What is MCA all about – Know the full form, eligibility and scope

 

Master of Computer Applications (MCA) - A three-year-long course is a professional post-graduate programme for individuals aiming to delve deeper into the world of application development by learning modern programming languages.  A blend of both - theoretical and practical knowledge, an MCA degree offers students a chance to work with tools meant to develop better and faster computer software/applications.

MCA programmes are designed to meet the shortage of qualified professionals in the IT (Information Technology) industry. In India, there are a lot of colleges offering integrated MCA programmes as well.

MCA programme: Eligibility Criteria

According to AICTE, an MCA course has the following pre-requisites:

• Aspirants must have a BCA/BSc/ BCom/BA degree with Mathematics as one of the subjects at 10+2 level or graduation.

However, MCA colleges in India might ask you to fulfill the following as well:

• Aspirants need to be an Indian National. Foreign nationals/Non-Resident Indians may or may not be eligible to apply under the Foreign/NRI Category.
• Aspirants must have obtained a bachelor's degree in Computer Applications, Computer Science or Information Technology.
• Minimum marks required: 50% to 60% (a CGPA above 6/10 is considered good) in Bachelor's; 55% and above in Class 12th. Class 10th marks do not matter in most cases.

Note: The above-mentioned eligibility criteria might differ from college to college. This is just an overview.

MCA Entrance Exam

Candidates are required to appear and qualify the following entrance exam for admission to the course in the college of their choice:

BIT MCA

Birla Institute of Technology (BIT) Mesra conducts the BIT MCA entrance exam for admission of students to the course. BIT Mesra, founded in 1955, is a deemed university. The institute is accredited by the National Assessment & Accreditation Council (NAAC) and the National Board of Accreditation (NBA). The cost of the application form of MCA entrance exam conducted by the BIT Mesra is Rs 1,200 and it can be filled online.

Indraprastha University Common Entrance Test for MCA (IPU CET MCA)

The MCA Programme of IP University and affiliated institutes has over 1,000 seats including those for reserved categories. The admission to these programmes is done yearly through Common Entrance Test – IPU CET. The cost of the application form is Rs. 1,000 and it can be obtained from designated Punjab & Sind Bank branches all over India. Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University is an affiliating and teaching University established by the Government of Delhi in 1998.

JNU MCA

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) offers MCA in the School of Computer & Systems Sciences which was established in 1975. The cost of the application form is Rs 220 for one field of study, Rs 430 for 2 fields of study and Rs 600 for 3 fields. JNU is one of the premier universities in India providing higher education.

NIT MCA Common Entrance Test (NIMCET)

NIMCET is a national-level entrance test conducted by NITs for admission to their MCA programme. NIMCET scores are accepted by institutes like NIT Trichy, NIT Jamshedpur and all other NIT’s. The cost of the application form is Rs 1,000.

Pune University MCA

Pune University has at least 118 research institutes and 269 affiliated colleges and conducts an all India entrance examination for admission to MCA and MSc (Computer Science) courses. The cost of the application form is Rs 575.

West Bengal Joint Entrance Exam MCA (WB-JECA)

WB-JECA is conducted by the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examinations Board and students not only from West Bengal, but also from other parts of India can appear in the exam to get admission to the various institutes conducting MCA programme in the West Bengal. The cost of the application form is Rs 400.

Joint Admission Test for MCA/MSc (IIT JAM)

The objective of IIT JAM is to provide admissions to various MCA, MSc, Joint MSc-PhD, MSc-PhD Dual Degree and other post-bachelor degree programmes at the IITs based on the performance in a single test. The application form can be filled offline for Rs 1,000 or Rs 900 for online application. IITs are the organising institute for JAM.

MCA Course Curriculum

Typically, the basic curriculum of an MCA programme includes topics like network and database management, electronics, mobile technologies, financial accounting, mathematics, statistics, cloud computing, Java programming, etc.

What do you study in an MCA course – Syllabus overview

MCA Specialisations

In an MCA programme, students would likely have the following specialisations to choose from:

• Application Software
• Hardware Technology
• Internet
• Management Information Systems (MIS)
• Networking
• Systems Management
• Systems Development
• Systems Engineering
• Software Development
• Troubleshooting

Career Prospects after MCA

The IT industry is ever-blooming and there is no dearth of lucrative job opportunities in this field. An individual with an MCA degree may land a job in government as well as the private sector. Many top software companies, consultancy firms and large corporations across India recruit an MCA graduate.

Some of the companies hiring MCAs include NTPC, GAIL, BHEL, Accenture, Infosys, Wipro, TCS, Cognizant, IBM, etc.

The salary package depends on the recruiting company as well as the skill/s an individual possesses. One of the MCA graduates was quoted on Quora saying, “Top companies like TCS, Infosys will offer an average package of around 3.5LPA to 4.5LPA whereas some product-based companies like Symantec or Nvidia have offered around 5LPA to 7LPA to an MCA fresher. Also, a lot of startups have started acquiring talents with high packages ranging from 7LPA and above”.  

What after MCA?

After completing the degree, individuals, mostly get into the job roles mentioned below. However, if you wish to enhance your IT skills, you could opt for pursuing PhD/MPhil. You can also consider becoming a lecturer of Computer Science/Communication Technology in a college offering MCA programmes.

Mentioned below are the job profiles you can get into once you have an MCA degree in hand:

• App Developer
• Business Analyst
• Database Engineer
• Ethical Hacker
• Graphic Designer
• Hardware Engineer
• Manual Tester
• Mobile Developer
• Network Engineer
• Project Manager
• Quality Analyst
• Software Programmer/ Engineer/Developer/Application Architect
• Systems Analyst
• Software Consultant
• Social Media Handler
• Troubleshooter
• Technical writer
• Web designer
• Web developer

You could also give a thought of having your start-up!