962                               LAWS OF MARYLAND                       [CH. 405

(b) Any solicitor aggrieved by any decision of the State Super-
intendent thereunder, shall have the right to appeal said decision
to the circuit court of the county or to the Baltimore City court,
as the case may be, wherein said solicitor operates or proposes to
operate.

150.    Penalty.

Any person violating the provisions of this chapter, or any of the
rules and regulations promulgated hereunder, shall, upon conviction
thereof be fined not less than one hundred dollars ($100) nor more
than five hundred dollars ($500) for each such offense.

Chapter 14. Fraudulent or Substandard Degrees

151.    Declaration of policy.

It is the policy of this State to prevent deception of the public
resulting from the conferring and use of fraudulent or substandard
degrees. Since degrees, diplomas and similar measures of academic
achievement are constantly used by employers in judging the train-
ing of prospective employees; by public and private professional
groups in determining qualifications for admission to and continu-
ance of practice; and by the general public in assessing the extent
of competence of persons engaged in a wide range of activities
necessary to the general welfare, regulation by law of such evidences
of academic achievement is in the public interest. To the same end,
the protection of legitimate institutions and of those holding de-
grees from them is also in the public interest.

152.    Definitions.

As used in this chapter:

(1)    "Degree-granting institution" means a school, academy, in-
stitute, junior college, college, university, or person or entity of
whatever kind which furnished or offers to furnish instruction lead-
ing toward or prerequisite to an academic or professional degree
beyond the secondary school level, and which requires that in order
to obtain a degree or diploma the recipient thereof satisfactorily
complete an appropriate course of class, laboratory, or research study
in person under a faculty whose members hold appropriate academic
degrees or an educational organization or entity qualifying to grant
degrees under Section 155 of the chapter.

(2)    "Degree" means any designation, mark, appellation, series
of letters or words, or other symbol which signifies, purports or is
generally taken to signify satisfactory completion of the require-
ments of an academic or professional program of study beyond the
secondary school level.

153.    Award of degrees.

A degree or any object in evidence thereof may be awarded only
by a degree-granting institution. Anything in this chapter to the
contrary notwithstanding, a degree-granting institution may award
honorary degrees; provided that any such degree be clearly repre-
sented to be honorary and that any diploma, certificate, or other
tangible object issued or purporting to