Is an “institution offering fraudulent or substandard degrees”
the same as a diploma mill? The Texas legislature chose to use
the phrase "institution offering fraudulent or substandard
degrees" to describe the institutions from which consumers need
protection. The phrase covers both institutions that intend to
defraud the public and those who may not intend fraud but, by
their substandard operations, accomplish the same bad result. In
either case, they offer degrees with little or no serious work.
Some sell the degrees through a web site or by sending money to
a mailbox, often claiming to "assess your life experiences."
Others require some nominal amount of work from the student,
often in a traditional classroom setting, but do not require
coursework as rigorous as that required by legitimate colleges.
Webster's Third New International Dictionary defines "diploma
mill" as "an institution of higher education operating without
supervision of a state or professional agency and granting
diplomas which are either