No, to me a diploma mill is someone who says, "Hey, send me $500 and
I'll send you a degree. If you have $500 you must know something."

If BC is British Columbia, then this falls under "non US" school and I'm
not really informed about how it all works (I do know something about
how most grad schools and PE boards look at non US schools, but that is
yet another issue).

If it is a US school then it sounds like a #2 school to me. My ex son in
law, for example, got a ASEET from ITT and it certainly makes him
hirable. But almost none of it (and maybe none of it at all) would
transfer if he wanted to work on a BS from a regionally accredited
school. If you are seeking engineering work, I think the EET degree has
a bit of a stigma and an AS degree does too. It is a shame -- one of the
best engineers I ever knew had a BSEET from Georgia Tech.

So don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the #2 schools. As long as
you know you are there to learn and not there to get a diploma that will
be widely applicable in other academic ventures. Smart employers want to
hire people who know how to do work, and they aren't such sticklers
about accreditation IF they know the school involved.

However, Joe Tech might be known by local employers but not by employers
across the country. In this case, the fact that Joe Tech is not
accredited may be a factor.

So my original point in one sentence: Pick a school that will match your
goals.

Al Williams
AWC

P.S. Thanks to MIT (a fine school by all accounts) for hosting the list.
Not to mention the admins!




> -----Original Message-----
> From: pic microcontroller discussion list
> [mailto:PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU] On Behalf Of Brendan Moran
> Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2002 3:34 PM
> To: PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
> Subject: Re: [OT]: Kennedy Western University
>
>
> > AFAIK KW is not regionally accredited. Depending on why you want a
> > degree, this may or may not be a problem.
> >
> > Without going into too much detail, there are several kinds of
> > schools:
> >
> > 1) Diploma Mills
> >
> > 2) Well-meaning schools that are unwilling or unable to accredit
> >
> > 3) Schools that are accredited
> >
> > #1 is of no use to you unless you just want to be a fraud.
>
> I disagree.  BCIT is a school that has a very good
> reputation.  Some of you that don't even know where B.C. is
> may even have heard of BCIT.  BCIT is, as near as all of its
> students can tell, a diploma mill.  Most programs take 2
> years or under, and they do not have an accredited degree in
> most areas. But despite all that, there is something like a
> 90% hire rate on fresh grads.  If they're frauds, then I
> don't know what's going on.
>
> Diploma mills with a good reputation are not for putting out frauds.
>
> But then, I may be misinterpreting your use of the term "diploma mill"
>
> --Brendan
>
> --
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