MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE BARSTOW, Calif. -- The idea of getting things cheaper, faster and easier seems to have become status quo in the everyday lives of Americans. The emergence of fast food, the Internet and more advanced technology have made it easier to accomplish this objective. Added into the mix, “diploma mills”, which are bogus universities that grant degrees for little or no study, make it easier for people to gain a college degree.
Almost every degree, from aviation to zoology, can be purchased. All that is needed is a credit card number and computer access.
The difference between a fake university and the real thing is accreditation. Schools that are accredited have been before a board of their peers, either regionally or nationally, and have received accreditation, said Francis Villeme, MCLB Barstow’s education officer. On base, people wishing to take courses must take classes from accredited universities. The education office will only allow people to take classes from regionally and nationally accredited schools but not world accredited, he said, mainly because that is where most diploma mills lie.
The easiest way to determine if a school has been accredited is by looking at their Web site or contacting the school itself and asking, said Villeme. Another way is to contact the base education office, where the legitimacy of a school can be researched, he said.
The Internet has made getting bogus degrees easier than ever, thus the industry has been exploding, according to John Bear, a former Federal Bureau of Investigation principal consultant and expert witness on diploma mills and fake degrees, in his book Guide to Earning Degrees By Distance Learning.
Looking for an edge in the competitive job market, more workers are buying these degrees. With legitimate universities and colleges offering online degrees, diploma mills have flourished because it is harder to determine whether a degree earned long distance is really valid, according to a USA Today article. Another factor to their success is that many adopt names that are similar to authentic universities and colleges.
There are more than 400 diploma mills and 300 counterfeit diploma Web sites thriving in the economy, taking in over $500 million annually, stated Bear.
Many charge a fee, ranging from $50 to $5,000 for a bachelor’s, master’s, or Ph.D. Diploma mill customers have to provide money to get a professional looking transcript. Other diploma mills require buyers to complete cursory work, such as writing a short essay before granting a degree, according to USA Today.
Diploma mills frequently use names similar to those used by accredited schools, which often allows them to be mistaken for the accredited school, said Villeme. Diploma mills often misspell the city name the university is located or the university name itself, he said.
Some even have phone operators, who verify graduations to employers who call and also send transcripts to suspicious employers. A few diploma mills even offer class rings and laminated student identification cards to maintain the image of legitimacy, stated Bear.
Fueled by the ease of advertising and even greater ease of setting up an impressive Web site, more fakes have been launched in the past 10 years than the previous 50, stated Bear.
If a school avoids accreditation questions, uses high pressure sales techniques or gives a diploma based on work experience, it is more than likely a diploma mill, said Villeme.
“If you are unsure about a school, ask,” said Villeme. “It only takes a couple of minutes to verify a school.”
Although the problem has been identified, diploma mills still exist because of the interstate and international aspect of many fakes, states Bear. This makes it unclear who has jurisdiction and even more difficult to determine since each state has its own school licensing laws, which differ greatly and change regularly.
This wasn’t always the case. In 1980, the FBI made diploma mills its priority and established the DipScam task force, based in Charlotte, N.C, according to Bear.
States were generally uninterested in acting, so the FBI did the research, secured a search warrant, collected evidence, got indictments, and ended up closing down more than 50 major frauds, stated Bear.
In the early 1990s, the scourge of the degree mills project took an early retirement and the FBI removed diploma mills from its priority list.
Recently, states have begun to prosecute people who buy diplomas, said Villeme. The federal government cannot close the schools down fast enough so they have resorted in closing down the market. Congress is currently reviewing federal government policies on the battle against diploma mills.
To avoid involvement in a diploma mill there are several questions that should be asked before enrolling in any degree program:
-- Does the school offer the degree you want?
-- Does the school offer the courses you will need when you need them?
-- Is the school accredited regionally or nationally and is the accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education?
-- Where is the school located?
-- How many students does the school have?
-- How does the tuition compare to similar schools?
-- Is it affordable and does the school offer financial aid?
-- What are the entrance requirements?
-- Does the school award credit for credit-by-examination?
-- Does the school award credit for military and civilian training?
Verification of the information the school has provided should be the last step before enrollment. Never sign a contract prior to verification.
School information can be verified at the Lifelong Learning Education Center in Building 218.
“The bottom line is, if it sounds too good to be true it probably is,” said Villeme.