Successfully graduating with a higher education degree and completing higher education course work is what helps many people gain employment, obtain promotions at work and possibly advance to a higher wage on the salary scale. An individual typically decides to further their education so that they can gain experience and become a more highly qualified resource and candidate for career advancement.
A college education is extremely expensive, very time consuming and in some countries it is almost impossible to gain admission and graduate from colleges and universities. Many students continually face challenges and roadblocks in their attempt to further their education. Distance education, online programs, professional certificates and continuing education course work are a good option for many students.
Unfortunately, post-secondary education has become a feeding ground for students eagerly seeking a college degree and desperately needing the college credentials to gain employment. The opportunity to get a college degree through online course work continues to expand as more people are able to access the Internet. Companies are taking advantage of degree seeking students by offering fraudulent degrees and programs of study that are not regionally recognized and accredited by the government.
An institution with inadequate accreditation or without accreditation, that issues post-secondary, fee dependent degrees, diplomas or certificates with the intent of allowing individuals to represent themselves as graduates, degreed professionals or certified, skilled professionals by allowing them to complete inadequate or no education courses are frequently referred to as “diploma mills”.
Diploma mill degrees can be obtained without completing adequate coursework, are obtained in an amount of time that is not equivalent to the time required to complete the same degree at an accredited institution and typically do not require classroom work or submission of class assignments to earn a course grade.
Consequences for enrolling in a fraudulent (diploma mill) program includes receiving a degree that is meaningless and has no value to employers. Implications of purchasing a college degree from a diploma mill company are far greater than the associated financial losses; they may include: your degree being exploited as being fake, potential job loss when employers find out, the inability to ever hold a state or federal job or elected position and the inability to be accepted for future degree programs at accredited institutions.
Students considering a post-secondary degree should invest the needed time and energy that it takes to ensure their colleges and universities are accredited by the US Department of Education and that these institutions are offering programs that are accredited. In the
