Is Augment MBA a scam?

[greg4545]

If you look at https://augment.org/ they make it look like you are getting a real MBA from a real business school. But after searching online, I see they say they are not accredited and that they offer an MBA Certificate, so apparently they don't offer actual master's degrees. They are backed by celebrity entrepreneurs. Is this legal?

[Tomas]

Not necessarily scam but it is not a university (which they don't seem to claim to be, they claim independence from accreditation bodies and traditional universities).
In many countries MBA is not a recognized/legally covered title, thus anybody can offer it there.
Legality depends on where they are located and where their customers are located. For their customers, theoretically there might be issues if they use such MBA title in a country where it is covered by the law, or theoretically they should prevent customers from some countries to get the MBA from them, but that is probably too extensive interpretation of law.

[greg4545]

Not necessarily scam but it is not a university (which they don't seem to claim to be, they claim independence from accreditation bodies and traditional universities).
In many countries MBA is not a recognized/legally covered title, thus anybody can offer it there.
Legality depends on where they are located and where their customers are located. For their customers, theoretically there might be issues if they use such MBA title in a country where it is covered by the law, or theoretically they should prevent customers from some countries to get the MBA from them, but that is probably too extensive interpretation of law.

They are located in New York.

[Duneranger]

Why not just go to one of the million legit MBA programs out there? If you have to question it, it’s obviously a bad idea.

[bjcheung77]

They're not accredited, nor a scam either... They're just an unaccredited MBA (and Business School)... I would suggest going for the Saylor Academy MBA instead, as I mentioned that in the following thread from the sister board: https://www.degreeinfo.com/index.php?thr...750.62550/

As mentioned in the thread linked, here's the thread for an alternative or competitive option, I would still recommend Saylor Academy MBA over this one as well, Augment and ThePowerMBA are very similar: ThePowerMBA from the sister board: https://www.degreeinfo.com/index.php?thr...mba.58318/

[freeloader]

I don’t really understand what this program (I hesitate to call it a degree) is meant to do.

This program won’t open doors to big companies and high-paying jobs the way the in-person MBA from a top tier university will. It won’t provide the perceived legitimacy that a lot of managers and executives feel they receive from an MBA later in their career (often distance or executive format). It doesn’t provide an early pivot to the person who earned a non-business undergraduate degree and wants to move into a business job. It doesn’t provide hours for the CPA or help with things like the CFA or CFP the way some MBAs do.

So, it seems to provide you with some knowledge (hopefully) and some videos recorded by business executives/founders.

Nothing wrong with that; knowledge is awesome. But I suspect if you commit to reading a business book each month and listening to a couple of Ted Talks or Bloomberg sitdowns with business leaders/founders each week, you probably will develop a similar fund of business knowledge. Of course, most of their insights will be some version of “work hard, don’t let people limit you, and get lucky” for how to be successful in business. Well, that and doing 3 years at Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, CalTech, or Stanford before dropping out to start your first well-capitalized startup using your freshman year roommates’ dad’s venture capital money.

Just do that and you’ll be rich and successful. And bypass the $2,500 pseudo-MBA, methinks.

[greg4545]

They're not accredited, nor a scam either... They're just an unaccredited MBA (and Business School)... I would suggest going for the Saylor Academy MBA instead, as I mentioned that in the following thread from the sister board: https://www.degreeinfo.com/index.php?thr...750.62550/

As mentioned in the thread linked, here's the thread for an alternative or competitive option, I would still recommend Saylor Academy MBA over this one as well, Augment and ThePowerMBA are very similar: ThePowerMBA from the sister board: https://www.degreeinfo.com/index.php?thr...mba.58318/

But how is it legal to for a "school" like Augment to advertise they offer an MBA (which normally stands for master's in business administration) but instead of awarding a master's degree, awarding a certificate of completion? How is that not false advertising? I'm just curious. I'm obviously not leaning towards doing their program.

[Duneranger]

They're not accredited, nor a scam either... They're just an unaccredited MBA (and Business School)... I would suggest going for the Saylor Academy MBA instead, as I mentioned that in the following thread from the sister board: https://www.degreeinfo.com/index.php?thr...750.62550/

As mentioned in the thread linked, here's the thread for an alternative or competitive option, I would still recommend Saylor Academy MBA over this one as well, Augment and ThePowerMBA are very similar: ThePowerMBA from the sister board: https://www.degreeinfo.com/index.php?thr...mba.58318/

But how is it legal to for a "school" like Augment to advertise they offer an MBA (which normally stands for master's in business administration) but instead of awarding a master's degree, awarding a certificate of completion? How is that not false advertising? I'm just curious. I'm obviously not leaning towards doing their program.

There is no copyright on the acronym MBA….

Obviously they are being sort of deceptive but at no point does their site suggest they are an accredited degree granting program. They are playing off their version of a real world “MBA” being superior to a dry/academic setting which lacks real business acumen. “Certificates” can mean anything and don’t need to be accredited.

I can’t think of how any person who happened to stumble into a BA or BS degree would get fooled to think otherwise.

It’s a grifting/networking site with exclusive “TED Talks” and business tips from the “pros”.

This is my 30 second impression of the site. Again, not worth posting but here we are.

[greg4545]

I'm certainly not a legal expert, but I would think that if there is an acronym that 99% of the population would interpret to definitely mean a certain thing, then to advertise that acronym (MBA which normally means master's of business administration) then my guess is it's fraud/deception. If I have a food stand and I have "PB&J Sandwich" on the menu but instead of peanut butter and jelly, I put parsley, butter, and Jell-O on the sandwiches, in addition to having angry customers, I think it can be argued that I am engaging in a form of deception or fraud or unfair business practice unless I make it clear before the purchase is made that it's not peanut butter and jelly. Also, as far as I can tell, Augment does not clearly disclose they that offer certificates instead of master's degrees. Someone can easily go through the sign up process and never see that, I think, based on what I saw. It's not on the home page and not on the signup page the home page links to. The FTC regulations regarding deception are about what a reasonable person would expect based on the sales offer being made. I think it's probably very reasonable to expect a master's degree if someone is offering you an MBA. But again, I am not an expert.