Distance Learning and Online Degree:
With the advent of the Internet the mode of education has changed drastically. From distance education the word has changed to Online Education where the method of teaching has become virtual.
Additionally, course materials will be sent by post, which they can finish at home An online business degree is best suited to working executives who can finish their course at their own pace and do not need to lose work to attend classes.
2. How will an online business degree help your career?
An online business degree is one of the best possible ways to enhance one’s academic qualifications. Many fortune 700 companies appreciate employees who have a higher academic degree and consider such degrees as a criterion for promotion. This means that even if you work hard and exhibit good professional ethics, you may be sidelined when it comes to promotions and pay hikes.
3. Getting qualified through an online course serves three purposes:
1. It enhances your academic standing
2. It does not require you to lose your job in order to make time for learning.
3. You can learn in your leisure time and use it productively to enhance your career.
Online Degrees are available all over the Internet from valid accepted Universities to fake Diploma Mills that churn out diplomas without need for anything other than cold hard cash.
While the advantages of the Online Degree providing colleges are many the fact remains that the fake diploma mills are adversely affecting the reputation of the legitimate degree providing colleges.
Legitimate Online Degree College vs. Fake Diploma Mills
Universities and colleges online have to be accredited and the best ones like Phoenix University are, but there are again, the ‘life experience’ degree providers like the Belford University that create fake accreditation agencies and then accredit themselves, causing students looking for shortcuts to believe that these are legit institutes and are merely showing them the way out.
However, when all online degree holders enter the practical world looking for a job carrying their ‘online diplomas’ these fake diploma holders cause the legit degree holders to lose out as potential employers lose faith in the ‘online degrees’ so many of which are useless.
The latest trend in education is distance education where you can attain an undergraduate and graduate, certification or professional degree with the help of advanced technology of Internet.
It is gaining popularity owing to the fact that it can be obtained without leaving your job and can be done at your own pace. Owing to this sudden popularity in distance education, more and more universities are introducing online degree education.
With the wave of intensive growth in distance education comes another problem which is that of fraudulent online degrees.
Universities need to make a profit in order to sustain in the growing competition. The statistics behind online universities indicate that online universities are growing by 33% annually [International Data Corporation Online].
The benefit that the universities offering online courses are that they need not worry about infrastructural expenditure and they can reach out to people across the globe.
The difference between a fake degree online and a valid one is that fraudulent online degree universities are called ‘degree mills’ as their main focus is in fast production and distribution of fake diplomas. They just offer credit for life experience and if you pay your fees you get your diploma. You don’t have to worry about practical experience. If you pay a little extra, you can even graduate with honors!
The problem arises when this life experience is not accepted by state and federal laws and you face the problem of looking for a suitable job.
A legitimate online college can be recognized against a fake one by checking out the actual web address which is usually offered by The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the international organization that dispenses domain names (web addresses).
Accredited schools will receive the .edu designation. For example, Stanford University’s web address is Stanford.edu which authenticates that they are genuine online universities. Next you can also check from the list of accredited schools provided by US Department of Education.
What is the ‘The Diploma Mill Police’?
Diploma Mill Police is an online resource to identify if the diploma you have received from an online university is a valid one and is from a fully accredited institution.
To authenticate your degree, GetEducated.com, has launched a free online service, The Diploma Mill Police (TM). This is a free service offered by the website and helps students as well as employer to put forth their grievances regarding the accreditation of their online certifications.
All you need to do is to submit a query to check on the accreditation status of any online college operating in the USA. A Consumer Seal of Approval is also provided by GetEducated.com which genuine accredited colleges can use on their site after being screened by an authorized deputy of the Diploma Mill Police.
Is getting a fake degree worth the effort. Will it get you a job in a Fortune 700 company?
Getting a fake degree may cause lot more problems than benefits. It is a very big risk to buy a fake degree from a diploma mill as well as to claim that you have a degree which rightfully you are not worthy of.
You are shelling out enormous money and the people who are scam artists can get away with it but you can be victimized. The problem arises when this life experience is not acceptable by state and federal laws and you face a problem which acquiring a suitable job.
Students might be thinking that getting a diploma from an unaccredited university will save them the drudgery of studying and they want to out for an easy way out by just paying some money and buying a diploma.
The Diploma itself typically looks impressive and is indistinguishable from a real college or university diploma. Clearly the diploma mills have no integrity and are not worried about the injustice to the students like you who have worked hard for your degrees.
The fake degree may even lead to your prosecution as in the case of a dozen teachers in Georgia who claimed to have Doctoral degrees from the bogus Saint Regis University were caught in 2003. Similarly in May 2004, nearly 500 government employees lost their jobs when their degrees were checked.
It would be sheer luck if you acquire a job in a Fortune 700 company with the help of a fake degree as these companies undertake rigorous investigation to check the authenticity of the degrees.
If by chance you manage to get a job, you are always under pressure on when you might be fired, if they get to know about the fact that your degree is a fake.
Fake online degrees are a meaningless, waste of money because wherever, you use the degree; it will be validated as ‘fake’. Is that true?
Getting a fake online degrees is a meaningless, waste of money because wherever, you use the degree; it will be validated as `fake’; this is true to a certain extent.
There are chances that you will acquire a job in smaller companies who do not undertake rigorous screening of certificates of their employees. You might get away with it for sometime.
However, as you go up the ladder or look for a job in established companies you might come across the ground reality that your degree is just of piece of paper. A fake online degree has more problems than benefits. You will always be under the pressure that you would be caught for your fake certificate.
Students might be thinking that getting a diploma from an unaccredited university will save them the drudgery of studying and they want to out for an easy way out by just paying some money and buying a diploma.
The diploma itself typically looks impressive and is indistinguishable from a real college or university diploma. But the truth is employers know which degrees are worth it and which have been bought.
Some FAQs Accreditation and College Degrees
1. What is accreditation?
Accreditation is an assurance. It is a type of authorization given by an authorized government institute. The reason for accreditation is to give online degrees required recognition. In addition to this, it is also to ensure the quality of the program being offered.
2. What are the types of accreditation?
Regional accreditation boards provide the most recognized form of accreditation. For instance, Harvard and Ohio universities are regionally accredited. Stanford is also regionally accredited.
Whenever you come across people asking you whether you have attended an accredited university or not, they generally refer to regionally accredited universities. Hence, regional accreditation is the most preferred form of accreditation.
3. What is the significance of accreditation?
Accreditation provides a public record of your degree. A degree from an accredited institute is recognized by employers and companies all over the world.
4. What are the six regional institutes for accreditation?
There are about six authorized units responsible for accrediting online degrees. Namely they are:
NASC – Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges
NCA – North Central Association of Schools and Colleges
NEASC – New England Association of Schools and Colleges
SACS – Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
WASC – Western Association of Schools and Colleges
MSA – Middle States Association
What is programmatic accreditation?
At times, the special departments in accredited universities require special accreditation. The teachers licensing board requires a degree from accredited universities. Also, to accredit certain programs, the government requires a college to be accredited.
What do I need to know about State approved Universities?
Presently, there has been an enormous increase in State approved Universities. Many states have a test which a university has to pass, in order to be approved.
This process however is not equivalent to accreditation. It simply means that the college is approved to do business. The standard and quality of the degree is not ensured.
The above given FAQs comprise of basic information regarding distance learning. If you choose for an online degree, you should keep in mind the above points.
