If you want a diploma just to impress, print it yourself. It’s a lot cheaper than buying an equally worthless ‘degree’ from a diploma mill. If, on the other hand, you're prepared for the effort and commitment required to earn a real degree through distance-learning, this page will help you to avoid the pitfalls.
On Distance-Learning Page 2, I described several of the characteristics of a diploma mill. This page is a continuation of that one so, if you haven’t already done so, read it now (click on the 'Distance-Learning Scams' link (above).
Now for the tips:
Selecting Colleges
The Links Page on this website contains links to sites providing information on programs, courses, colleges, and the agencies that accredit them. These links will help you to locate colleges that satisfy your requirements but they won't tell you the cost. For this information, you'll need to contact the colleges but, before you do, verify their status with a government or government-approved agency in the country concerned, and the acceptability of their qualifications, where you intend to use them.
Costs vary enormously between colleges and often bare no relationship to the quality of education offered. Many countries, and geographical areas within them, ask lower fees of their own citizens or residents, and state-run colleges are generally cheaper than private ones. It pays to shop around. Don't be mislead by offers that seem too good to be true. Diploma mills often offer discounts if you enroll in several programs simultaneously. Such offerings are sure signs of scams.
Acceptability of qualifications is another area to consider. In some countries, widespread corruption has devalued what would otherwise have been good qualifications because there is no way of telling whether a degree was earned or bought. Consequently, all their qualifications are treated with suspicion elsewhere. Varying accreditation standards within a country also affect the acceptability of qualifications.
Colleges advertise their programs on the internet, in the press, in brochures, and on TV. With the exception of TV (so far), so do diploma mills. Treat advertisements with caution and be particularly wary of advertisers that offer too easy a path to a degree, or are accredited in, or operate from, a different country, or in a different state, to their address. Several legitimate colleges have campuses in different locations but they are legally permitted to operate in all of them. Some diploma mills are banned from operating in their 'home' states but, because of lax or non-existant regulation, are free to do so elsewhere. If the only address given is a post office box number, it's almost certainly a scam.
Ideally, the process of choosing a college would include a personal visit, by yourself, or a friend or acquaintance. Some very strange campuses have been discovered on such reconnaissance missions.
UK Colleges
In the UK, it's a criminal offense for any institution or person to award, or offer to award, a UK degree unless that institution or person is recognized by the Secretary of State for Education. The only recognized UK institutions are those universities which have been established by Royal Charter or Act of Parliament. These are the state-funded universities and one private one (the University of Buckingham). The only foreign university so authorized is the UK-based, US regionally-accredited, Richmond College. The only individual authorized to award UK degrees is the Archbishop of Canterbury. A complete list of recognized degree-granting institutions may be obtained from the Department for Education and Employment. Overseas students may be able to obtain a copy from a British Council office.
In addition to officially-recognized universities, awarding UK degrees, several institutions, based in the UK, offer overseas degree programs. Generally, an overseas institution, authorized to operate as a university in its country of origin, would be allowed to operate as such in the UK. This is no guarantee of academic standards, and it would not be allowed to award UK degrees. The precautions to be taken before enrolling in any foreign university based in the UK are precisely those that would be taken before enrolling in a university in the country concerned.
While governmental regulation of universities is the norm in most countries, in the US, regulation is undertaken by private accreditation agencies. However, government recognition of these agencies is limited to those approved by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Because standards vary between agencies, only degrees from colleges accredited by one of six regional accreditation associations are widely recognized, both nationally and internationally. Although regional-accreditation is the US 'gold standard', there are many good colleges that are not regionally-accredited and one of these might well satisfy your requirements. If you want to use your degree as a passport to graduate study, though, few regionally-accredited graduate schools are likely to admit you. Neither are many government departments likely to employ you. If you do decide on a non-regionally-accredited college, ensure that it's accredited by a CHEA-recognized agency. A genuine non-accredited college is unlikely to save you money but could cost you your reputation.
In addition to institutional accreditation, many professional bodies accredit academic programmes and the lack of a degree accredited by such a body will exclude you from some professions. If, therefore, you need a qualification to satisfy the requirements of a professional body, verify with that body that the college, and specific qualification that you're considering, will suffice. This applies whatever country you're studying in.
Some suspect colleges and diploma mills advertise themselves as "candidates for accreditation" by a recognised agency such as the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC). Ignore such claims. a candidate is merely an applicant. Be aware, also, that in the US, "state approval" or "state authorization" is not the same as accreditation and might only indicate that an institution is solvent.
A list of government-recognized accreditation agencies may be found on the CHEA website. Lists of accredited colleges may be found on the accrediting agencies’ websites. These websites may be accessed via links on the CHEA site.
Irrespective of where a college is located, always verify its status with a government, or government-approved, agency in the country concerned. or with the education attaché at the country's embassy or consulate. If you plan to use a qualification gained in one country in a second one, verify its acceptance in the second country before enrolling in a programme or course.
Many colleges and diploma mills list their faculty, their significant qualifications, and where they gained them, in their brochures or on their websites. Check, particularly, the source of the qualifications. Faculty of diploma mills are likely to be diploma mill 'graduates' themselves. Be wary, also, of colleges whose faculty comprise a high percentage of their own graduates.
The proportion of full-time faculty in a college offering only distance-learning programmes is likely to be much lower than that of one providing traditional classes on campus. However, some suspect 'colleges' rely entirely on part-time staff. This implies 'penny-pinching', and inconsistent teaching standards. Many diploma mills have no full-time faculty.
Even more important is the student/faculty ratio but, although it should be obvious that big ratios equate to poor service, this doesn't seem to occur to many diploma mill operators. In a misguided effort to impress, they claim huge student numbers but only admit to a few faculty members. One cannot expect other colleges to emulate Cal. Tech's 3:1 ratio (even Harvard can't match that) but other factors being equal, choose the college with the lower student/faculty ratio.
Internet newsgroups, such as alt.education.distance can be a great help in avoiding scams. Many experienced educators frequent this group and give valuable advice, at no cost, to anyone seeking it. Occasionally, diploma mill operators contribute to group discussions and these frequently degenerate into slanging matches. All these characters ever succeed in doing is to further incriminate themselves while, at the same time providing some light relief from serious discussion.
Finally, some excellent books exist to assist students in choosing reliable colleges. Two of the best are:
"Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees Nontraditionally (13th Ed)"
by Mariah P. Bear, John Bear Ph.D., and John B. Bear
"Campus Free College Degrees : Thorsons Guide to Accredited College Degrees Through Distance Learning"
by Marcie K. Thorson
This page is copyright ©
2000 by Ronald M. Isaacs. The text may be copied, in whole or part, for
non-profit use, provided that the source is credited.
Introduction
Finding a Distance-Learning College and Avoiding the Scams
Verifying their Status
US Colleges
Other Colleges
Faculty and Student/Faculty Ratio
Sources of Information