The online University of Berkley, based in Erie, doesn't have classrooms, professors or even courses, but, for $2,785 prepaid, it does offer a bachelor's degree that, according to its Web site, skips "unnecessary studies unrelated to you or your degree."

Those degrees -- as well as the associate, master's, doctorate and honorary degrees sold by the operation -- are "bogus," and the institution is a "diploma mill," according to state Attorney General Tom Corbett.

Berkley is believed to have awarded 12,500 degrees, which would have resulted in revenues exceeding $34 million, according to the state.

The state attorney general yesterday filed a civil lawsuit in Erie County Common Pleas Court against Dennis James Globosky, 50, whose last known address was in Erie, and his businesses, the University of Berkley, the University of Berkley Online, UofB Inc. and the New Millennium Accrediting Partnership for Educators Worldwide, which the state contends is a "phony" accrediting agency.

Globosky is a former New Mexico state trooper. His attorney could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Berkley may be a variation on the name of the renowned University of California, Berkeley, but it is not related.

The complaint and a motion for an injunction are aimed at shutting down the operation, preventing Globosky from doing business in Pennsylvania, and requiring him to pay fines and costs.

According to the state investigation, the online university catalog includes pictures of academic buildings from other colleges and universities, including Harvard. The operation was located in a small suite in an Erie industrial park.

The most expensive degree offered is a combination master's and doctorate degree for $4,995 on the installment plan. The outfit provides the graduate with a diploma and a transcript, complete with grades and a contact for employers and others to verify the degree.

Its Web site notes the "harsh reality" that a degree is needed for career advancement and offers credit for "life experience."

On one page, it says: "You may already have your degree and not know it."

The Web site boasts 168 "formal degree program offerings" but says it does not offer "course work per se."

Instead, it offers course descriptions that students can use "in determining their own scholastic achievements."

In addition, students are told to do a "very flexible" project to demonstrate proficiency.

The civil lawsuit notes that some have lost their jobs once it was discovered their credentials were based on University of Berkley degrees.

In a prepared statement, Corbett said the operation was "100 percent designed to defraud consumers, prospective employers, businesses, universities and any other organizations or government agencies seeking workers or volunteers.

"Bogus outfits like this also enable unscrupulous individuals to use these degrees to misrepresent their educational background and enhance their credibility and/or employment and promotion opportunities."

The lawsuit charges that the operation violated the state Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law and state Department of Education statutes.

The lawsuit maintains the operation made false claims of mentors, professors, accreditation and "real staff" to answer questions as well as claims that noted universities recognized the degrees.

In addition, the operation did not meet the requirements for colleges and universities operating in the state, such as approval by the state Department of Education and a faculty of at least eight "regular" professors with limited exceptions.

State officials believe the organization has operated for about a decade -- not all of that time necessarily in Pennsylvania.

A 1999 state investigation resulted in information that the operation was no longer in the state. A consumer complaint resulted in the recent investigation.

In the age of the Internet, diploma mills which offer dubious degrees have become a growing problem, with jobs and raises being awarded based on such degrees.

"It's becoming a growing phenomenon as people get used to the idea of thinking they can get something for nothing," said Darrel Vandeveld, senior deputy attorney general in Pennsylvania.

Last year, the attorney general's office filed a civil lawsuit after a pet cat was awarded an executive master's degree in business administration from Trinity Southern University. The office reached a settlement for $17,200 with one of the four defendants last month. The others remain in litigation.

Also last year, reporting to the U.S. Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, the General Accounting Office stated 28 senior-level federal employees in eight agencies had received degrees from diploma mills and other unaccredited schools.

The GAO stated the actual number likely is higher than that because name similarities between many diploma mills and legitimate schools make them harder to spot.

According to the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, there is no universally accepted definition of a diploma mill.

The organization lists some traits, however, that should raise suspicions, including whether degrees can be purchased; lack of state or federal licenses; and few requirements for attendance, assignments or graduation.

Vandeveld recommended consumers check with the U.S. Department of Education to see if a school is listed as accredited.

"If you don't find an accredited one on the list, don't buy the degree," he said. "The not accredited ones are totally useless."