“Academic Fraud”: Report Details How Mastriano’s Doctorate is Being Called Into Question

New reporting from CBC News highlights how students and a professor at the University of New Brunswick are outraged over Doug Mastriano’s “atrocious” dissertation, which earned him a doctorate from the school despite being “dishonest, sloppy, tinged with religious zealotry, and indifferent to facts that contradicted his claim.”

“[Mastriano] was awarded a PhD on very shaky grounds,” said Jeffrey Brown, an associate professor listed on the dissertation. “The prospect of Doug Mastriano having any power, anywhere, is horrifying.”

Mastriano’s dissertation was also criticized for poor research methods, misidentifying a battle location, ignoring key details, and ruining an archaeological site, according to other scholars and experts in the report.

According to CBC, criticism of Mastriano’s dissertation goes back years and spans several countries. “It’s academic fraud,” said a teacher and history PhD candidate in Oklahoma.

“This man’s credentials are unearned,” said Richard Yeomans, a PhD candidate in the UNB history department. “It’s very clear a vanity degree was granted to him.”

Read the full report here.

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