What are diploma mills? And what do I do in order to avoid them here in Kentucky?

Charlotte

Owensboro, KY

It is actually a very good topic to bring up because diploma mills are the reason why the reputation of online universities is being stained.

So, what exactly are diploma mills?

Diploma mills are those that purport to be universities online that offer distance learning for a certain amount of payment, and yet the degrees they offer do not in any way possess any academic significance and are not even recognized in the job market. These diploma mills have not been recognized by any official organizations that accredit degrees to be offered online. If you obtain your degree from one of these diploma mills, you may be faced with terrible consequences like the ruin of your career or even charges for criminal fraud, especially if you use this degree in applying for a job or for a promotion.

There are actually a lot of ways to recognize diploma mills. But the best and surest thing that you can do is to find an online university that has been accredited by nationally or regionally recognized accrediting institutions. These accrediting agencies should be recognized by the United States of America Department of Education, as well. I am quite sure that there are a lot of these there in Kentucky.

Online university degrees have been shown by studies to be equal to those that are offered in universities and colleges. But you just have to be very careful of these diploma mills, so as not get yourself into trouble.

I am seriously considering getting a degree online since I don’t have much time, what with my job here in Mississippi, but I am just hesitant because I don’t know if the degrees offered are really legitimate. Can anyone enlighten me on this matter?

Shayne

Biloxi, MS

The Internet is actually like another world on its own, and like in the real world, you cannot just trust everything that you see in there. Some universities found on the Internet would offer to send you a degree for a certain amount that you would have to pay them even though the degrees they offer are not legitimate and would not be accepted in the job market. This kind of universities is what we typically call as diploma mills. You have to be very careful in choosing the online university from where you would want to obtain your degree because in case you get your degree from a diploma mill and use it for employment or promotion, you might get into trouble and be faced with charges of fraud.

But you should not lose faith on online universities even in the presence of these diploma mills. You just have to seek out on the Internet an online university that is recognized by an accrediting agency recognized nationally or by an institutional accrediting agency that is found there in Mississippi. These accrediting agencies should in effect be also recognized by the United States Department of Education. The online universities that give legitimate degrees, along with the degrees they offer, are usually included in the Secretary of Education’s published list of establishments that provide quality higher education.

For more information about this issue, you could just check out the Web site of the U.S. Department of Education.