A diploma mill (also known as a degree mill) is an organization that awards academic degrees and diplomas with substandard or no academic study, and without recognition by official accrediting bodies. These degrees are often awarded based on life experience. Webster’s Third New International Dictionary defines a diploma mill as "An institution of higher education operating without supervision of a state or professional agency and granting diplomas which are either fraudulent or, because of the lack of proper standards, worthless."^[1] Such organizations are unaccredited, although some claim accreditation by non-recognized/unapproved organizations set up for the purposes of providing a veneer of authenticity. Although diploma mills are unaccredited, lack of educational accreditation does not necessarily indicate that an institution is a diploma mill. A degree is any of a wide range of status levels conferred by institutions of higher education, such as universities, normally as the result of successfully completing a program of study. ... Diploma from Mexico City College, 1948 (in Latin) A diploma (from Greek δίπλωµα diploma) is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study, or confers an academic degree. ... 1888 advertisement for Websters Dictionary Websters Dictionary is the common title given to English language dictionaries in the United States, derived from American lexicographer Noah Webster. ... Accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which a facilitys or institutions services and operations are examined by a third-party accrediting agency to determine if applicable standards are met. ... Accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which a facilitys or institutions services and operations are examined by a third-party accrediting agency to determine if applicable standards are met. ...

Common attributes of diploma mills

The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article or discuss the issue on the talk page.

Diploma mills are frequently named to sound confusingly similar to those of prestigious, accredited academic institutions. Despite the fact that trademark law is intended to prevent this situation, diploma mills continue to employ various methods to avoid legal recourse. In their marketing and advertising campaigns, the mills will often misleadingly claim to be "accredited" when, in fact, many are found to have been endorsed by "dummy" accreditation boards set up by company affiliates. In an attempt to appear more legitimate to potential students, accreditation mills based in the United States may model their websites after real accrediting agencies overseen by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Some may even advertise services for transcript notation and diploma verification in order to seem more legitimate. Another typical ploy is for mills to claim to be internationally recognized by organizations such as UNESCO. UNESCO, however, does not possess the mandate to accredit or recognize institutions of higher education or their programs and diplomas. As diploma mills are typically also licensed to do business, it is common practice within the industry to misuse their business license to imply government approval. Image File history File links Gnome-globe. ... Accreditation is a process by which a facilitys services and operations are examined by a third-party accrediting agency to determine if applicable standards are met. ... Academia is a collective term for the scientific and cultural community engaged in higher education and research, taken as a whole. ... The Bass Red Triangle, was the first trademark registered in Britain in 1876. ... Accreditation mill refers to an accreditation group with low educational standards and without recognition from government and mainstream academia. ... Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) is an association of 3,000 degree-granting colleges and universities, which also recognizes 60 institutional and programmatic accrediting organizations. ... UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ...

Compared to legitimately accredited institutions, diploma mills tend to have drastically lowered requirements for academic coursework, with some even allowing their students to purchase credentials. Students may be required to purchase textbooks, take tests, and submit homework, but degrees are nonetheless conferred after little or no study. Coursework refers to work carried out by students while they are studying a course at university or school that contributes towards their overall grade, but which is assessed separately from their final exams. ...

Buyers use the diplomas to claim academic credentials for use in securing employment (e.g., a schoolteacher may buy a degree from a diploma mill in order to advance to superintendent). Some diploma mills claim to be based outside the country they market to.^{[citation needed]} This is common with "offshore" jurisdictions. In education, teachers are those who teach students or pupils, often a course of study or a practical skill. ... In education, a superintendent is an individual that has executive oversight and administration rights, usually within an educational entity or organization. ...

Characteristics of diploma mills

Characteristics of diploma mills that differentiate them from respected institutions include the following:

• They lack accreditation by a nationally recognized accrediting agency. Some claim accreditation by an accreditation mill; some such institutions may refer to themselves as being "fully accredited." Some institutions base their assertions of academic legitimacy on claims of affiliation with respected organizations (such as UNESCO) that are not engaged in school accreditation. Promotional materials may use words denoting a legal status such as "licensed", "state authorized" or "state-approved" to suggest an equivalence to accreditation. Some advertise other indicators of authenticity that are not relevant to academic credentials. For example, the University of Northern Washington advertises^[2] that its degrees are "attested and sealed for authenticity by a government appointed notary," although notarization certifies only that the document was signed by the person named.
• No teaching facilities — the address is a postal box or mail forwarding service.
• Degrees can be obtained within a few days, weeks or months from the time of enrollment, and back-dating is possible.
• Faculty members hold advanced degrees from the institution itself or similar organizations.
• Academic credit is offered for "life experience," and this is featured heavily in the selling points of the institution.^[3]
• Tuition and fees are paid on a per-degree basis rather than on a per-semester, per-quarter or per-course basis.
• Prospective students are encouraged to "enroll now" before tuition or fees are increased, or they qualify for a "fellowship", "scholarship" or "grant".
• The institution has no library, personnel, publication or research. In short, very little that is tangible can be found about the "institution".
• Getting a degree requires no visits to the school or other face-to-face meetings with its personnel. Theses or credits can be approved on a mail-order basis.
• Doctoral theses and dissertations are not available from University Microfilms International or a national repository or even the institution's own library.
• Promotional literature contains grammatical and spelling errors, words in Latin, extravagant or pretentious language, and sample diplomas. The school's website looks amateurish or unprofessionally made.
• The school is situated in the United States but the website is not on the '.edu' domain. However, an '.edu' domain cannot be taken as verification of school quality or reputation, as enforcement of the '.edu' policy has sometimes been lax and many diploma mills were "grandfathered" in prior to there being any enforcement of the '.edu' policy.
• Jurisdiction shopping: the school is situated in another country or legal jurisdiction, where running diploma mills is legal, standards are lax or prosecution is unlikely. Unfortunately this includes a number of jurisdictions in the United States. Compare forum shopping and tax haven.
• Despite being situated in such a diploma mill-friendly country, the school has no students from that country, and is run entirely by nonnative staff.
• In most of the European Union, tertiary education is free of charge to students and entrance to tertiary education is limited by highly competitive entrance examinations. In this environment, schools that have a tuition fee, no entrance requirements, and possibly based in another country, may be diploma mills, particularly when they match other criteria in this list.
• Unusual academic subjects. Instead of "hard sciences", where competency is easier to verify, the subjects are esoteric and may be based on a pseudoscience, e.g. astrology, natural healing and religious literature. This makes external verification impossible, because when they define their science, they can also define the educational standards without external oversight.

Accreditation mill refers to an accreditation group with low educational standards and without recognition from government and mainstream academia. ... UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... A US Embossed Notary Seal. ... University Microfilms International, UMI, was founded in the 1930s by Eugene Power in Ann Arbor. ... Jurisdiction shopping is a form of economic behavior by which a private business interest seeks to locate its operations in a political unit with the least regulation and/or lowest costs, such as property taxes and impact fees. ... Forum shopping is the informal name given to the practice adopted by some plaintiffs to get their legal case heard in the court thought most likely to provide a favourable judgment, or by some defendants who seek to have the case moved to a different court. ... A tax haven is a place where certain taxes are levied at a low rate or not at all. ... Hard science is a term which often is used to describe certain fields of the natural sciences, usually physics, chemistry, and many fields of biology. ... Etymology Esoteric is an adjective originating during Hellenic Greece under the domain of the Roman Empire; it comes from the Greek esôterikos, from esôtero, the comparative form of esô: within. It is a word meaning anything that is inner and occult, a latinate word meaning hidden (from which... A typical 18th century phrenology chart. ...

Legal considerations

Degrees and diplomas issued by diploma mills have been used to obtain employment, raises, or clients. Even if issuing or receiving a diploma mill qualification is legal, passing it off as an accredited one for personal gain is a crime in many jurisdictions. In some cases the diploma mill may itself be guilty of an offense, if it knew or ought to have known that the qualifications it issues are used for fraudulent purposes. Diploma mills could also be guilty of fraud if they mislead customers into believing that the qualifications they issue are accredited or recognized, or make false claims that they will lead to career advancement, and accept money on the basis of these claims. In law, an offense (or offence) is a violation of the penal law. ...

Some unaccredited institutions include disclaimers in respect of accreditation in the small print of their contracts.

Fake degrees are risky for buyers and consumers, says John Bear, a distance learning and diploma mills expert. "It is like putting a time bomb in your resumé. It could go off at any time, with dire consequences. The people who sell fake degrees will probably never suffer at all, but the people who buy them often suffer mightily. And -- particularly if their "degree" is health-related -- their clients may be seriously harmed."^[4] John Bear is an expert on and proponent of distance education. ... // Distance Education is a field of expertise exploring situations in which the learner and the teacher are separated in time, space or both. ...

Australia

In Australia it is a criminal offense to call an institution a university, or issue university degrees, without authorization through an act of federal or state parliaments.

Under the Higher Education Support Act 2003, corporations wishing to use the term "university" require approval from the Minister for Education, Science and Training.

The corporate regulator ASIC places strict controls on corporations wishing to use the term "university" and the name must not imply a connection with an existing university (e.g. University Avenue Newsagent Pty Ltd) and the applicant does not intend to provide education services.

The Corporations Regulations 2001 lists the 39 academic organisations permitted to use the title "university".

The use of higher education terms (such as "degree") is protected in state legislation, e.g. Higher Education (Qld) Act 2003.

Specific penalties are given within the individual acts and more generally are also covered by the "Misleading and Deceptive Conduct" provisions of the Trade Practices Act 1974, permitting fines in excess of $10M AUS.

Canada

In 2006 the Canada Border Services Agency reported concerns about "visa mills," fraudulent universities operated for the sole purpose of helping foreign nationals obtain student visas to allow them to enter Canada.^[5] The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) (French: Agence des services frontaliers du Canada - ASFC) is responsible for Canadas border operations. ... Visa or VISA has several meanings: Look up visa in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Visa (document) — a document required to enter a specific country. ...

Germany

In Germany it is a criminal offense to call an institution a university, a Fachhochschule, or issue academic degrees, without authorization through an act of the respective state's Ministry of Education. It is also a criminal offense to falsely claim a degree in Germany if it does not meet accredited approval. A Fachhochschule (plural: Fachhochschulen) or University of Applied Sciences in Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein and Switzerland is a university specialized in certain topical areas (e. ... Germany is a Federal Republic made up of 16 States, known in German as Länder (singular Land). ... A ministry is a department of a government, led by a minister. ...

Some corporate training programs in Germany use the English term "corporate university". Although such use of the term might be argued to be illegal, in practice it is tolerated since everyone understands that such programs are not actual universities.

Hong Kong

It is illegal under Hong Kong law's Chap. 320 Post Secondary Colleges Ordinance Sec. 8 to use the word 'University' unless approved by Chief Executive in Council.

Under HK Laws. Chap 200 Crimes Ordinance, Section 73, anyone who knowingly used false documents with the intention of inducing somebody to accept it as genuine, "is liable for a 14 years imprisonment term". Section 76 outlines that anyone who make or possess machines that creates false documents are also "liable for 14 years jail time".^{[citation needed]}

India

The University Grants Commission Act 1956 explains,

"the right of conferring or granting degrees shall be exercised only by a University established or incorporated by or under a Central Act, or a State Act, or an Institution deemed to be University or an institution specially empowered by an Act of the Parliament to confer or grant degrees. Thus, any institution which has not been created by an enactment of Parliament or a State Legislature or has not been granted the status of a Deemed to be University, is not entitled to award a degree."^[6]

Ireland

Legitimate higher education qualifications in Ireland are placed on, or formally aligned, with the National Framework of Qualifications. This framework was established by the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland in accordance with the Qualifications (Education and Training) Act (1999). It is illegal under the Universities Act (1997) for any body offering higher education services to use the term "university" without the permission of the Minister for Education and Science. It is likewise illegal under the Institutes of Technologies Acts (1992-2006) to use the term "institute of technology" or "regional technology college" without permission. The National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI) was set up under the Qualifications (Education & Training) Act, 1999 to promote a framework in the further and higher education system outside the university system in Ireland. ...

Mexico

In July 2007 a Mexican newspaper reported that the Secretariat of Public Education (SEP) of Mexico had issued an alert against foreign institutions alleged to be committing academic fraud through the issuance of degrees for a price after short durations (between seven and 60 days). Eleven foreign institutions were named as fraudulent: Atlantic International University, Pacific Western University, Endicott College, Alliant International University, United States International University, Newport University, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Westbridge University, West Coast University, Bircham International University, and Vision International University. The Secretariat announced a public relations campaign to warn employers, students and parents of prospective students against this form of fraud. In the future, Mexican private universities would be required to include official government registration information, including numbers and dates, in all publicity materials.^[7] In Mexico, the Secretary of Education (formally, the Secretary of Public Education) is the head of the Secretariat of Public Education (in Spanish: Secretaría de Educación Pública, SEP). ... An academic scandal is one that exposes the unethical or erroneous work of a major academic figure. ... Pacific Western University is an unaccredited distance learning university located in San Diego, California with branch campuses in Tokyo, Japan, Hong Kong, Taipei, Taiwan, and Hanoi, Vietnam. ... Endicott College is a private, co-educational college located on a 230-acre campus in Beverly, Massachusetts, on the North Shore of Massachusetts and less than a mile from the Atlantic Ocean. ... Alliant International University is an independent, not-for-profit, upper-division university formed in July 2001 as a result of a merger between California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) and United States International University (USIU). ... Categories: Possible copyright violations ... Newport University is a private university which was developed as a scholarly alternative to traditional colleges and universities for those persons who have been unable to experience college / university learning for various reasons. ... The Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), is the public Spanish Open University. ... Bircham International University is an international distance education university reportedly operating from Spain, the Bahamas, or the United Kingdom and lacking recognized educational accreditation in all of these places. ... Vision International University is an unaccredited institution in Ramona, California offering academic degree programs designed to prepare men and women for professional service in Christian Ministry. ...

New Zealand

The New Zealand Education Act prohibits use of the terms "degree" and "university" by institutions other than the country's eight accredited universities. In 2004 authorities announced their intention to take action against unaccredited schools using the words "degree" and "university," including the University of Newlands, an unaccredited distance-learning provider based in the Wellington suburb of Newlands. Other unaccredited New Zealand institutions reported to be using the word "university" included the New Zealand University of Golf in Auckland, the online Tawa-Linden and Tauranga Universities of the Third Age, and the Southern University of New Zealand. Newlands owner Rochelle M. Forrester said she would consider removing the word "university" from the name of her institution in order to comply with the law.^[8] Alternative meanings at Wellington (disambiguation) A view of Wellington from the top of Mount Victoria. ... Newlands is one of the northern suburbs of Wellington, New Zealand. ...

Philippines

Section five of the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines criminalizes the act of "Falsification of medical certificates, certificates of merit or services and the like."^[9] Despite this, news and magazine articles appear from time to time reporting businesses operating along Recto street in Manila which offer fake documents for sale.^[10][11][12] The Revised Penal Code contains the general penal laws of the Philippines. ... For other meanings of the word, see Manila (disambiguation). ...

South Korea

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It is illegal to falsely claim a degree in South Korea if it does not meet accredited approval. For example, in March 2006 prosecutors in Seoul were reported to have "broken up a crime ring selling bogus music diplomas from Russia, which helped many land university jobs and seats in orchestras."^[13] People who falsely used these degrees were criminally charged. Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... A dead link or broken link is a link on the world wide web that points to a webpage or server that is permanently unavailable. ...

Early 2007, Shin, Jung Ah (native 신정아) has been criminally charged for forging and misusing a degree from Yale University. This led to domino reactions due to her career status as a Professor in Dong-kuk University along with a curator position at a art gallery known to have many ties with both economical and political figures.

Sweden

In June 2007 the Swedish Minister for Employment, Sven-Otto Littorin, was discovered to have an MBA degree from Fairfax University. Aware that claiming a MBA from this diploma mill would be illegal in many states in the USA, Littorin tried to convince the Swedish media and people that the MBA was granted to him in good order. Probably due to the fact that he did not let anyone peer review his thesis, he was eventually forced to remove the reference from his official CV, but he remained in office.^[14] Sven Otto Littorin (born 1966) is the current Party Secretary of the Swedish Moderate Party. ... Fairfax University is an unaccredited[1] university formerly located in Louisiana. ... Look up résumé, curriculum vitae, resume in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Switzerland

In federal law qualifications from federal Institutes of Technology (ETH Zurich, EPF Lausanne) and those from Fachhochschule-institutions are protected and it is a criminal offense, under unfair competition legislation, to claim any unfounded academic or occupational qualifications. The ETH Zurich, often called Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, is a science and technology university in the city of Zurich, Switzerland. ... The Monster Clothespin from Outer Space, and entrance of the EPFL The École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) is the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne in Switzerland. ... A Fachhochschule (plural: Fachhochschulen) or University of Applied Sciences in Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein and Switzerland is a university specialized in certain topical areas (e. ... Antitrust is also the name for a movie, see Antitrust (movie) Antitrust or competition laws legislate against trade practices that undermine competitiveness or are considered to be unfair. ...

There are three notable diploma mills in Switzerland: Freie Universität Teufen^{[citation needed]}, Freie Universität Herisau^{[citation needed]} and Freie Universität Zug^{[citation needed]}.

United Kingdom

In the UK it is illegal to offer something that may be mistaken to be a UK degree unless the awarding body is on a list maintained by the Department for Education and Skills. This is difficult to enforce on the Internet, where a site may be based abroad. However, UK Trading Standards officers have had notable success in countering a large diploma mill group based abroad that was using British place-names for its "universities".^[15] The Department for Education and Skills is a department in the United Kingdom government created in 2001. ...

United States of America

The United States does not have a federal law that would unambiguously prohibit diploma mills, and the term "university" is not legally protected. As a result, the United States is a diploma mill haven from a global viewpoint. The United States Department of Education lacks direct plenary authority to regulate schools and, consequently, the quality of an institution's degree. Under the terms of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, the U.S. Secretary of Education is required by law to publish a list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies that the Secretary determines to be reliable authorities on the quality of education or training provided by the institutions of higher education that they accredit. The Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building[1]) , ED headquarters in Washington, DC A construction project to repair and update the building facade at the Department of Education Headquarters building in 2002 resulted in the installation of structures at all of the entrances to protect employees and visitors from... Derived from the Latin term plenus meaning full, plenary authority refers to the complete power of a governing body. ... The Higher Education Act of 1965 (Pub. ... The United States Secretary of Education is the head of the Department of Education. ...

Diploma mills are mainly found in the U.S. jurisdictions which have not adopted tough laws to prohibit them. However, some degree mills take advantage of the constitutional division by establishing themselves as ersatz Bible colleges which can legally offer degrees in religious subjects without government regulation. Nevertheless, some religious colleges and seminaries have been fined for issuing degrees without meeting educational requirements^[16]. In fact it has been noted that: Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution states that: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion Together with the Free Exercise Clause, (or prohibiting the free exercise thereof), these two clauses make up what are commonly known as the religion clauses. ... Ersatz is a German word literally meaning substitute or replacement. ... A Bible college is a tertiary education institution for the purpose of instructing students to prepare them for ordination to Christian ministry (i. ... For the Ecuadorian artist, see Manuel Rendón Seminario. ...

Although the DipScam operation in the 1980s led to a decline in diploma mill activity across the United States, the lack of further action by law enforcement, uneven state laws, and the rise of the Internet have combined to reverse many of the gains made in previous years. Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Official language(s) English, Hawaiian Capital Honolulu Largest city Honolulu Area  Ranked 43rd  - Total 10,931 sq mi (29,311 km²)  - Width n/a miles (n/a km)  - Length 1,522 miles (2,450 km)  - % water 41. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... John Bear is an expert on and proponent of distance education. ... Operation DIPSCAM (Operation Diploma Scam) was a series of investigations[1] carried out by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the General Accounting Office,[2] the Committee on Education and the Workforce and other agencies in the United States in the 1980s. ...

A 2002 Seattle Times article noted that some believed Wyoming had "become a haven for diploma mills."^[18] Conversely, "Oregon, New Jersey, and North Dakota have adopted tough laws that include fines and jail time for using fake degrees to gain employment."^[19] The daily Seattle Times is the leading newspaper in Seattle, Washington, United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Cheyenne Largest city Cheyenne Area  Ranked 10th  - Total 97,818 sq mi (253,348 km²)  - Width 280 miles (450 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 0. ... Official language(s) (none)[1] Capital Salem Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 9th  - Total 98,466 sq mi (255,026 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 2. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Official language(s) English Capital Bismarck Largest city Fargo Area  Ranked 19th  - Total 70,762 sq mi (183,272 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 340 miles (545 km)  - % water 2. ...

In 2004, a housecat named Colby Nolan was awarded an "Executive MBA" by Texas-based Trinity Southern University. The cat belonged to a deputy attorney general looking into allegations of fraud by the school. The cat's application was originally for a Bachelor of Business Administration, but due to the cat's "qualifications" (including work experience in fast-food and as a paperboy) the school offered to upgrade the degree to an Executive MBA for an additional $100. As a result of this incident, the Pennsylvania attorney general has filed suit against the school. Binomial name Felis catus Linnaeus, 1758 Synonyms Felis lybica invalid junior synonym The cat (or domestic cat, house cat) is a small carnivorous mammal. ... Colby Nolan is a housecat who was awarded an MBA degree in 2004 by Trinity Southern University, a Texas-based diploma mill, sparking a fraud lawsuit by the Pennsylvania attorney generals office. ... Official language(s) No official language See languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Largest metro area Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 261,797 sq mi (678,051 km²)  - Width 773 miles (1,244 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ... Colby Nolan is a housecat who was awarded a MBA degree in 2004 by Trinity Southern University, a Texas-based diploma mill, sparking a fraud lawsuit by the Pennsylvania attorney generals office. ... Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Largest metro area Delaware Valley Area  Ranked 33rd  - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km²)  - Width 280 miles (455 km)  - Length 160 miles (255 km)  - % water 2. ...

In February 2005, the US Department of Education launched www.ope.ed.gov/accreditation to combat the spread of fraudulent degrees.^[20] The United States Department of Education was created in 1979 (by PL 96-88) as a Cabinet-level department of the United States government, and began operating in 1980. ...

The state of Washington passed a bill^[21] in March 2006 "prohibiting false or misleading college degrees."^[22] The law was approved and introduced penalties of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine for knowingly granting or promoting an uncredited award. In Tennessee, a law that took effect in July 2004 made diploma mill degrees illegal, but the state does not have an agency or authority to investigate.^[23] For the capital city of the United States, see Washington, D.C.. For other uses, see Washington (disambiguation). ... Official language(s) English Capital Nashville Largest city Memphis Largest metro area Nashville Metropolitan Area Area  Ranked 36th  - Total 42,169 sq mi (109,247 km²)  - Width 120 miles (195 km)  - Length 440 miles (710 km)  - % water 2. ...

Similarly, Wyoming passed a law requiring a post-secondary institution granting degrees to Wyoming citizens to be accredited, or to be a candidate for accreditation. (There is an exemption for religious schools.) ^[24]

In June 2006 the "NCAA has been scrutinizing the standards of nontraditional high schools to identify 'diploma mills'."^[25] Reportedly this started when "The New York Times exposed University High in Miami."^[25] Currently, there are 22 schools that are under review to make sure they meet NCAA requirements.^[25] The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA, often said NC-Double-A) is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletics programs of many colleges and universities in the United States. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ...

The use of diploma mill degree titles is explicitly illegal or legally restricted in some jurisdictions.^[26] Jurisdictions that have restricted or made illegal the use of credentials from diploma mills and unaccredited schools include Oregon ^[27][28], Michigan^[29], Maine^[30], North Dakota^[28]New Jersey^[28], Washington^[27][31], Nevada^[27], Illinois^[27], Indiana^[27], and Texas.^[32]. Many other states are also considering restrictions on unaccredited degree use in order to help prevent fraud. ^[33] Official language(s) (none)[1] Capital Salem Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 9th  - Total 98,466 sq mi (255,026 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 2. ... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Largest metro area Metro Detroit Area  Ranked 11th  - Total 97,990 sq mi (253,793 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 491 miles (790 km)  - % water 41. ... Official language(s) None (English and French de facto) Capital Augusta Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 39th  - Total 33,414 sq mi (86,542 km²)  - Width 210 miles (338 km)  - Length 320 miles (515 km)  - % water 13. ... Official language(s) English Capital Bismarck Largest city Fargo Area  Ranked 19th  - Total 70,762 sq mi (183,272 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 340 miles (545 km)  - % water 2. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... For the capital city of the United States, see Washington, D.C.. For other uses, see Washington (disambiguation). ... This article is about the U.S. State of Nevada. ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Largest metro area Chicago Metropolitan Area Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (140,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... For other uses, see Indiana (disambiguation). ... Official language(s) No official language See languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Largest metro area Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 261,797 sq mi (678,051 km²)  - Width 773 miles (1,244 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ...

Government jobs scandals and GAO investigation

In 2004, Laura Callahan resigned from the United States Department Of Homeland Security after it was learned that she had received her doctorate from the unaccredited Hamilton University (not to be confused with the fully accredited Hamilton College in Clinton, New York). Callahan had previously been a senior director at the DHS and held supervisory positions at the United States Department of Labor and within the Bill Clinton White House. According to an article in Reason magazine, “The (Callahan) scandal raises serious doubts about the government's ability to vet the qualifications of public employees on whom the nation's security depends.” Laura Callahan is a former senior director at the United States Department of Homeland Security who was forced to resign after an investigation revealed that she and numerous other federal employees had obtained high-ranking government jobs through use of fabricated academic degrees received from diploma mills. ... DHS redirects here. ... Hamilton University was an unaccredited institution with a small campus based in Evanston, Wyoming, USA. It has since been closed by court order in Wyoming and has relocated to the Bahamas under the name Richardson University. ... For other colleges with the same name, see Hamilton College (disambiguation). ... Clinton is the name of some places in the U.S. state of New York: Clinton, Clinton County, New York Clinton, Dutchess County, New York Clinton, Oneida County, New York Clinton also is a name used to refer to the Hells Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. ... The United States Department of Labor is a Cabinet department of the United States government responsible for occupational safety, wage and hour standards, unemployment insurance benefits, re-employment services, and some economic statistics. ... William Jefferson Bill Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III[1] on August 19, 1946) was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. ... The libertarian Reason Magazine dedicated an issue to Ayn Rands influence one hundred years after her birth. ...

The Callahan scandal caused a public outcry that stimulated an 11-month congressional investigation into fraudulent use of and reimbursement for non-qualifying academic degrees by government workers, the first such major inquiry since Operation Dipscam. A 2004 report^[34] released by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) detailed a pattern of widespread and ongoing abuse by numerous federal employees, based on information provided by three unaccredited schools that cooperated with the initial probe. The institutions, California Coast University, Kennedy-Western University, and Pacific Western University, represented a small fraction of the dozens of suspected diploma mills in existence nationwide. The particular concern addressed was that the regulations allowing Federal funding of degrees mandate that the program must be accredited. Note that California Coast University has since gained national accreditation and is fully accredited by the DETC, which has Department of Education approval to accredit degree programs. Operation DIPSCAM (Operation Diploma Scam) was a series of investigations[1] carried out by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the General Accounting Office,[2] the Committee on Education and the Workforce and other agencies in the United States in the 1980s. ... General Accounting Office headquarters, Washington, D.C. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is the non-partisan audit, evaluation, and investigative arm of Congress, and an agency in the Legislative Branch of the United States Government. ... California Coast University (CCU) is an accredited, distance learning private university that was established in 1973 and is located in Santa Ana, California. ... Kennedy-Western University is a Wyoming-Based, unaccredited, American distance education/correspondence school that offers undergraduate and graduate degrees. ... Pacific Western University is an unaccredited distance learning university located in San Diego, California with branch campuses in Tokyo, Japan, Hong Kong, Taipei, Taiwan, and Hanoi, Vietnam. ... California Coast University (CCU) is an accredited, distance learning private university that was established in 1973 and is located in Santa Ana, California. ...

463 federal employees were discovered to have been enrolled in the three schools at the time of the inquiry. The Department of Defense had the highest number of enrollees, with 257 employees registered. The GAO also found that the government itself had paid at least $170,000 for questionable "coursework" by federal employees at California Coast and Kennedy-Western alone, and believed that even this amount had been significantly understated by the institutions involved. Department of Defense redirects here. ...

The GAO report revealed that at least 28 senior-level employees had obtained their degrees from diploma mills or unaccredited universities, while cautioning that "this number is believed to be an understatement." The implicated officials included three unnamed National Nuclear Security Administration managers with emergency operations responsibility and top "Q level" security clearance allowing access to sensitive nuclear weapons information. In May of 2004, NNSA spokesman Brian Wilkes told reporters that "the [managers'] conditions of employment did not rest on the education that they were claiming," and that the revelations would not affect their job status.^[35] The United States National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is part of the United States Department of Energy. ... A security clearance is a status granted to individuals, typically members of the military and employees of governments and their contractors, allowing them access to classified information, i. ... The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 kilometers (11 mi) above the hypocenter A nuclear weapon derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions of fusion or fission. ...

Many of the federal officials implicated in the scandal were never publicly named, and their status remains unclear. Charles Abell, the principal Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, was identified by the press as having obtained his master's degree from Columbus University of New Orleans, an unaccredited distance learning school. Daniel P. Matthews, Chief Information Officer for the Department of Transportation (which oversees the Transportation Security Administration) was reported to have received his $3,500 bachelor of science degree from Kent College, a diploma mill in Mandeville, Louisiana. In spite of these revelations, both remained in their positions and continued to hold security clearances.^[36] Abell continued in his Defense Department job until August 2005, when he joined the staff of the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services, where he remained until 2007.^[37] Columbus University is an unaccredited distance education institution that has been based at different times in Louisiana and Picayune, Mississippi. ... The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) is a federal Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with transportation. ... TSA emblem The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is a U.S. government agency that was created as part of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush on November 19, 2001. ... Kent College, Canterbury is an independent co-educational boarding and day school for pupils between the ages of 11 and 18, founded in 1885. ... Mandeville is a city in St. ... The Committee on Armed Services is a committee of the United States Senate empowered with legislative oversight of the nations military, including the Department of Defense, military research and development, nuclear energy (as pertaining to national security), benefits for members of the military, the Selective Service System and other...

Terrorism worries

On December 15, 2005, CNN aired a report on diploma mills and terrorism. The report explained that "H-1B visas can be issued to anyone who is highly skilled and can get a job in the U.S. McDevitt is concerned a phony advanced degree could be the first step for someone in a terrorist sleeper cell."^[38] is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Cable News Network, commonly known as CNN, is a major cable television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. ... The H-1B is a non-immigrant visa category in the United States under the Immigration & Nationality Act, section 101(a)(15)(H). ...

The report explained, the Secret Service "bought their own degree for a perfect terrorist candidate, although theirs was fictional." The person was Mohammed Syed with no formal education, but training in chemical engineering with the Syrian army. "The Secret Service even added to Syed's application that he needed a degree quickly, so he could find employment and obtain an H-1B visa, allowing him to stay in the US." Furthermore, "In less than a month, the imaginary Syrian army expert was notified, James Monroe University was awarding him three advanced degrees in engineering and chemistry, all for $1,277."^[38] Because of both the secrecy of secret services and the controversial nature of the issues involved, there is some difficulty in separating the definitions of secret service, secret police, intelligence agency etc. ... James Monroe International University, formerly known as James Monroe University, claims to be based in Seborga and have accreditation from the Minister of Education in Seborga and from the Distance Education Council (DEC) of India. ...

See also

• Accreditation mill
• .edu
• Essay mill
• List of unaccredited institutions of higher learning
• List of unrecognized accreditation associations of higher learning
• School accreditation
• Name It and Frame It?

Accreditation mill refers to an accreditation group with low educational standards and without recognition from government and mainstream academia. ... .edu (education) is the generic top-level domain for educational institutions, primarily those in the United States. ... An essay mill, sometimes also called a paper mill, is a business, usually online, which dishonestly sells essays and other forms of homework assignments to students who are unable or unwilling to do it themselves. ... Main article: Unaccredited institutions of higher learning This article lists colleges, seminaries, and universities lacking accreditation. ... In the United States, accredited institutions of higher education must be accredited by agencies recognized by the United States Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. ... Accreditation is a process by which a facilitys services and operations are examined by a third-party accrediting agency to determine if applicable standards are met. ... Name It and Frame It? is a 1993 book by Steve Levicoff about Christian schools. ...

References

Footnotes

Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... For other uses, see 5th October (Serbia). ... is the 315th day of the year (316th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 307th day of the year (308th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... For other uses, see 5th October (Serbia). ... February 9 is the 40th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... For other uses, see 5th October (Serbia). ... is the 161st day of the year (162nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... For other uses, see 5th October (Serbia). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... For other uses, see 5th October (Serbia). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... For other uses, see 5th October (Serbia). ... is the 158th day of the year (159th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... For other uses, see 5th October (Serbia). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... For other uses, see 5th October (Serbia). ... The Associated Press, or AP, is an American news agency, the worlds largest such organization. ... The Billings Gazette is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper printed in Billings, Montana. ... Official language(s) (none)[1] Capital Salem Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 9th  - Total 98,466 sq mi (255,026 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 2. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 319th day of the year (320th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 319th day of the year (320th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Washington Times[1] is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Washington, D.C., United States. ... is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... For other uses, see 5th October (Serbia). ...

Books

• Levicoff, Steve: Name It and Frame It?: New Opportunities in Adult Education and How to Avoid Being Ripped Off by 'Christian' Degree Mills. (4th ed., 1995)
• Bear, John: Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning, Ten Speed Press, 2001
• Noble, David: Digital Diploma Mills: The Automation of Higher Education, Monthly Review Press, 2002, ISBN 1583670610

Dr. Steve Levicoff is a distance learning expert and is a leading critic of diploma mills. ... Name It and Frame It? is a 1993 book by Steve Levicoff about Christian schools. ... John Bear is an expert on and proponent of distance education. ... David F. Noble is a critical historian of technology, science and education. ...

External links

Find more information on Diploma mill by searching Wikipedia's sister projects
	Dictionary definitions from Wiktionary
	Textbooks from Wikibooks
	Quotations from Wikiquote
	Source texts from Wikisource
	Images and media from Commons
	News stories from Wikinews
	Learning resources from Wikiversity

Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Image File history File links Wikibooks-logo. ... Image File history File links Wikiquote-logo. ... Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Image File history File links WikiNews-Logo. ... Image File history File links Wikiversity-logo-Snorky. ...

General information and news

• Information resources concerning unaccredited degree-granting institutions – A collection of links by George Gollin
• Psst. Wanna Buy a Ph.D.? The Chronicle of Higher Education, June 25, 2004. "Some professors have dubious doctorates, other professors sell them, and colleges often look the other way."
• A Video on Distance Learning and Online Degrees: Are They Worth It?
• Information about Diploma Mills from eLearners.com
• Sperry, Paul. Cut-Rate Diplomas: How doubts about the government's own "Dr. Laura" exposed a résumé fraud scandal. Reason magazine, January 2005.
• Associated Press. U.N. Fired Staff Members With Academic Degrees From Diploma Mill, via Fox News, 11 February 2007.

George Gollin enjoys abusing Wikipedia with gratuitous self promotion. ... is the 176th day of the year (177th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The libertarian Reason Magazine dedicated an issue to Ayn Rands influence one hundred years after her birth. ... The Associated Press, or AP, is an American news agency, the worlds largest such organization. ... Fox News Channels slogan is We Report, You Decide The Fox News Channel is a U.S. cable and satellite news channel. ...

U.S. state sites

• List of non-accredited colleges/universities by State of Michigan
• Unaccredited colleges by Oregon State Office of Degree Authorization
• List of non-accredited colleges/ universities by State of Maine
• List of Fraudulent or Substandard Institutions with a Texas connection
• List of Fraudulent or Substandard Institutions with no known Texas connection

Oregon State Office of Degree Authorization authorizes schools to offer academic degree, validates individual claims of degrees, enforces the closure of substandard or fraudulent degree programs, and policy for publicly funded postsecondary programs and locations. ...

Accreditation databases

• The World Higher Education Database (IAU/UNESCO) List of accredited schools throughout the world
• Database for Accreditation in the United States (CHEA)
• Database for Accreditation in the United States (USDE)
• Database for Accreditation in the United Kingdom
• Database for Accreditation in Australia
• Database for Accreditation in India
• Database for Accreditation in Malaysia
• Database for Accreditation in the Netherlands
• Database for Accreditation in Pakistan
• Database for Accreditation in the Philippines
• Database for Accreditation in Russia
• Database for Accreditation in Sweden
• National Recognition Information Centres