Yahoo! CEO misrepresented degree earned

It was a legitimate degree, but not in CS...

 

It will be interesting to see if this costs him his job. It's hard to accept that it is a mistake--one ought to know about one's degrees, and he's been making this claim for a very long time. But where's the line? I have a Bachelor of Science, Business. That's not a BBA, but there are no real-world distinctions between the two degrees.

I also have a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies with a concentration in Sociology. Does that mean I have a BA in Sociology? No, not technically. Is there a difference between the two degrees? Yes. The degree I earned lets you apply sociology credits in just about any fashion you want, as long as you meet the level (upper division) amounts. No prescribed curriculum. I'd have to think a BA with a major in Sociology would have more structure. But is the difference so material that the distinction should be made when listing the degree?

Here's another one. I have a Ph.D. from Union Institute and University. By the time I graduated, Union's Ph.D. was in Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences. One could also declare a concentration (mine was higher education) and a specialization (mine was nontraditional higher education). So, do I have Ph.D. in higher ed? Probably not. But is the shortcut fair in order to avoid explaining all that?

The Centre for Labour Market Studies at the University of Leicester awards the Doctorate in Social Science. The degree results in both the title "doctor" and the appellation "DSoSci." The subject matter is Human Resource Development. If one earns the degree, would it be fair to list it as "Doctor of Social Science" instead of "Doctorate in Social Science"? And would it be fair if one listed on one's resume or vita "...in Human Resource Development" after the degree title, even though that won't be on the diploma?

I think the thing to watch out for is whether or not there is a material misrepresentation, not a technical one. In the Yahoo matter, it seems to me that it is material. To what extent--and to what resulting action--is in the eye of the beholder, I'd guess.

 

I can relate. I have two AA's both in General Studies with different specialization. The first is "Art & Human Expression" (the core of my classes were music courses) and the second was "Social Behavior & Self Development" (scattered coursework). As tempting as it is to put just the specialization in my resume, I don't because I feel it would be misleading. This is why I'm concentrating on a major instead of ID or General Studies.

 

I agree that there could be borderline cases, gray areas, or "fair" adjustments to degree titles. But this doesn't seem like one. The guy attended college between 1975 and 1979, which was before the widespread use of computers on most campuses. His school only offered one introductory course in computer science during that time period. They do have a computer science major now, but it wasn't established until years after he graduated.

 

If you look at my B.A. transcript, my major is listed as "Sociology: Criminal Justice". I asked the school how I should list my major on a resume, and they told me to just list Criminal Justice, as they would answer any inquiries about my degree as my major being Criminal Justice.

Of course, Sociology and Criminal Justice are so closely related, I don't think a scandal would ever erupt about the exact nature of my undergrad major.

 

Quote from your scource:
But in official bios from his job at eBay as head of its PayPal payments division, as well as on the current Yahoo one, a degree in computer science also appears, along with the accounting degree.

It seems these two official bios say he has two degrees, but he has only one. Does that still count as "misrepresented degree"? Isn't it also possible to consider his second degree a fake?