MUSCAT : The rulings include approvals of several foreign degrees, rejection of multiple qualifications that violate regulations, new standards for e-learning, expanded recognition for selected global universities, and decisive action against forged and fake certificates.

The committee approved the equivalence of several postgraduate degrees, including the Master of Education in Special Education (Ain Shams University, Egypt, 2022), the Master of Science in Engineering in Process Safety and Loss Prevention (University of Sheffield, UK, 2023), and the Master of Engineering in Urban Management (Kyoto University, Japan, 2024). These were equated to Master’s degrees in the same specializations.

Further equivalence decisions included recognizing a Bachelor of Arts in Arabic Language and Literature from Al Ain University (UAE, 2024) as a Bachelor’s degree, while the Master of Education in Mathematics from Philippine Normal University (2012) was equated to a Bachelor’s degree. The Bachelor of Elementary Education from Calauag Central College (1991) was matched to a post-secondary diploma in education.

However, a large number of qualifications were rejected for non-compliance with ministerial regulations. These included a Doctor of Science in Clinical Medicine from the State University of Campinas (Brazil, 2024) due to irregular attendance, and a PhD in Physiology – Neuroscience from Manipal University (India, 2012) for being pursued part-time, an unaccredited mode of study in India. Several business administration degrees from universities in the Philippines, Malaysia, the United States, and China were also rejected due to lack of prior approval, distance learning violations, or the institutions not being on the recommended list.

The committee further declined the recognition of qualifications from Cyprus International University (Northern Cyprus), Mu’tah University (Jordan), Yunnan University of Finance and Economics (China), Integral University (India), Hindustan College of Arts and Science (India), Cairo University (Egypt), Al-Isra University (Jordan), Liwa College (UAE), and Dar Al-Hadith Al-Khairiyah (Saudi Arabia), citing reasons ranging from irregular attendance and lack of ministry approval to violations of distance learning rules and issuance of non-accredited honorary degrees.

A major part of the meeting focused on revising regulations for distance learning. The committee approved new standards allowing e-learning only in top 500 globally ranked institutions in countries such as the UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and Canada. The new rules apply exclusively to postgraduate programs and prohibit online study in specializations requiring practical skills. Intermediary entities are barred from academic involvement.

The committee approved exceptions for Executive MBA programs delivered by recommended universities, provided they meet full-time or part-time criteria and follow the required credit structure. Requests for course equivalence up to 50% were approved under specific conditions, and new pathways were introduced, including allowing Bachelor’s degree holders in Jurisprudence and Da’wah to pursue postgraduate studies in Law.

Enrollment in certain education specializations at institutions in the UAE and Jordan has been suspended pending a national review, including undergraduate law studies at Cairo University, due to attendance requirement issues.

The committee also rejected requests to study human medicine in Tunisia, and suspended enrollment in medicine programs in China, Poland, and Malaysia due to concerns over language of instruction, program suitability, and graduate competency.

Sri Lanka has been added as a new study destination, with full-time, on-campus study approved at the University of Colombo, University of Peradeniya, and University of Sri Jayewardenepura. Distance learning and blended programs in Sri Lanka remain unrecognized.

Additionally, 50 new US universities have been added to Oman’s list of recommended institutions for full-time study.

The committee ruled against recognizing The Open University of Sri Lanka, Fahd Bin Sultan University and Batterjee Medical College in Saudi Arabia, and Russell Sage College in the US due to inadequate global rankings or exclusive reliance on distance learning.

Two qualifications issued by the fake “Oslo Institute of Science and Technology” in Norway were rejected outright. The committee also uncovered three cases of forged degrees, including from the University of Allahabad (India) and Damascus University (Syria), and a forged equivalence certificate from Egypt. All cases were referred for legal action.

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