The PGDBA Course is a new program with their first batch graduating this year. Despite the new status of the PGDBA Course, it has emerged as a viable alternative to the MBA Course. However, the emergence of the PGDBA Course has led to a new dilemma for aspirants as they have to make a choice: PGDBA vs MBA. In this article, we will compare PGDBA vs MBA so that you can make the best choice according to you.
The PGDBA Course is a 2-year program helmed by IIM Calcutta, IIT Kharagpur and ISI Kolkata. It focuses on educating the students on the different aspects of Business Analytics. Over the 2 year duration of the course, the students will be spending 1 semester each in all of the colleges which head the PGDBA Course following which they will undergo a 6-month long internship where they will be expected to use the knowledge gained over the course of the PGDBA Course in real-world projects.
In terms of the course contents/syllabus of the PGDBA Course, each college, and therefore semester, has its own focus. The students are expected to start their learning even before the actual program starts in the form of certain pre-semester preparation modules that they are supposed to go through. These modules in the PGDBA Course cover the basics of the different disciplines of management including:
Following the completion of the pre-semester module, the actual PGDBA program begins. The first term is held at ISI Kolkata and covers the statistical aspects of analytics in order to give the students a firm grounding on what exactly analytics is comprised of. Some of the topics of the PGDBA Syllabus which might be covered in the first semester of the PGDBA Course are:
This semester is followed by a stint at IIT Kharagpur where the students will be able to learn about the technical aspects of analytics and how to implement the different techniques that they might have learnt about in the previous semester. Some of the topics included in the PGDBA Syllabus of this semester are:
This is followed by the final semester of teaching in the PGDBA Course at IIM Calcutta. This semester focuses on the application of data analytics to the business. It includes certain topics such as:
The final semester of the PGDBA Course is completely application based since it involves a 6-month long internship. During this period, the potential recruiters get an opportunity to get a better read of the student than normal (due to the longer time frame of the internship) and see if they would be a good fit for the company.
As you might have gathered from the information given above, the comparison of the PGDBA vs MBA is rather obvious. Both have some similarities in terms of course structures and have some subjects in common across the PGDBA Course and the MBA Course.
| Distinctions | PGDBA Course | MBA Course |
| Full-Form | Postgraduate Diploma in Business Analytics | Master’s in Business Administration |
| Accreditation | Approved by AICTE | Approved by UGC |
| Course Type | Diploma Course | Degree Course |
| Scope | Focused on Analytics | Covers 4 disciplines |
| Competition | Relatively Low (New Course with medium awareness) | High (Around 2 Lakh people give the CAT Exam each year) |
| Placements (compared with IIM Calcutta as the common institute) | Average: 25.05 LPA | Average: 25.40 LPA |
| Median: 23.23 LPA | Median: 23.75 LPA | |
| Curriculum | Constantly Updated | More inertia because of longer heritage |
These are some of the measures across which the PGDBA vs MBA comparison can be made. As you can see, neither the PGDBA Course nor the MBA Course holds a clear advantage. There are some benefits and drawbacks to each course.
The advantage of the PGDBA Course is the fact that the competition (as of now) is quite low. In addition to this, the payout is quite high, even if it is slightly lower compared to the salary figures from the IIM Calcutta from the official placement report for 2019. The curriculum can also be changed to be effective as it is a new program with no set practices as of now.
On the other hand, the PGDBA Course is extremely sharp in its focus on Business Analytics. This means that any candidate who is not sure about entering the field of business analytics should not apply for the PGDBA Course. The nature of the PGDBA Course means that the students of the course will get opportunities almost exclusively in the analytics domain. This may be a deterrent for candidates who are not sure about entering the field of business analytics.
The opportunities provided by the PGDBA Course are different from those offered by the MBA Course. While the opportunities from the MBA Course are varied across industries and functions, the opportunities from the PGDBA Course will be narrow in terms of function, although almost every industry has used for business analytics. So the conclusion of the PGDBA vs MBA debate finally rests with the individual. If they are clear on the career path they want to take, then the PGDBA Course is an amazing opportunity but if there is some doubt, then it is better for the candidates to go for the MBA Course.
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