Diploma mill

A diploma mill (also known as a degree mill) is an organization which awards academic degrees and diplomas with very little or no academic study and without recognition by official accrediting bodies. Webster's Third New International Dictionary defines a diploma mill as "An institution of higher education operating without supervision of a state or professional agency and granting diplomas which are either fraudulent or because of the lack of proper standards worthless."[1] Such organizations are unaccredited, but they often claim accreditation by non-recognized/unapproved organizations set up for the purposes of providing a veneer of authenticity.

Common attributes of diploma mills

Diploma mills often have names that are deliberately chosen to sound confusingly similar to prestigious accredited institutions (preventing such confusion is the purpose of trademark law, but the mills strive to barely avoid this legal recourse). They often claim to be accredited, even when they are not. Some even go to the lengths of inventing their own accreditation organizations to endorse them, complete with superficially convincing websites modeled on those of real accreditation organizations. The more elaborate operations come complete with services such as transcripts with online and telephone verification for potential employers investigating an individual's credentials.

Moreover, some diploma mills are "licensed" as businesses and this term is then misused by the institution to imply government "approval" or accreditation. However, just because a college is licensed this does not make it legitimate.[2]

Compared to legitimate schools, diploma mills have drastically reduced or nonexistent requirements for academic coursework. Some allow customers simply to buy credentials while others will have clients engage in some exercises or submit written reports about relevant 'life experience' before awarding degrees. A common feature of diploma mills is that degrees are offered for a flat fee, rather than on a per-course basis. However, charging a flat fee is common in some European countries for legitimate universities, such as in England.

Many diploma mills claim to offer these qualifications on the basis of life experience, but most of them require a payment to issue a diploma/degree certificate without having to provide them with any educational documents; they do not evaluate one's academic potential. They are used falsely to claim academic credentials for use in securing employment (e.g., a schoolteacher might get a degree from one in order to advance to superintendent). These issues are described by author and diploma mill expert Steve Levicoff in his work Name it and Frame it and he has a list available online of 75 steps to spot a degree mill [3].

Some diploma mills claim to be based in small countries with unusual circumstances, even though they are selling to customers outside those countries. This is common with "offshore" jurisdictions.

Legality

Degrees and diplomas issued by diploma mills are frequently used for fraudulent purposes, such as obtaining employment, raises, or customers on false pretenses. Even if issuing or receiving a diploma mill qualification is legal, passing it off as an accredited one for personal gain is a crime in many jurisdictions. In some cases the diploma mill may itself be guilty of an offence, if it knew or ought to have known that the qualifications it issues are used for fraudulent purposes. Diploma mills could also be guilty of fraud if they mislead customers into believing that the qualifications they issue are accredited or recognised, or make false claims that they will lead to career advancement, and extort money on the basis of these claims.

United States of America

Diploma mills are mainly found in the U.S. jurisdictions which have not adopted tough laws to prohibit them. However, some degree mills take advantage of the constitutional division by establishing themselves as ersatz Bible colleges which can legally offer degrees in religious subjects without government regulation. Nevertheless, some religious colleges and seminaries can be fined for issuing degrees without meeting educational requirements[4]. In fact it has been noted that:

Fraudulent educational institutions continue to proliferate. These diploma mills survive by operating in states with lax law governing schools, such as California, Utah, Hawaii and Louisiana. They assume identities of well-known schools or as "religious" organizations. Because of constitutional safeguards in the United States guarantee separation of church and state, most states have been reluctant to pass any laws restricting the activities of churches, including their right to grant degrees. John Bear has asked, "What about a school that requires a five page dissertation before awarding the Doctorate. Nobody seems to want the government stepping in to evaluate doctoral dissertations before permitting schools to grant degrees." [5]

Although the DipScam operation in the 1980s led to a decline in diploma mill activity across the United States, the lack of further action by law enforcement, uneven state laws, and the rise of the Internet have combined to reverse many of the gains made in previous years.

In 2002, the Seattle Times noted in article that included some believe Wyoming has "become a haven for diploma mills."[6] Conversely, "Oregon, New Jersey, and North Dakota have adopted tough laws that include fines and jail time for using fake degrees to gain employment."[7]

In 2004, Laura Callahan resigned from the United States Department Of Homeland Security after it was learned that she had received her doctorate from the unaccredited Hamilton University (not to be confused with Hamilton College in Clinton, New York). Callahan had previously been a senior director at the DHS and held supervisory positions at the United States Department of Labor and within the Bill Clinton White House. According to an article in Reason magazine, "The (Callahan) scandal raises serious doubts about the government's ability to vet the qualifications of public employees on whom the nation's security depends."

In February 2005, the US Department of Education launched www.ope.ed.gov/accreditation to combat the spread of fraudulent degrees.[8]

The state of Washington passed a bill in March 2006 "prohibiting false or misleading college degrees." [9] (The text is here.) The law was amended "unanimously amended and approved a bill that would make issuing or using a fake or otherwise unaccredited degree a class C felony, a crime of fraud that could warrant five years in prison and a $10,000 fine."[10]

Similarly, Wyoming passed a law requiring a post-secondary institution granting degrees to Wyoming citizens to be accredited, or to be a candidate for accreditation. (There is an exemption for religious schools.) [11]

In June 2006 the NCAA "NCAA has been scrutinizing the standards of nontraditional high schools to identify 'diploma mills'."[12] Reportedly this started when "The New York Times exposed University High in Miami."[13] Currently, there are 22 schools that are under review to make sure they meet NCAA requirements.[14]

Australia

In Australia, it is a criminal offence to call an institution a university, or issue university degrees, without authorization through an act of federal or state parliament. Thus, diploma mills are not as much of a problem in Australia.

One issue under Australian law is the use of the term "university" by many corporate training programs. Although such use of the term might be argued to be illegal, in practice it is tolerated since everyone understands that such programs are not actually universities.

South Korea

It is illegal to falsely claim a degree in South Korea if it does not meet accredited approval. For example, in March of 2006 prosecutors in Seoul "broken up a crime ring selling bogus music diplomas from Russia, which helped many land university jobs and seats in orchestras."[15] People who falsely used these degrees were criminally charged.

Germany

In Germany, similarly to the situation in Australia, it is a criminal offence to call an institution a university, a Fachhochschule, or issue academic degrees, without authorization through an act of the respective states ministry of education. It is also a criminal offence to falsely claim a degree in Germany if it does not meet accredited approval.

Some corporate training programs in Germany use the English term "corporate university". Although such use of the term might be argued to be illegal, in practice it is tolerated since everyone understands that such programs are not actually degree granting institutions.

United Kingdom

In the UK it is illegal to offer something that may be taken to be a UK degree unless the awarding body is on a list maintained by the Department for Education and Skills. This is difficult to enforce on the Internet, where the site is based abroad. However, UK Trading Standards officers have had notable success in countering a large diploma mill group based in Romania and Israel that was using British place-names for its "universities". See the official list of genuine education and training providers [16]

Terrorism worries

On December 15, 2005, CNN aired a report on diploma mills and terrorism. The reported explained that "H-1B visas can be issued to anyone who is highly skilled and can get a job in the U.S. McDevitt is concerned a phony advanced degree could be the first step for someone in a terrorist sleeper cell."[17]

The report explained, the Secret Service "bought their own degree for a perfect terrorist candidate, although theirs was fictional." The person was Mohammed Syed with no formal education, but chemical training and chemical engineering with the Syrian army. "The Secret Service even added to Syed's application that he needed a degree quickly, so he could find employment and obtain an H-1B visa, allowing him to stay in the US." Furthermore, "In less than a month, the imaginary Syrian army expert was notified, James Monroe University was awarding him three advanced degrees in engineering and chemistry, all for $1,277."[18]

References

* Levicoff, Steve Name It and Frame It? New Opportunities in Adult Education and How to Avoid Being Ripped Off by 'Christian' Degree Mills (4th ed., 1995)
*Bear, John Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning (Ten Speed Press, 2001).
* Sperry, Paul. "Cut-Rate Diplomas: How doubts about the government's own "Dr. Laura" exposed a résumé fraud scandal" Reason magazine, January 2005.

External links

* Database for Accreditation in the United States (CHEA)
* Database for Accreditation in the United States (USDE)
* Database for Accreditation in the United Kingdom
* Database for Accreditation in Australia
* Database for Accreditation in the Netherlands
* Database for Accreditation in Pakistan
* Database for Accreditation in Sweden
* National Recognition Information Centres
* List of non-accredited colleges/universities by State of Michigan
* List of unacceptable/illegal schools by Oregon State Office of Degree Authorization
* List of non-accredited colleges/ universities by State of Maine
* The World Higher Education Database (IAU/UNESCO) List of accredited schools throughout the world
* The World Higher Education Database (IAU/UNESCO)
* Questionable Organizations: An Overview at Quackwatch.com
* Information resources concerning unaccredited degree-granting institutions – A collection of links by George Gollin
* Psst. Wanna Buy a Ph.D.? The Chronicle of Higher Education, June 25, 2004. "Some professors have dubious doctorates, other professors sell them, and colleges often look the other way."

Diploma mill: Encyclopedia BETA

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