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As qualifications have become an integral part of establishing quality education, false credentials have proliferated. Diploma mills are institutions that are set up without accreditation recognized by the Secretary of State for Education--still, they grant diplomas and other degrees. But because they are not accredited, they operate outside the framework of standards, rendering the degrees they grant worthless or fraudulent.
So how do you establish the authenticity of a school's academic credentials? There are a number of sites on the Internet that will help you, starting with the US Department of Education, which will give you a guide to valid accredited and accreditation bodies in the US. Many sites deal with diploma mills, including the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, which has great information on how to spot and deal with these institutions.
Teaching at a diploma mill threatens your livelihood and the value of the qualifications you hold. Your education is the most important career resource you have, so be sure that it is a quality one.
Sources
Mary Hobson is the Head of IT School at a Polytechnic in New Zealand. She also works as a freelance writer.
Don't Let a Diploma Mill Tarnish Your Academic Reputation
By Mary HobsonAs qualifications have become an integral part of establishing quality education, false credentials have proliferated. Diploma mills are institutions that are set up without accreditation recognized by the Secretary of State for Education--still, they grant diplomas and other degrees. But because they are not accredited, they operate outside the framework of standards, rendering the degrees they grant worthless or fraudulent.
Maintain Standards
Standards are essential to any qualification you wish to gain. If the institution that awards qualifications is not willing to submit itself and its processes to the inspection of one of the authorized standards agencies that operate nationally or internationally, then the conclusion has to be that it will not meet the standards required. Some diploma mills use "accreditation mills"--bodies set up to give the appearance of authorized standards agencies--to make it look as though they've gone through the accreditation process. The diploma mill claims to be "accredited" without having met the authorized standards.So how do you establish the authenticity of a school's academic credentials? There are a number of sites on the Internet that will help you, starting with the US Department of Education, which will give you a guide to valid accredited and accreditation bodies in the US. Many sites deal with diploma mills, including the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, which has great information on how to spot and deal with these institutions.
International Qualifications
Of course, diploma mills exist all over the world. The fastest way to find out whether an international qualification is valid is to identify the local government's education department and check the accreditation of the institution.Teaching at a diploma mill threatens your livelihood and the value of the qualifications you hold. Your education is the most important career resource you have, so be sure that it is a quality one.
Sources
- University of Illinois, "Information resources concerning unaccredited degree-granting institutions," by Prof. George Gollin
- U.S. Department of Education, "Diploma Mill Resources"
Mary Hobson is the Head of IT School at a Polytechnic in New Zealand. She also works as a freelance writer.
