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Bogus Online Bachelor Degrees - How Can You Tell?
by: Mary Jackson
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As the demand for the online Bachelor degree rises, so do the number of fake colleges and universities. Some actually offer diplomas for sale to potential customers through bulk emails. However, many take advantage of innocent and unsuspecting students by offering lower than normal tuition fees, credit for life experiences, no tests, and an easy road to that coveted diploma. If it sounds too good to be true, it generally is the case.
Unfortunately, it can be difficult for aspiring students to differential between a real online Bachelor degree and the one that is not worth the paper on which it is printed. Most students are seeking an online education because they do not have the ability to attend classes on campus. In addition, many simply live too far away-even overseas. Therefore, the only criterion for determining a school's validity is the website. Important decisions are made on whether the site looks professional and seems to offer the right education; but, that is no way to judge whether a college is credible or not.
One of the qualifying factors that can be utilized by students to make correct enrolment decisions is by determining the type of college accreditation that has been received by their college of consideration. If the college vaguely states itself as having "nationwide or worldwide accreditation" without stating specifically which regional accreditation body it is accredited with, then most likely this college does not possess legitimate accreditation.
Six accreditation agencies have been given the authority to award college accreditation. The agencies are divided by geographic location, so it is possible to contact the appropriate office to determine whether a college or university has legitimate standing and been registered in that district. The agencies are all appointed by the National Board of Education and include: New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), North Central Association of Schools and Colleges (NCA), Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges (MSA), Southern Association of Schools and Colleges (SACS), Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges (NWCCU).
If a university sends out mass e-mailings offering on online Bachelor degrees, Master's Degree, and even Doctorate degrees for a fixed rate, it is a sure sign the result will be a bogus degree. Course credits for such a degree may include such strange elements as: credit for life experiences, work experience, previous educational background, workshops, community services, travel, and books read in the past. To further confuse the issue, fake accrediting URLS are set up to prove accreditation, but unless it is from one of the 6 agencies endorsed by the Department of Education, the award is most likely phony. The unscrupulous institutions depend on the desperation of people who do not have the time, or the money, to earn a valid degree. Nevertheless, without that all-important diploma, good jobs are impossible to find.
In conclusion, as the awareness on bogus degrees increases amongst prospective employers, degrees obtained through a legitimate avenue of education can sometimes be mistaken for bogus online bachelor degrees too. Therefore, the best approach to select a college would ideally be based on legitimate college accreditation awarded by the appointed authorities to the respective colleges.
Keywords: college,elearning,university,home schooling,k12 education,accredited college,adult education,learning,degrees
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Author: Mary Jackson
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