Diploma mills

Soldiers Magazine, July, 2004 by Beth Reece

EXPECT to get promotion points for a college degree that requires no class work or tests? Think again, warm Department of Defense education specialists.

A diploma mill is a college or university that operates primarily to make money, often offering college credit for life experience rather than formal education.

Diploma mills prey on naive people who are often too busy with families and careers to attend classes. Such schools are not properly accredited and issue degrees without ensuring an education occurs. Diploma mills used to be the province of mail-order schools, but with the Internet, many more such schools are popping up.

Schools can be accredited on a regional or national level, but not all accrediting agencies are recognized by the Department of Education.

Because same distance-learning schools are reputable and some accredited institutions do give credit for work experience, Soldiers should seek the aid of Army Education Center counselors where researching schools' accreditation.

The Army does not offer financial aid to Soldiers pursuing degrees from nonaccredited schools.--Army News Service

TIPS ON SPOTTING DIPLOMA MILLS

* The school does not require studying, tests or essays.

* The school boasts of accreditation, i.e., "fully, nationally or worldwide accredited," but has no legitimate accreditation.

* The school relies on "portfolio assessments" or "life experience."

* The School advertises through e-mail messages sent to millions of potential students

Beware of Diploma Mills

The Army does not recognize degrees from nonaccredited schools. For schools to be recognized as accredited by the U.S. Department of Education, they must meet such standards as quality of education, library size and student-to-faculty ratio.

For more information, go to www.ed.gov