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Master of Computer Application (MCA) Course Admissions 2024 - 2025 Academic Year
Students with a bachelor's degree in BCA or other related fields can pursue Master of Computer Application or MCA. It is a very good option for students with an interest in computer applications and aspires for a job in the IT sector. In this section of Indiastudychannel.com describes more about the scope and traits of MCA post-graduate degree.The twenty first century marks a shift in the era, from industrialization to technological dominance. And talking of technology, the first thing that enters the mind is the word ‘computers'. Clearly, the demand of technological experts in the market has risen exponentially. Any attempt at innovation today requires technology in one form or the other. The Master in Computer Applications (MCA) course is one of the courses that serves the needs of an individual to become technologically sound, get groomed and be useful to innovation. MCA is a postgraduate level programme that students basically pursue after completing their Bachelors in Computer Applications (BCA). The difference between M.Tech and MCA is that M.Tech in Computer Science may have something to do with hardware education as well while MCA is wholly oriented towards the software end. MCA is more inclined towards sharpening the understanding of a student in programming languages, operating systems, etc. MCA is a course that enables a student to become sharp as a programmer. In that MCA is a professional course which equips a student with the faculty to present himself as a usable professional before software companies in lesser time as compared to courses like B.Tech in IT or Computer Science. The course is job oriented and was mainly designed to amplify the supply of software experts to the IT industry. A student willing to pursue MCA needs to know that there are a number of areas in which one gets to specialize. Some of the popular areas of specialization are application software, software development, hardware technology, systems management, systems development and systems engineering.
Duration of MCA Degree - The general duration of the MCA course is three years. The entire course is divided into 6 semesters. Usually, the initial year of the MCA course is designed in such a way that an individual can develop basic concepts of computer programming, language skills and data structures. The following years are more focussed at providing a conceptual framework of the subjects. The final year of MCA is more oriented towards engaging the individual in project or bits of research work.
Eligibility for MCA Degree - To be eligible to get enrolled into an MCA course, the candidate must be a graduate and must have passed or must be in his final year of the degree in any discipline, be it science, commerce, arts or engineering. In this, the options of the students are not limited. It is not necessary that a student must have completed his BCA to get enrolled into an MCA course. Thus, the MCA course offers flexibility and provides a fair opportunity to students hailing from all kinds of academic backgrounds to gain knowledge related to computer applications. Additionally, candidates must have mathematics in their plus two course or in any one year of their graduation. No doubt, BCA graduates are eligible to pursue MCA.
Cost of Study for MCA Degree - The MCA being a professional course might come across as a bit costly. However, it is not as costly as its management counterpart, which is MBA. The average per year fee for MCA at Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad is a little over Rs. 13,500, while at the same time the same for Jawaharlal Nehru University (popularly known as JNU) is less than a thousand because it is a heavily subsidized university. The per year fee for MCA at VIT Vellore, which is a reputed private institute is Rs. 1.33 lakhs per year. Thus, it can be said that the cost of studying MCA can be in the range of anything between Rs. 10000 to Rs. 1.5 lakhs.
Admission Procedure for MCA Degree - A lot of colleges take admission into the MCA program on the basis of the marks scored by the candidate in their undergraduate course. However, most reputed colleges admit students into this course after testing their aptitude through an entrance test, making them participate in a group discussion and then subjecting them to a personal interview. Most entrance tests for MCA have questions mainly from maths and reasoning ability. While most universities ask multiple choice questions in their MCA entrance tests, others use a mix of both objective as well as subjective tests. Some of the most popular entrance test taken by MCA aspirants are All India MCA Common Entrance Test, Delhi University MCA Entrance, ICFAI MCA Test, JNU etc. The test is generally carried out within 2-3 hours. There are a number of coaching institutes that guide MCA candidates with the entrance exams. Some of the most know coaching centers that assist in clearing MCA exam are T.I.M.E., Brilliant Tutorials, Ascent and Trajectories Education.
Career Prospects for MCA Degree - Students with an MCA degree have endless opportunities in the software market, be it Indian or multi-nationals. Corporations across the world recruit MCA degree holders. An MCA gradually has the option to start as a junior programmer and then maybe even go on to become the project lead. One can become a software publisher too. Today, the startup market utilizes MCA graduates very intelligently as their education is more software oriented. Students can also join the banking sector, e-commerce sector, networking and communication and stock market and with database management companies. One can become, besides an engineer, a software architect, constant, developer or analyst. Although there are no set standards with respect to the remuneration that MCA graduates may receive from corporations, but the pay packages are less when compared to B.Tech or M.Tech graduates when they are starting out as freshers with no experience. Apart from joining a corporation as a developer, MCA graduates always have the option of joining the teaching field and become a lecturer.
Higher study opportunities in MCA Degree - Students who have graduated with an MCA degree have a number of options available when aiming for higher studies. An MCA graduate can try to get an M.Phil in Computer Applications or get himself enrolled in an M.Tech course. Additionally, they also have the options to gain some management related knowledge to strengthen their profile. Also, they can invest their time in research in any subject which he or she studied during their MCA course.