A Long-Distance Diploma

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Currently, more than three million Americans are enrolled in DETC-accredited courses, studying everything from computer programming to desktop publishing to electrical engineering to nutrition science. For a list of DETC-accredited programs, visit the web at www.detc.org, or call (202) 234-5100.

For those who prefer to do their research electronically, Phillips and Yager maintain a mini-guide to valid distance learning colleges on their Lifelong Learning Web site, www.geteducated.com. "We screen all entries, and we do not list diploma mills, though we get a lot of e-mail from [them] asking to be listed at our site. We got seven such requests this week alone."

With new programs cropping up all the time, Phillips and Yager have also launched a free e-mail newsletter, The Virtual University Gazette, to try to keep pace with the distance ed explosion. "The first section of the Gazette, which we post to our Web site each month, contains announcements of new virtual university programs," says Phillips. "We average about 15 new programs each month."

If, after exploring any or all of these resources, you've still got your heart set on a program or course you found through some other less verifiable means, there are still a couple of ways to check out its legitimacy. The registrar's "bible" of recognized educational institutions is a UNESCO publication called the International Handbook of Universities. Published in the U.S. by Stockton Press, it comes with a heavy price tag, $215, so this is not one you'll want to add to your personal library. But most larger libraries and all college and university registrars should have a copy on hand.

Prospective students can also check out specific institutions with the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), a private nonprofit organization that acts as coordinator for the many voluntary institutional and programmatic accreditation agencies nationwide. CHEA annually commissions a directory, entitled Accredited Institutions, for Postsecondary Education and compiled by the American Council on Education (ACE), which lists more than 5,000 properly accredited public, private, two- and four-year, and vocational institutions nationwide. Visit CHEA on the Web at www.chea.org, or call (202) 9556126.

BANKING YOUR CREDITS

You've aced two math courses at a regionally accredited community college, you've successfully completed a half dozen online computer engineering courses through three different distance learning programs, and, thanks to several years spent south of the border, you recently flew through a Spanish language college-level proficiency exam.

All these credits are beginning to add up and suddenly you're thinking: degree. Or maybe: new job. Now the task is to get that employer or admissions officer to take your helter-skelter academic record seriously. This is where the Regents College Credit Bank Service can help.

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