Post by @UnpopularCrow@lemmy.world

2026-04-20 13:02 UTC

If you can complete a masters degree in five weeks, it’s a degree mill and not a real degree. The average in-person masters degree requires 30 credit hours with 24 credits being above 500 level (graduate classes). Let’s do the math: If you take 15 credits per semester (5 classes typically), that would be 15 hours of class time for 12 weeks. For a 3 credit class this would be 3 hours per week of class time. If you condense this down to 5 weeks, that would be 36 hours of class time per week for five weeks. But remember, this is only half the required credits. So you have to multiply this by 2, leading to 72 hours per week of just class time. This does NOT include any outside work. Typically, 500 level classes give homework that can take 5-10 hours per week since it is a graduate level class. Let’s assume five hours to be generous. That would mean for a full semester (15 credit hours at 5 classes) one would be looking at 15 hours of class work per week plus 25 hours of homework/projects per week (5 classes x 5 hours of work per class). For a total of 40 hours per week. Condensing this down to 5 weeks would multiple this number by 2.4 (5 weeks instead of 12 weeks). And then multiplying it again by 2 since you would have to do both semesters in five weeks. That would be 192 hours of work per week for five weeks. There are 144 hours in a week. These places are degree mills.

Replies (5)

@Know_not_Scotty_does@lemmy.world 2026-04-20 13:15

I did a summer "mini-mester" for my undergrad Fluid Mechanics class where the class was condensed into 4 or 6 weeks but you met every day and it was FUCKING BRUTAL even though I was only doing that one course. I can't imagine doing that for a full 15hrs of coursework. This smells more like a click through the classwork once randomly, figure out the right answers from the online quiz when they pop up at the end, then click the right answers the next time type of situation but for a whole program. How this got accredited (if it actually is) is beyond me.

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@stoly@lemmy.world 2026-04-20 16:37

Corollary: if you have the capability to complete the requirements in a short period you should be allowed to.

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@owenfromcanada@lemmy.ca 2026-04-20 13:26

The problem is that many "legit" colleges are already degree mills, albeit at a slower pace. In the US at least, colleges are run like businesses. More students means more money. As long as they can maintain an okay reputation, they'll churn as many students through as they can. The places that let you fast-track like this are just taking the next logical step, and letting the mask slip a little further. The whole system is broken; this is just another symptom. Not every institution is this way. In my area, there are one or two schools that consistently produce people who actually know something. But it's a pretty small percentage, all things considered, and I expect the overton window will gradually lessen expectations at those places over time as well.

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@davad@lemmy.world 2026-04-20 13:43

I largely agree, but one situation I can think of where condensing the work makes sense is experienced professionals who already meet the learning outcomes. Their goal is to prove that they know the material, then have a degree to show as proof, not to actually learn the material.

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@sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2026-04-20 22:30

But, but, if... degree mills exist... then... Recruiters would have to do actual work, to vet that! Clearly you haven't been on LinkedIn enough to understand how the job market _**actually**_ works.

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