How to Tell Accredited Online College Courses Apart From the Fakes

Tags: accredited degrees, doctorate degrees, life experience degree, online college degrees, online degree, online graduate degrees, online masters degrees, online nursing degrees, university degree

The current craze for long-distance learning has created a goldmine to con the gullible. Before investing precious money, time, and energy in any program – take a closer look. As online educational enterprises go, everything that glitters definitely isn’t gold.

Known as online degree or diploma “mills”, these fake institutions have a long history. Unscrupulous operators have profited from folks who cheat in the push for employment, promotions, and professional positions requiring advanced degrees and licensure. .

Here’s the typical setup of such scams: they award “degrees” based upon questionable criteria such as life experience, substandard academic requirements, or no real requirements at all – other than a large lump sum payment. After satisfying some specious specifications, the “student” then claims a certain academic credential. The problem is that these degrees have little or no value for employment, professional licensure, or transfer credit to legitimate institutions. In short, they are a complete waste of your time and money.

The Internet has been a double-edge blade for seekers of higher education. While facilitating flexible, accelerated, cost-effective coursework, the relative anonymity and invisibility of cyberspace is a “haven” for swindlers. To avoid being taken, study and apply some safeguards. So, put your thinking caps on – class is now in session!

Accreditation is key

The first thing to determine is whether the institution is accredited. What, exactly, is accreditation? It is the means whereby colleges and universities voluntarily submit to rigorous scrutiny. Its purpose to insure that programs and facilities meet specific quality educational standards. Issues like faculty academic credentials, an adequate library, and appropriate physical facilities are closely inspected and evaluated.

Institutions must stay up to par to retain accreditation, as they are re-evaluated periodically.

No legitimate program wants to lose accreditation. Without it, schools cannot receive Federal funds, and students are usually unable to use their degrees effectively after they graduate. For instance, applicants who desire to take the bar examination for attorney licensure must have graduated from an accredited law school. That’s the rule in 48 out of 50 states. Few people want to spend the necessary time and money to earn a law degree – only to find themselves unable to practice! You certainly don’t want to make a huge mistake such as this in law or any other field – so ensure that you enroll only in accredited online college courses.

The Dept of Education maintains a searchable database where you can verify that a school is accredited.

What’s in a name?

Many diploma mills use names very similar to well-established, reputable institutions. If your search for online degrees uncovers an apparently prestigious institution, examine its name very closely. Run the exact name supplied through the search site listed above to verify credentials.

The devil is in the details

When visiting a school’s website, find the course curriculum for your intended program. This is a listing of all the individual course requirements for your degree. Accredited online college courses carry specific amounts of academic credit per course; a cumulative number of credits is required to earn your degree. If you cannot locate a course listing online or in the school‘s written literature, you have likely encountered a degree mill.

Tuition figures should be listed as “per credit hour” or similar such language. A red flag that marks degree mills is displaying costs per life experience degree rather than per credit hour.

A related matter that should set alarm bells ringing in your brain is when a school offers discounts for multiple degrees. Legitimate schools don’t do this because their emphasis is on quality of learning – not mere quantity

A dead giveaway is when addresses for buildings or other school locations are suites or Post Office boxes. It is acceptable and common for legitimate schools to have physical addresses and alternate PO Box addresses . Be leery, though, if there are no corresponding physical addresses listed for the PO Boxes.

Call or email the admissions contact. See what coursework is required for your degree, and how long it takes to complete. Accredited online college courses include research papers, examinations, projects, etc. Although you can earn a real online degree somewhat faster than otherwise due to concentrated coursework, nobody gets a master’s degree or Ph.D. in five days! Spotting fake degree setups is a lesson well learned. The price you’ll pay for such “education” is much too high!

Wilson State University helps students connect with the best schools to earn their college degree and embark on a rewarding career! A powerful resource for individuals of all walks of life, My Colleges and Careers connects people with the programs that help them earn degrees on campus or online.

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Life experience degree applications at Wilson State University also take into consideration any community achievements, any awards you may have received, and other personal and professional successes. A special educational evaluation board from Wilson State University will analyze and access the your application. A life experience degree can be expected to be conferred within a couple of weeks, if all goes well. Wilson State University is accredited by the World Higher Education Accreditation Society. WHeAS is a private accrediting agency that insures educational excellence and consistent standards for online learning.
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