Archive for November, 2009

• Accreditation Council for Distance Education (ACTDE)
• Accreditation Panel for Online Colleges and Universities (APTEC)
• Accrediting Commission International (ACI)
• American Accrediting Association of Theological Institutions
• American Council of Private Colleges and Universities
• American Association of Drugless Practitioners (ADP)
• Association of Accredited Bible Schools
• Association of Distance Learning Programs (ADLP)
• Association of Private Colleges and Universities
• Association for Online Academic Accreditation
• Association for Online Excellence
• Association for Online Academic Excellence
• Board of Online Universities Accreditation (BOUA)
• Council for Distance Education
• Council of Online Higher Education
• Central States Consortium of Colleges & Schools
• International Commission for Higher Education
• International Accreditation Agency for Online Universities (IAAOU)
• International Accreditation Association for Online Education (IAAFOE)
• International Accreditation Organization (IAO)
• International Council on Education (ICE)
• International Education Ministry Accreditation Association
• International Online Education Accrediting Board (IOEAB)
• National Academy of Higher Education
• National Board of Education (NBOE)
• National College Accreditation Council
• National Commission of Accredited Schools
• National Distance Learning Accreditation Council (NDLAC)
• New Millenium Accrediting Partnership for Educators Worldwide
• Organization for Online Learning Accreditation (OKOLA)
• Transworld Accrediting Commission Intl. (TAC)
• Universal Council for Online Education Accreditation (UCOEA)
• United Nations Council
• United States Distance Education & Training Council of Nevada (NOTE: A similarly titled agency, the Distance Education & Training Council (DETC), of Washington, D.C.—http://www.detc.org—is a VALID and RECOGNIZED online learning accreditation agency)
• World Association for Online Education
• World Association of Universities and Colleges (WAUC)
• World Online Education Accrediting Commission (WOEAC)
• World-Wide Accreditation Commission of Christian Educational Institutions (WWAC)

By Vicky Phillips, Chief Education Analyst | February 02, 2009

Diploma mills, also known as degree mills, are bogus universities that sell college diplomas—the piece of paper itself—rather than the educational experience. Diploma mills literally crank out paper diplomas to anyone who pays the requested “tuition.”
Don’t be fooled by online degree mills.

Many maintain impressive-looking websites. All of them advertise heavily online.
To protect yourself, you need to look behind the curtain. In other words, flip past the flashy graphics on the fancy website for the name of the school’s accreditation agency. Then, take the time to verify that the agency is recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or the U.S. Department of Education. If you remain suspicious, consult GetEducated.com’s Diploma Mill Police for a free accreditation report on your chosen institution.

Top 10 Signs You Are Dealing With an Online College Degree Mill


(1) Your chosen university is not accredited.
Degree mills love to use official sounding terms to impress potential students. These terms often sound good, yet mean little in terms of educational quality. Be wary of these terms and phrases: “authenticated,” “verifiable,” “licensed,” “internationally approved,”” “notarized,” “recognized by the Pope” and “accredited by UNESCO.”


(2) Your chosen university is accredited … but NOT by an agency recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or the U.S. Department of Education.

The majority of Internet degree mills are “accredited.” The problem is that they are accredited by bogus agencies that they themselves have created.

These bogus accrediting agencies—also known as accreditation mills—often have prestigious sounding names. They often claim to be “worldwide” or “international” agencies and therefore superior to any single agency operating in the United States. Contact CHEA for a list of the names of valid college accreditors in the USA.

(3) Admission criteria consist entirely of possession of a valid Visa or MasterCard.

Previous academic record, grade point average and test scores are deemed irrelevant. Telemarketers and spam emails promise “you cannot be turned down” for a degree.

(4) You are offered a college degree based on a “review” of your faxed resume.

Credit for career experience is a valid option at many universities that deal with adult learners. But the process of evaluating career experience for college credit is complex. No valid distance learning university in the U.S. will award a graduate degree (master’s or doctorate) based solely on a review of career experience.

(5) You are promised a diploma within 30 days of application regardless of your status upon entry.

Degree mills are in the business of selling paper. Ergo, they’ll get that piece of paper to you as quickly as possible.

(6) You are promised a degree in exchange for a lump sum—typically $2,000 for an undergraduate degree and $3,000 for a graduate degree.

Universities do not commonly charge flat fees. They typically charge per credit or per course tuition and fees.

(7) Your prospective online university has multiple complaints on file.

For trustworthy factual accreditation reports, visit GetEducated’s Diploma Mill Police.

(8) Your online “admission counselor” assures you that international online universities can’t be accredited in the United States by CHEA-recognized agencies.

This is a lie.

(9)  The school’s website either lists no faculty or lists faculty who have attended schools accredited by bogus agencies.

(10) The university offers online degrees almost exclusively to U.S. citizens but is conveniently located in a foreign country, quite often a tiny nation that lacks any system of academic accreditation.

Alternatively, there has been a rise in the number of scams where the “university” claims to be located in the U.S., yet specializes in “evaluating” and “awarding” degrees based on an “international assessment process” specially designed to help immigrants wishing to enter the U.S.

College isn’t easy.

There are hours upon hours of homework and some courses are a total nightmare.

But not all students are stressed.

Meet Chester Ludlow. The 8-year-old pug got a college degree without even cracking open a book.

Degree Graduation!

Transcript!

His owner, Vicky Phillips, runs GetEducated.com — a consumer advocacy group. She wanted to prove just how easy it is get a college degree, so she sent a fake resume and $499 check to Rochville University.

Three weeks later Chester had his degree, two sets of transcripts, and even a window decal for his car– never mind the fact he’ll never drive.

“We were very proud of him when the package came,” Phillips said. “We had a graduation party. We got him a cap and gown.”

Chester’s achievement is shedding light on diploma mills.

Rochville is one of about 500 online universities that offer degrees for no work.

Many of the schools are accredited. The catch is– most of the accreditation agencies aren’t recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

But In most states–including Vermont– diploma mills aren’t even illegal.

“They’re not committing fraud, technically, in most states, because most states don’t require a college to be accredited,” Phillips explained.

Some online programs and universities are legit.

Champlain College offers eight online degrees; everything from accounting to business management.

“We’re actually a pioneer in online education,” said Lance Millett of Champlain College. “So it’s something we’re really proud of.”

Enrollment in those programs has risen 10 percent over the past 2 years– an increase Millett says could be even more significant, if it weren’t for diploma mills. The mills have created a stigma about online degrees.

And that’s why back in Westford, Phillips is hoping Chester will actually use his fake credentials– hounding diploma mills into cleaning up their act.

Vicky Phillips estimates that three-fourths of all people who get fake diplomas know exactly what they’re doing but are willing to take the chance to save a few thousand bucks.

To find out if online classes at a school are legit, there are a couple of things you can do. For starters, find schools with name recognition– specifically in the geographic region you’re hoping to work– and then visit that school. Most online universities do have an actual campus.

Click here for more tips on making sure an online college is legitimate.

Keagan Harsha – WCAX News

“Calling Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard.” In the classic Three Stooges short “Men in Black,” Moe, Larry and Curley pretend to be doctors, and silliness ensues.

St. Clair County Assessor Gordon Bush’s insistence on referring to himself as “doctor”– even though he hasn’t achieved that academic degree — also is silly, although in an embarrassing way.

Bush promised four years ago to stop using the title after he admitted that his doctorate from an unaccredited diploma mill wasn’t the real deal. Well, now he’s using an honorary doctorate from Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, that’s equally meaningless.