Madison University is a

non-accredited Unaccredited institutions of higher education are colleges, trade schools, seminaries, and universities which do not have formal educational accreditation. Educational institutions may not be legally required to obtain independent accreditation, d ...

distance learning Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually in ...

college located in Gulfport,

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

. The state of Mississippi considers Madison an "unapproved" college. Madison is also listed as an unaccredited and/or substandard institution by four other

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

s. According to ''

The Chronicle of Higher Education ''The Chronicle of Higher Education'' is a newspaper and website that presents news, information, and jobs for college and university faculty and student affairs professionals (staff members and administrators). A subscription is required to rea ...

'', Madison University has been referred to as a

diploma mill A diploma mill (also known as a degree mill) is a company or organization that claims to be a higher education institution but provides illegitimate academic degrees and diplomas for a fee. The degrees can be fabricated (made-up), falsified (fa ...

by the state of Oregon. Tuition is charged per degree, not per course, credit, or academic term. The school offers discounts for multiple degrees or for referring other enrollees. A 2004 newspaper article stated, "During legislative debate in Mississippi last year, Madison University, a school of particular concern to state officials and one identified as a diploma mill by the state of Oregon, said it enrolled 39,000 students from around the world."

Recognition

Madison University states that it is fully accredited by the

World Association of Universities and Colleges In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

. This organization is, however, an unrecognized "accreditation" board that is not recognized or approved by either the

United States Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Department ...

Council for Higher Education Accreditation The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) is a United States organization of degree-granting colleges and universities. It identifies its purpose as providing national advocacy for academic quality through accreditation in order t ...

. Since the school is not accredited by an accreditation body recognized by its country, its 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. In 2006 the ''

Virgin Islands Daily News The ''Virgin Islands Daily News'' is a daily newspaper in the United States Virgin Islands headquartered on the island of Saint Thomas. In 1995 the newspaper became one of the smallest ever to win journalism's most prestigious award, the Pulitz ...

'' reported that

Virgin Islands The Virgin Islands ( es, Islas Vírgenes) are an archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. They are geologically and biogeographically the easternmost part of the Greater Antilles, the northern islands belonging to the Puerto Rico Trench and St. Croix ...

Senator

Adlah Donastorg Adlah Alphonso "Foncie" Donastorg, Jr. (born December 30, 1961) is a U.S. Virgin Islander politician, who served as a Senator in the Legislature of the Virgin Islands for seven terms from January 1995 through January 2011. He was most recently a ...

, a candidate for territorial governor, listed on his resume a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in business administration from Madison University. Investigation by the newspaper revealed that Madison was not accredited by any recognized agency and was listed on the "Non-Approved Entities" list of the Mississippi Commission on College Accreditation. Madison provided names of several "accreditors" that the newspaper found are either not engaged in accreditation or are not recognized accreditors in the United States, including the

National Academy of Higher Education National Academy of Higher Education (NAHE) identifies itself as an organization specializing in evaluation of people's educational credentials. Some United States educational authorities identify it as an unrecognized accreditation organization o ...

, and the

Association of Distance Learning Programs Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal *Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry *Voluntary associatio ...

. After publication of this information, Donastorg's attorney notified the newspaper that he would sue over the article. Donastorg told the newspaper that his online classes through Madison University "were among some of the most challenging of his academic career" and he was not aware that Madison's accreditation was unrecognized. In 2009, Mississippi based newspaper ''

The Clarion-Ledger ''The Clarion Ledger'' is an American daily newspaper in Jackson, Mississippi. It is the second-oldest company in the state of Mississippi, and is one of the few newspapers in the nation that continues to circulate statewide. It is an operating d ...

'' reported the school "sought information from the commission on gaining approval several months ago but did not complete the process, even though it has continued operating in this state." The article also reported "the cost for a bachelor's degree is a flat $4,870, which can be paid in monthly installments". The

Sacramento Bee ''The Sacramento Bee'' is a daily newspaper published in Sacramento, California, in the United States. Since its foundation in 1857, ''The Bee'' has become the largest newspaper in Sacramento, the fifth largest newspaper in California, and the 2 ...

reported that firefighters that had purchased degrees from diploma mills to get raises were having their raises revoked. Madison University was listed as one of the institutions that had provided degrees.Robert Lewis
The Public Eye: 'Diploma mill' degrees for firefighters cost city $50,000, grand jury says
,

, July 9, 2009

References

{{Reflist, 2

External links

Three On Your Side Investigates: Mississippi Diploma Mills
Unaccredited institutions of higher learning in the United States Distance education institutions based in the United States

Recognition

See also

References

External links