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Article Series: Online Degrees
Is An Online
Degree Program For Me?
Why
Should I Research Accreditation For My Online Degree?
The online school you are looking into is
accredited. Why is that important? That means the school
promises that it is nationally recognized and can provide you
with a
legitimate degree in the subject of your choice. Along with
your certificate, they even offer to provide references to
your potential employers.
There’s nothing to worry about, right? Think again. The more
people communicate with each other online, the more networking
involved, the more people can be scammed out of their money
if they’re not careful. That’s why it’s important to get the
facts.
Diploma mills, unlike legitimate online colleges, are companies
that sell bogus degrees over the Internet, with little or no
attention to whether or not the graduate is qualified. These
companies prey upon the ignorant and uninformed. They will
charge a few hundred dollars and offer no refund when the graduate
discovers the degree is invalid. Most of the time, they can’t
even be found again.
Just when you think morality is prevailing and people are
being made aware of these dishonest pseudo-schools, another
clever move is made by the marketing sharks to deceive more
aspiring students. Why, many phony universities are now claiming
they have accreditation (meaning a the act of granting credit
or recognition).
What
does accreditation really mean? In the United States,
the Council for Higher Education Accreditations (CHEA) is an
association of 3000 degree granting colleges and universities
and commissions its six agencies to evaluate the standards
of an educational institution every couple of years. Degrees
are transferable and recognized when accredited by this association.
The Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) is another
agency that accredits schools and it’s recognized by the federal
Department of Education.
Many diploma mills will create a bogus accreditation in an
attempt to lure more buyers. It may sound official and the
website may boast, “Our programs are fully accredited.” But
that amounts to self – accreditation. Others might try and
put the accrediting organization outside of the country. These
self-created accrediting organizations are usually run out
of a postal box and cannot produce any real degrees of merit.
A fraudulently accredited degree is worse than no degree at
all. The accrediting agency should be recognized by USDE or
CHEA. If a school claims accreditation and it is not associated
with an agency of USDE or CHEA, then accreditation claim is
probably false.
Also keep in mind that just because a school is not accredited
doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a scam. Some unaccredited schools
offer a variety of learning courses that can be helpful and
are fairly priced. Others schools might be seeking recognition
from USDE or CHEA but are not yet affiliated. Until that recognition
comes, they are offering an alternative to traditional accrediting
agencies. Nevertheless, these schools are few and in between
and the majority you will find are diploma mills.
Sometimes researching the legitimacy of a school’s accreditation
can be as simple as typing the name into a Google search. A
company’s reputation builds fast, especially with the advent
of the Internet. A few moments spent researching a company
online can make you aware of any problems or reported disputes
going on.
Yes, obviously the worst-case scenario has happened before.
Some employers have been fooled into believing a fake degree
is legitimate and have hired someone unqualified. Firstly,
these relationships usually don’t last long. Once it is discovered
a degree is fraudulent, the employee is fired and the hiring
company leaves itself open to embarrassment and legal liability.
Secondly, there is an issue of ethics to be considered. Real
colleges, whether on campus or legitimately accredited online
schools, are expensive and require lots of hard work to complete.
While it may not be a crime to print out a fake diploma on
your own printer and get a friend to pose as a reference (and
that is exactly what a diploma mill offers) it is not a smart
career move for someone who wants to earn legitimate employment
and be considered a professional.
Researching accreditation for your online degree is important.
It’s a decision that will cost you a lot of money
and a lot of time and effort. Researching accreditation is worth doing,
because it will save you the embarrassment of finding out that
a hundred dollar certificate is worth nothing in the real business
world. It’s important that your online degree be accredited
and that your education be honorable. Why? Because serious
online colleges remain for the most part untested. The fewer
pretenders there are, and the more online graduates who can
prove themselves as competent as a traditional college graduates,
the more respect the online degree will earn. # # # # #
SolveYourProblem.com
: 2007
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