You gotta love online degrees. Or not. The array of educational (and quasi-educational) institutions that offer online degrees never ceases to amaze me. It’s not hard to understand why the field of online education is so hot … folks are pressed for time and the institutions are happy to press for cash, er, provide the service. Whether you’re looking to complete your MBA or get your MSCE, the choices abound.

Like anything else, there are good and bad online educational institutions (or those that would pass for educational institutions). Separating the scrupulous from the unscrupulous is one of the first steps in the journey. You want to be sure that you invest your online education dollars wisely. And for that, I cannot give any specific recommendations … but I can clue you into something that looks pretty shaky …

I just received (yet another) piece of unsolicited commercial email (yeah, that canned luncheon meat). Check this out:

Celebrate your LIFE- ACHIEMENTS (sic) with a University Degree or Diploma. Get the recognition for what you already know! Awards can also be granted for the purpose of honoring those who exemplify the ideals of Higher Education through their significant achievements and contributions to business and society in their respective geographic area. You can also be evaluated for a Doctorate in any field, or Masters of Business Administration, without a previous university education provided you can show proof of extensive experience in any field related to civil service, business administration, management, finance, healthcare, military, etc.

This from an entity calling itself Fast Track College, boasting to have been in business since 1957. Is the Fast Track College legitimate? I can’t pass judgement on that, but I can say that the advertisement merely clicked through to a form on a most unconvincing web site.

Truth be told, there ARE plenty of colleges and universities that offer online degrees to those pressed for time. Many of them are legitimate. Just ask “Dr.” John Gray, the Mars and Venus author (and no relationship to me, thank you) … ;)