| Summary: We’ve all seen the commercials on TV: distance learning courses that will earn you a degree in 6 weeks! Some offer distance learning course degrees in even less time, provided you can pay the astronomical tuition. Half of the degrees they offer don’t ... |
We’ve all seen the commercials on TV: distance learning courses that will earn you a degree in 6 weeks! Some offer distance learning course degrees in even less time, provided you can pay the astronomical tuition. Half of the degrees they offer don’t even seem like degrees offered at any legitimate institution. But some are less obviously scams and if you’ve decided that distance learning is your best option, you want to make sure that your time, effort and financial investment pay off!
For starters, always make sure that the distance learning school is accredited by a legitimate accrediting agency. The purpose of accreditation is to show that the learning institution meets minimum best practices that should be met by any higher learning institution. Any institution worth its salt will want to ensure that they receive their accreditation as a show of how seriously they take their programs and degree curriculum. Remember, even accreditation agencies can be scams as well, so doing your homework is extremely important. For more thorough research, visit the United States Department of Education website: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/GetDownloadFile.aspx and download a full list of all accredited universities in America. Keep in mind that some of the institutions listed were submitted by 3rd party accreditation agencies that may not, themselves, be legitimate agencies. To be safe, stick with those agencies that are listed with the Council for Higher Education Accreditation; a national non-profit advocate for self-regulation of academic quality through accreditation.
In general, the less work that you have to do to obtain your distance learning degree, the more likely it is that the learning institution is not legitimate. For instance, many schools will offer you a diploma based solely on “life experience”. While many legitimate universities will offer some credit for life experience, an entire degree based on life experience should raise eyebrows. Also beware of distance learning institutions who do not put you through an application process; many will take any student who can pay their tuition. You want to be sure that they are accepting students by merit, not ability to pay.
And pay close attention to the presence (or lack thereof) of staff and faculty within your distance learning institution, as well as accessibility to them. You should be able to access a roster of the faculty, as well as their background and education; you have a right to know who is going to be giving you your education! If the ratio of staff to students they claim are in their program seems relatively low, that could be an indicator that the “faculty” are are actually unqualified non-academics. Along those same lines, ensure that the learning institution has a legitimate physical address. Post office boxes or simple “online” addresses are fishy to say the least, and shows a high likelihood that the institution wants to make it difficult to trace them.
Finally, use common sense and listen to your gut - if it seems too good to be true, it probably is! The easier it is to obtain that degree, the less likely that it is legitimate. Honest degrees are difficult for a reason: because you are learning tough coursework so that you can be an expert in your field. Shortcuts do not work and can serve to undermine your credibility. So choose wisely!
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