FWIW, this phenomenon is not a &quot;US National Security Community&quot; thing, it&#x27;s a government thing (although quality control can vary).<p>I saw it in the Army -- enlisted Soliders get a certain number of &quot;points&quot; towards their promotions for completing coursework and obtaining a degree.  So, they find the most expedient methods -- and for-profit schools that catered to this nonsense were all over.  An entire platoon could literally pass around the same papers and get through an associate&#x27;s degree together.  &quot;Criminal justice&quot; was a popular one, for some reason.<p>I have lots of teachers in my family.  They get a big pay bump for a Master&#x27;s degree (had to be accredited, admittedly, so that&#x27;s a little better).  If the pay bump is the same no matter which school you go to, why not take the path of least resistance, especially when you&#x27;re working full-time and raising a family?  They all have online degrees from one of the local state colleges that caters to this market.  I don&#x27;t think they try to argue that they are better teachers for it.  It&#x27;s just a way to hustle for more money (and can you blame them?)<p>If you have to make a one-sized-fits-all rule about &quot;this degree is worth this amount of money,&quot; you&#x27;re going to run into these issues.