Experts dismiss McSweeney claim over degree mill

A SENIOR US academic and an FBI consultant have separately rubbished claims by the Government’s chief science adviser that a renowned US degree mill was legitimate when he received a PhD there.

One of the experts added that it would be a criminal offence to use the degree in several US states.

According to his CV, Dr Barry McSweeney received a 1994 Doctorate in Biochemistry/Biotechnology from California-based Pacific Western University (PWU) an institution found to be little more than a one-room operation offering degrees over the internet for a flat fee.