Schools

Moraga's "Other" University Draws Attention, Questions About Accreditation

Unaccredited Internet Academies - sometimes thinly disguised "Diploma Mills" - are operating all over California. And one of them is drawing attention in Moraga.

 

Tell a prospective employer that you received your Masters degree in Business Administration at a small college in Moraga and they may think: Saint Mary's College.

Tell that same employer your degree is from Frederick Taylor University -- in Moraga -- and their brow may go up. Not many people have heard of Frederick Taylor, but that may change as similarly unaccredited "Internet Academies" draw the attention of regulators charged with monitoring the state's 1,000 or so postsecondary education businesses.

Find out what's happening in Lamorindawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Bay Citizen recently spoke with the owners of Frederick Taylor, which operates from a nondescript office complex off Rheem Boulevard. No dorms, no classrooms... applications, curriculum, lessons and tests are all handled through the Internet. A large number of "students" are recent immigrants -- unwilling or unable to pay the tuition or devote the two years of study required by accredited colleges. Few appear to realize their diplomas may not be worth what they thought they were upon "graduation."

Although Frederick Taylor is operating lawfully in the eyes of the state, no state official charged with monitoring schools of its type has ever visited the Moraga "campus" -- and the Bay Citizen pointed out some discrepancies in claims made by Taylor's faculty and owners, who live in Orinda.

Find out what's happening in Lamorindawith free, real-time updates from Patch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here