How Do You Avoid Fraudulent Online College Degrees?
Pursuing an online college degree is an excellent way to advance your career. The internet is rife with schools offering bachelor, masters and doctorate degrees in many different disciplines. However, combine the sheer amount of schools available with the inherent lawlessness of the internet and you have a difficult choice to make. When you are choosing a school at which to earn your online college degree, its best to approach it from a skeptical angle. Degree Mills are schools that seem respectable but do little more than print out a diploma for a price. With a wary mind set and a little research you should be able to achieve your online college degree without being the embarrassment of being duped.
This kind of sham has been around for years- profiting off of the unfortunate but common human desire to want something without having to work for it. How wonderful would it be to receive your law degree without ever opening a textbook? Become a CGA in two days? The old adage applies if its too good to be true, it probably is. You need to be aware of a few key points when deciding on your school.
The first and most important thing to look for is accreditation. Its easy to see if the school is legitimate by researching it on line or by contacting various institutions such as The Council on Higher Education Accreditation. Dont settle for what seems to be an accreditation organization look for the real thing. If a school is shady enough to offer non traditional life experience degrees, it most certainly will set itself up to look as authentic as possible. For example, many schools establish nonsense organizations to accredit themselves, complete with impressive sounding initials that stand for nothing. You need to be sure that the school has passed accreditation requirements with your state or province. A quick internet search will direct you to the proper resources.
Watch for their admission requirements. If the school asks for your method of payment before your transcripts, you can be guaranteed theyre not interested in your education. Be doubly careful when they ask to see your resume. Although many masters programs look for relevant work experience from older students who have been out of the school system for some time, your resume should always be considered in tangent with your transcripts. In the end, its your academic ability that matters when applying for online colleges, not your career history. Look for faculty lists and time frames. No teachers and promises of a doctorate degree in under thirty days should be a big enough warning sign for most to stay away.
Your decision to attend an on-line college isnt a simple one, with so many different options available and the more than significant cost of quality education. However, time spent researching the school using the proper resources will help you to avoid what may be the most expensive subject to learn, how not to be taken advantage of.
