I have some questions after seeing the stir on another thread.
I suspect I am not the only one with these questions. Perhaps because I have no college degrees at all, and no experience in earning the same, I feel at liberty to pick the minds of others on this.
1. What constitutes a "Degree Mill/Diploma Mill"?
Wikipedia is vague on this I think. To say an organization with "substandard or no academic study and without recognition by official educational accrediting bodies" really does not satisfy the question for me.
2. Do you agree with this distiction?
* A degree mill provides a "real" degree from a fake college.
* A diploma mill provides a fake degree from a real college.
3. Does an "Honorary Degree" always imply something "not earned"? Are there legitimate "Honorary Degrees" issued by legitimate colleges and universities, or are these all to be considered "worthless paper"?
4. Would you ever accept an Honorary Degree based on your life's work or studies etc?
I recall attending a seminar where the wife of a former GS spoke of getting a degree which was at least partially based on her lifes work and completed literary skills. Does that mean it's pretty much "unearned"? Bogus?
By the Wikipedia definition Gateway or even UGST may be a degree or diploma mill...
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4. Would you ever accept an Honorary Degree based on your life's work or studies etc?
.
I might accept one, but I'd stick it on a shelf, and not refer to it. I certainly would not call myself a 'Doctor' when I knew I had not done the proper course work to earn it.
If I say I have a Bachelors, Masters, or Doctorate, I want to be able to hold my head high and know I did the hard work involved to earn one. I would be embarrassed to claim it when I knew I hadn't put in the time and effort to legitimately earn it.
I think anyone who has an Honorary Degree needs to say or write the word 'Honorary' every single time they refer to it.
Last edited by *AQuietPlace*; 07-05-2010 at 11:36 AM.
I have some questions after seeing the stir on another thread.
I suspect I am not the only one with these questions. Perhaps because I have no college degrees at all, and no experience in earning the same, I feel at liberty to pick the minds of others on this.
1. What constitutes a "Degree Mill/Diploma Mill"?
Wikipedia is vague on this I think. To say an organization with "substandard or no academic study and without recognition by official educational accrediting bodies" really does not satisfy the question for me.
2. Do you agree with this distiction?
* A degree mill provides a "real" degree from a fake college.
* A diploma mill provides a fake degree from a real college.
3. Does an "Honorary Degree" always imply something "not earned"? Are there legitimate "Honorary Degrees" issued by legitimate colleges and universities, or are these all to be considered "worthless paper"?
4. Would you ever accept an Honorary Degree based on your life's work or studies etc?
I recall attending a seminar where the wife of a former GS spoke of getting a degree which was at least partially based on her lifes work and completed literary skills. Does that mean it's pretty much "unearned"? Bogus?
By the Wikipedia definition Gateway or even UGST may be a degree or diploma mill...
Hoovie, what is a college degree and what makes it worth something?
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I recall attending a seminar where the wife of a former GS spoke of getting a degree which was at least partially based on her lifes work and completed literary skills. Does that mean it's pretty much "unearned"? Bogus?
. . .
That alone would not make it bogus. Is it, perhaps, an "honorary" degree? There is nothing inherently bogus about an honorary degree. Most legitimate, reputable, accredited universities grant them from time to time, based on (perhaps among other things) life's work and contributions to a particular field. Also, some will give credit for experience toward a regular (not honorary) degree. I'm not aware of any that would grant a regular degree solely based on credit for experience or contribution to a field.
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2. Do you agree with this distiction?
* A degree mill provides a "real" degree from a fake college.
* A diploma mill provides a fake degree from a real college.
. . .
I think the terms are often used interchangeably, actually. And both refer more to the former than that latter. But "fake" is a tricky term. These institutions are often carefully designed to be legal in what they do. Thus, the degrees they issue could be considered "real", in the sense that no laws were actually broken in issuing them. SEU, for example, does not issue degrees in the UK, where it is kinda based. And it will not accept students in Arkansas, where it is also kinda based. These policies are what make it "legal".
It's also likely that a number of degree mills are actually not legal, but they keep operating anyway.
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CLC is an unaccredited institution. However they require, or did, actual classwork for each credit. I was able to transfer in credit from a community college that directly related to the classes I would need for my degree. After graduation many schools would not accept my degree from CLC. Regent looked at the coursework I had to complete and after one semester in their masters program (Divinity) I earned a 3.92 (thanks to an A- in a missions class) for 16 credit hours. I was then admitted to the law school based on my unaccredited, but earned, degree from CLC and my score on the LSAT.
A diploma mill often asks for nothing other than a payment, or substandard work like a single paper (SEU) for a degree. A single paper for a degree as opposed to Dr. Segraves going to Regent for 4 or 5 years and doing extensive course work throughout that time plus a thesis. Comparing the two shows the difference in a diploma mill and an earned degree.
I don't know that anyone would admit a student on the basis of an honorary degree. It is really more of an honor than a degree. For instance the governor of Virginia, Bob McDonald, received an honorary Doctorate last year . He has earned a BA, a Masters, and his JD. The doctorate is just an honor.
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I should add that if someone is issuing fake diplomas from real universities (and I bet there are such folks!), that would be illegal, of course. I don't know if the terms you asked about are used in the way you posted or not, but they could be.
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Hebrews 13:23 Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty
A real degree is given in order. You can't obtain a doctorate without obtaining a B.A. and a Masters first. If you have enough hours, and fulfilled the requirements, then you will be awarded the appropriate degree, then move on to the next one.
Hoovie, what is a college degree and what makes it worth something?
A college degree is only a piece of paper. What makes a degree worth something is how much employers trust whichever institution issued the degree to produce qualified employees. If there is no trust in an institution then the degrees which it issues will be worthless. If a degree is worthless then it is a fake. If a "college" issues fake degrees then it is a fake "college".
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A college degree is only a piece of paper. What makes a degree worth something is how much employers trust whichever institution issued the degree to produce qualified employees. If there is no trust in an institution then the degrees which it issues will be worthless. If a degree is worthless then it is a fake. If a "college" issues fake degrees then it is a fake "college".
Don't forget that many jobs give pay raises based on accredited diplomas. So even though a school may not have a great reputation among employers they still may be valid degrees, that have a monetary value.
Congress has had numerous hearings regarding diploma mills as government employees have used these to get bogus degrees and accompanying pay raises.
Also, your ability to get into other schools are enhanced based on accredited degrees.
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