I received a resume from an Egyptian looking for a job in IT. He has been working in the Kingdom since December 2008 as a network engineer and network administrator at two different companies in the Eastern Province — one a hospital and the other a business solutions company. His primary qualification is a Rochville University BS in Network Engineering. Rochville University is not accredited by any recognized accreditation body in the United States.
Yes, the Rochville document has all sorts of fancy stamps and stickers attached to it by numerous government agencies, including Saudi and Egyptian authorities. What isn't well understood is that all these different officials are simply affirming as genuine the seals and signatures of other public officials — not the content of the document.
For graduates of US institutions, Education USA offices at the US Embassy in Riyadh and US Consulates General in Dhahran and Jeddah can attest that the academic institutions listed on their transcripts or diplomas are accredited in the United States. This attestation is not intended to verify the content or authenticity of the underlying documents, but rather authenticate that the academic institution named on the documents is recognized by the Department of Education as being accredited by a nationally recognized agency. Rochville University documents are not eligible to receive such an attestation.
Employers, schools and the general public can check the database at to see whether an institution is accredited in the United States as a degree granting institution.
The Egyptian with the Rochville University document claims in his resume that he was allowed to create network security policies and deal with network security issues at a local hospital as well as access data belonging to Saudi companies working with a local business solutions provider. His resume is titled "Certified Network Engineer." At the moment he is unemployed and looking for a new IT position in Saudi Arabia. Let's work together to make sure he doesn't find one.
