Cambridge State University
Encyclopedia
Cambridge State University is or was a diploma mill
, formerly operated in Shreveport, Louisiana
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/Non-accreditedSchools_78090_7.pdf and Hawaii
and later relocated to Mississippi
, offering university-level degrees via distance education
. It is not a state school. It is a proprietary private university
.
In 1998 the Attorney General of Louisiana won court orders to close down Cambridge State University and Columbia State University
, both as illegal diploma mills.
In February 1999 the State of Hawaii obtained a court judgment against Cambridge State requiring that it cease advertising itself as being accredited
, or as being accredited by the World Association of Universities and Colleges
or any other agency not recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, refund tuition money paid by students who had been misled to think it was an accredited educational institution, and pay a fine to the state.
As of June 2007, the Mississippi Commission on College Accreditation listed Cambridge State as a "non-approved entity" located in Jackson, Mississippi
.
In 2004 a school district in Michigan took action against two teachers who planned to undertake doctoral course work through Cambridge State University in order to increase their salaries. The district superintendent had initially approved their plans, but become suspicious when Cambridge State accepted another teacher into the doctoral program within 48 hours after the teacher had applied for admission. After investigation, school district officials discovered that Cambridge State was a diploma mill with an extensive criminal history. The teachers apparently thought the program was legitimate, but the state's arbitrator
in the case said they should have realized the situation was "too good to be true" when their doctoral degrees were awarded after just six and 11 months of work.
Diploma mill
A diploma mill is an organization that awards academic degrees and diplomas with substandard or no academic study and without recognition by official educational accrediting bodies. The purchaser can then claim to hold an academic degree, and the organization is motivated by making a profit...
, formerly operated in Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/Non-accreditedSchools_78090_7.pdf and Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
and later relocated to Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, offering university-level degrees via distance education
Distance education
Distance education or distance learning is a field of education that focuses on teaching methods and technology with the aim of delivering teaching, often on an individual basis, to students who are not physically present in a traditional educational setting such as a classroom...
. It is not a state school. It is a proprietary private university
Private university
Private universities are universities not operated by governments, although many receive public subsidies, especially in the form of tax breaks and public student loans and grants. Depending on their location, private universities may be subject to government regulation. Private universities are...
.
In 1998 the Attorney General of Louisiana won court orders to close down Cambridge State University and Columbia State University
Columbia State University
Columbia State University was a diploma mill based in California that used a Louisiana mailing address. It operated from the mid-1980s until it was closed by court order in 1998....
, both as illegal diploma mills.
In February 1999 the State of Hawaii obtained a court judgment against Cambridge State requiring that it cease advertising itself as being accredited
Educational accreditation
Educational accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met...
, or as being accredited by the World Association of Universities and Colleges
World Association of Universities and Colleges
The World Association of Universities and Colleges, WAUC, is an institutional accrediting body not recognized by the United States Department of Education. It is run by Maxine Asher, director of the American World University, an unaccredited school. WAUC's website claims that "laws in the U.S.A...
or any other agency not recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, refund tuition money paid by students who had been misled to think it was an accredited educational institution, and pay a fine to the state.
As of June 2007, the Mississippi Commission on College Accreditation listed Cambridge State as a "non-approved entity" located in Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
.
In 2004 a school district in Michigan took action against two teachers who planned to undertake doctoral course work through Cambridge State University in order to increase their salaries. The district superintendent had initially approved their plans, but become suspicious when Cambridge State accepted another teacher into the doctoral program within 48 hours after the teacher had applied for admission. After investigation, school district officials discovered that Cambridge State was a diploma mill with an extensive criminal history. The teachers apparently thought the program was legitimate, but the state's arbitrator
Arbitration
Arbitration, a form of alternative dispute resolution , is a legal technique for the resolution of disputes outside the courts, where the parties to a dispute refer it to one or more persons , by whose decision they agree to be bound...
in the case said they should have realized the situation was "too good to be true" when their doctoral degrees were awarded after just six and 11 months of work.