MCA Introduction

Master of Computer Applications (MCA) is a professional post-graduate programme for individuals aiming to delve deeper into the world of application development through the way of learning modern programming language. 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 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.

Basic eligibility requirements for a MCA program:

MCA (3 Years)

Bachelor’s degree (10+2+3) in any discipline of the statutory university with 50% marks in aggregate (45% marks for SC/ST and differently-abled persons with at least 40% disability). The candidates must have passed the senior secondary (10+2) or equivalent examination or higher degree examination with Mathematics/Statistics/Business Mathematics/Business Statistics/Quantitative Techniques or equivalent as compulsory/optional/additional subject or paper.

MCA(2 Years) (Lateral Entry)

Students who have completed Bachelor's Degree of minimum 3 years duration in BCA, B.Sc. (IT/Computer Science) with 50% marks in aggregate (45% marks for SC/ST and differently-abled persons with at least 40% disability) with Mathematics as a course at 10+2 level or at Graduate level shall be eligible for admission to second year of MCA course.

Scope of 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 the skill/s an individual possesses. One of the MCA graduate 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 a MCA fresher. Also a lot of startup have started acquiring talents with high packages ranging from 7LPA and above”.

Career prospects after MCA:

After completing the degree, individuals, mostly get into the job roles mentioned above. However, if you wish to enhance your IT skills, you could opt for pursuing PhD /M.Phil. 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 designer