Dubious degrees: organizations can avoid negative press by ensuring new employees have valid academic credentials

Internal Auditor, April, 2006 by Ron Aumann

One unaccredited, but state-licensed school, Kennedy-Western University, was investigated by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) as part of an inquiry into the use of unaccredited degrees by federal employees in 2004. At the behest of the GAO, U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Claudia Gelzer applied to Kennedy-Western, which offered to waive six master's-level classes in engineering based solely on her claims of training. She completed two of the five correspondence courses required by the school to obtain a master's degree with 16 hours of study. The coursework consisted of one open-book, multiple-choice test for each class and "provided only a cursory insight into management of hazardous waste and environmental regulations and law," Gelzer reported. "[It was] certainly not at the level one would expect from an environmental engineer."

Some warning signs that a university is unaccredited include:

* The institution grants credit for life experience, especially in large amounts.

* Students are able to complete degrees in an unusually short time.

* Credits earned by students will not transfer to an accredited school.

Degree mills are an even more questionable category of unaccredited schools that the CHEA defines as "dubious providers of educational offerings or operations that offer certificates and degrees that may be considered bogus." One example of a degree mill listed by the ODA is Rocheville University, which advertises "No studies, no attendance, no waiting, no examinations," and "Order now and get your degree in five days for as little as $199!" Degree mills frequently claim to be accredited by unrecognized or nonexistent accrediting organizations.

Traditional methods of screening job applicants, such as obtaining college transcripts and degree confirmation, often fail to detect unaccredited or false degrees because they are designed to determine if an applicant graduated from the listed school, rather than assessing the desirability of a degree from that school. In addition, organizations often lack a clear policy on what credentials are acceptable. "Bachelor's degree required" is not specific enough. Degree mills actively seek to thwart traditional employee screening methods by providing "degree packages" that may include customizable transcripts, a phone number for students to submit to their employer for verification, and prewritten letters of recommendation.

MITIGATING RISKS

Internal auditors can be a valuable resource for detecting bogus degrees or questionable credentials, ensuring that clear credential policies are formulated, and closing loopholes in the organization's employee screening process. Auditors can undertake several practices to protect their organization from hiring employees with fraudulent or unaccredited degrees.

POLICIES Auditors can assist management in researching the issue of employee educational credentials and adopting a strong policy on acceptable degrees. For example, the policy may define unaccredited universities as institutions that have not passed a substantial review process and generally provide no assurance as to the quality of education students have received. The organization's accreditation requirement should be included on all relevant forms, such as applications, job descriptions, and employment advertisements.