With the advent of the Internet, the degree mill industry has exploded onto the scene. In the old days of fake schools, there was a real monetary investment required, but now you can throw up a website with a shopping cart and you are in business. These degree mills, schools with no educational standards, are growing exponentially. Getting a degree from one of these supposed schools can kill your career.

There are ways, though, to discover which are legitimate and which are not. Use the advice below and you are much closer to the truth. It is important to understand that meeting one of these qualifications alone does not make a school a diploma mill. Neither does meeting two. It is a compounding of evidence that hits that target.

The criteria are:

1. Does it have a .edu suffix? While this is not the best measure (because there are few degree mills that have this), it is a good place to start.

2. Does it offer a one-price-for-all pricing policy? This is very unusual at the college level and rather common for these types of "schools."

3. Does it offer an unrealistic timeline to complete the degree? "Earn your degree in only one month!" While it may be possible through a combination of credits, credit-by-exam, and portfolio to earn a college degree quickly, it is not possible to do this by submitting a resume.

4. Is it accredited? While new schools, usually less than two years old, cannot be accredited, they should be well down that path. Also and importantly, is their accreditor recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (http://www.chea.org)? Yes, there really are also accreditation mills.

5. Can you contact the schools? Many of these fakes only allow you to communicate through email. This is not a good sign. Real colleges have ways to talk to someone on the phone.

6. Is it listed in Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning, on the CHEA website under schools, or at the U.S. Department of Education's new website (http://www.ope.ed.gov/accreditation)?

There are many other ways as well to determine validity, but this is a good beginning. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Do your research and make sure it will be acceptable to other colleges and to employers before you make the decision to pay out the money.