Job Discussion Forums

[Pikgitina]

Government (and private, I guess) tertiary institutions in the Gulf, i.e. places like KU, QU, ZU, UAEU, HCT, SQU, KSU, KFUPM, KAAU and PSU are places that employ and have employed many of us.

I've always wondered how many students actually graduate with degrees and what the value of those degrees is. Are degree qualifications from these institutions only recognised in that insular bubble called the Gulf or are they more universally recognised, too? For example, would a student who graduated with a BSc from ZU be able to pursue graduate studies at more established, Western and non-Western universities and institutions?

This is an honest question, so let's try not to get the thread locked after 1 or 2 replies!

[Stephen Jones]

KFUPM sends plenty of students to do graduate studies abroad.

And it is a lot higher in the league table than a good half of the Universities in the UK for example.

Most graduates probably stay employed in the Gulf because there are lots of advantages for them to do so; guaranteed jobs on a high salary.

[Neil McBeath]

Sultan Qaboos University in Oman also sends srtudents off to do second degrees in Britain and the USA.

My personal feeling on this is that a degree from SQU would have far more status than a degree from some of the ex-polytechnic universities in UK, and also more status thasn a degree from some of the American fundamentalist bible college "universities".

But this sort of thing is very, very difficult to verify. How much would a degree from the Humbolt University in Berlin be worth if it were granted in 1941 (Third Reich), 1981 (DDR) or 2001 (Bundesrepublik)?

[15yearsinQ8]

good question

i wonder too what the graduation rate is after
4 years
5 years and
6 years
with students able to take a semester off because of marriage, etc.

i know kuwait uni. commencement ceremonies are somewhat thin on graduating students .... with a demotion to the technical colleges a real option for those less academically inclined
the grad. rate varies among KU colleges - but no real incentive to graduate on time to get a job

those immediately advancing to graduate degrees abroad i would say are 10% or less of the graduates
with rare exceptions, places for Masters and PhD are middle tier state schools depending on the field - ya, respectable schools but i'm sure they waive good gre scores as requirements
I don't see very many well read, well rounded KU grads

as for as 'how much is it worth'.....
consider the hot fields in kuwait
1) banks - banks are pressured to hire kuwaitis and work is ok - but a kuwait uni. grad, kuwait who graduated with a bach. in the us/uk and a kuwait technical college grad ARE ALL PAID THE SAME (except those with a bach. degree will receive twice the bonus from govt as a diploma holder)
2) teaching in govt schools - exact same as banks except the Bach. bonus is less than in banks
3) oil - you NEED a petro. eng (or other eng ) degree for serious money - there are jobs for kuwaitis with diplomas but pay will top out compared to engineers

[veiledsentiments]

[007]

[Never Ceased To Be Amazed]

Congrats, secret agent man! A rare, but lucid non-incendiary remark!

Well done!

NCTBA

[Cleopatra]

[007]

Well, I think it is a matter of superiority/inferiority complex �behaviour/attitude� by the Saudis or the locals in general in the Gulf area towards foreigners. The Saudis and the locals of the Gulf, in general, have an inferiority complex towards Westerners with blue/green eyes, but have superiority complex towards non-westerners from third world countries (i.e. India, Pakistan, Siri lanka, Egypt, etc) even if those from the third world did all their degrees in a Western country!!!

[littleoldlady]

007
There's no need to get hung up on blue/green eyes. There are many "western" people i.e. indigenous to country whatever that means with gorgeous brown eyes ... like liquid chocolate... yum.

[007]

[veiledsentiments]

Your theory seems to fall apart there... wouldn't gray go with blue/green? It would have to be all brown/dark in one area and mostly "not brown" in the other. If it were merely a temperature thing... wouldn't it be brown in the warm and beige in the cold? And, why don't the Chinese people who live in cold climates have light eyes... they don't... nor do the Native peoples of Siberia or North America.

So much for that theory...

VS

[Pikgitina]

Good to know that some do go further to study elsewhere and that they are actually accepted.

Neil McBeath, I hear you, institutions probably need time to 'mature' and become reputable (instead of getting a reputation ). And this 'maturity' is by no means stable.

And then there's the money-making aspect. IMO, universities that accept foreign students with only an IELTS band 6 are doing so because they want/need more money.

Overall, I'm glad to know that it's not all mickey mouse...

[veiledsentiments]

Pik... I suspect that few female students from ZU or HCT have a chance to study for advanced degrees overseas. Too many families won't allow it. That said, some years after leaving HCT, I got an email from some of my ex-students who were attending the small women's university which is a branch of Georgetown University in Washington, DC. I lost contact so I don't know if they finished an MA or not. A women only Catholic university had convinced their families to let a batch of them attend.

And, at that time, HCT wasn't even awarding a BA... it was only a diploma. But, as I said, they had the cash for the high tuition. And, I can confirm that they were very bright and hard-working young women.

VS

[Pikgitina]