Masters Propio (ENEB, etc)

True - they're useful to other members, to identify the holder as a "poser."

 

So you doubt my Masters in Comedy?

 

You're entirely right. Being a forum where we discuss and tease out every detail of universities, degrees, and programs, we can sometimes get a bit lost, looking at every nuance or detail. In this case, I myself got a bit caught up with legality and accreditation, missing the forest for the trees. Thanks for bringing things back into perspective.

As far as 'serious degrees' are concerned, I'd generally agree. Many of these super cheap deals are just that, a few online lessons for a great price that may provide a 'legal' degree but not the full learning experience one would get from a traditional program (whether residential or online).

Does that make them completely useless? I'd argue no, but don't expect the same learning nor the post-completion utility from the two sets of experiences. If you want to use Masstercursos or similar to get a structured sampling of a new topic to guide future learning, it should work. If you want to show your manager that you're pursuing some professional development or independent learning, it might fill that role (depending on your individual employment situation, of course). Your mileage may vary. Caveat emptor. All that jazz.

While I can appreciate the comparison, I would hope that some of these private centers (especially the well-documented case of ENEB) offer slightly more structure, accountability, and actual learning than independent reading & a book report. At least, I mean that for the original programs themselves, whether it be Masstercursos, ENEB, or the many other institutes and study centers we've discussed here and on the sister site. Some are more clearly developed programs with greater rigor. Others are far more...casual. That's where one's own personal discretion, interests, and desired outcomes come into play, but as I mentioned above, I think these programs can help a student to achieve something and aren't completely worthless nor pointless.

As for all of these articulation agreements to receive however many duplicate degree diplomas from partner institutions, I'd wholeheartedly agree. I can't imagine any employer being impressed. I don't even imagine any of us here would be impressed if one of our own members here had 5+ diplomas for the same program: Masstercursos, UCLEA, NIU, Universidad San Miguel, Universidad de San José, and CESB. It's been fun to discuss but not practical nor prudent to actually go through with such.

 

Any coders here at DI? Maybe we could make a fun degree generator page here at DI.com. Type in your degree and subject, DI University awards us the diploma of our choice.

I'd be willing to add those to my signature and to hang those up in my home office.

 

I don't think so. That'd be milking someone else's gag - e.g. Abide University. I prefer DI exposing harmful fakes, to novelty-store antics. Getting into that ourselves - making gag degrees - is not, as I see it, consistent with what DI was started for. And who would believe a degree in Mental Health Studies, signed by a guy named Maniac Craniac, anyway.

An idea - you want gag diplomas, print your own. No coding needed. Just a bit of word processing skill. You can buy blank diplomas, nice paper with no writing, just fancy borders in just about any stationery place. Very cheap - packs of 50.

 

@Maniac Craniac - ran out of time to offer my apologies for the joke above. Please accept them now.

 

I respectfully disagree.

First, let us acknowledge that there is no objective standard in play here. "Useful" is a term of art, not science,

Next, let us examine those who might behold such a thing. As my doctoral research clearly demonstrated--and there's no reason to think this isn't still true--a huge number of consumers of degrees--employers, HR managers, and (assumed by extension) the general public--don't know about these distinctions and don't care to look. There are exceptions, of course, and we don't really know the exact magnitude of this phenomenon, but the billon-dollar diploma mill and the millions of public, false degree claims wouldn't exist if this truth wasn't robust.

These are two different questions. For the first:

A degree (or certification or certificate or whatever credential) is a proxy. It speaks about you on your behalf. The advantage to purchasing a fake degree--as opposed to just making a false statement about having one--is that you gain a co-conspirator in your ruse. The "school" can issue transcripts, diplomas, and even provide a verification service for your lie. At least, as long as they remain in business.

The second:

No. But it might look like you have with people whom you wish to deceive.

 

I had Abide U in my as I wrote my post.

In all seriousness, I'll pass on printing my own diplomas. But I won't promise that I won't post the odd Abide diploma here from time-to-time.

 

So… you are arguing in favor of sketchy degrees because some folks might not dig deep enough to realize they are sketchy?

 

I'm not. Can't speak for Messdiener. He's on his own, here. Printing up (or buying) phony diplomas is not my bag -- but I'd be pretty darn good at printing them, if I wanted to. But I don't.

 

Most definitely not.

All I would advocate for is using Masstercursos and similar programs for your own personal growth and/or to check a box for professional development.

Should you choose to put them on a CV or to submit them for professional development credits of some kind, always be upfront with your employers (or potential employers) if they ask questions about these. Nothing good can come from deceiving others.

As to printing diplomas, that's only for fun and games. And by that, I solely mean heading over to Abide University and applying for a PhD in Dudeist Studies. I hope that that's clear.

 

You're nothing of the sort. Never were. The forum would fall apart without you.

 

Doh! My reply didn’t include the quote for what I was responding to. I was trying to reply to Rich. To me it sounded like he’s saying sketchy degrees are fine because most people won’t realize it. Perhaps I’m reading it wrong.

 

Rich doesn't need defending, but that'll never stop me putting my oar in...

To me, he made completely objective statements, backed up by his doctoral research. Most people see a degree - that's it. They don't know or care about accreditation etc. Some few do - it's a crapshoot. And people work these odds. Rich didn't moralize.

I don't see where Rich made any recommendations for or against ANY degrees, or their use, in that post. "Just the facts. Ma'am. Backed up by research."

 

I offered no argument at all and said no such thing.

 

Then I truly have absolutely know idea what you said. I have read it several times and I just don’t get it.

 

Okay. Simply put, I'm saying your statement about the limited utility of fake degrees understates the matter.

Johann captured it perfectly.

 

So they are useful because… what? Because people get away with it? Because not everyone knows they are fake? (That would be a really stupid argument.)

Or are you saying that I didn’t say enough against them?

I don’t know what I said that you are disagreeing with. You don’t like the word “useful”? Should I have said “legal”?