engineering degree online : phony degrees abound

Posted by bposton on October 28th, 2006 — Posted in engineering degree online

You’d think that with all the information out there on phony colleges and diploma mills, that everyone would be wise to it and no one in positions of authority would be able to slide in with a phony degree.

Well, my online dorm room buddy, you’d be wrong.

Just a couple of years ago, CBS News did an investigation and found that phony degrees are all over the place.

And just who are these people with these phony degrees and what jobs to they have?

Well, not to scare you, but they found safety engineers at nuclear power plants and biological weapons experts. People who work at NATO headquarters, at the Pentagon and just about every federal government agency.

That’s right, the CBS News investigation found employees at each of these places with degrees from phony schools.

IN fact, the investigation turned up a man who worked at a dipolma mill who said he says he’s not surprised to know that there are people working at almost every level of government who have phony degrees.

Here’s another example:

At the time of the investigation, it was reported that Charles Abell, who then was the Assistant Secretary of Defense had a master’s from Columbus University, which is a diploma mill that the state of Louisiana shut down.

So please be careful and mindful when you’re looking for the right program, and make sure
you get a legit degree from a legit organization.

Ben

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engineering degree online : Is that a college in your PC, or are you just happy to see me?

Posted by bposton on October 26th, 2006 — Posted in engineering degree online

Here’s another good question that someone left on the online degree dorm room door:

What kind of PC do I need to take an online class?

Good question - and even a geek like me needs the answer to that one :-)

But I’ll have to put on my consulting hat and say “it depends”

For example, each school ,an even each program may have some very specific software requirements, and I’ve found that even in general the requirements can be different, and therefore confusing.

Let me give you some examples, in this post and the next, to explain what I mean.

We’ll start with Drexel University.

Here is what they say are the technical requirements:

“Students need particular hardware and software to successfully participate in our Online programs. They also need certain computer skills and knowledge to install, configure, and operate the hardware and software.”

Clear as mud? :-)

OK, a little more detail. Again from the Drexel website:

“The sections below list minimum computer hardware, software, and computer skills.
Wherever possible, we avoid changing requirements for existing students, but please note that students with minimum hardware or software may need to make some upgrades before they complete the degree program.

Computer Hardware
Students must have access to a computer that has the following minimum configuration:

Processor: 300 MHz or more
RAM: 128 Megabytes or more
Disk: 2 GB free space
CD-ROM
Modem: 56 K BPS or higher
Monitor: 600 x 800 resolution, 16 bit color
System: Windows 98, ME, NT 4, 2000, XP

Computer Software
The following set of software packages is required:

MS Office 2000 or later
Internet browser (Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 SP1 or Netscape Navigator 4.7 or higher)
Note: While most Web browsers should work, students report fewer problems with Internet Explorer.

Other software may be required for particular courses.

All software must be installed and operational one week before classes begin.

Sounds a little out-dated to me, how about you?

OK, so I’ll take another look around and let you know what I come up with at another college.

Stay tuned

Ben

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