Buying a fake education from diploma mills

by Dawn Elizabeth Pandoliano
Paraglide

	graphic by Mark Weckman/ Paraglide

Think you can buy your way to a promotion with a college degree that doesn’t require class work or tests? Have you ever been tempted by an e-mail or ad saying you can “earn a college degree based on life experience?” If the answer is yes, you might want to think again.

Department of Defense officials are warning Soldiers about falling prey to a diploma mill. A diploma mill is a college or university that operates primarily to make money, offering college credit for a fee.

There are two types of people that are targeted:

• People who are looking for a genuine college education and have no idea they are enrolling at a degree mill.

• People who are aware they are committing fraud, but want to build their credentials for professional or academic reasons.

“There have been a number of instances wherein Soldiers thought they had a degree from a legitimate institution,” said Brenda Taylor-Brooks, Fort Bragg education services counselor. “The issue is identified when they take their transcripts or diploma into their personnel unit to get it put into their enlisted record brief or when they come to the Education Center to apply for tuition assistance for the next level degree.”

According to Taylor-Brooks, many Soldiers have purchased what they thought was a degree from an institution that gave them college credit for their work experience and training in the Army.
“They think they have a bachelor’s degree and come into the Education Center to sign up for a master’s program only to discover that the college or university is not accredited,” Taylor-Brooks said.

There are two kinds of mills: the ones that offer low quality programs or courses and those that just sell you a copy of a degree with your name on it. It’s not hard to register an edu domain name, making it difficult to mistake a diploma mill site’s convincing writing and images for a real college or university Web site.

Employers and educational institutions consider it lying if you claim academic credentials not earned through actual course work. You risk not getting hired, getting fired and even prosecution in some cases. The Army is no different.

According to All Army Activities Message 162/2009, the Army not only warns Soldiers of these fraudulent institutions, but of the consequences of willingly purchasing false education credentials. Soldiers who knowingly purchase a degree from a diploma mill and attempt to have it placed in their official military file for purposes of promotion or assignment consideration or other military reasons, are perpetrating a crime which may be punishable under the uniform code of military justice.

Army educators are also urged to be vigilant when checking out college degrees submitted by Soldiers. Taylor-Brooks said that counselors have been interviewed on a number of occasions by investigators concerning allegations that a particular Soldier fraudulently submitted a bogus degree in order to attain promotion points.

Carefully reviewing the document can easily identify fake degrees. There are two resources the Army recommends to help Soldiers and educators identify fake degrees:

• www.goarmyed.com: Web site lists all of the accredited institutions used by U.S. Army Soldiers to obtain their degrees.

• www.chea.org: Council for Higher Education Web site lists all the colleges and universities that are nationally accredited.

• The book or CD “Accredited Institutions of Post Secondary Education,” published by the American Council on Education.

• Education services officer located at your local education center.

How do you spot a diploma mill scam on the Internet? If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. But, just in case you’re still one of the few who believe in castles in the sky, here are a few pointers:

• No studies, no exams — get a degree for your experience.

Diploma mills give out degrees for work or life experience alone. Accredited colleges may give a few credits for specific experience pertaining to a degree program, but not an entire degree.

• No attendance.

Legitimate colleges or universities, including online schools, require quite a bit of course work.

• Flat fee.

Many diploma mills charge on a per degree basis. Colleges and universities charge by the credit, course or semester, not a flat fee.

• No waiting.

If you are offered a degree in a few days, weeks or even months, your spidey sense should tell you that this is not a legitimate degree and probably a diploma mill.

• “Click here to order now.”

Accredited colleges don’t use spam or aggressive sales tactics.

• Advertising through spam or pop-ups.

Legit schools, including distance learning programs, won’t advertise through spam or pop-up ads.

“This is not a new scam,” Taylor-Brooks explained. “It has been around for as long as post secondary institutions. Many people are looking for the quick fix, immediate gratification … the easy way out. But Soldiers are cautioned about this (diploma mills) at education briefings, pre-command course briefings and one-on-one counseling sessions.”

Army education guidance counselors can help Soldiers identify accredited institutions that offer the degree program that meets their needs. All 10 of the colleges and universities on Fort Bragg are considered “military friendly” schools. Taylor-Brooks said that college credit is offered for military training and experience through those servicemembers opportunity colleges.

If you’re still not sure if a college or university online is real or fake, contact your Army educational center counselor. The Education Center is located in Building 2-1105, Stack-A, Macomb Street and is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.