I have seen this topic come up quite a bit on the eLearners
discussion forums and in other distance learning forums, so I thought I would
address the problem of diploma mills.
Diploma mills are schools which will sell you a degree for doing little,
if any, course work, lessons, assignments or studying.
Why do people use diploma mills? Some students have no idea that the school
they are using is a diploma mill, and that the degree they are receiving isn’t
worth the paper it is printed on.
Perhaps they submitted a resume and were told that because of their “life
experience” they are eligible for a degree.
This should not be confused with earning credit via portfolio, in which
you can document that you have the knowledge comparable to what is being taught
in specific college courses.
Other students know exactly what they are doing. They may be trying to get a dream job, or
their current employer has enacted a policy in which people need degrees to be
promoted or to keep their jobs. They see
diploma mills as a quick and easy solution to their problem. Unfortunately, this can catch up with them later in their career and cause them great embarrassment and even their job.
Not only is using a diploma mill degree unethical, but in some states it is
illegal. Oregon,
Texas and Maine
are among ten states which have enacted laws which make it illegal to try to
use unaccredited or diploma mill degrees as education credentials to obtain
higher education or employment. Oregon
and Texas have lists available
online where you can check out the schools they consider unacceptable. The most well-known list is that maintained
by the state of Oregon, and it
can be found here.
I do have one issue with the list maintained by Texas. It lists California
Coast University
as an unacceptable school, even though it is nationally accredited by the
Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), which is recognized by the U.S.
Department of Education and CHEA.
There are some warning signs that the school you are
considering enrolling in is a diploma mill. The most obvious red flag is if the
school is willing to sell you a degree without you doing any coursework at all,
or for simply writing one or two assignments and sending in your resume. Another big indicator is price. If a school is willing to sell you a graduate
degree for a few hundred dollars, chances are it is a diploma mill. Also, schools which seem to have a limitless
number of degree programs not found at other legitimate schools should also set
off the alarm bells. The old saying is
true: if it sounds too good to be true,
it probably is.
You can find legitimate degree programs by searching here at
eLearners.com, or by checking out the list of regionally and nationally
accredited schools maintained by CHEA here.
Remember: any degree worth
hanging on your wall is one that you EARNED through studying, hard work, and
the knowledge you attained during your studies.