Maung Maung Soe was born on 15 May 1951.[4] He earned a Bachelor of Economics degree at the then Rangoon Institute of Economics in 1973.[5]
In April 2016, controversy surrounding his academic credentials surfaced, because his master's and doctorate degrees were obtained from a diploma mill, the Christian International School of Theology (Manila).[3][5] Further, his master's and doctorate degrees from the International Institute of Social Studies could not be independently verified.[3]