By Sandra Davie, Senior Writer

BROOKES Business School, the private school in Beach Road that was exposed last week for peddling fake Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) degrees, also offered unaccredited diplomas and degrees in psychology on the side.

Among its past and present students are nurses, policemen and army regulars. At least three people who graduated with these bogus qualifications are now engaged in counselling work.

A 28-year-old, who works for a public institution, said he intends to opt out of his counselling duties. 'Now that I know it was a bogus degree, I don't want that on my conscience,' he said.

The Education Ministry on Tuesday said Brookes Business School was registered to run diploma and advanced diploma courses in psychology and business, but not degree courses.

Also, instead of issuing the diplomas under its own name, the school broke the rules by issuing them under degree mill Brookes University, a virtual university which claims to be based in Cornwall in Britain.

Six psychology students interviewed said they were recruited by the Centre for Applied Psychological Studies (CAPS), which shared the same premises as Brookes Business School in Beach Road.

The registered owner of Brookes, Mr Benny Yap Chee Mun, 39, was also listed as the centre's manager. Some time last year, the centre was shut down.

Mr Yap then started another school with a similar name - CAPS School of Business Management and Psychological Studies. Recently, CAPS changed its name to Stamford Global Learning Centre.

The Straits Times understands that more than 50 psychology students have approached Brookes to claim fee refunds, which ranged from $8,000 to $12,000 for a one-year specialist diploma, to $24,000 for a two-year diploma and degree.

Several have been told that the Centre for Applied Psychological Studies does not come under Brookes, although the students were issued receipts for their fees by Brookes Business School.

The six current students interviewed are all working adults in their 20s and 30s. All took out bank loans to pay their fees.

When some students queried if Brookes University was recognised, they were offered degrees from a series of other universities - including the Canadian University of New Brunswick, British Thames Valley University and Australian University of Ballarat.

A 25-year-old civil servant with O levels, who is enrolled in the psychology diploma course, said: 'They first offered me a Thames Valley degree, then the University of New Brunswick. Two weeks ago, it was Ballarat University. I started doubting the whole thing.'

Meanwhile, RMIT has lodged a second police report against Brookes for offering its business degree course since 2005 although it was not authorised to do so.

A few hundred people here paid between $12,000 and $18,000 to attend the one-year business degree course, which they thought was bona fide and relied upon to secure jobs and promotions.

Some resigned last week to avoid being found out by their employers.

The school's owner, Mr Yap, claimed that he himself had been duped by a Vietnamese man who sold him a 'franchise' to offer RMIT degrees in 2007.

The Straits Times sent e-mail inquiries to Mr Yap about the number of students who had graduated with Brookes University degrees and how many were now enrolled, but he did not respond.

He earlier said he did not know he could not award degrees from an unaccredited university. He also denied that he had set up the university, although records show that in 1999, he set up a company called Brookes Universitas.

The police said they have received several reports and are investigating the matter.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.