More Advice Against Diploma Mills

Posted on January 19, 2008 by Jennifer Brady

In a Telegram.com Q&A column entitled, “Don’t go diploma mill route,” Tribune Media Services writer Joyce Lain Kennedy equates the worst of these sinister institutions to Dracula rising up from, as she writes, the nether regions every few years to stalk Web-land gullibles.

Then she shares an email she received from one of these counterfeit operatives. Beyond the content of this, be sure to note the spelling mistakes:

“Get Your Univerrsity Diploma. Hey jlk! There are no vital tests, classes, books, or interviews! Earn a Bachelors, Masters, MBA, and Doctorate (PhD) diploma. Inherit the assets and exaltation that comes with a diploma! Absolutely nobody is rejected. Confidentiality sealed. We work with all countrys. Dial Today …”

If you’re interested in learning more about how these organizations get away with it, you may wish to read Ms. Kennedy’s entire column. If you are primarily interested in how to avoid selecting one by mistake, here’s the advice she gives:

Avoid the degree-mill time bomb by enrolling in a well-regarded and campus-based institution that also markets distance degrees.

This article receives a few comments offering more advice on this subject. One additional caution against diploma mills worthy of note:

It’s way too easy to get caught nowadays. There are online lists of diploma mills (check out Wikipedia for example) and online lists of approved/accredited schools. Some people do get away with it, but usually they get caught at some point and the career they had is over and done with.

Diploma mills are clearly not developed to educate nor offer access to great learning at a distance but to make money from either unknowing students or those looking for a piece of paper or a bullet on his/her resume versus a quality education. It is nice to know that it is easier to detect diploma mills (for students and employers) since they can diminish the value that can be offered through a great distance learning program.