The University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued a stern warning against fake online degree programmes bearing misleading abbreviations, such as BBA and MBA, which may lead to confusion among students and stakeholders.
In a public notice, the UGC highlighted that certain individuals and organisations are offering online programmes with acronyms similar to recognised degree programmes in higher education. One such programme that has caught the attention of the Commission is the '10 Days MBA'.
"Some individuals/organisations are offering online programmes/courses with acronyms/abbreviated forms similar to the higher education system's recognised degree programmes. One such programme to which the attention of the Commission has been drawn is '10 Days MBA'," UGC secretary Manish Joshi stated.
"The nomenclature of a degree, including its abbreviated form, duration and entry qualification, is specified by the UGC, with the previous approval of the central government, through the publication of a notification in the official gazette," he specified.
The UGC secretary clarified that the authority to grant degrees is exclusively held by universities established under central, provincial, or state legislation, or institutions recognised as universities by specific acts of Parliament.
"Higher education institutions are also required to obtain approval from the UGC to offer any online degree programme in terms of the UGC regulations. A list of recognised HEIs (higher education institutions) to offer online programmes and of permitted online programmes is available on deb.ugc.ac.in," the UGC secretary said.
"Stakeholders are, therefore, advised to ascertain the validity of an online programme before applying or taking admission to any online programme," Mr Joshi added.