Turns out getting your degree from an "academic institution" that advertises heavily during Jerry Springer and in between Maury Povich's multiple declarations of "You are not the father" is not so helpful in the real world. Bates Technical College in Tacoma, one such institution, is in the midst of settling a suit brought by former students in the school's civil engineering technician and surveying program. Bates has agreed to pay $500,000 to 16 students who claim their degrees left them "embarrassingly unprepared" for employment. more ›