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Before you Enroll
If you are thinking of studying locally, ensure that the
institution is registered with the Barbados Accreditation
Council. Registration with the Council guarantees that
the institution has certain standards for example, the
teaching staff has the required subject specific
qualifications and experience at the appropriate level.
If you are thinking of studying overseas, for example, in
the USA, it is vital that you check the accreditation status
of your potential college/university with the Council of
Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) at
www.chea.org
In addition, you might want to visit the United States
Department of Education website at
http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation
(Also click
here
for additional information on Accredited and Non-accredited
Institutions in other countries).
Be aware of Diploma Mills and
Accreditation Mills
Be sure you know whether the institution at which you have
chosen to study is a legitimate provider of diplomas,
certificates or degrees.
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What is a Diploma Mill?
A
diploma mill (also known as a degree mill) is an educational
provider that is not accredited/recognised by the competent
authorities in its home country. It issues degrees without
ensuring that the students are properly qualified and
requires little or no formal study by the student. Diploma
Mills sell qualifications with very little or no quality
assurance.
What is an Accreditation
Mill?
This is accreditation with low educational standards and
without recognition from government and other competent
authorities. Accreditation mills give the public the
impression that the institution has met the required
standards.
For more information on fraudulent accrediting agencies,
institutions and diploma mills see
www.osac.state.or.usloda/unaccredited.html.
(Also click
here
for additional information on Accredited and Non-accredited
Institutions in other countries).
Thinking of studying locally?
When choosing an institution, ensure that it is
registered with the Barbados Accreditation Council.
Registration with the Council guarantees that the
institution has certain standards for example, the teaching
staff has the required subject specific qualifications and
experience at the appropriate level.
Therefore ,it is important to choose a registered
institution when considering post-secondary or tertiary
education and training in Barbados.
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Thinking of studying abroad?
If you are thinking of studying overseas, for example, in
the USA, it is vital that you check the accreditation status
of the college/university with the Council of
Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) at
www.chea.org
In addition, you might want to visit the website of the
United States Department of Education at
http://www.ope.ed.gov/accreditation (Also see our pamphlet on
Websites that Provide Information on Accredited and
Non-accredited Institutions for other countries).
What is Accreditation?
Accreditation is a process in
which a programme of study or
institution is assessed for its standard and given official
recognition. At the programme level, accreditation is
concerned with the quality of a specific course or programme
of study, while institutional accreditation is concerned
with the evaluation of an entire institution.
The accreditation process is intended to strengthen and
sustain the quality and integrity of educational provisions,
making it worthy of public confidence.
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Why is Accreditation Important?
Students
Highlights the capabilities/competencies of the
institution;
Assures recognition of qualifications and transferability
locally, regionally and internationally;
Improves
education/training and learning achievement as the quality
of the institution’s provision is assured;
Provides assurance that an individual is getting value
for money for time spent on a programme of study;
Facilitates the transfer of learner credits from one
institution to another;
Provides recognition for entry into higher education,
profession and business.
Institutions
Provides national, regional and international
recognition of quality, accountability, and public trust;
Verifies the quality of the educational provision to
potential students, businesses and governments;
Facilitates access to support and services designed to
continually improve the quality of education and training;
Lends prestige to the institution;
Highlights strengths and capabilities of the institution;
Aids with student recruitment efforts; and
Provides credibility by enhancing the image of the
institution.
Employers
Assures the quality of human capital;
Assures the quality of qualifications and credentials
presented;
Increases productivity and performance which may lead to
increased profitability; and
Provides benchmarks against which educational provision
can be measured against employment requirements.
Nation
Assures a highly skilled workforce, which should enhance
international competitiveness;
Increases the global competitiveness of local institutions;
Provides assurance to taxpayers of the quality of
educational provision; and
Assures government of positive returns on investment in
the educational sector.
How to recognize fraudulent
providers?
The best safeguard against fraudulent providers is to check
with the Barbados Accreditation Council to ensure that the
institution and programmes of study are either recognized or
accredited by an authorized accreditation agency or body.
You can make sure that a recognized accrediting body
accredits the institution, which is the highest mark of
accreditation quality. If the profession you are studying
requires a license for admission to practice, then you must
also check the accreditation status of the programme.
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To find out more about the global problem
of diploma mills, check out the links below:
http://www.degreeinfo.com/article24_1.html
http://www.osac.state.or.us/oda/diploma_mill.html
http://www.degree.net/index.html
http://www.ugc.ac.in/inside/fakealerts.html
http://www.ed.gov/students/prep/college/diplomamills/resources.html
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/recognisedukdegrees/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.view&CategoryID=8
http://www.chea.org/degreemills/main.asp
http://www.wes.org/ewenr/DiplomaMills.htm
http://www.online-degrees-and-scholarships.com/degreemills.htm
http://www.ncsdonline.org/newsletter/dec_2005/5.asp
http://www.hep.uiuc.edu/home/g-gollin/diploma_mills.pdf
http://www.hep.uiuc.edu/home/g-gollin/pigeons/
http://www.portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php-
URL_ID=48339&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
http://www.eaie.org/pdf/krakow/203.pdf
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-accred-fraud.html
Some other useful degree/diploma mills reference
sources:
Degree Mills: The Billion-dollar industry that has sold
over a million fake diplomas (2005) – by Allen Ezell and
John Bear
Fraud and Education: The Worm in the Apple (2001) – by
H. J. Noah & M. A. Eckstein
Diploma Mills – Degrees of Fraud (1988) – by D. W.
Stewart & H. A. Spille
Bear’s Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning
(2003) – by J. Bear & M. Bear
Click here for more information on
websites providing information on selected accredited and
non-credited institutions and programmes of study. You may
also visit our Frequently Asked Questions
section and our glossary of
terms use in this site for answers to your questions. |
