
A “diploma mill” program would have low academic requirements for admission, low academic requirements for classes, and low standards to graduate from the program. Diploma mills make it very easy for LL.M. students to receive high grades, with very little work. Because the standards are low at diploma mill schools, the value of the degrees received is also very low. Law firms and other organizations will be less likely to hire a graduate who holds a degree from a diploma mill law school.
A diploma mill bestows LL.M. degrees at a high financial price, but with little worth to the student.
A school does not need to award hundreds of degrees in order to be a diploma mill. A school can be a diploma mill with only a few graduates. It is the quality of the education received that is important, not the quantity of diplomas offered.
LL.M. Roadmap author Professor Edwards answer the question "What is a Diploma Mill".
What is a “Diploma Mill”?
• Unregulated institution or program of higher education
• Grants degrees
• Low requirements for admission
• Few or no or lax academic requirements
• Low requirements for graduation
• Diploma may be valuable to person who simply wants a diploma—any diploma— and is willing to pay for it.
(Illustration by Kurt Ihrig with Lettering by Greg Wagoner)