
After you have received your materials, you will then have access to the course until you complete it. Most of the courses are structured to be completed within 6 months, however, if you need more time extensions are available. Upon satisfactory completion on the program you will be awarded a certificate from Valdosta State University indicating the continuing education credits (CEUs) earned.
Click here to view our Self-paced course offerings.
Financial Aid Options
Certificate programs offered through VSU Continuing Education are non-academic credit courses, so they do not qualify for federal aid. In some states, vocational rehab or workforce development boards will pay for qualified students to take our courses. However, there are alternatives.
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