Bronte International University
Encyclopedia
Bronte International University (formerly known as Trinity College and University) is an unaccredited
post-secondary educational institution formally in South Dakota
. It is widely considered to be a diploma mill
, operated from an unknown location. Its website offers "fast" degrees for "life experience".
described it as a "a British institution with no building, campus, faculty, or president, and run from a post office box in Sioux Falls, South Dakota". According to Oregon State Office of Degree Authorization
, it is "probably" operated in the Caribbean and "also operated in Louisiana and maybe elsewhere".
Course descriptions found on the institution's now defunct website were copied verbatim from the course offerings of Thomas Edison State College
.
Trinity College and University offered bachelor’s degrees on the basis of "Prior Learning Assessment", advertising that a degree awarded on this basis could be completed in as little as two days' time. Bachelor's degrees were priced at $675.
The name "Trinity College & University" is also used by a distance education institution based in Dover, Delaware
, United States, with offices in Málaga, Spain and Islamabad, Pakistan. This institution is rumored to be a diploma mill and advertises that it awards degrees "in any subject" on the basis of "practical experience."
The Trinity College and University that was based in South Dakota and later became Bronte International University is currently based in Tortola
, the British Virgin Islands
, and is registered as a corporation with the United Kingdom.
reported that several employees of the United Nations
had lost their jobs when it was revealed they had listed Trinity College and University degrees on their resumes. A representative of the UN was quoted as saying that one staff member's misrepresentation of his Trinity credentials as being from a legitimate university was considered "serious misconduct". The article described Trinity as a "diploma-sales business" and noted that the institution was "actively pursuing the soldiers in Iraq" as customers for college degrees.
Educational accreditation
Educational accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met...
post-secondary educational institution formally in South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
. It is widely considered to be a diploma mill
Diploma mill
A diploma mill is an organization that awards academic degrees and diplomas with substandard or no academic study and without recognition by official educational accrediting bodies. The purchaser can then claim to hold an academic degree, and the organization is motivated by making a profit...
, operated from an unknown location. Its website offers "fast" degrees for "life experience".
Location
The Skeptical InquirerSkeptical Inquirer
The Skeptical Inquirer is a bimonthly American magazine published by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry with the subtitle: The magazine for science and reason....
described it as a "a British institution with no building, campus, faculty, or president, and run from a post office box in Sioux Falls, South Dakota". According to Oregon State Office of Degree Authorization
Oregon State Office of Degree Authorization
The Oregon State Office of Degree Authorization is a unit of the Oregon Student Assistance Commission with responsibilities related to maintaining high standards in private higher education institutions in Oregon...
, it is "probably" operated in the Caribbean and "also operated in Louisiana and maybe elsewhere".
Academics and accreditation status
The institution claims to be accredited by the Association for Online Academic Excellence (AOAE), but this is not a recognized accreditation association of higher learning.Course descriptions found on the institution's now defunct website were copied verbatim from the course offerings of Thomas Edison State College
Thomas Edison State College
Thomas Edison State College is a public institution of higher education located in Trenton, New Jersey. One of New Jersey's 12 public universities and colleges, Thomas Edison State College offers degrees at the undergraduate and graduate level....
.
Other institutions with similar names
Bronte International University was originally known as "Trinity College & University". It should not be confused with a number of mainstream academic institutions with similar names (see Trinity College).Trinity College and University offered bachelor’s degrees on the basis of "Prior Learning Assessment", advertising that a degree awarded on this basis could be completed in as little as two days' time. Bachelor's degrees were priced at $675.
The name "Trinity College & University" is also used by a distance education institution based in Dover, Delaware
Dover, Delaware
The city of Dover is the capital and second largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, and the principal city of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County. It is located on the St. Jones River in the Delaware...
, United States, with offices in Málaga, Spain and Islamabad, Pakistan. This institution is rumored to be a diploma mill and advertises that it awards degrees "in any subject" on the basis of "practical experience."
The Trinity College and University that was based in South Dakota and later became Bronte International University is currently based in Tortola
Tortola
Tortola is the largest and most populated of the British Virgin Islands, a group of islands that form part of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands. Local tradition recounts that Christopher Columbus named it Tortola, meaning "land of the Turtle Dove". Columbus named the island Santa Ana...
, the British Virgin Islands
British Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands, often called the British Virgin Islands , is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union, located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico. The islands make up part of the Virgin Islands archipelago, the remaining islands constituting the U.S...
, and is registered as a corporation with the United Kingdom.
United Nations scandal
In February 2007 the Associated PressAssociated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
reported that several employees of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
had lost their jobs when it was revealed they had listed Trinity College and University degrees on their resumes. A representative of the UN was quoted as saying that one staff member's misrepresentation of his Trinity credentials as being from a legitimate university was considered "serious misconduct". The article described Trinity as a "diploma-sales business" and noted that the institution was "actively pursuing the soldiers in Iraq" as customers for college degrees.
See also
- List of unaccredited institutions of higher learning
- Educational accreditationEducational accreditationEducational accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met...
External links
- Bronte International University website, archived September 28, 2007