Degree Mills: The Billion-Dollar Industry That Has Sold Over a Million Fake Diplomas - Softcover

"Allen Ezell and John Bear have done consumers, students, and employers a huge service in this superb overview of society's problem with fake degrees and degree suppliers. Degree Mills is the best book on the subject and is required reading for anyone who cares about educational credentials. Whether you are thinking of getting an online degree, hiring someone who has such a degree, or rooting out someone with a fake degree, Ezell and Bear's Degree Mills is the gold standard, your first and best source."
--ALAN CONTRERAS, OREGON STUDENT ASSISTANCE COMMISSION

"This is the peerless guide to diploma scams. This well-documented study is in the same league as other famous exposés such as Jessica Mitford's The American Way of Death."
--BIMONTHLY REVIEW OF LAW BOOKS

"There's an investigative vibe underpinning the book . . . [containing] unforgettable characters and the narrative pace of a thriller. [Provides] consumers and employers with a bevy of research tools to spot fake degrees. . . . Ezell and Bear's investigative strengths shine a particularly bright and effective spotlight on a problem that has serious--and dangerous--repercussions."
--CHICAGO TRIBUNE

"This well-written and disturbing book reveals just how easy it is to become a 'college graduate.' . . . Read it if you have an interest in genuine education."
--STATESMAN JOURNAL

When the first edition of Degree Mills was published, fake universities and counterfeit degrees were already a significant problem. Fueled by the Internet, this scam continues to grow—now more than half of all people claiming a new PhD in fact have a fake degree.

In this updated edition, experts Allen Ezell and John Bear go beyond exposing these fraudulent practices to provide detailed recommendations—for government agencies, educational institutions, and individuals—on what can be done to rid us of them. This eye-opening and definitive guide shows how degree mills operate and how to check the validity of anyone’s degree—an indispensable reference book.