Can Universities Take Away College Degrees?

[KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!!]

This is one thing I was never completely sure of. I was just reading this article, www.huffingtonpost.com/leah-finnegan/how-to-get-into-harvard-b_b_802369.html which is about Adam Wheeler, the kid who faked his way into Harvard University and had reached senior standing before he was found out. So if he had not been so ambitious and tried to bulls*** his way through more scholarships would he have just gotten away with it?

I also posted about this guy a while back: gawker.com/5727609/village-voice-caught-in-jayson-blair+style-fabrication-scandal who went to the same school I currently go to and was considered somewhat of an ace student before he was found to have fabricated. His career in journalism is obviously dead, but he can still say he has a master's degree from Columbia University. Shouldn't that be taken away too?

I remember hearing in an anthropology course that some anthropologists had their master's degrees taken away because they plagiarized some work, but outside of that have never really heard of it being done.

I could see the arguments made on both side. On the one hand degrees should be taken away because if someone earns a degree by dishonest means it devalues the degree of anyone who has worked for that degree. On the other hand a degree that a college bestows on anyone is to some extent a measure of the value that the college has itself. If they failed to notice when the student was in school, then it could be argued it was the college's fault for having such poor standards in fact checking.

[Red Impact]

I dunno if they legally can, but if it was found out after the fact that a student cheated their way to a degree, then they should absolutely be allowed to. If a student graduated honestly then cheated after the fact, they shouldn't be allowed to.

[Dr. T is an alien]

MLK and Albert Einstein both plagiarized to some degree on their Ph. D. theses. It still held up to scrutiny well enough and they were not stripped. Granted, they were not later shown to continue to be frauds so there would not have been a push to strip them. Thing is, I don't know that they can and even if they can I don't think that they would wish to do so.

[Michael Coello]

If they can, I should be allowed to get back my money.

[KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!!]

Jan 24, 2011 17:31:50 GMT -5 Dr. T is an alien said:

MLK and Albert Einstein both plagiarized to some degree on their Ph. D. theses. It still held up to scrutiny well enough and they were not stripped. Granted, they were not later shown to continue to be frauds so there would not have been a push to strip them. Thing is, I don't know that they can and even if they can I don't think that they would wish to do so.

Just another thought on the "if they can" subject. I would think private schools would have the complete authority to be able to it, since they get no official financial support to operate from the government. Public schools may be different though. Not sure, if either of those are accurate, but that seems logical to me.

Also, just curious, but what did MLK and Einstein plagiarize exactly? I'd look for it, but figured it would be easier to just ask

[mrwednesdaynight]

Id give back my degree if it mention I could take back the massive ammount of student loan debt I have. It is quite literally the yoke that prevents me from doing anything worthwhile in my life. Ironcially, I could probably put my degree to good use if I didn't have all the debt that came along with it. Right now, its good for toilet paper and has only gotten me two part time, minimum wage jobs. Stay in school kids....

[bob]

Jan 24, 2011 17:33:01 GMT -5 Michael Coello said:

If they can, I should be allowed to get back my money.

[Red Impact]

Jan 24, 2011 19:46:12 GMT -5 mrwednesdaynight said:

Id give back my degree if it mention I could take back the massive ammount of student loan debt I have. It is quite literally the yoke that prevents me from doing anything worthwhile in my life. Ironcially, I could probably put my degree to good use if I didn't have all the debt that came along with it. Right now, its good for toilet paper and has only gotten me two part time, minimum wage jobs. Stay in school kids....

Didn't you get a film degree? Yeah... that would suck.

[mrwednesdaynight]

Jan 24, 2011 20:13:47 GMT -5 Red Impact said:

Jan 24, 2011 19:46:12 GMT -5 mrwednesdaynight said:

Id give back my degree if it mention I could take back the massive ammount of student loan debt I have. It is quite literally the yoke that prevents me from doing anything worthwhile in my life. Ironcially, I could probably put my degree to good use if I didn't have all the debt that came along with it. Right now, its good for toilet paper and has only gotten me two part time, minimum wage jobs. Stay in school kids....

Didn't you get a film degree? Yeah... that would suck.

Yes I did. Thanks for remembering! I still have some high hopes. I'm not done yet. But things are tough.

[Red Impact]

To be honest, I think colleges need to pare back the degrees they offer. They've gotten into the habit of trying to offer everything under the sun, even degrees that don't offer any job prospects, because it fools students into believing they can get jobs in industries that a degree isn't really going to do a whole lot.

In the one film course I took, half the class thought they could get hired as film reviewers by having a film degree, which was ridiculously wrong. Colleges should be more responsible in preparing students for the reality of what a degree means, rather than letting students think a degree = instant 100K job. Each degree offered should actually represent something society values and actually pays for. Leave the other stuff as optional courses and such, but only allow students to get degrees in fields that actually offer jobs.

[Jay Peas 42]

You have to remember, College Degrees aren't bearer bonds, they are just checks written off of your transcripts. And if the college decides to issue transcripts that reflect the grade you earned, then sure, they can revoke your degree.

[Dr. T is an alien]

Jan 24, 2011 17:37:51 GMT -5 KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!! said:

Jan 24, 2011 17:31:50 GMT -5 Dr. T is an alien said:

MLK and Albert Einstein both plagiarized to some degree on their Ph. D. theses. It still held up to scrutiny well enough and they were not stripped. Granted, they were not later shown to continue to be frauds so there would not have been a push to strip them. Thing is, I don't know that they can and even if they can I don't think that they would wish to do so.

Just another thought on the "if they can" subject. I would think private schools would have the complete authority to be able to it, since they get no official financial support to operate from the government. Public schools may be different though. Not sure, if either of those are accurate, but that seems logical to me.

Also, just curious, but what did MLK and Einstein plagiarize exactly? I'd look for it, but figured it would be easier to just ask

This is the best that I can do to fill you in about MLK. The noteworthy thing is that even though the findings were that he plagiarized, he did it in such a way that he still could be said to have contributed significantly enough to deserve his degree.

As far as Albert Einstein goes, I admit that I may have overstepped my bounds on that one. The only support for that statement that I have seen is this Cracked article, which is admittedly not the most reliable source possible.

[Deleted]

Did a little research on this and found it depends on the school for the most part. CAN they do it? Yes. That being said, it has to be a pretty big violation in order for a college to consider it (most colleges put it to a vote through their board of trustees). If they found that you cheated on an assignment in Math 105 your Freshman year and you went on to earn an English degree, that's not grounds to take it away. It would have to be outright plagarism on your exit exams or something of that caliber (which being an English major I can tell you at least in my school, they put the hammer down harder than ever on plagarism). Not to mention, the longer time goes by the harder it is (and less relevant to the current school) to prove any wrongdoing.

If they do that, I understand they don't take the diploma outright, but they discredit the degree itself, making the diploma worth as much as toilet paper. Any business that requires a diploma 99.9% of the time will double-check with the school to make sure it is legitimate...at which point the school can out you for not really having it and the business doesn't accept you. As for whether a business can drop you once you're hired...I dunno. I guess that's up to the business.

[YAKMAN is ICHIBAN]

Jan 24, 2011 20:34:21 GMT -5 mrwednesdaynight said:

Jan 24, 2011 20:13:47 GMT -5 Red Impact said:

Didn't you get a film degree? Yeah... that would suck.

Yes I did. Thanks for remembering! I still have some high hopes. I'm not done yet. But things are tough.

I did a film and political science double degree.....naturally I'm floundering in law school now, wishing I had stuck with film pursuits.

Michigan's film industry is doing well. I'd consider coming to Chicago as well, if you can line something up. I don't recall what area of production you are interested in though.