False academic degrees

(a) It is an offense for any person to knowingly issue, sell or manufacture a false academic degree. As used in this subsection (a), “person” includes any individual, corporation, firm, company, partnership or association. (b) It is an offense for an individual to knowingly use or claim to have a false academic degree to obtain: (1) Employment; (2) A promotion in employment; or (3) Admission to a college, university or other institution of higher learning. (c) As used in this section, “false academic degree” shall mean any degree issued that meets one of the following criteria: (1) Issued without requiring any student academic work; (2) Issued based solely on the student’s life experience or portfolio without requiring any post secondary work submitted to and evaluated by faculty with appropriate academic degrees from an institution that is: (A) Accredited by a regional accrediting agency or other accrediting agency recognized by the United States department of education; and (B) Authorized to operate in Tennessee pursuant to title 49, chapter 7, part 20, relative to the authorization of post secondary institutions, or is exempted from authorization by § 49-7-2004; or (3) Issued using more than twenty-five percent (25%) of required credits based on the student’s life experience or portfolio. (d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit an otherwise properly accredited and authorized institution from issuing honorary degrees recognizing distinguished individuals for service to the state, an institution or community. (e) A violation of subsection (a) is a Class A misdemeanor. (f) A violation of subsection (b) is a Class C misdemeanor.