MCA is expanded as Master of Computer Applications and it is a three-year PG degree course divided into six semesters. The course is designed by most of the universities with a view to meet the growing need for qualified professionals in the field of computer applications and information technology. In this course, candidates are not only offered with the knowledge pertaining to computers, but they are also taught other subjects like operations management, production management, financial accounting and management, organization behavior, etc… to make them multi-specialized.

Course curriculum of Full Time MCA:

Generally, in three years of the MCA course, concentration is laid on the following areas in each year:

• In the first year of the course, students are offered with knowledge on basic concepts of computer technology and fundamental knowledge about programming skills.

• Higher level concepts in computer applications are taught during the second year of the course.

• Final/third year of the course is generally devoted for project work and students can gain some industrial exposure during this year. During the third year, students are offered with the facility of choosing any of the following specializations:

o Computer Graphics & Animation

o Artificial Intelligence

o Compiler Design

o Data Mining & Warehousing

o Software Testing/ Quality Assurance

o Networking (Windows & Linux)

o Software Development and Coding

o Management Information Systems (MIS)

o Internet Technologies

o Application Software Development using Shell Programming/Perl/HTML/Visual Basic/Oracle/Java/C/C++

o Data Structures

o Systems Engineering

o E-Commerce

General eligibility criteria for MCA admission:

Nowadays, the number of students taking up MCA course is increasing drastically and for seeking admission to this course, candidates must have completed their graduation (10+2+3) or (10+2+4) in any discipline and most of the universities have made it compulsory that candidates should have studied mathematics as a subject either at the higher secondary level or at the degree level for MCA admission. Also, candidates will have to appear for entrance exam and group discussion to get the seat in this professional course which may vary university to university and college to college.

Job positions offered for Successful MCA graduates:

Candidates with MCA qualification can find job opportunities in any of the following positions in the corporate world based on the specialization chosen by them during the final year of the course:

• Software Developer/Coder

• Network Administrator

• System Analyst

• Database administrator

• Web Design Specialist

• Systems Manager

• Software Tester

• Domain Consultant

• System Engineer

• Software Engineer

• Network Engineer

• Project Managers

• Hardware Engineer

• Business Analyst

Even these professionals can become good entrepreneurs in offering complete software solutions to information technology needs of their customers.

Career opportunities after MCA:

Following are the main areas of employment for candidates after successful completion of MCA course:

• Software Engineering and Development

• Research and Development

• Hardware and Networking

• Services and Application support

Software Engineering and Development: In the field of software engineering and development, candidates with appropriate specialization can become software programmers or coders, software administrators and several other positions are also open to these candidates.

Research and Development: When it comes to jobs in research and development field for MCA graduates, they will be fundamentally responsible for computer architecture and crafting of circuits and chips. There will also be other responsibilities in the area of research and development for MCA graduates.

Hardware and Networking: Hardware and networking involves not only maintenance, but also manufacture and designing of computers and MCA graduates with specialization in hardware and networking will be responsible for installation and integration of different computer systems in an organization.

Services and Application support: This field involves system integration and application management, installation and maintenance of software application etc…, this is the area which comes at last stage of Software Development Life Cycle, especially application implementation and maintenance.

Career Growth after MCA:

After completion of MCA, candidates can begin their career as Junior Programmers or trainees and slowly by gaining experience they can become project leaders/managers and further higher levels as well in the top most IT corporate bodies. Candidates can enjoy a well rewarding career in popular multinational software companies where candidates with appropriate talent are offered with the best pay package with respect to higher positions and pay scales as well. Therefore, career options after MCA are wider particularly in the present tech savvy world.