Would you teach at a diploma mill?

Agreed. I attended a non-accredited school a while ago (School of Visual Concepts, a design school in Seattle, WA) and they were completely upfront about their lack of accreditation and also that they do not grant degrees, only certificates -- they just promise that you will come out of there with a killer portfolio. (And they aren't kidding. I learned a ton while there, and I don't think being accredited would have improved it.) They don't try to hide their status in any way -- they explain exactly why they never bothered to apply for accreditation.

The funny thing was, I actually managed to get college credit out of it anyway. I transfered to The Evergreen State College after a few classes at SVC, and said "what the heck," and had SVC send Evergreen information about the classes I took. Evergreen granted me 8 transfer credits for my SVC work! I think this indicates that they know the school is legit even if unaccredited.

"Diploma mill," to me, implies intent to defraud, to grant degrees for not really doing the work. A legit unaccredited school still makes you do real work.

I would teach for an unaccredited school in a second if they are legit. In fact, my first teaching job was at SVC, and it was much more fun than my current teaching job at a for-profit college, because SVC has no grades and therefore very little whining (on either the students' part or mine! haha). I wouldn't teach for a diploma mill... but I would assume they don't do much teaching anyway.

 

Unaccredited does not equate to degree mill. While all degree mills are unaccredited, not all unaccredited schools are degree mills.

 

Absolutely correct. I graduated from an unaccredited music school many years ago. To this day, they continue to be unaccredited, but they are still one of the most respected schools in the music business.

 

Your signature line suggests that the "unaccredited music school" in question is Musicians Institute.

If so, this school is in fact accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), and has been since 1981.

NASM is fully recognized by the US Dept. of Education as an accreditor, and has been since 1952. Furthermore, NASM is also fully recognized as an accreditor by CHEA.

So Musicians Institute -- if that's the school you mean -- is not "unaccredited". On the contrary, it has held recognized national accreditation for nearly 30 years. Musicians Institute has been nationally accredited for longer than most of the DETC schools that are discussed on this board; for example, Aspen University has only been DETC-accredited since 1993.

 

Exactly. This thread is not easy to answer without a specific school in mind...

 

OK, CalDog, now you are forcing me to reveal my age. I graduated from Musician's Institute before it was accredited. I have not kept track of the accreditation status since then and assumed they didn't bother because of their fame. You got me there.

 

Actually the Department of Education dates to 1867. It existed for a year or two, and was restructured as an office in the Department of the Interior. The Office of Education evolved into the Bureau of Education, headed by a Commissioner of Education in Interior. With the passage of the 1952 Veteran's Readjustment Assistance Act (the Korean G.I. Bill), the Commissioner of Education began publishing lists of recognized accredited institutions, and only those institutions were eligible to receive G.I. Bill funds. I imagine that an organization claiming 1952 as a recognition date probably had one or more of its schools on that 1952 list.

 

OK, MC, you are forcing me to admit that I wish I were as young as you! :smirk: I wish I could go back 25 years and still know everything I now know! Would never have made some of the stupid mistakes I have made.

 

Ok - I have to say it. No offense to the OP, but does anyone else think this is a really stupid question given the purpose of this forum?

 

Well, it was interesting enough to generate 33 responses.

 

Maybe stupid, maybe not as stupid as it seems. I suppose it would depend on what you qualify as a degree mill. I would assume that some would be willing to teach at a school that was less than the best as long as it was legal and was not ripping students off. Also, are there actually teaching jobs available at a true degree mill? IMO, teaching seems antithetic to a degree mill. Isn't it all about paying your money and getting your fake degree?

 

Stated incorrectly yes, but not a dumb question. I would say that any question that brings enlightenment is a valid one. The portion pertaining to diploma mill vs. unaccredited no doubt educated quite a few posters that were unaware of the difference.

 

I'm in my first class in the same program as you. How are you liking it after completing 25%? Have you been to one of the on-campus intensives yet?

 

I love it so far. I'm taking two courses at the moment, one of which is an intensive, as well as the GRST 500 course. Up to this point the intensives have been great. The campus, staff, and other students have been absolutely wonderful. I'll finish 701 next week and 741 in December.

Last week my brother, dad, and I attended the first football game in the new stadium and loved it as well.

With the cost being half for military, I don't see how I could have chosen a better school.

 

I think an example of a school that could fit into the category is Warren National University (AKA Kennedy Western University). Many considered WNU a diploma mill. You needed a report and 5 classes (plus or minus a class or two) for any degree, Bachelors, Master's or doctorate. Each class consisted of one open book test. They had a pretty long list of instructors. Each instructor was given a fixed payment per report/thesis that they graded. There was one person active on AED that ended up working for this place for at least a few years.

On the other hand WNU might not be a good example since the place has gone out of business.

 

What was the housing situation like for the intensive? Is on-campus housing available, or are you on your own to find a hotel?

I totally agree about the quality of the school, considering my very limited experience there. I love the people and the helpful attitude of the staff and instructors. The online classes are the best I've experienced in the 23 online classes, at 4 schools, I have now completed. Makes me sound like a shill, doesn't it?