MBA and PGDM are both business orientated courses. The main aim of the courses is to equip a person who wants to move up in the hierarchy and enter in to the management field. There are over a thousand recognized institutes offering MBA and PGDM in India.  The Indian Institute of managements, IIM’s and XLRI, Master School of Management and the BDS Institute of Management are some of the pioneers in this area.  Admission to any of these institutions requires a candidate to pass certain entrance exam like the Common Admission Test (CAT), Management aptitude test (MAT) exam etc.  In order to apply for these courses one should have a degree with at least 50% marks from a recognized university. Work experience will be valued but it is not a must.

MBA course and opportunities

In business establishments across all the sectors of the economy excellent managers plays a vital role and candidates with an MBA degree from a reputed business school is a key resource for any establishment. To develop a career in management requires great amount of dedication and a positive attitude. There are different course curriculum followed in MBA like Full-time, Part-time, Distance Learning, Executive MBA and Online MBA. It is a 2 year course which includes dissertation and project work, organization study and internship.

The students are given an option to tack up specialization in different subjects of their choice like Marketing, Finance, HR, Logistics and Operations, IT, Systems and many others. The admission procedure followed by most of the colleges are relatively same which include Entrance like CAT,  XAT, MAT, IIFT, SNAP, JMET, etc. which is followed by a group discussion and personnel interview.

PGDM course and opportunities

Post Graduate Diploma in Management is offered by most of the autonomous institutes and is recognized by the AICTE. PGDM is not inferior to MBA in any way, and for the record most of the private organization prefer students who have done PGDM as it focus more in providing practical application of management concepts. The goodwill of institutes or university which provide PGDM course has vital role when it comes to placement. There for students must make sure to join colleges which have good reputation and excellent placement history. IIM’s offer postgraduate program in management (PGPM), which is not a Degree yet candidates passing from this institute are considered as the countries best.

Key differentiators between MBA and PGDM

MBA and PGDM are both management courses yet the only difference is the approach to its curriculum. MBA give more focus to the syllabus framed by the university and no change is bought in for years. As for PGDM the focus is more on the current industrial demands and requirements. The curriculum of PGDM gets slightly changed every year. The flexibility provided by PGDM is the key success factor of the course. MBA only provides degree to institutes associated to a university, while PGDM is not affiliated to any university and has its own syllabus. MBA is offered by universities and colleges affiliated to universities whereas an independent institution offer PGDM.

For people who are interested in the corporate world or want to be an entrepreneur, PGDM would be a suitable choice.  MBA is a university degree, and the student can even expand his career into the teaching world. MBA or PGDM degree holder can choose any sectors like industrial, education, banking, according to their specialization and interest which can be in marketing, finance, HR, operations, logistics etc. Every degree has its significance and its worth. At the end it is up to you to decide where to go and what to choose it. When you are selecting an institute, select the best after researching. Be careful while an institute because merely getting a degree is not enough for this competitive world.