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* [[Alternative Medicine Research Institute]] (''aka The Alternative Medicines Research Organization'')
* [[Alternative Medicine Research Institute]] (''aka The Alternative Medicines Research Organization'')
* [[American Austin University]]
* [[American Austin University]]
* [[American Bible College and Seminary]]
* [[American Bible College and Seminary]] (there was an accredited school by this name that closed)
* [[American Center for Religion and Society Studies]]
* [[American Center for Religion and Society Studies]]
* [[American Central University]]
* [[American Central University]]
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* [[Pacific Western University]]
* [[Pacific Western University]]
* [[Parkwood University]]
* [[Parkwood University]]
* [[Patrick Henry College]]
* [[Patrick Henry College]] (Candidate for accreditation)
* [[Patriot Bible University]]
* [[Patriot Bible University]]
* [[Peace River Bible Institute]]
* [[Peace River Bible Institute]]
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* [[Trinity School of Apologetics & Theology]] ''(aka Trinity Graduate School of Apologetics And Theology)'' (Kerala, India)
* [[Trinity School of Apologetics & Theology]] ''(aka Trinity Graduate School of Apologetics And Theology)'' (Kerala, India)
* [[Trinity Southern University]] (See: [[Colby Nolan]])
* [[Trinity Southern University]] (See: [[Colby Nolan]])
* [[Trinity Theological Seminary ]]
* [[Trinity Theological Seminary ]] (candidate for Regional Accreditation with the North Central Association. Scheduled site visit has been postponed)
* [[Tyndale Theological Seminary]]
* [[Tyndale Theological Seminary]]
* [[Urban Harvest Bible Institute & Seminary]]
* [[Urban Harvest Bible Institute & Seminary]]

Revision as of 04:00, 8 June 2006

This article lists colleges, seminaries, and universities whose qualifications may possibly not be accepted by civil service or other employers. These institutions may have been listed on publicly available lists of unaccredited institutions, or are absent from UNESCO related IAU Universities List of world universities (see "external links" at the bottom of this article). Some are also suspected of being diploma mills, while others are no longer in existence. Several unaccredited universities have names chosen because they are similar to those of accredited institutions or falsely imply that it is a public university.

Therefore, taking the legal issues mentioned below into account, this list should not necessarily be viewed as complete or authoritative.

Legal issues and considerations

United States of America

In the United States, unaccredited degrees may not be acceptable for state or federal civil service or other employment; in certain cases and circumstances; criminal penalties may even apply should such a degree be presented in lieu of a degree from an accredited institution. However, such degrees in and of themselves are illegal only in Oregon, New Jersey, Indiana, Illinois, North Dakota and Nevada, where they are considered as misdemeanors mostly punishable by relatively small fines [1].

In addition, it has been reported that some of these unaccredited schools have successfully objected against such laws, the most notable being Wyoming-based Kennedy-Western University, which sued Oregon to cease listing it as a diploma mill in 2004 [2], claiming that its degree-holders had a First Amendment right to say they were degree-holders. However, the case did not result in a trial as the "University" and the Oregon Department of Justice reached an out-of-court settlement, which thusly affects only affecting Kennedy-Western and is not a precedent.

According to the settlement, Kennedy-Western degree-holders may now say that they have degrees when applying for jobs in the private sector in Oregon, but they must also reveal that Kennedy-Western is unaccredited in all job applications, resumes, business cards and advertising that mentions the degree. Public employment and licensed professions are excepted from the agreement.[3]

Oregon now lists Kennedy-Western as "unaccredited," stating that its "degrees do not meet requirements for employment by State of Oregon or for work in any profession licensed by the State of Oregon for which a degree is required" [4].

Australia and New Zealand

It has also been reported [5] that the University of Newlands, a school that was listed as a "wannabe" or "degree mill" by The Australian newspaper, was given permission by the New Zealand High Court to proceed to trial in its suit against the paper's publisher for defamation. However, the presiding judge did state that such degrees may be illegal and that purporting to offer such degrees could be deemed dishonest or unethical conduct. He also ruled that defamation occurs in the country where the material is downloaded from the Internet. As of August 2004, no court date had yet been set for the actual trial [6].

South Korea

It is illegal to falsely claim a degree in South Korea if it does not meet accredited approval. For example, in March of 2006 prosecutors in Seoul "broken up a crime ring selling bogus music diplomas from Russia, which helped many land university jobs and seats in orchestras."[7] People who falsely used these degrees were criminally charged.

United Kingdom

In the UK it is illegal to offer a qualification that is or might seem to be UK degree unless the body offering it is on a statutory list maintained by the Department for Education and Skills. Prosecutions under the Education Reform Act are rare, as many of the bodies on the internet are based outside UK jurisdiction.

Prosecutions under other legislation do occur. In 2004 Thames Valley College in London was prosecuted under the Trade Descriptions Act for offering degrees from the 'University of North America', a limited liability company set up by themselves in the US with no academic staff and no premises other than a mail forwarding service.

Warning signs

Main articles: Diploma mill, school accreditation, and US Department of Education

Not every unaccredited school is a diploma mill - all schools start out unaccredited. These are some of the warning signs which may indicate a diploma mill:

  • It lacks accreditation by a nationally recognized accrediting agency, especially if it is accredited by an accreditation mill.
  • Words denoting a legal status such as "licensed," "state authorized" or "state-approved" are misused to suggest an equivalence to accreditation.
  • The address is a postal box or mail forwarding service.
  • Promotional literature contains grammatical and spelling errors, words in Latin, extravagant or pretentious language, and sample diplomas.
  • Degrees can be obtained within a few weeks or months from the time of enrollment, back-dating is possible.
  • Faculty members hold advanced degrees from the institution itself or similar organizations.
  • Academic credit is offered for life experience, and this features heavily in the selling points of the institution.
  • Tuition and fees are paid on a degree basis rather than on a per-semester, per-quarter or per-course basis.
  • Prospective students are encouraged to "enroll now" before tuition or fees are increased, or they qualify for a "fellowship," "scholarship" or "grant."
  • It has no library.
  • Doctoral theses and dissertations are not lodged with the Library of Congress or other national repository.

List

See also

External links

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