ONLINE EDUCATION | EDUCATION | CAREER ADVICE

Trying to decide where to go to school? If so, make sure you consider whether or not the school is properly accredited. Accreditation helps to ensure that schools are of high quality and that their degrees will be accepted by potential employers. Listed below are some frequently asked questions pertaining to accreditation and accreditation agencies. What is accreditation? Accreditation is a process whereby an independent agency evaluates an institution or academic program in terms of its faculty, curriculum, administration, and student services. Institutions or programs that meet the agency’s standards are “accredited.” There are two types of accreditation: institutional and programmatic. Institutional accreditation is carried out by regional and national accrediting agencies and applies to entire institutions, two-year and four-year schools as well as public and private. Programmatic accreditation focuses on specific programs and is directed by professional accrediting bodies, which ensure that students receive an education that will grant them entry into their respective fields or disciplines. How does a school become accredited? Accreditation is an intensive process that involves faculty, staff, and even students at a given institution. Typically, the process includes an extensive self-study as to how well an institution meets the agency’s standards; it may also include extended visits by a team of peer-reviewers, who report their findings to a board or commission, which in turn make the final decision on accreditation. Finally, it is important to note that accreditation is an ongoing process, which means that in order for an institution to remain accredited it must provide annual reports to the granting agency and participate in regular re-accreditation. Is accreditation mandatory? No. Accreditation is voluntary, but most schools want to become accredited because it improves their reputation and prestige. What are the benefits of accreditation? Basically, accreditation means that a given institution meets a set standard of educational quality. For students, this means that a degree from an accredited institution will be accepted by other schools and by potential employers. Accreditation is also important for transferring credit from one school to another, and it can be a factor for gaining access to federally-funded financial aid. Furthermore, accreditation is also crucial for international students because proper accreditation allows schools the authority to issue the necessary documents for international students to enter the country on a student visa. Who does the accreditation? Accreditation is carried out by private, non-governmental organizations. Each agency sets its own standards and establishes its own policies and procedures for accreditation. Are all accrediting agencies equal? No. The most reliable and well-respected agencies are those authorized by the U.S. Department of Education, which ensures that agencies and their criteria are legitimate. However, some agencies do not operate under the aegis of the U.S. Department of Education, and many schools claim accreditation through these agencies. Be advised that schools accredited through unrecognized or fraudulent agencies cannot guarantee that their degrees will be universally accepted. What is accreditation fraud? Accreditation fraud is when faux or dubious agencies — often called accreditation mills — award accreditation to undeserving schools. These schools — known as degree mills or diploma mills — then grant degrees to undeserving students, usually in exchange for money and often without requiring students to show proof of substantive coursework or testing. Degree mills have been around for a long time but have recently become more rampant due to the advent of the internet. How do I find out if a school is legitimate? The fact is that degree mills and legitimate schools are often difficult to distinguish. Degree mills use names that sound like real schools, like Columbia State University, a former degree mill that deliberately tried to confuse itself with Columbia University, a prestigious Ivy League school. Then there was the City University of Los Angeles or CULA, another degree mill which was easily confused with UCLA, the University of California at Los Angeles. Degree mills even fashion their websites to look like those of legitimate schools. One way to tell if a school is legitimate is to examine a particular degree in terms of its cost and the time it takes to complete. If the cost is unusually low or the time for completion is unusually short, you are probably dealing with a degree mill. Remember that if sounds too good to be true — it probably is. Another way to find out if a school is legitimate is make sure it’s accredited by an agency authorized by the U.S. Department of Education. The easiest way to do this is to check the U.S. Department of Education Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs. Go to the website and enter the school’s name. The database will tell you if the school is accredited and by whom. What should I do if a school is unaccredited? Some schools, whether by choice or because they are unable to meet the necessary criteria, remain unaccredited. (Note that being unaccredited does not necessarily mean the school is a degree mill.) Students should not simply dismiss unaccredited programs out of hand — after all, unaccredited programs are cheaper and still provide students with occupational skills — however, students should be aware of the differences and be advised that these differences might become significant factors for potential employers. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Kari Whitaker is a technical as well as creative writer. In addition to articles on education and careers, she also enjoys writing short stories, essays, and poetry.

Are you satisfied with your job? If not, you should consider getting more education. Education is one of the few tried-and-true methods of enhancing a career. Furthering your education increases your professional competency and makes you more marketable to potential employers. In material terms, this means you will be a better candidate for promotions and you will make more money.

The problem is that for many working adults, going back to school is simply not an option, not if going back to school means quitting their job. But there is an alternative — namely, online education. Online education allows you to go back to school without going anywhere at all. All you need is a computer and an internet connection.

This podcast explores the material advantages of furthering your education, specifically through online education, and then explains some of the ways online education differs from traditional education.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR & NARRATOR

Benjamin Welch has been a college instructor in writing and composition for nearly six years. When he’s not teaching or playing golf, he offers advice for students seeking information about online education and online degrees.

 Enhancing Your Career (Podcast) [6:43m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Ever wondered what major Hollywood stars studied at college? Sure, most were drama majors, and more than a few attended schools that specialize in performing arts. However, some stars did study "regular" subjects and were working toward "regular" jobs before they got their big break. Here are a few notable examples and their alma maters, in no particular order.

Ashton Kutcher. Known mostly for being a comic actor and prankster, Kutcher was once a very earnest student at the University of Iowa, where he studied biochemical engineering with the hope of developing a cure for his brother’s heart problem.

Kate Beckinsale. Just before her big-screen break in Kenneth Branagh’s Much Ado About Nothing, Beckinsale was studying French and Russian literature at Oxford. Evidently, Beckinsale believed this would give her greater range as an actress. Think: werewolf huntress.

Reese Witherspoon. Famous for playing a Harvard girl in Legally Blonde, Witherspoon was actually a Stanford girl — at least for a year — where she studied English literature.

Courteney Cox. This erstwhile Friend once studied interior design and architecture at Mount Vernon College for Women. (Perhaps that’s where “Monica” first kindled her obsessive cleanliness and her infatuation with domestic spaces.)

Eva Longoria. Long before she was a desperate housewife, Longoria was a student at Texas A&M University-Kingsville where she completed a degree in kinesiology in 1998. Ultimately, Longoria opted not to become a physical therapist and instead put kinesiology — the study of body movement — to work on Wisteria Lane.

Ray Romano. This Everybody Love’s Raymond star was almost everybody’s favorite taxman. That’s right, before getting his big break, Romano attended Queens College in Flushing, New York, where he intended to study accounting.

Halle Berry. Before she was the first African-American to represent the United States in the Miss World competition — and long before she was Catwoman — Berry studied broadcast journalism at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio.

Incidentally, the man Berry once claimed to have a crush on — George Clooney — also majored in journalism, though apparently most of his time was spent on, ahem, other college activities.

Will Ferrell. While many people know this actor for his portrayal of Ron Burgundy, anchorman extraordinaire, most people don’t know Ferrell actually studied to be a real anchorman at the University of Southern California, where he completed a degree in sports broadcasting in 1989.

Maggie Gyllenhaal. Though an accomplished actress, many people are familiar with Gyllenhaal for her comments after 9/11 that the United States was "responsible in some way" for the attacks. Interesting to note that her perspective was likely influenced by her study of Eastern religions at Columbia University. (She received her degree in 1998.)

Incidentally, Jake Gyllenhaal, Maggie’s brother, also studied Eastern religions at Columbia, though never finished.

Gwyneth Paltrow. She played a bookish English professor in Possession and other literary characters such as Emma and Estella from Great Expectations, but apparently Paltrow’s real interest — at least when she went to UC Santa Barbara — was art history.

Kevin Costner. Before he was Eliot Ness, Robin Hood, Wyatt Earp, and, well, the Mariner from Waterworld, Costner was a student at California State University at Fullerton, where he graduated with a degree in business in 1978. Costner even worked for a marketing firm after graduation.

Ashley Judd. Anyone who follows college basketball has probably seen Ashley Judd cheering in the stands at University of Kentucky basketball games. As a student, Judd majored in French, with minors in anthropology, art history, theater, and women’s studies. After leaving school in 1990 just one course shy of graduation, Judd finally graduated last month.

Sean Penn. Made famous by attending Ridgemont High, Penn actually attended Santa Monica College, where he studied auto mechanics and speech.

Tommy Lee Jones. This Oscar-winner and Texas native is also an alumnus of Harvard University, where he completed a degree in English in 1969, and was roommates with John Lithgow and former Vice-President Al Gore.

Incidentally, Harvard boasts at least one more Oscar-winning English major — Matt Damon — who left school in 1992 just three classes shy of graduation.

Brad Pitt. Legend has it that before Brad Pitt was, well, Brad Pitt, he once aspired to be a famous journalist. Pitt studied journalism at the University of Missouri but dropped out just two credits shy of graduation.

Another mega-actor that studied journalism, graduating with a degree from Fordham University in 1977 — Denzel Washington.

Tim Allen. Though marred by his well-documented problem with cocaine, for which he served two years in prison, this Tool-Time star did in fact graduate from Western Michigan University in 1976 with a degree in communications as well as minors in — *manly grunt* — philosophy and design.

Forest Whitaker. Granted, this Academy-Award winning actor did graduate in 1982 from the University of Southern California with a degree in drama, he was initially accepted to the Music Conservatory to study opera as a tenor.

And finally … Benjamin Welch. Renowned for his break-out performance as the Mayor of Munchkin City in American Fork High School’s production of The Wizard of Oz, Welch later studied comparative literature at Brigham Young University, where he completed a master’s degree in 2005.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Benjamin Welch has been a college instructor in writing and composition for nearly six years. When he’s not teaching or playing golf, he offers advice for students seeking information about online education and online degrees.