Diploma Mill Definition
Steve Thomas
still, after reading all these discussions for a while, inclined to put
multiple steps in the quality universe, and not make it binary
(Good/Bad, nothing else):
Accredited
Non-Accredited, but legitimate
Diploma Mill
A Diploma Mill is an instution that purports to offer post-secondary
education, and award a degree based on that education, that does not
indeed confer such education. These are the folks that sell degrees,
without requiring coursework. How much coursework is required to be
legitimate? THAT is the $zillion question. It's not a binary
equation, "accredited schools DO require work for their degrees,
unaccredited ones DO NOT". It's more complex than that, with several
steps from the most strenuous program down to the least strenuous one.
With all others somewhere in-between. It is probaly a fact that the
most strenuous program is accredited in some fashion, while it is also
probably a fact that the least strenuous one is not accredited. But
how much is enough to be legit? I have a friend with his undergraduate
degree from MIT that considers my similar degree from Texas Tech (a
regionally accredited school, and quite respected) to be worthless, and
the education I received suspect, because HE respects the MIT degree
more, and says they have higher standards. I agree there must be
minimum, but what is it? If a school doesn't require any work, that's
easy. But what about a school that has texts, gives tests, GRADES the
tests. Is that legitimate? What sort of proctoring is required? Is
there only one sort? and on and on and on.
An unaccredited diploma mill is a school that doesn't require work for
it's degree, and is unaccredited. Quite an aburd term, since I've
never heard of an accredited diploma mill! An unaccredited school to
me is any school that's not accredited by a RECOGNIZED accreditor,
recoginzed by the US Dept. of Education or the Commission on Higher
Education Accreditation (CHEA). A school that claims accreditation by
one of the real accreditors and isn't is a liar; a school that claims
accreditation by a non-recognized accreditor is a fraud. A school that
doesn't claim accreditation, and requires some amount of work for a
degree, is a non-accredited school. No more, no less.
It's all a matter of quality.
--
=Steve=
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Steve Levicoff
> Let me try to take a stab at a definition of a diploma mill.
What? Again??? Seriously, if you insist . . .
> I am still, after reading all these discussions for a while, inclined to
> put multiple steps in the quality universe, and not make it binary
> (Good/Bad, nothing else):
>
> Accredited
> Non-Accredited, but legitimate
> Diploma Mill
>
> [Remainder snipped, but worth reading the original]
Not a bad analysis, but let's add a fourth category before diploma mill:
*degree* mill. Now, most people do not do it this way, but I have found
that it is necessary to quantify the degree to which a school is a
mill. Therefore, a few years ago I came up with two levels:
A *degree* mill *does* require work for the degree. However, the
amount, and quality of work is so far below the level of accredited or
legit/unaccredited schools that their degrees are still a joke.
A *diploma* mill requires no work at all for the degree, or such a
minimal level of work (say, nothing except a 10-page dissertation for a
doctorate) that it is a bigger joke.
Either a degree or diploma mill may claim accreditation from a bogus (or
otherwise unrecognized or unapproved) agency.
Thus, for example, schools like Trinity Bible College & Seminary,
American Coastline University, Columbus University, etc., are degree
mills. Schools like Monticello University or organizations like the
Universal Life Church, where one may "earn a degree in 27 days" or
simply buy one outright, are diploma mills.
If you have never read them, you might want to check out the 75-point
criteria I use for identifying mills. They're at
http://levicoff.tripod.com/criteria.htm.
That will be five cents, please.
--
,-~~-.___.
/ | ' \
( ) 0
\_/-, ,----'
==== //
/ \-'~; /~~~(O)
/ __/~| / |
=( _____| (_________|
------------------------------
Steve Levicoff
levi...@ix.netcom.com
http://levicoff.tripod.com
------------------------------
John Taylor
And your point is?
"Steve Thomas" <spth...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:8li652$5nk$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
> Let me try to take a stab at a definition of a diploma mill. I am
> still, after reading all these discussions for a while, inclined to put
> multiple steps in the quality universe, and not make it binary
> (Good/Bad, nothing else):
>
> Accredited
> Non-Accredited, but legitimate
> Diploma Mill
>
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PatColeUS
PAT
John Bear
PatColeUS wrote:
>
> Do any of the DL Law schools qualify as a mill of any sort?
> PAT
Monticello, for starters. During its diploma mill years, LaSalle did law
degrees, too.