AS DEAN of the oldest accredited American degree programme in Singapore, I applaud Thursday's report, 'S'pore on list of degree mill countries'. We are pleased to see unaccredited programmes face the harsh light of public scrutiny.

Our mission to educate is made more difficult when unaccredited programmes dilute the strength and vitality of American education programmes available in Singapore. Our relationship with Broward College in Florida, United States, a member of the Florida public university system, has been going strong for over 25 years.

Students and parents need to know what questions to ask when choosing an educational provider:

• What US accrediting agency works with your home institution? Broward is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. You can view our accreditation visit reports online.

   

• Where will my degree come from? Does it mention Singapore? Our students receive their degrees from Broward College in Florida.

   

• Who will teach me? Our faculty go through a rigorous review by a credential evaluation team in Florida.

   

• Where can I go with my associate degree? With the general education credits students earn, they can go to any US university to continue their degree.

One thing students and parents alike must realise - university is hard work. If a programme offers a short cut that is too good to be true, then it usually is.

We encourage everyone to visit the US Education Information Centre, the only US Embassy-authorised organisation in Singapore, to find out more about accredited US education programmes in Singapore.

Liza Boffen-Yordanov (Mrs)
Dean
Centre for American Education, Singapore

This article was first published in The Straits Times.