Job Discussion Forums

[Justin Matthews]

I find a lot of organizations are willing to issue degrees based on previous training or life experience. They use the spin that these are good for getting jobs over-seas which require special visas.

Some of these schools seem really bogus, but some seem reputable. So would these actually help you get a job in Japan if you needed a degree?

[Glenski]

This topic comes up occasionally. Whether they are bogus or not, it remains to be seen whether anyone who posts on discussion forums has actually gotten a work visa and job with such a degree.

[Gordon]

No. Immigration will look into the institution and will come to the same realization that you have: it is bogus. Sometimes if a person has extensive teaching experience, combined with a 2 year degree, they may grant a visa. Remember it is up to Japanese immigration, not the school to grant visas. The schools just sponsor you, that's all.

[JimDunlop2]

As far as I can tell, it's really all about accreditation. Perhaps there are some accredited schools that offer life experience degrees. I don't know -- look around. If it's a legitimate school/legitimate degree, they will usually say something to that effect....

Always look for an accreditation statement when looking for a school (especially if it's going to be a distance learning degree).

For example:


(Taken from Augustana University's website: http://www.augustana.ab.ca )
Accreditation
Augustana University College is a member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. Degree programs offered at Augustana are approved and authorized by the Government of Alberta on the recommendation of the Private Colleges Accreditation Board.

Compare this to the following....

Almeda University (offers life experience degrees): (Italics=mine)
http://www.almedacollege.org

(From the FAQ file)

Q: Is Almeda accredited?
A: Yes. Almeda is accredited by the Association for Online Academic Excellence (AOAEX). What the hell does this mean!? This is a private accrediting agency First clue that your degree doesn't hold water that ensures online distance learning programs are credible and meet with AOAEX's high standards for educational excellence. Accreditation by AOAEX ensures that degrees issued by Almeda carry the weight they need to be accepted by small, medium, and large companies across the United States and around the world. Alarm bells should be going off by now. However, accreditation by AOAEX does not guarantee that your degree will be accepted by everyone. There ya go. They just came out and said it finally. Your degree is worthless unless you can con a company into thinking it's real. Then, watch out if they ever catch you.


This next example is also a "fly-by-night" outfit. Notice how they try to obfuscate this issue and twist a lengthy definition of accreditation to its own purposes, which is to take your money and give you a worthless piece of paper, all in the mean time, trying to convince you it's not worthless based on its own bogus definitions.

Taken from: http://www.suffielduniversity.com

(bold emphasis=mine).

Accreditations
Accreditation when issued properly is a validation. This validation is achieved when a group of theoretically impartial experts in higher education thoroughly investigates a school and find it worthy of approval.

In America we have a number of separate independent agencies that grant accreditation. There is no central control or authority and there are both good and bad accrediting agencies. There are also two types of accreditation: institutional and specialized. Institutional accreditors, such as those referred to as "regional" accreditors, examine the college or university as a whole educational institution. Specialized accreditors evaluate specific educational programs. Professional accreditors, such as those for medicine, law, architecture and engineering, fall into this category.

Accreditation is a voluntary process and each college or university may decide for it self if accreditation is appropriate and necessary to accomplish its education mission. For those universities that seek Federal Government educational funding, accreditation by an agency recognized by the Department of Education is required.

Accreditation can be important for the school and the student. But that importance is confused by several factors. There are no significant national standards for accreditation. The accreditation of a school in one state might not be acceptable in another state. There are seven regional accrediting agencies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. These regional accrediting agencies carry the highest level of recognition and acceptance in the U.S.A.

The degree programs offered at Suffield University are not designed to be used for admittance to a graduate school or to meet any particular licensing or accreditation standards. If you are seeking a degree for licensing purposes, SU advises you to check with that licensing body or association to determine if that degree would be accepted.

Suffield University is international in scope, offering its degree programs to accomplished adults around the world. Accreditation by an accreditation agency recognized by the Department of Education in the US is neither warranted nor necessary to achieve its education mission. Suffield University does not seek Federal Government funding and has no need to meet this eligibility.

Suffield University has not applied for any accreditation that would be recognized by the US Department of Education. Nor would it qualify for such accreditation due to its non-traditional and non-resident international status.



Even these guys must admit that they have nothing... But they don't like to do so. If you are looking for a degree, make sure it's legit. There are stories every day of people getting fired (or worse) because they got hired under the assumption that they had a valid degree, when in fact it turned out that they didn't. The company that hires you (whether it's in Japan or anywhere in the world) reserves the right to can you if they find out that you've misrepresented yourself in your educational and/or work experiences.

Ensure that the school you choose (if it's American) has been accredited by one of the six regional accreditation bodies:

� Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
� New England Association of Schools and Colleges
� North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
� Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges
� Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
� Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

Anything else is asking for trouble. I hope this helps. Good luck.