The Ministry of Higher Education has approved distance learning master degree programs for Saudi Universities. Using distance learning the program will work to reduce the number of fake degrees issued by unrecognized American and European universities and colleges, Al-Madina reported. Last month a degree mill in Washington was shut down after it sold degrees to hundreds of customers including 69 Saudis and several Gulf citizens. Tareq Hamdi, dean of Distance Learning at King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah said the program is an expansion of a previous program. “Earlier the ministry limited distance learning studies at the Saudi universities to bachelor degrees. Now it has been expanded to include the masters degree programs.” He said the ministry issued its decision to protect Saudi citizens interested in pursuing their higher education, from being exploited by unaccredited institutions. Hamdi declined to give an estimate on how much the programs will cost but stressed they would be reasonable. He said those who are interested in learning more about the program can find information at www.kau.edu.sa.
