Suffield University
Encyclopedia
Suffield University is a degree mill, an unaccredited
internet school
specializing in what it calls Life Experience Degrees, issued upon payment, with life experience assessment based on the word of the applicant. Suffield is not accredited
by any accreditation body recognized by its country. According to the US Department of Education, unaccredited degrees and credits might not be acceptable to employers or other institutions, and use of degree titles may be restricted or illegal in some jurisdictions.
Offering degrees for a fixed fee based on life experience is generally considered to be indicative of the institution being a diploma mill
, and Suffield has been identified as such. In 2003, an article in The New Republic
noted that in 2002 a fire department training commander had been "caught" with a degree in fire science from Suffield. The magazine described the university as a diploma mill "accredited" by "the bogus National Distance Learning Accreditation Council". In 2004 an Indiana
state board denied a firefighter's request to use a Suffield degree as a job qualification, stating that the institution "apparently ... is not a college" but rather a body that provides a transcript
in exchange for a fee. In 2004, one candidate's Suffield degree became an issue in the election campaign for mayor of South Milwaukee, Wisconsin
, when the incumbent told voters that his opponent's master's degree came from an unaccredited school offering life experience degrees for $500.
In 2004 the Hartford Courant reported that state authorities in Connecticut
had ordered Suffield to cease operations. The states of Oregon
, Texas
, and Maine
list Suffield University as "operating illegally in Connecticut." According to its website, Suffield University now operates in Twin Falls, Idaho
, but the website does not provide a mailing address.
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...
internet school
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...
specializing in what it calls Life Experience Degrees, issued upon payment, with life experience assessment based on the word of the applicant. Suffield is not 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...
by any accreditation body recognized by its country. According to the US Department of Education, unaccredited degrees and credits might not be acceptable to employers or other institutions, and use of degree titles may be restricted or illegal in some jurisdictions.
Offering degrees for a fixed fee based on life experience is generally considered to be indicative of the institution being a diploma mill
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...
, and Suffield has been identified as such. In 2003, an article in The New Republic
The New Republic
The magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
noted that in 2002 a fire department training commander had been "caught" with a degree in fire science from Suffield. The magazine described the university as a diploma mill "accredited" by "the bogus National Distance Learning Accreditation Council". In 2004 an Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
state board denied a firefighter's request to use a Suffield degree as a job qualification, stating that the institution "apparently ... is not a college" but rather a body that provides a transcript
Transcript (education)
In education, a transcript is an inventory of the courses taken and grades earned of a student throughout a course.- United States :In United States education, a transcript is a copy of a student's permanent academic record which usually means all courses taken, all grades received, all...
in exchange for a fee. In 2004, one candidate's Suffield degree became an issue in the election campaign for mayor of South Milwaukee, Wisconsin
South Milwaukee, Wisconsin
South Milwaukee is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 21,256 at the 2000 census.-Geography:South Milwaukee is located at ....
, when the incumbent told voters that his opponent's master's degree came from an unaccredited school offering life experience degrees for $500.
In 2004 the Hartford Courant reported that state authorities in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
had ordered Suffield to cease operations. The states of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, and Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
list Suffield University as "operating illegally in Connecticut." According to its website, Suffield University now operates in Twin Falls, Idaho
Twin Falls, Idaho
Twin Falls is the county seat and largest city of Twin Falls County, Idaho, United States. The population was 44,125 at the 2010 censusTwin Falls is the largest city of Idaho's Magic Valley region...
, but the website does not provide a mailing address.
See also
- Accreditation millAccreditation millAn accreditation mill is an organization that purports to award educational accreditation to higher education institutions without having government authority or recognition from mainstream academia to operate as an accreditor. Implicit in the terminology is the assumption that the "mill" has low...
- List of unaccredited institutions of higher learning
- List of unrecognized accreditation associations of higher learning