Life experience universities award associate, bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees, as well as high school diplomas. Some of the most popular areas of study in these institutions are accounting, early childhood education, human resources management, business management, information technology, criminal justice, nursing, business administration, mechanical engineering and biblical studies.
Life experience universities consider prior job experience, military training, previous school experience, work-related training, membership in professional organizations, hobbies, personal goals, previous volunteer activities and any past reading or writing as viable examples of "life experience."
In addition to a possibly worthless degree, one prominent life experience university presents its graduates with transcripts, an award of excellence, a certificate of distinction, a certificate of membership and four education verification letters.
According to the Better Business Bureau, an organization awarding degrees should be considered a diploma mill if degrees or diplomas are awarded based on "life experience" and require very little or no work, and if the address for the university is a P.O. box or suite number. The BBB also suggests avoiding universities that guarantee a degree or diploma in a short period of time and offer more than one degree for one fee.