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The Internet has created numerous opportunities for countless students to complete their education through distance learning programs. Many accredited colleges and universities offer exceptional degree programs that can be completed entirely online providing options for working adults, disabled, working moms, and anyone who need to study with flexible hours. Students all across the globe, who cannot attend or afford the traditional on-campus school, are benefiting from this easy, flexible, and convenient study programs.
However, there is a disadvantage of these distance learning programs. There are several "diploma mills" on the Internet that poses as reputable schools but sell worthless diplomas. The US Department of Education defines a Degree 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." These diploma mills do not provide real education but take money and gives fake degrees/diplomas.
Determining if an Online Program is Legitimate
There are many things that should be considered to determine whether an online program is legitimate or not.
Here are a few things that you should consider before enrolling yourself into any online college or university program:
- Degree Programs that can be finished in less time: no reputable college or university promises that you can graduate within weeks or days. It takes at least 18 months to complete your bachelor’s degree.
- Look for Accreditation: accreditation comes first. Before enrolling yourself into any online program, you should look for its accreditation and verify. Colleges and universities are accredited through various organizations. You should look for accrediting agency and confirm if its legitimate. There are various accrediting bodies that are reliable which includes the Middle State Association of Colleges and Schools, the New England Association of Schools and College, the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
- Similar Names: many of the fake colleges and universities use names that are similar to reputable colleges or universities.
- Tuition, Fees and Discounts: Tuition and fees are on a per-degree basis, whereas traditional colleges charge by credit hours, course, or semester. Several discounts are also offered when you enroll into multiple programs.
- The Faculty and Staff: the websites of the online colleges and universities usually have biographies, photos and contact information of their instructors. If there are no names, there might be no faculty at all.
- Interaction with faculty: degree mill offers very little or no opportunities of communications with the faculty.
- Research Curriculum: while looking at the website for online school, check out the various online programs that are offers. The website should mention the required classes and the amount of work that you are required to complete. You should also see the sample coursework to have an idea of the classes and how in-depth your education is going to be.
- School’s Contact Information: a reputable school provides several ways to contact them. The address should have a street address and phone number rather than box numbers or suites. Good schools offer you the opportunity to talk to their admission staff and faculty at all times.
For the past several years, state and federal agencies are attempting to prevent the growth of diploma mills. Though, these diploma mills use law to their advantage, as they set up an organization which exists as a fusion of fake "school" and a profitable business. And hence, these agencies face real challenges in shutting them down.
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