Down By the Old (Diploma) Mill Stream

Diploma Mill-"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."
-Webster’s Third New International Dictionary

Good morning, Toads and Toadettes,

We’ve gotten our first response blowing the whistle on one of the seminaries identified in our earlier post. The correspondent has hit the Evangelical Episcopal Theological Seminary (no location listed) with a full volley just below the waterline. Before we have a look at that report in a subsequent post, I think we should say a bit more about the problem of diploma mills and offer some further clarification.

Some Parameters

A diploma mill (also known as a degree mill) is an organization that awards academic degrees and diplomas with substandard or no academic study, and without recognition by official accrediting bodies. These degrees are often awarded based on “life experience”, which, translated means “I got my degree by breathing”.

Such organizations are unaccredited, but they often claim accreditation by non-recognized/unapproved organizations set up for the purposes of providing a veneer of authenticity. These accreditation mills based in the United States or elsewhere (oh, say, in Italy maybe) may model Web sites after real accrediting agencies overseen by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Some of these fraudsters may even advertise services for transcript notation and diploma verification in order to seem more legitimate. According to a number of sources, another typical ploy is for mills to claim to be internationally recognized by organizations such as UNESCO. Ooops-UNESCO and does possess the mandate to accredit or recognize institutions of higher education or their programs and diplomas. This is why we are barking about these organizations too, boys and girls!

“He’s Got a Little List. He’s Got a Little List.”

The United States Department of Education lacks direct authority to regulate schools and, consequently, the quality of an institution's degree. Under the terms of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, the U.S. Secretary of Education is required by law to publish a list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies that the Secretary determines to be reliable authorities on the quality of education or training provided by the institutions of higher education that they accredit. http://www.ope.ed.gov/accreditation/
Also, there is something called the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools. TRACS is recognized by both the United States Department of Education, and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, as a national accrediting body for Christian institutions, colleges, universities, and seminaries. http://www.tracs.org/
So, the Toad’s got a little list, he’s got a little list…

What’s in a Name?

Here’s another giveaway. Diploma mills are frequently named to sound confusingly similar to those of prestigious, accredited academic institutions. As diploma mills are typically also "licensed" to do business. It is common practice within the industry to misuse a simple business license to imply government approval.

Now, here’s the real problem, compared to legitimate institutions, diploma mills tend to have, shall we say, drastically reduced or practically non-existent requirements for academic coursework. Some even allow their students to purchase credentials rather than earn them. Of course, students may be required to purchase textbooks, take tests, and submit homework, but the degrees are nonetheless conferred after little or no real study.

Is all of this sounding familiar, yet?

You Know You Might Be a Fraud If…

Thanks to the excellent website of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation http://www.chea.org/default.asp , let’s say (with apologies to Jeff Foxworthy) that you know that you might be getting a fake degree if:

--Degrees can be purchased. (Seminarian to priest in five easy payments)
--There is a claim of accreditation when there is no evidence of this status.
--There is a claim of accreditation from a questionable accrediting organization. (The Greater Buffonistanian Independent Colleges association might be sketchy)
--The operation lacks state or federal licensure or authority to operate.
--There is little if any attendance required of students, either online or in class. (Our school motto: “You never have to show up”.)
--Few assignments required for students to earn credits.
--There is a very short period of time required to earn a degree. (“Our one-week M.Div. program allows for post office delays with your check.”)
--Degrees are available based solely on experience or resume review. (“Allegator wrestler? Sure, you can have a D.Min. in pastoral care!”)
--There are few requirements for graduation. (Did we mention our one-week M.Div. program?)
--The operation fails to provide any information about a campus or business location or address and rely, e.g., only on a post office box? (“We reduce our costs to you by not maintaining an expensive infrastructure-other than our villa in Portugal.”
--The operation fails to provide a list of its faculty and their qualifications. (“All of our staff at St. Swithun’s are graduates of…St. Swithun’s.”)
--The operation has a name similar to other well-known colleges and universities. (Just how many St. Andrew’s Seminaries are there?)
--The operation makes claims in its publications for which there is no evidence. (Good grief! That’s every undergraduate catalogue in the country! Rawk, rawk rawk!*)

The Toad knows that one of the most troubling aspects of a recent Federal investigation revealed that foreigners who purchased such bogus online degrees could then be eligible for "H1-B" (educational) visas—or, for that matter, “R-1” (religious worker) visas, using their alleged educational backgrounds as reasons for legitimate entry into the United States.

The Toad was particular struck by one example, when an undercover Secret Service agent using the name "Mohammed Syed" applied for a college degree from James Monroe University. Seems as though the applicant, court documents say, filled out an online application, claiming he had obtained "multiple hours of training in chemistry and engineering" as a member of the Syrian Army. Whoohoo! And we don’t know of any similar instances of the old frode immigrazione involving continuing Anglican churches or “seminaries” do we?

"Christ-centered, Biblically based, Affordable"

Yep, that’s the actual motto of the Newburgh Theological Seminary and College of the Bible of Newburg, Indiana which seems to have facilities at the local Executive Inn and which offers a full menu of degrees from a Bachelor of Theology ($1595.00), to a Doctor of Theology (Th.D)(a mere $2,195.00). For the doctorate, you have to read at least six books and write a “dissertation” of 50-100 pages which they will review…thoroughly…really…after the check clears.

The Toad’s absolute favorite so far is the Google link to “Degree Mill” which leads you to “Rochelle University”. These guys are right up front- “No Studies. No Attendance. No Waiting. No Examinations. No Hefty Fee.” I mean, heck, the “Degree Package Special” gets you a Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate for a low, low, $1,038.00! That’s even less than some of the seminaries the Toad identified in the initial post. At least old Rochelle U. isn’t vending theology degrees…yet.

Or, avoid the whole messy registration and payment problem and go to the “Magic Mill”. http://www.pixdox.com/magicmill/creagodip001.html Just enter your name, pick your poison, decide when you graduated and VOILA! You'll be all set to print your diploma and hit the big time! It’s as legit as some of the “seminaries” out there, and prints a snazzier certificate.

Testing the Waters

Essentially, there are two categories of folks out there: the unwary and the unscrupulous. For the former, if you really are that clueless, perhaps it might be that you need a bit more discernment before pursuing a vocation. As to the latter, and you all know who you are, there just isn't anything we can do for you other than to hope that you are taking one of those little pop-up thermometers when you go.

So today, Toads and Toadettes, we’ve given you a set of criteria and resources to apply the fraudulizer to some of these august academic institutions lurking in the backwaters of the internet for those in the unwary category.

If you want to contrast the real with the specious, have a look at the Catholic Distance University. http://www.cdu.edu/index.asp (And, no, the Toad isn’t working on commission.) It is a respected resource, in operation for more than 20 years, which posts its accreditation from legitimate secular bodies, as well as the Catholic Church, right up front.

http://www.cdu.edu/accreditations.asp You may also want to take a look at the faculty and check out their credentials. http://www.cdu.edu/faculty_staff.asp You won’t find a St. Swithun’s Theological College and Paralegal Academy grad among them.

You also won’t be getting anything on the cheap: tuition for continuing education courses are $135 a course; undergraduate courses cost $227 a credit hour; and graduate courses are $369 a credit hour. That’ll really cut into the vestment budget.

Oh, yeah, you have to actually do the course work. What spoil sports? How will one ever find the time to get one’s “pro-cathedral” built with all of that darned studying?
At least one can’t claim you are committing fraud on the Body of Christ with a spurious educational credential. Oh, sorry, I forgot. “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:...all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.” Matthew 23:2-7.

Rawk, rawk, rawk!*

Yr. Obed. Serv.,


R. Toad, DD, LSMFT
*The sound of one Toad barking