Online Graduate Degrees
ACCREDITATION
You would never buy a lawn mower or dairy product that wasn't certified safe, and neither should you buy an education that's not "quality-assured". Our site offers schools that are accredited and nationally recognized as some of the top online schools in the country. Since at the end of the day, your degree is only as good as its accreditation we strive to provide only the best schools for you. No matter how rigorous your classes are, how effectively your professors prepared you for the real world, or how well you defended your thesis, you could be in for a rude awakening if one critical step is amiss prior to enrollment: Is this school accredited?
Unfortunately, some online universities are little more than "diploma mills," meaning they will send you a degree for a payment, with little or no academic studying required. These online universities are not recognized by official accrediting organizations. A degree from one of these universities is not generally accepted in the job market. Furthermore, you will do serious damage to your career and may even face criminal fraud charges if you use a "diploma mill" degree to obtain a job or promotion for which you do not have the right credentials or education.
It is important to seek out an online university that has been accredited either by a nationally-recognized accrediting agency, or by a regional institutional accrediting agency that is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The Secretary of Education publishes a list of organizations that are regarded as reliable authorities on the quality of education or training provided by institutions of higher education.
The top quality online universities have been accredited by at least one recognized national or regional accrediting agency. For example, American InterContinental University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, a regional institutional accrediting agency. The University of Phoenix Online is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, another regional accrediting agency.
Certain online degree programs may also be nationally or regionally accredited. For example, the B.S. and M.S. degree programs in Nursing at the University of Phoenix Online are certified by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, a nationally-recognized accrediting agency. To find out if an online university or college has been accredited by a nationally-recognized or regional institutional accrediting agency, you can access the U.S. Department of Education search engine at http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/Search.aspx.
