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A diploma mill (also known as a degree mill) is an organization that awards academic degrees and diplomas with substandard or no academic study and without academic approval by officially recognized educational accrediting bodies or qualified government agencies. The purchaser can then claim to hold an academic degree, and the organization is motivated by making a profit. These degrees are often awarded based on vaguely construed life experience. Some organizations claim accreditation by non-recognized/unapproved accrediting bodies set up for the purposes of providing a veneer of authenticity. Various schemes have been implemented to curb the proliferation of diploma mills, and a number of states have passed bills that make it illegal for an organization to confer degrees without accreditation. In recent years unaccredited for-profit higher education institutions have specialized in enrolling foreign students and have been called sham schools.〔Tom Bartlett, Karin Fischer, and Josh Keller, (Little-Known Colleges Exploit Visa Loopholes to Make Millions Off Foreign Students ), ''The Chronicle of Higher Education'', March 20, 2011〕 == Legal status == The United States does not have a federal law that would unambiguously prohibit diploma mills, and the term "university" is not legally protected. The United States Department of Education lacks direct plenary authority to regulate schools and, consequently, the quality of an institution's degree. Under the terms of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, the U.S. Secretary of Education is required by law to publish a list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies that the Secretary determines to be reliable authorities on the quality of education or training provided by the institutions of higher education that they accredit.〔United States Department of Education. (1998). 1998 Amendments to the Higher Education Act of 1965. Retrieved from: http://www2.ed.gov/policy/highered/leg/hea98/sec101.html〕 Diploma mills are mainly found in the U.S. jurisdictions which have not adopted tough laws to prohibit them. Also, some degree mills have taken advantage of the U.S. Constitution's protection of religion by representing themselves as Bible colleges, since in many jurisdictions religious institutions can legally offer degrees in religious subjects without government regulation. Nevertheless, some religious colleges and seminaries have been fined for issuing degrees without meeting educational requirements.〔Associated Press, "(Texas Supreme Court to review seminary case )", December 3, 2004〕 Although the DipScam operation in the 1980s led to a decline in diploma mill activity across the United States, the lack of further action by law enforcement, uneven state laws, and the rise of the Internet have combined to reverse many of the gains made in previous years. A 2002 ''Seattle Times'' article noted that some believed Wyoming had "become a haven for diploma mills." Conversely, "Oregon, New Jersey, and North Dakota have adopted tough laws that include fines and jail time for using fake degrees to gain employment." However, Wyoming passed stricter laws in 2006 requiring universities and colleges to either be accredited or be candidates for accreditation to operate in the state. In 2004, a housecat named Colby Nolan was awarded an "Executive MBA" by Texas-based Trinity Southern University. The cat belonged to a deputy attorney general looking into allegations of fraud by the school. The cat's application was originally for a Bachelor of Business Administration, but due to the cat's "qualifications" (including work experience in fast-food and as a paperboy) the school offered to upgrade the degree to an Executive MBA for an additional $100. As a result of this incident, the Pennsylvania attorney general has filed suit against the school. In February 2005, the US Department of Education launched (www.ope.ed.gov/accreditation ) to combat the spread of fraudulent degrees. The state of Washington passed a bill in March 2006 "prohibiting false or misleading college degrees." The law was approved and introduced penalties of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine for knowingly granting or promoting an unaccredited award. In Tennessee, a law that took effect in July 2004 made diploma mill degrees illegal, but the state does not have an agency or authority to investigate.〔Amy Rutledge, (Buying phony degrees online ), WATE TV-6 November 15, 2004.〕 Florida enacted a state law making it a criminal offense to claim a degree from an unaccredited college, but in 2003 it was reported that Hillsborough County, Florida, authorities had been advised that the statute was unconstitutional.〔(Detective Cleared In Fake Diploma Case ), by Mark Douglas, ''The Tampa Tribune'', July 21, 2003〕 Wyoming passed a law requiring a post-secondary institution granting degrees to Wyoming citizens to be accredited, or to be a candidate for accreditation. (There is an exemption for religious schools.) The State of Michigan Civil Service publishes a list of unaccredited schools based on the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Michigan also has a system of publicly chartered colleges and universities (such as the University of Michigan, Wayne State University, Michigan State University, ''et al.'') Private colleges and universities are regulated by the Michigan State Board of Education. U.S. jurisdictions where the use of higher education credentials from diploma mills and unaccredited schools is explicitly illegal or legally restricted include Illinois,〔 Indiana,〔 Maine, Michigan, Missouri,〔 〕 Nevada,〔 New Jersey,〔 North Dakota,〔(State mulls online learning ) by the Associated Press, ''Billings Gazette'', January 30, 2005〕 Oregon,〔(Oregon Office of Degree Authorization )〕〔 South Dakota,〔 Texas,〔(Institutions Whose Degrees are Illegal to Use in Texas )〕〔U.S. Department of Education, (Diploma Mills and Accreditation )〕 Virginia,〔 and Washington.〔 Many other states are also considering restrictions on unaccredited degree use in order to help prevent fraud.〔(Is Oregon the only state that disallows use of unaccredited degrees? ) Oregon Office of Degree Authorization〕 In 2006, Mississippi passed laws to restrict diploma mills and more legislation was planned for 2009 to further restrict institutions operating without approval".〔 〕 George Gollin, a University of Illinois professor and board member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation said: California is the only state in the country without rules governing postsecondary education institutions "You have no law. Everyone else does."〔 〕 This is because Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed renewing the Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education Reform Act. The military also restricts the use of unaccredited degrees; a notable case involved Vice Admiral Donald Arthur of the U.S. Navy.〔(Navy résumé doesn't quite hold water ), Russell Working, ''Chicago Tribune'', October 1, 2008〕 Wyoming-based Kennedy-Western University sued the state of Oregon in 2004, challenging a state law that made it illegal for résumés used in connection with employment (including job applications) in the state to list degrees from institutions that are not accredited or recognized by the state as legitimate.,〔(States Struggle to Regulate Online Colleges That Lack Accreditation ), ''The Chronicle of Higher Education - Information Technology'', March 23, 2001.〕〔(Oregon settles with unaccredited university ), ''Portland Business Journal'', December 22, 2004.〕 Kennedy-Western claimed that its degree-holders had a First Amendment right to say they were degree-holders. The case never got to trial because the parties reached an out-of-court settlement. Under the settlement, Kennedy-Western degree-holders may say that they have degrees when applying for private sector jobs in Oregon, but must also reveal that the school is unaccredited on all job applications, resumes, business cards and advertisements that mention the degree. (Public employment and licensed professions are excepted from the agreement).〔〔(Oregon Settles Federal Lawsuit Filed by Kennedy-Western University; State Officials Will Seek Changes to State Law Regulating the Use of Degrees from Unaccredited Universities ), Kennedy-Western press release by David Gering, Businesswire, December 21, 2004〕 A statutory revision was enacted in 2005, allowing graduates of unaccredited and unapproved schools to list an unaccredited degree on a résumé as long as they note the school's unaccredited status in the résumé.〔(Conference Committee on SB 1039 ), ''73rd Oregon Legislative Assembly - 2005 Regular Session, Measure: SB 1039 A *'', June 22, 2005.〕 In the settlement, the Oregon State Office of Degree Authorization (ODA) also agreed to refrain from referring to the school as a "diploma mill."〔 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".〔(Office of Degree Authorization )〕 The school eventually changed names and was forced to cease operations on March 31, 2009 after a failed attempt to become accredited.〔(Warren National U., Formerly Known as Kennedy-Western U., to Shut Down ), by Thomas Bartlett, ''The Chronicle of Higher Education'', February 2, 2009〕 In 2005 it was reported that the National Collegiate Athletic Association had been "scrutinizing the standards of nontraditional high schools to identify 'diploma mills'." Reportedly this started when ''The New York Times'' exposed University High School, a correspondence school in Miami, Florida.〔 There were 22 schools that went under review to make sure they meet NCAA requirements in 2005.〔 In 2009, it was reported that a housecat named Oreo Collins had been awarded a General Education Diploma from Jefferson High School Online. In 2010, it was revealed that Kenneth Shong ran "Carlingford University", a diploma mill, while he was incarcerated at Racine Correctional Institute in Racine, Wisconsin for several crimes, including fraud. The operation was run with addresses in London, England; Mobile, Alabama; and in Green Bay, which turned out to be empty store fronts or PO Boxes. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Diploma mills in the United States」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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