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Warning Signs of Possible Accreditation Mills

The word "accreditation" is often loosely used by business schools and universities—particularly by institutions that are not legit, such as diploma mills and schools that do not have the proper credentials to grant degrees. Often times, a diploma mill will gain accreditation from what is known as an "accreditation mill." Accreditation mills are organizations that do not have proper authorization to accredit higher-education institutions. As a prospective student, it is not only very important to inspect a school's level of accreditation, but also by whom it is accredited. This is important whether you plan to study in Europe, the Americas, or Asia.

 Here are a few of the characteristics of an accreditation mill:

• Accreditation Status Available for Purchase: As with diploma mills, accreditation mills will place a price on their accreditation versus the process (e.g., actual review of institutions). Accreditation mills also frequently charge fees that are significantly higher than those of legitimately recognized accreditation organizations.

• Permanent Accreditation: A sure sign that an accrediting body is a mill is if it offers permanent accreditation without requiring a periodic review and renewal. For instance, AACSB Accreditation for business programs requires that institutions maintain their quality through a five-year review cycle.

• Vague or Absent Standards: Genuine accrediting bodies are typically transparent about their accreditation standards. Accreditation mills, by contrast, may only list a few (and in some cases no) quality standards upon which they base their accreditation.

• Dubious Relations: Accreditation mills will sometimes list legitimate colleges, universities, and/or programs that they claim to have accredited, though the colleges, universities, and programs themselves seem to have no relationship with the organization. Alternatively, some accreditation mills do not display lists of their "accredited" schools at all, or do not display their lists until an institution applies for their "services."

• Quick Accreditation: Accreditation mills often provide accreditation over a suspiciously short period of time. For example, it typically takes three to seven years for an institution to earn AACSB Accreditation. However, there are accreditation mills that claim their certification can be obtained in 60–120 days.

• Round-Robin: Diploma mills and accreditation mills are sometimes separate units managed by the same person or entity. Be especially wary if all of the institutions accredited by an organization have websites that are surprisingly similar in form and content, particularly if they all display the signs of a diploma mill.

Warning Signs of Possible Diploma Mills

What are Diploma Mills?

Diploma mills are commonly defined as institutions that operate either illegally or without supervision by proper educational oversight authorities. They grant diplomas that are either not valid (due to the lack of quality assurance) or fraudulent. Because business is the most commonly offered degree field by institutions that can be considered diploma mills, it is especially important for prospective business students to be on guard, particularly when looking for a school outside of their home nation, state, or province. Many such institutions count on students' lack of familiarity with educational systems in other countries and even sometimes within their own country. Thus, it is important to be able to recognize the telltale signs of a diploma mill when searching for a business degree.

Signs of a Possible Diploma Mill

• Credit for Life Experience: Diploma mills frequently offer degrees based largely or even solely on credit for "work experience," "life experience," or "recognition of prior learning." Properly accredited colleges may give a few credits for specific experience pertinent to a degree program, but never for an entire degree.
• Little to No Work Required: Diploma mills rarely require actual attendance or significant coursework, particularly if marketing themselves as online or distance learning institutions. Valid institutions, including those that operate online or via distance learning, will always require a substantial amount of coursework to earn a degree.
• Tailor-Made Study Programs: Diploma mills frequently offer degree programs or majors that are "self-designed" by the student, generally with little to no faculty oversight or approval required.
• Guaranteed Time to Graduate: Diploma mills often guarantee or even require that students earn their degrees in a certain amount of time. Frequently this is significantly less time than would be required at a valid institution. Alternatively, diploma mills may offer to "back-date" a degree, allowing students to show that it was earned at some point in time, even if this is before the student was actually enrolled.
• Flat Fees for Degrees: Valid institutions generally publish tuition fees by the credit hour, semester, quarter, course, etc. By contrast, diploma mills often quote a flat fee for an entire degree program (typically payable up front).
• No Physical Campus Facilities: Institutions with only an office suite or P.O. Box address are a big red flag, as are those that include no physical address whatsoever. A favorite tactic of diploma mills is to base operations within areas of other higher education operations that have little to no oversight. For example, this can be a common practice in war-torn or developing nations in Africa (such as often happens in Liberia), or small island nations and territories in the Oceania or Caribbean.
• No Course Syllabi Available: Valid institutions most often post syllabi or course descriptions for their various degree programs. Diploma mills, on the other hand, typically only have simple course lists with little to no description or indication of how they progress.
• No Contact Information Available for Specific Persons: Though multiple email addresses may be present, diploma mills rarely offer direct access to any specific individual.
• No Listed Faculty Members or Faculty Qualifications: A common red flag for diploma mills is the complete lack of any information regarding faculty that teach at the institution.
• Deceptively Similar Names: A very common tactic for diploma mills is to take a name that is very similar to a valid, prestigious, or publicly known institution. The objective is to confuse the consumer.
• Questionable Authority to Grant Degrees: This is one of the two most evident red flags. Valid institutions generally make it clear exactly where their authority to grant degrees comes from, be it a national Ministry of Education or officially recognized accrediting body for higher education institutions (such as the six regional accreditors in the U.S., or BAN-PT, the national higher education accreditation board in Indonesia). If an institution claims to be "licensed" in a U.S. state, but does not have regional accreditation be cautious.
• Lack of Accreditation from a Recognized Body: This is another major red flag. Diploma mills will frequently use official-sounding terms (which mean little in terms of educational quality) in order to impress potential students, or claim the approval of official-sounding agencies (which may or may not be real). Be especially on guard if the institution claims to be "authenticated," "verified," "licensed," "internationally approved," "notarized," "recognized by the Pope," or "accredited by" agencies that may be legitimate, but have nothing to do with proper authorization to grant degrees or quality assurance. Alternatively, they may devote a web page to explaining why not having accreditation is normal, or no big deal.

Deciding Between a Degree in Entrepreneurship and Business Administration

Many hopeful entrepreneurs have a tough time deciding between a degree in business administration (such as a bachelor of arts/science or MBA) and a degree in entrepreneurship (such as a bachelor of arts/science or master of science). Both degrees provide a wealth of skills related to running a business, so which one is right for you if you plan to pursue a startup opportunity some day?

Degree Programs in Business Administration
Business administration programs (both undergraduate and graduate) teach students foundational knowledge of business. These programs require that students take a variety of courses related to the many business disciplines. Most programs will allow students to take courses to minor or concentrate in a specific area if they wish to specialize their degree further (such as in entrepreneurship). Business administration programs require that students take accounting, finance, marketing, management (human resources and leadership), statistics, economics (macro and micro), and international business for starters. Programs that offer minors or concentrations in entrepreneurship will often provide several courses that students can choose from as electives. These courses often include topics such as business planning, strategic entrepreneurship, market assessment, and small business administration. If you have little experience or knowledge of general business concepts, a program in business administration with a concentration in entrepreneurship may be helpful. At the graduate level, many programs provide dual degrees, an MBA and a MS in entrepreneurship. This is often very useful since the degree can assist with a corporate career or a new business idea.

Degree Programs in Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship programs focus on the actual skills needed to plan, fund, and launch a new business. These programs provide students with courses in venture capital (skills to gain funds for startup), market assessment (skills to explore markets were there are opportunities for new businesses), business plan development (writing a business plan around an idea that can be proposed to an investor or group of partners) ... to name few. Students learn how to cultivate an idea into a business model that can become a viable product, service, or organization. Some programs focus more closely on the skills to start a business, while others provide a well-rounded approach of business and entrepreneurship knowledge. The type of program you choose will depend on your knowledge of business concepts (such as finance, marketing, and management). To be sure you select the program that fits best with you, visit the school's website and look at the program's curriculum. What classes will you be required to take? Are these the classes you want or the areas you need additional skills in? If there are classes missing, can you take additional electives in topics that you need (for instance, operations management)?

AACSB's student website provides a search engine that will find programs in both business administration and entrepreneurship. 

Visit the site to search for undergraduate programs.

Visit the site to search for graduate programs (when searching, be sure to search for both "masters gen" and "masters spec" to include both general business (business administration) and specialized business (entrepreneurship) programs.

Attending Business School in Another Country

There are many universities that offer study abroad programs in business at the undergraduate and graduate level. From summer programs spent traveling with faculty and classmates to semester or year-long exchanges at other schools, there are a lot of options. 

Common Student Exchange Programs

The most common type of study abroad program is the student exchange. This option allows students to take several (the amount varies per program) courses in another country at another school. Most of these programs are pre-established through the universities involved. Meaning, the universities have developed agreements for student exchanges. This enables students to attend classes at the other institution knowing that their credits will transfer back to the home institution.

International Internships

Internships that are abroad are gaining popularity, particular among students that wish to begin their careers in other countries or regions. Many of these internships result in course credits at the home institution. For example, international business students may spend a summer working with a manufacturing company in another region and receive elective credits. Some of these internships are paid, some are not. It all depends on the home institution and the companies that are involved.

Research or Service Exchanges

Mostly at the graduate level, there are opportunities to travel abroad for research exchanges. This is fairly common among faculty members and doctoral students. There also are service exchanges. For instance, a group of MBA students may travel to a remote country to help start a new business, etc. Service exchanges provide great opportunities to learn business, help a developing community, and meet new people.

Studying business in more than one country can provide many learning experiences and opportunties. However, there are a lot of things to consider. For instance, what are the costs involved? And, what are the travel/legal requirments to participate in an international program? All schools that have an established exchange program should be able to help you with these items. With careful planning and help from the home institution, you can make the most of the time and avoid spending a fortune.

Helpful Resources

Find Scholarships to Study Abroad, U.S. News and World Report
StudyAbroad.com, List of scholarships 

Narrow Down Your List of Potential PhD Programs by Reviewing Academic Journals

In addition to examining a school's accreditation, exploring academic journals by discipline also can help narrow down a list of schools that likely have high-quality doctoral programs in your area of interest. For example, if you are interested in pursuing a PhD in management, look through top management journals. Take notes of article authors and the schools they are from. Then, explore their research backgrounds. Are these authors well-known in their fields? What kinds of topics have they researched? Are they recognized as specialists in any one area (such as organizational design, leadership, employee morale, etc.)? Are any of these specialized areas subjects that you are passionate about researching?

Once you have a list of authors and schools, find out if the institution offers a PhD program and if the researcher mentors doctoral students. Your goal is to learn from the best in your field. The better your doctoral mentor, the better your research skills will be when you graduate. 

Here are a list of well-known academic journals to get you started:

Accounting

• Accounting and Business Research
• Accounting Educators' Journal
• Journal of Accounting Research
• Journal of Money, Credit, and Banking
• Securities Regulation Law Journal

Decision Sciences

• Decision Sciences Journal
• Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education

Finance

• Journal of Finance
• Journal of Financial Economics
• Journal of Money, Credit, and Banking

Management

• Academy of Management Journal
• Academy of Management Perspectives
• Academy of Management Review
• American Behavioral Scientist
• Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences
• Journal of International Management
• Journal of Operations Management
• Organization Science
• Management Science
• Multivariate Behavior Research
• Strategic Management Journal
• Strategic Organization

Marketing

• Journal of Consumer Research
• Journal of Marketing
• Journal of Marketing Research
• Marketing Science

AACSB-Accredited DBAs and Executive Doctorates

There are a variety of AACSB-accredited schools that offer non-PhD doctorate degrees, such as the DBA or EDB/M (Executive Doctorate of Business or Management).

Based on 2009-10 AACSB data, below is a list of AACSB-accredited schools with links to their respective programs.

Also see archived blog article: "Differences Between a DBA and a PhD" and the Executive Doctorate Programs page on the AACSB student website for more helpful information.

AACSB-Accredited DBA, EDB, and EDM Programs (Worldwide)

Aston University (DBA)
Birmingham, UK
(PDF brochure available.) 

City University of Hong Kong (DBA)
Hong Kong, China 

Cleveland State University (DBA)
Cleveland, OH, USA

Cranfield University (Executive Doctorate)
Bedford, England 
(School has a page explaining the PhD versus the Executive Doctorate, good information.) 

Durham University (DBA)
Durham, UK 
(Durham also offers a DBA program in Fudan taught in Chinese. Learn more.)

Georgia State University (Executive Doctorate)
Atlanta, GA, USA
(Program videos available.)

Grenoble Ecole de Management (Joint DBA)
Grenoble, France
(Program is jointly offered with Newcastle University Business School.) 

Hong Kong Polytechnic University (DBA)
Hong Kong, China 

Kennesaw State University (DBA)
Kennesaw, GA, USA 
(Offers information sessions.) 

Louisiana Tech University (DBA)
Ruston, LA, USA
(Website has PDF brochure.)

Oklahoma State University (Executive PhD)
Stillwater, OK, USA 

Queensland University of Technology (DBA)
Brisbane, Australia  

University of Reading (DBA)
Reading, UK
(Offers information sessions and website has PDF brochure.) 

University of Surrey (DBA)
Guildford, Surrey, UK

The most current list of executive and DBA doctoral programs may be found on AACSB's student website at: www.bestbizschools.com/doctorate/professional_doctorate_degrees.asp

Checklist: Things to Consider When Choosing an Online MBA

Besides being sure the school's business programs are AACSB-accredited, you'll need to be sure the degree fits your needs and is in your price range. Here is a short checklist of a few items that have been reported as most important when choosing an online MBA:

Download Checklist_Things to Consider When Choosing an Online MBA

For more information and a list of AACSB-Accredited schools with online MBA programs, visit: www.bestbizschoools.com/onlineMBAs.asp 

 

Stuck with the Wrong Degree? It's Not too Late for Business School.

So ... here's where things stand. Six months out of college with a prestigious Bachelor's Degree in Art History and you are back home, living in your old bedroom and contemplating how to make a career out of Cubism. The prospects are certainly grim. The art museum, local elementary school, and art gallery all sent your resume back unread; Mom and Dad are getting on your nerves; and that greeter job at the local supermarket is starting to look mighty tempting. What's a poor Liberal Arts graduate to do?

Well, pilgrim, say goodbye to van Gogh and say hello to Adam Smith and Peter Drucker! Out with Impressionism and in with Capitalism and Management Science! That's right, perhaps it's time to go to graduate school and earn your MBA. After all, you are living in your old bedroom...

According to a recent survey conducted by AACSB International, the average tuition and fees for an MBA degree at a public, accredited university is 18,500 USD. If you don't think that's a bargain, you haven't looked at your annual expenditures on gasoline and fast food. What makes it an even better bargain is the high probability that you will graduate with a real job with a real salary. For example, there have been Wharton MBA graduates that have landed jobs with a base pay of 350,000 USD—although keep in mind that Wharton is one of the top business schools in the world. But still, 60,000 USD a year would be nice. Right?

Now, this doesn't mean to click on the ad on your Facebook page entitled, "Get my MBA from home in three months" either. It means doing your homework and going to a university with an AACSB-accredited MBA program that is the real deal, whether it is online or in the classroom. That's if you want to get a job and earn a decent salary after you graduate. AA...C...S...B...what? An AACSB-accredited school—a school that has earned accreditation from the longest standing, most prestigious, internationally known business-degree program accreditation in the world. You know...schools like Harvard, Yale, University of California, London Business School, to name a few. Long story short, AACSB Accreditation basically makes sure you and your future employer get your money's worth. 

So, how do you find an AACSB-accredited MBA program? First, visit AACSB International's student website, www.bestbizschools.com, and enter the Masters/MBA section where you can search among only AACSB-accredited schools with MBA programs. Or, learn about more specific master's degrees in business, such as in accounting, finance, management, and others. All of which are degrees that provide opportunities for bright graduates like you (and you are bright, aren't you?) abound from Wall Street to Main Street. And if you play your cards right (that means actually attending an accredited school and graduating with honors), one day you just might own that art museum or local supermarket!