Questionable Academic Degrees (e.g., From Diploma Mills)

[Mal_Adjusted]

Hi

This may seem unFortean but I've just read a book by Hans Holzer on "Explaining the Unexplained" - (awful book) for Fortean Times. (review forthcoming!)

Anyway the author makes great play of his doctorate from the "London College of Applied Science".

I did a quick Google and most of the entries related to .. biogs / CVs of Hans Holzer!

I also found a reference to it among a discussion on "degree mills", ie distance learning institutions with the implication that they're not exactly academically sound.

So the query is: has anyone heard of / had any experience of The London College of Applied Science"?

cheers

richard @

 

[stonedog3]

Would be interesting to know who they say the validating body is... or do they self-validate?

Kath

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Top Officials Hold Fake Degrees

LOS ANGELES, May 10,2004




(CBS) They are safety engineers at nuclear power plants and biological weapons experts. They work at NATO headquarters, at the Pentagon and at nearly every other federal agency. And, as CBS News Correspondent Vince Gonzales reports, they're employees with degrees from phony schools.

"These degrees aren't worth the paper that they're printed on," says one insider, who asked CBS News to protect his identity.

The man worked at a so-called diploma mill where students pay a lot of money to get a degree online or through the mail for little or no work.

He says he's not surprised to know that there are people working at almost every level of government who have degrees from these types of operations.

Assistant Secretary of Defense Charles Abell has a master's from Columbus University, a diploma mill Louisiana shut down. Deputy Assistant Secretary Patricia Walker lists among her degrees, a bachelor's from Pacific Western, a diploma mill banned in Oregon and under investigation in Hawaii.

CBS News requested interviews with both officials. The Pentagon turned us down, saying, "We don't consider it an issue."

But using such a degree is a crime in some states. Alan Contreras cracks down on diploma mills for Oregon, a state that's taken the lead on this issue.

"You don't want somebody with a fake degree working in Homeland Security," says Contreras. "You don't want somebody with a fake degree teaching your children or designing your bridges."

But we found employees with diploma mill degrees at the new Transportation Security Administration, the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Departments of Treasury and Education, where Rene Drouin sits on an advisory committee. He has degrees from two diploma mills including Kensington University.

Kensington was forced out of business by officials in California and Hawaii. Another Kensington alum, Florida State Rep. Jennifer Carroll, just stepped down from the National Commission on Presidential Scholars.

Both Carroll and Drouin say they worked hard and thought their degrees were legitimate.

"The students are being sold a bill of goods that really don't help them at all," the insider says. "There are slick people out there, and it's happening every day, every minute probably somewhere in America."

And taxpayers have paid for bogus degrees some workers used for hiring, promotions and raises.

---------------------
In part II of the series, a congressional committee hears the results of an investigation into government employees and whether their B.A.'s, M.B.A.'s and Ph.D's are valid.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/05/10/eveningnews/main616664.shtml

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

US report pins down bogus degrees

It may not be quite Homer Simpson in the hot chair but some key US nuclear staff could be less qualified than they seem, a congressional report has found.

Investigators have established that 28 top federal employees including nuclear monitors possess bogus college degrees and the phenomenon may be much bigger.

Staffers have been buying degrees from unaccredited US colleges which are usually based on "life experience".

The report examines how federal funds have been used to purchase them.

The "diploma mills" often use names similar to those of accredited schools and largely award degrees on the basis of a person's existing career, the report by the General Accounting Office (GAO) says.

Such colleges ask for little or no academic work of their "students".

While the federal government does pay for employees to pursue further education, it may by law only do so with regard to schools approved by a recognised accrediting body.

'Joke'

The report to the Senate Committee on Government Affairs, which does not name any "graduates", was compiled between July 2003 and this February and involved an undercover investigator.

It says that three senior employees with emergency security roles and security clearances at the National Nuclear Security Administration possess bogus degrees.

One told the GAO he had obtained a master's degree for ,000 though he had neither attended classes nor sat tests.

The certificate, drawn up on the basis of his "life experience" and past studies and described by the man himself as a "joke", helped him to advance in his career.

The GAO concludes that federal agencies lack proper systems to verify degrees, or to uncover payments for degrees masked as fees for training courses.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/3705909.stm

Published: 2004/05/11 23:51:22 GMT

© BBC MMIV

 

[ramonmercado]

16/11/05
What a difference a year makes ...

By Michael O'Farrell, Political Reporter

BY dropping his two-letter title and moving the embattled chief science adviser swiftly sideways last night, the Government attempted to dodge mounting criticism over his dubious academic credentials.


Barry McSweeney stepped aside from his €120,000-a-year position last night more than five weeks after it first emerged he obtained a PhD from California-based degree mill Pacific Western University (PWU) in 1992.

Since the 1970s PWU has been notorious for selling degrees and has frequently featured as the subject of media and US Government investigations into fake degrees.

Mr McSweeney was personally hired by then Enterprise Minister Mary Harney in June 2004 after she received a telephone call from then EU Commission vice president Neil Kinnock.

"We are very fortunate that Dr McSweeney's services become available to us at a critical time," she said at the time.


Just a year and four months later, current Enterprise Minister Micheál Martin dropped the "Dr" in a brief statement yesterday announcing Mr McSweeney's departure.

"He will take up a new position as Research Co-ordinator within the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources to progress the sectoral R&D priority areas of energy, marine, ICT, digital and geoscience," the statement said.

Pointedly declining to use the academic title previously affixed before Mr McSweeney's name, Mr Martin promised to hire a new adviser through a "public competition".

A spokesperson for Communications Minister Noel Dempsey said there was no need for an open competitive process for the new job since Mr McSweeney "was already in the system".

Asked about the controversy, Mr Dempsey said he was "confident he could do the job", while in a brief two-line statement Mr McSweeney himself said he was "pleased to accept" his new position.

The controversy over the authenticity of Mr McSweeney's qualifications had been going on for so long that privately many in the academic and scientific world had expressed great concern.

But it was not until last Friday that the man who first advised the Government to create the position of science adviser - Professor Ed Walsh - told the Irish Examiner that failure to deal with the issue was damaging Ireland's reputation and credibility.

Professor Walsh - a former president of the University of Limerick and chairman of the Science Council - last night said he was "pleased the matter had been resolved".

However, opposition parties immediately asked questions of the manner in which Mr McSweeney had been appointed last year - without any public process and following the telephone call from Mr Kinnock.

"It looks like the taxpayer will be left to foot the bill for another mistake by the Government," said Fine Gael education spokesperson Olwyn Enright.

"The Government should now acknowledge that all such serious and important posts should only be filled and offered following appropriate advertisement and public competition," said Labour spokesperson Jan O'Sullivan.

US academics and experts following the affair immediately ridiculed the Government's decision not to fire Mr McSweeney.

John Bear, an FBI credentials consultant, questioned the wisdom of giving Mr McSweeney another job.

"The question must, I think, still be asked whether one wants a person in such a key position who either knowingly pursued and used a worthless doctorate, or was fooled by such a 'university'.

"Either way (and I don't see any middle ground), that is not the sort of person I would want progressing my sectoral priority areas. In other words ... either there was dishonesty or a demonstrated inability to identify a spurious school."

Timeline

Sunday, October 9: News first emerges that Government chief scientist Barry McSweeney has a PhD from Pacific Western University (PWU).

Thursday, November 3: Enterprise Minister Micheál Martin tells the Dáil his inquiries have found that PWU is not an accredited institution.

Wednesday, November 9: Mr McSweeney meets Mr Martin for a second time and hands over several publications and documents.

Thursday, November 10: Mr McSweeney, having refused to comment publicly, gives an interview to the Irish Times.

Friday, November 11: Science Council chairman Ed Walsh tells the Irish Examiner that the continuing scandal is harming Ireland's scientific community and reputation.

Saturday, November 12: Mr McSweeney gives an interview to RTÉ and again defends his PhD.

Tuesday, November 15: The Cabinet agrees to accept Mr McSweeney's offer to move.

PHD

 

[ramonmercado]

Revealed: another top adviser has dodgy degree

Revealed: another top adviser has dodgy degree
Con Power: controversial degree


Friday November 18th 2005


Financial guru got PhD from the same place as science chief


A SECOND Government adviser is at the centre of controversy over a "worthless" university degree.

Dr Con Power obtained his doctorate from the Pacific Western University (PWU) which has been criticised for being little more than a "degree mill".

The disclosure is further embarrassment for the Government as Dr Power has been a hugely influential figure on the Irish landscape for many years and is a former economic adviser in the Taoiseach's department.

It comes days after Barry McSweeney was forced to quit as the Government's Chief Science Adviser. He had also obtained his doctorate from the Pacific Western University.

A leading authority on degree mills, former FBI consultant Dr John Bear, said last night that either man would be committing a criminal offence if they used their PWU doctorates in New Jersey or in a dozen other states in the US.

"They could, in theory, be fined or even jailed in many states," he told the Irish Independent.

Dr Power chairs the Financial Services Ombudsman Council and is vice-chair of the Irish Nationwide Building Society.

He was the first chairman of the National Roads Authority, a post he held for five years. He was also Director of Economic Policy with the employers' body, Ibec, and was previously director of the Regional Technical College in Sligo.

Dr Power insisted last night that he had a legally awarded and academically valid PhD that was obtained on completion of a rigorous programme backed by many years of research and publications.

The university is listed as approved on two California state websites. But the former FBI consultant Dr Bear said there was a world of difference between "approval" and "accreditation" - Pacific Western University degrees were academically worthless and were not accredited. The Qualifications Authority of Ireland does not recognise any degrees from Pacific Western University.

Dr Power told the Irish Independent that his PhD was never a factor in his work as he obtained his last career employment in open competition in 1979, nine years before he was awarded the doctorate.

He said he was on secondment to the Department of the Taoiseach as Special Economic Development Officer from 1 April 1992 to the end of April the following year. His salary was paid for by the Confederation of Irish Industry (now IBEC) and was recouped from the department.

He strongly denied that he was ever an adviser to the Taoiseach Albert Reynolds or to any other politican.

Defending his decision to take his doctorate at the Pacific Western University, Dr Power said he read an advertisement and decided to pursue it.

"I cannot see how me holding an earned PhD is a matter of public interest," he said. "I have a BComm [Hons - UCD - 1963], MEconSc [Hons - UCD - 1965], together with three earned professional business qualifications - FCIS, FCMA, FCIS," he added.

John Walshe
Education Editor


© Irish Independent
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/

 

[tastyintestines]

Dr Con Power

 

[gerardwilkie]

Dr Con Power

Dr Power and Dr Bear - is someone making these names up or something ?

 

[Stormkhan]

If you get a Dr Images, then you know they're having us on!

 

[ramonmercado]

no its all for real. the funny thing is that both of these guys had perfectly valid MScs. They were adminstraters rather than research scientists. ah, hubris.

 

[ramonmercado]

Scandal forces out Irish science headChief science advisor pushed from the post over questions about where he got his doctorateBy Stephen Pincock
Ireland's first government science advisor, who has been in the post for little more than a year, was forced to leave the job last week in the face of repeated questions about whether he obtained his PhD from a "diploma mill."

Barry McSweeney, a biochemist, was appointed to the job of Chief Science Advisor in June 2004, fresh from running the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC), where he managed 2500 staff across 7 institutes. He was also responsible for the EU's Marie Curie mobility program. Previously he had been director of BioResearch Ireland, and had broad industrial experience. He had a bachelor's degree from University College Cork, and a Masters degree from Trinity College Dublin.

But in early October it emerged that a PhD he acquired in 1992 was awarded by Pacific Western University (PWU) in Los Angeles, an institution that featured in a recent GAO investigation into federal employees who gained degrees at "diploma mills and other unaccredited schools." (The phrase "diploma mill" refers to schools where degrees are bought, more than earned.)

The Oregon Office of Degree Authorization also describes PWU as an unaccredited college. "ODA has no evidence that this is an accredited or otherwise acceptable provider of postsecondary education meeting Oregon standards," according to the office's Web site.

In a statement to the media in late October, a spokeswoman for McSweeney's office said he "absolutely refutes any allegation that he purchased a PhD." McSweeney has not, however, given permission for his thesis to be made publicly available.

John Scott, professor of biochemistry at Trinity College Dublin told The Scientist that no one in Irish academia questions that taking a degree from PWU "was a serious error" in judgment. "It was unfortunate that he did get involved in this," Scott said, adding that it was inevitable that the affair would generate some irritation among researchers. "I think it is very difficult for some guy who had just spent 4 or 5 years getting a PhD to accept—it's a bitter pill to swallow that somebody [in McSweeney's position] did it by an easier route."

But the question of whether the PhD had any impact on McSweeney's ability to do the job of Scientific Advisor is a different matter, Scott argued. "If you look at his career as a science administrator, it was patently very successful and I think that was what the government was looking for [when they hired him]. Did he need a PhD to do this? I think he didn't—it is a liaison, spokesman, interfacing type of post."

On Tuesday (November 15), after 5 weeks of pressure in the media and in the Irish parliament, the minister for enterprise, Micheal Martin, said in a statement that McSweeney would be moving from the Science Advisor job to the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources where he would be Research Coordinator.

Martin said that "in his position as Chief Science Adviser, Barry McSweeney has been effective in bringing stakeholders together and forging links across the Science, Technology and Innovation spectrum. His achievements during his time in the position fully reflect the drive and enthusiasm which has been the hallmark of his career, both in Ireland and Europe."

McSweeney could not be reached for comment. A spokeswoman for the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment told The Scientist that the government would be advertising to find a replacement for McSweeney. The post will be filled by open competition, although the details of the salary and so on are not yet available, she said. "We expect there will be an appointment in the new year."

http://www.the-scientist.com/news/20051121/01

Links for this article

Statement by Minister Micheal Martin http://www.entemp.ie/press/2005/20051115a.htm

Barry McSweeney
http://www.c-s.ie/biography.html
"Irish boost investment in biotech," The Scientist, April 4, 1988. http://www.the-scientist.com/1988/4/4/4/2
"Diploma Mills: Federal Employees have obtained degrees from diploma mills and other unaccredited schools, some at government expense," May 11, 2004.
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04771t.pdf

Office of Degree Authorization http://www.osac.state.or.us/oda/unaccredited.html

M. Clark,"Ireland's chief science advisor denies buying his PhD,"
Electric News, October 20, 2004.
http://www.enn.ie/news.html?code=9650030

John Scott
http://www.tcd.ie/Biochemistry/JScott.html

D. Payne, "Ireland wants to draw US brains," The Scientist, May 25, 2004. http://www.the-scientist.com/news/20040525/04

Barry McSweeney to be Appointed as Research Coordinator in DCMNR Gov Press Release

 

[ramonmercado]

Labour seeks investigation of 'degree mill' universities

Labour seeks investigation of 'degree mill' universities

12:32 Thursday November 24th 2005

The Labour Party has called for an investigation into so-called 'degree mill' universities following revelations that a number of Irish officials and academics have questionable qualifications.
The Government's chief science advisor, Barry McSweeney, was moved to a new civil service job earlier this month when it emerged that he had received his PhD from the Pacific Western University.

The US institution is known for selling such qualifications online.

The controversy surrounding the McSweeney issue prompted another official, Dr Con Power, to admit that his doctorate was also obtained from PWU.

Reports this morning said further examinations had found that Dr Mary McAteer, a senior academic at UCD, and Dr Cedric Chau, a lecturer at the Institute of Public Administration, had also secured their PhDs from the same university.

Labour TD Jan O'Sullivan said the latest revelations highlighted the need for an investigation to clarify whether these people were qualified to do their jobs.

"There's a lot of public disquiet and concern that there may be people with qualifications out there that are possibly in question," she said.

"I think we need clarity on this for the sake of the public and for the sake of people who have very good qualifications."

http://www.unison.ie/breakingnews/index ... 9&si=82839

 

[ramonmercado]

Two top lecturers have dodgy degrees

By Michael O’Farrell, Political Reporter
A SENIOR UCD academic and a lecturer in the Institute of Public Administration (IPA) both obtained PhDs from the same unaccredited institution as disgraced Government science adviser Barry McSweeney.

Mr McSweeney was forced to step aside last week amid controversy surrounding a doctorate he received from California-based Pacific Western University (PWU) - a body considered by FBI experts and the US Government as no more than a one-room degree mill.

Subsequently, senior business figure Dr Con Power was also found to have obtained a PhD from the same place.

However, the Irish Examiner can reveal that the second most senior member of UCD’s School of Physiotherapy, Dr Mary F McAteer, also received a 1987 PWU doctorate.

Dr McAteer, a fully qualified physiotherapist, has been a staff member with UCD’s Faculty of Medicine since 1971.





An academic with the Government-sponsored IPA, Dr Cedric Chau, also obtained a PhD from the same place in 2001. He was employed as a lecturer by the IPA last year and features prominently in the institute’s latest prospectus.

Both academics last night confirmed the origin of their PhDs, but stood by their degrees saying they had no idea of any of the problems associated with PWU.

Dr McAteer said she had gone out of her way to ensure PWU was accredited.

“I have absolutely nothing to hide. My work is a little bit specialised. That is one of the reasons that a distance university appealed to me. There was no problem that I was ever aware of and I don’t think there is a problem,” she said.

Although she could not remember the name of her thesis supervisor, Dr McAteer said she had sent work to California over a three-year period and produced a thesis.

A spokeswoman for UCD said PWU had been chosen by Dr McAteer “based on contact with the California State Department for Post Secondary Education” - a legitimate body, but not one accredited to certify university-standard degrees.

Although IPA assistant director general Michael Mulreany did not respond to questions last night, Dr Chau said he had already raised the matter with his superiors.

“I am aware of the controversy and I understand that my appointment is not on the basis of my PhD qualification,” he said.

Dr Chau teaches human resource management while his PhD is in “operations management”.

Dr Chau said he also took three years to complete his PhD research and was never aware of any problems with PWU.

Former National University of Ireland (NUI) Convocation chairman and Biochemistry Professor in University College Cork, James Heffron last night called for a national audit of university staff to ensure all similar cases are dealt with once and for all.

Fake Phds

 

[ramonmercado]

25/11/05
UCD to review procedures after revelations lecturers received doctorates from degree mill

By Michael O’Farrell, Political Reporter
UNIVERSITY College Dublin (UCD) is to review its procedures following revelations that one of its senior academics and a former part-time lecturer received a PhD from a controversial US degree mill.

Yesterday the Irish Examiner revealed the second most senior member of UCD’s School of Physiotherapy, Dr Mary F McAteer, obtained a Doctorate from California-based Pacific Western University (PWU) in 1987.

In addition, a former part-time UCD lecturer and current Institute of Public Administration (IPA) lecturer, Dr Cedric Chau, also received a PhD from the same place in 2001.

Although both academics defended the qualification saying they had done nothing wrong, PWU is renowned as a degree mill and has been at the centre of an ongoing controversy which last week saw Government chief science adviser Barry McSweeney step down.




However in a statement, a UCD spokesperson said a new human resources director had just been appointed and that procedures were being reviewed. Despite calls for an audit of all universities yesterday the Department of Education ruled out the measure saying “it would not be possible to definitively investigate all online awards available throughout the world.”

A spokesperson for Education Minister Mary Hanafin said the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI) already provided a “one-stop-shop advisory service” to universities.

“It is a matter for individual employers or learning institutions to satisfy themselves as to the status of awards presented to them - this facility is there to assist them,” the spokesperson said.

But Labour Education spokesperson Jan O’Sullivan called for an immediate investigation into the “legitimacy or otherwise of all third-level qualifications awarded by online institutions”.

“It is clear now that the furore surrounding the legitimacy or otherwise of the degree held by former Government science adviser Barry McSweeney from Pacific Western University was not a one-off.

“Day by day further stories are emerging of academics and public appointees holding qualifications from PWU, and the existence of other unrecognised online bodies that refer to themselves has also been uncovered,” Ms O’Sullivan said.

Ms O’Sullivan said the continuing revelations were doing untold damage to the Irish education system and the reputation of those who work within it.

“The Government cannot sit complacently on the sidelines. They must ensure that the public has full information in relation to all institutions that award academic qualifications so that Ireland’s excellent reputation in this field can be maintained,” she said.

UCD

 

[ramonmercado]

Not sure if it should be in this forum or mainstream. But I'm putting it here because of the element of conjobbery, awarding a PhD after 6 weeks study and a 20 minute perusal of the thesis.

Christian college is investigated

A Christian college operating in Northern Ireland is under investigation, after complaints about the quality of the degrees it offers.
Trading Standards has told the BBC they are investigating the European Theological Seminary and College of the Bible International.

It was founded in 1993, by Gordon Beck who is from Scotland.

Interviewed on Radio Ulster's Sunday Sequence, Mr Beck defended the quality of his college's degree programmes.

"We are a college which is entirely different. We don't claim to be a college, like a university college, we don't claim that.

"Our standard is this - that we claim to be part of the body of Christ, we do not claim to be a secular college," Mr Beck said.

The seminary, which has no buildings in Northern Ireland, offers PhDs for £500 and for weeks, not years of studies.

Its operations in NI are run from the home of Mr Beck who has lived in the country most of his life.

He founded the seminary in 1993 and since then a few hundred students from across the world have taken degrees or other qualifications.

Dissertation

One man who paid £500 to receive a doctorate in philosophy from the seminary in May 2001, said he wrote a 60,000-word dissertation based on limited research in six weeks.

The man, who did not want to be named but is now a minister in Northern Ireland, said Mr Beck looked at his work for about 20 minutes before determining that it was a PhD.

"I had expected him to take it away and for a couple of weeks read through it critically, underline parts and look at parts that did not make sense, look at errors that I had made and come back to me and grill me over it, which he didn't do.

"I received a certificate with the graduation of that September 2001," he said.

He said he could not see how the work he submitted could have been comparable to a doctoral dissertation and said he does not list the qualification on his CV.

Sunday Sequence gave the dissertation to a theological expert Professor Stephen Williams from Union Theological College in Belfast.

He said in his opinion it was not up to masters degree standard, never mind worth a PhD.

"With regret one would just have to fail it altogether," he said.

Mr Beck said he felt hurt by the student's allegations and said he had believed the man had studied the subject for many years.

He said the man's work would also now go to a qualified verifier.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/nort ... 696053.stm

 

[OldTimeRadio]

Sounds like a diploma mill to me.

There are legitimate, chartered "universities without walls" which offer valid Ph. D.s based on work/life experiences, almost always to individuals who already possess standard M. A.s from major "walled" universities, but the thesis is going to be vetted by a panel of unquestioned experts, not one person of uncertain qualifications, page by page, and not merely riffled through for 20 minutes.

On the other hand the school seems more ethical than the outfits of this type which award degrees for a simple exchange of money.....with no thesis required at all.

 

[rjmrjmrjm]

You mean like Ms Gillian McKeith's PhD?

 

[decipheringscars]

"We are a college which is entirely different. We don't claim to be a college, like a university college, we don't claim that.

"Our standard is this - that we claim to be part of the body of Christ, we do not claim to be a secular college," Mr Beck said.

How does being part of the Body of Christ relieve his "college" of meeting the common standards of the academic community?

I wonder why the student they cite in the article even tried to get a PhD through this "college." Apparently he's honest enough to not list it on his CV; why did he do it in the first place?

 

[OldTimeRadio]

"We are a college which is entirely different. We don't claim to be a college, like a university college, we don't claim that.

"Our standard is this - that we claim to be part of the body of Christ, we do not claim to be a secular college," Mr Beck said.

How does being part of the Body of Christ relieve his "college" of meeting the common standards of the academic community?p

Exactly. This whole air of "Well, we award advanced degrees but we don't claim that makes us any kind of an academic institution - why would anybody even think that?" strikes me as the very worst kind of quickly backpeddling the-jig's-up gobledegook.

I wonder why the student they cite in the article even tried to get a PhD through this "college." Apparently he's honest enough to not list it on his CV; why did he do it in the first place?

Because he'd apparently believed the organization to be a legitimate "university without walls," where his thesis would be vetted and critiqued page-by-page, either by Beck himself (whom the student mistakenly believed had the qualifications to do so) or by a panel of experts in the field.

He doesn't seem to have grown suspicious until Beck merely riffled through his thesis for 20 minutes before awarding him the degree.

 

[decipheringscars]

Really?!!? Does anyone really think a legitimate PhD-granting program only involves turning in a thesis? No coursework, no exams, not even a proposal of your thesis before writing it?

 

[ghostdog19]

How does being part of the Body of Christ relieve his "college" of meeting the common standards of the academic community?p

Hey, we're all God's children ....... mostly.

 

[OldTimeRadio]

Does anyone really think a legitimate PhD-granting program only involves turning in a thesis? No coursework, no exams, not even a proposal of your thesis before writing it?

Many legitimate, government-approved "universities without walls" exist to grant, for example, a Ph. D. to a working archaeologist with a very strong Master's Degree augmented by long years of field experience.

What sort of "coursework" is he (she) supposed to be taught?

Most of these institutions (and I'm talking about the legitimate ones) don't have any faculty anyway. They exist primarily to round up committees of qualified experts to vet the theses.

But as for our specific case, I suspect that he DID submit a proposal before writing his paper....he submitted it to BECK! Who (natch) approved.

 

[ramonmercado]

A pair of conmen running fake universities.

A bogus university selling unaccredited qualifications to overseas students is operating out of Dublin, as part of an international “degree mill” network.

Hardeep Singh (54) is the president of “Isles International University”, which has been operating in Ireland for nearly two decades under various names.

Isles International poses online as a Dublin-based college offering degrees in accounting, business and human resources. The company is not an accredited higher education institution, and targets overseas students with the promise of earning an Irish university qualification online that holds “international recognition”.

Last year the company, which is registered to a post box in Fairview, north Dublin, reported an income of €115,000, according to financial accounts. The title of university is legally protected, so the group are registered under the name “Institud Idirnaiseuinta na hEireann den Aontas Eorpach”. ...

Mr Singh and Mr Shephard are between them involved with five other UK companies operating as education providers, including the Oxford College of Management, a site offering doctorates and masters in business administration. All the company names are registered to the same Welsh post box as the QAC. ...

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/edu...ree-mill-targeting-foreign-students-1.3478288