Degreesrus.com is a diploma mill, offering college degrees from "U.S. University." For a price, you get to select a degree -- bachelor's, master's, Ph.D. or all three.

You pick the field of study and the year of graduation. You can even choose to graduate with honors -- cum laude, magna cum laude or summa cum laude. Each choice carries a price.

Of course, the degree isn't worth the paper it's printed on. But that hasn't stopped people in the past from getting their degrees from diploma mills.

The following investigative report by Team 4's Jim Parsons first aired Feb. 21, 2003, on WTAE Action News at 6 p.m.

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RESOURCES For more information on legitimate distance learning opportunities vs. bogus diploma mills, try these links: Better Business Bureau Middle States Association Search For MSA Members Pa. System of Higher Education John Bear's Web site 3-part series on diploma mills

John Bear, diploma mill expert: "We're approaching half a billion dollars -- $400 million a year, $450 million a year, something of that range. Tens and tens of thousands of fake degrees being sold."

Professor Mark Hoover teaches biology to undergraduate students at Penn State-Altoona. The university's Web site says Hoover is also supervisor of science labs. Penn State lists his degrees in higher education, including a Ph.D. from Columbia Pacific University.

Columbia Pacific University was forced out of business by the state of California three years ago. The state attorney general called it a diploma mill and a giant scam. We wanted to talk to Hoover about that -- first by phone, then in person.

Parsons: "I called you the other day. I was wondering if I could ask you a couple of questions?"

Hoover: "I gotta get back to work."

Parsons: "So you don't want to discuss this?"

Hoover: "No, no, no. Thank you."

A Penn State spokesman says Hoover is an adjunct professor -- a part-time lecturer -- so he doesn't need a Ph.D. to teach here.

We asked Penn State if they would allow a student to transfer credits from Columbia Pacfic University, the same school from which Hoover got his Ph.D. The answer is no.

Ron Righter is the head basketball coach at Clarion University. The college's Web site calls him Dr. Ron Righter. But Righter isn't really a doctor. He, too, got his Ph.D. from Columbia Pacfic University.

Parsons: "I wanted to ask you about your decision to attend Columbia Pacific University. Why did you decide to get your doctorate from there?"

Righter: "I'm not going to answer that question after a win like that."

Parsons: "Well we tried to call you and set it up, sir."

Not only did Righter turn us down for an on-camera interview, so did Clarion University's president. A Clarion spokesman says Righter's doctorate is not an issue because he's a coach, not a faculty member.

Bear: "Everybody who uses one of these fake degrees. I call it putting a time bomb in your resume."

Bear is one of the nation's foremost experts on diploma mills. He says the illicit industry is booming, thanks to the Internet.

Bear: "The Internet is the diploma mill operator's fondest dream come true. Now, they can send spams. The biggest one operating now sends over 1 million a week, from Romania to America. They can have a beautiful Web site that looks better than a lot of real schools, and they are completely fake and untraceable."

Dr. Jeanette Blackston, Dean of Distance Learning, Community College of Allegheny County: "You want a quality education. You don't want something that you can't use. Why bother?"

Blackston says she's frustrated by the proliferation of online diploma mills.

Blackston: "I think the students are equating the two. I think they're thinking, 'Well it's online, so that's great and I can do it in my own time, so that's all I need to know. I'll sign up right away.' But they need to know a lot more than that."

They need to know if the school is accredited by a recognized body. And what's the best way to find out that information?

Bear: "Call the local registrar at any real college or university and say, 'Hey, will you accept a degree from Columbia State University?' They'll say no. That's all you need to know."

We want to make it clear that CCAC has an online distance learning program which is recognized by Middle States Association, an official accreditation agency.

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If you want more information about legitimate distance learning opportunities vs. bogus diploma mills, try these links:

Better Business Bureau
www.bbb.org/library/diplomamills.asp

Middle States Association
www.msache.org

Search for Middle States Association members
www.msache.org/direcnew2.asp

Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education
www.sshechan.edu

John Bear's Web site
www.degree.net

Three-part series on diploma mills
distancelearn.about.com/library/weekly/aa090302a.htm