A life experience doctorate is a degree which you can buy over the Internet from various unaccredited universities. Those universities, which usually are nothing more than a P.O. Box or an empty storefront, offer both diplomas and degrees, up to a doctorate level. According to them, the skills you have gained thanks to your work or life experience have an academic value which they can help you translate into a degree.
To get a life experience doctorate, you usually simply have to fill in a form on the unaccredited university's website, stating that you have acquired skills through your life or work which are equivalent to a doctorate level. Typically, the university will not verify those claims and will simply issue the degree after you have paid the fees associated with it.
Getting a life experience doctorate is not cheap, but is obviously cheaper than getting a real doctorate at an accredited university. Most degree mills charge up to $1,500 for a life experience doctorate alone. However, if you wish to also purchase the required bachelor's degree at the same time, the total cost could be as high as $2,500. It is worth noting that most degree mills do not accept credit cards as most credit card processors do not want to be associated with them. Therefore, customers usually need to use online money-transfer services to pay for their life experience doctorates.
The legal implications of using a life experience doctorate differ from state to state in the United States and from country to country in the rest of the world. Some U.S. states such as Oregon, for example, require job applicants to mention on their resumes or cover letters if they have acquired their academic credentials through an accredited university. It is worth noting, however, that in most countries, working in such fields as medicine or law without a degree issued by an accredited school or university is punishable by law.