MS Courses for expats in Riyadh

I am currently living in RIyadh, Saudi Arabia. I was wondering does anyone know any good institute that offers masters courses for expatriates? I went to Princess Noura University for finding information. But the trip was a waste of time. They don't offer MS courses at all !

Hi Ambreendarjat and welcome to Expat.com!

Your thread has been moved to Riyadh forum for better visibility.;)

Wish you Good Luck in your research,
Harmonie.

Oh sorry Harmonie. Actually i am new here and didn't really know where to post. Thanks a ton for moving it to the Riyadh Forum.

Hi @ambreendarjat,

Welcome to Expat-Blog

Unfortunately for us, the expats, just a few options exist for higher education. The ones available are not worth the value you pay for.

Did you consider VU - http://vu.edu.pk ?

Helloo TheLegendLeads. This is really sad that I have no good options here. I have applied at KAUST university Jeddah. But I really wanted to stay in Riyadh and do something. I have been trying hard to find a job but that too in vain. This is getting frustrating now ! :/

KAUST even, in my view, is not a very good idea.

Though they have started investing a lot on the education sector, the world-wide recognition, accreditation and credibility takes decades to develop.

Nevertheless, with the very limited options availibility, what else to do?

What degree program are you trying to get into?

I have completed my bachelors in computer engineering. Want to purse MS in Computer Science. I read a lot about online programs, are those accredited worldwide ?

Well, I categorize such education in 3 broad groups.

1- Online
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You study and give exams staying at home. This is the least accredited sort of Bachelors/Masters.
Mine is a leading IT company of KSA and we really don't recognize any degrees acclaimed so. And I'm sure most companies act similar to mine.

2- On-Campus
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The traditional & standard education pursue. The most recognized and beneficial form (if university/colleage selection decision had been well-thought).

3- Semi-Online
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This kind of study system is usually semester-based and each semester is embarked upon with a 15-30 days bootcamp physically held in the college/university. This is the most feasible solution for busy professionals. It is well-respected and well-accredited (if done from a reputed institution). For example masters courses offered by Manchester Business School (MBS) are very popular and respected in KSA.

Please note that these categories are how I define them (and NOT any international standards) and it's not necessary to agree with them :)

I agree with thelegentleads about online programs. Since you are not employed yet my personal suggestion would be to enroll as a full-time student on-campus somewhere.

Semi-Online programs they seem doable but it gets very difficcult to balance between work and school after a while.

did you look into King Saud University?