MCA : Full Form, Course, Admission 2024, Duration, Subjects, Fees, Jobs, Salary

What is MCA (Master of Computer Application)?

MCA full form is Master of Computer Application. It is a postgraduate program with a course duration of 3-years. The MCA course aims to train students in different aspects of computer programs, computer architecture, application software, operating systems, and more. Students seeking to excel in the domain of computer and information technology can take up this master of computer applications course.

Over the years, IT industry has seen an evident growth and evolution. Due to this, more and more people are attracted and motivated to become a part of the giant IT industry. Students with a sincere inclination towards computers and technology can take up MCA course to enhance their career and salary prospects.

Related Articles: 

MCA Course Details

Read More: BCA MCA Integrated Course

Find out the Top MCA (Master of Computer Applications) Colleges in your city:

Find out the Top MCA (Master of Computer Applications) Colleges in your state:

Why Pursue Master of Computer Application (MCA)?

• Aspirants who want to excel and grow in the field of computers and IT technology take up this master of computer application program to acquire expertise in this field can take up MCA course. Since this sector is booming with lucrative opportunities in both private as well as government sector, MCA Course has become a popular choice among the students.
• With 2,05,000 new job openings per year and a consistent growth rate of 7.7 percent, the MCA job market is flourishing.
• Candidates for the MCA course have countless employment options in numerous job roles across different industries in both private and government domain.
• As soon as candidates complete MCA course, they get placed with a minimum salary of INR 4 LPA.
• Successful MCA course graduates can also expect to be hired by the best MNCs and IT firms in the world, including Google, Microsoft, Amazon, etc., with a starting salary of 13 LPA that will increase rapidly.

MCA Eligibility

Eligibility Criteria for MCA degree course is as follows:

• Aspirants must have graduated from a UG program in computer applications, computer science, or a closely related discipline with at least a 50% aggregate to be eligible for the MCA course.
• Aspirants must have mathematics as one of their subjects in Class 12 to be eligible for master of computer applications course. 

MCA Entrance Exams

Apart from some colleges that accept merit-score, many reputed colleges and universities grant admissions based on the MCA entrance exams score. In this section, know about the top entrance exams for MCA and their important dates.

MCA Admission 

In India, entrance exams are mostly used to determine admission to MCA courses. But some institutions grant admission based on a merit list made from the grades received at graduation. The entrance exam approach is typically followed by top MCA colleges in India.

MCA Admission 2022

There are two modes in which MCA course admission takes place. Typically, admission to MCA degree program occurs through state-level entrance tests like IPU CET, MAH CET, etc. or university-level entrance exams. However, some colleges may take up direct admissions based on merit score.

Entrance Exams Based MCA Admission

Here is a step-by-step to be followed to get admission through entrance exams into Master of Computer Application course:

• The applicants must register themselves on the college, institution, or admission exam board's website.
• The candidates must next enter their application information and upload the various documents in the appropriate size and format.
• Candidates must pay the application costs and print out their receipts after uploading their applications.
• The candidates must then print their admit cards and appear for the entrance exam.
• Qualified candidates are contacted for a Master of Computer Application counselling session after passing the entrance exam.
• Counselling is done to allocate seats at the various colleges and universities. In the counselling procedure, seats are allocated, and students are granted admissions.

Direct MCA Admission

Here is a step-by-step to be followed to get direct admission into Master of Computer Applications course:

• Students are directly admitted to MCA course based on performance of prerequisite exams. Another method of direct admission offered by some institutions is management quota admission.
• There are designated seats for management in every college. However, these management quota seats cost more than regular seats.
• Private colleges like Amity University, LPU, Chandigarh University, and others provide direct MCA admissions. On the day of the interview, students must take a knowledge-based test.

Types of MCA Courses Available in India

MCA course is available in three modes in several colleges and universities across India. These include MCA in regular mode, MCA in online mode, and MCA distance education. Below we have included the relevant information about all types of MCA course in India.

MCA Syllabus

The 3-year MCA course is divided into six semesters. MCA syllabus includes everything from lectures to practicals to project work. Among all the things, Master of Computer Applications (MCA) project work is the most crucial element. The last semester of the MCA curriculum is entirely devoted to project work. Moreover, students choose their specialization in this year only.

While the MCA syllabus may vary from college to college, the list of Master of Computer Application (MCA) subjects and topics taught in most colleges/universities is mentioned below to give you a glimpse into the MCA course:

MCA Course Specializations

As students enter the third or final year of MCA course program, they have the option to choose a particular specialization as per their preference and area of interest. These specializations give candidates the chance to develop a deeper level of expertise and skill set in a specific MCA degree to acquire better career prospects. Some of the specializations in master of computer applications offered by most colleges and universities are:

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

Master of Computer Application: Course Comparison

While MCA Course is certainly an excellent option to advance yourself in the field of computers and information technology (IT), there are other popular courses as well that provide similar outcomes as offered by Master of Computer Applications. These include MTech in Computer Science and MSc in Computer Science. To give you a fair idea, we have compared the Master of Computer Applications program with other similar programs.

MCA vs MTech in Computer Science: Difference 

The table below mentions the difference between MCA Course and MTech in Computer Science in terms of course duration, eligibility, concepts, fees, and salary prospects.

MCA vs MSc in Computer Science: Difference

The table below mentions the difference between MCA Course and MSc in Computer Science in terms of course duration, eligibility, concepts, fees, and salary prospects.

Check out:

Top MCA Colleges in India

MCA degree course is provided by several colleges throughout India. This section lists the top master of computer application colleges in India along with course fee, placements, and ratings based on student reviews.

MCA Course Fees: Region Wise

The graphs below show the course fess of MCA course in different regions of the countries. 

MCA Course Fees: Bangalore

Here is a list of the top colleges along with their course fee and placements that offer the MCA course in Bangalore:

MCA Course Fees: Chennai

Here is a list of the top colleges along with their course fee and placements that offer the MCA course in Chennai:

MCA Course Fees: Delhi NCR

Here is a list of the top colleges along with their course fee and placements that offer the MCA course in Delhi NCR:

MCA Course Fees: Hyderabad

Here is a list of the top colleges along with their course fee and placements that offer the MCA course in Hyderabad:

MCA Course Fees: Pune

Here is a list of the top colleges along with their course fee and placements that offer the MCA course in Pune:

MCA Distance Education

Many aspirants are not able to attend regular colleges due to health, work, or some other personal reasons. In such cases, MCA distance education becomes a good option to upgrade skills and knowledge in a particular domain. Many colleges and universities provide online and distance education programs for master of computer application or MCA degree.

Some of the top colleges that offer Master of Computer Applications (MCA) Distance Education Programs are:

IGNOU

The criteria to get admission into MCA course at IGNOU is as follows:

Mahabeer Institute Of Professional Studies, Amaravati

The criteria to get admission into MCA course at Mahabeer Institute Of Professional Studies, Amaravati is as follows:

IASE Deemed University

The criteria to get admission into MCA degree program at IASE Deemed University is as follows:

Madhav University

The criteria to get admission into MCA degree program at Madhav University is as follows:

Institute of Higher Studies & Management, Ranchi

The criteria to get admission into MCA degree program at Institute of Higher Studies & Management, Ranchi is as follows:

Amity University - Haryana

The criteria to get admission into MCA degree program at Amity University - Haryana is as follows:

Universal College of Computer Applications, Bangalore

The criteria to get admission into MCA course at Universal College of Computer Applications, Bangalore is as follows:

ICFAI

The criteria to get admission into MCA course at ICFAI is as follows:

Jaipur National University

The criteria to get admission into MCA degree program at Jaipur National University is as follows:

Sikkim Manipal University

The criteria to get admission into MCA degree program at Sikkim Manipal University is as follows:

MCA Course: Study Abroad

Many aspirants choose to study MCA abroad because of the superior infrastructure, placement programmes, and research facilities. In comparison to MCA degree courses, there are several alternative international courses that grant comparable degrees. Before applying for MCA at abroad colleges, aspirants must be aware of the eligibility requirements.

The eligibility requirements for enrolment in MCA colleges in abroad are listed below:

• Candidates must have graduated from an accredited university or an institution.
• Candidates must successfully complete English language tests like the IELTS or TOEFL.
• Students can explore scholarship options since MCA courses can be expensive in abroad.
• In countries like Canada, the USA, the UK, and Australia, the Master of Computer Applications programme is well-liked.

There are a few points to keep in mind for admissions to MCA colleges abroad:

• The MCA course duration is typically between one to two years. In Australia, it occasionally lasts for 1.5 years.
• Candidates must have completed their undergraduate studies in computer science or a related field.
• Various colleges have different cutoffs that they request. These universities have minimum cutoff grades between 83 and 89%, or a 3.0 GPA.
• Candidates must submit their GRE or GMAT exam results.
• IELTS requires a total score of 7 or the TOEFL requires a score of 80% to be admitted.
• The average MCA course fees is between 25 and 50 lakhs in the USA, 10 to 23 lakhs in the UK, 20 to 35 lakhs in Australia, and 15 to 25 lakhs in Canada.
• The top MCA colleges worldwide are included in the table below along with their average MCA course fees.

USA

Here is a list of the top colleges offering Master of Computer Applications course in USA:

UK

Here is a list of the top colleges offering Master of Computer Applications course in UK:

Canada

Here is a list of the top colleges offering MCA course in Canada:

Australia

Here is a list of the top colleges offering MCA course in Canada:

MCA: Skills Required  

Here is a list of the skills required for a successful career after Master of Computer Application or MCA course:

• Good communication skills
• Positive outlook
• Behavioural skills
• Sound knowledge of programming languages like C++, Java, JavaScript
• Good understanding about data structures and data base
• Technical skills
• Know about the latest trends in technology
• Excellent programming skills

Apart from the general skills, there are some sepcific skills required for MCA course as per your chosen field of work:

• Programmers: They must have a good command over programming languages like C, C++, Java, .NET, etc
• Web Designers: They must have sound knowledge of languages like PHP, CSS, JavaScript, HTML, etc
• Networking: They must be skilled in SQL, LINUX. Also, they should obtain certification in CCNA, CCNP, CCIE.

What After MCA

After completing MCA course, one can lookout for job in various industries both private and government. Due to the fast growth of the IT and software industries, the employment prospects for MCA course graduates have improved over the years. The demand for MCA graduates is expected to further grow in the coming years.

MCA graduates may be able to obtain employment with start-ups. Since start-up culture has become popular in India, it is highly beneficial for MCA freshers in the industry.  Not only do IT companies, but also start-up firms pay substantial compensation to the MCA course graduates.  

On an average, MCA starting salary ranges between 2.5 to 3.6 LPA, which is expected to increase as per the expertise level and skills. It may be noted that while the IT sector is currently experiencing growth, there are several career options open to those who complete an MCA course.

MCA Salary in India

Find out the experience-wise breakup of MCA salary in India:

MCA Salary: Company Wise

Given below is the list of the top companies and the MCA salary packages that they offer:

Jobs for MCA

Here are the top job profiles for MCA course graduates along with their job descriptions and average salary. Based on these things, you can mark your future scope after doing MCA course:

Software Developer- The key responsibility of software developers is to design, install, test, maintain, and update software in a company.

Average Salary: INR 4,85,000 LPA

Web Developer- The role of web developers is to design and structure the look, layout, and other features of a website. These professionals must possess expertise in computer programming and graphic designing.

Average Salary: INR 2,81,000 LPA

Mobile App Developer- Mobile developers are responsible for designing the mobile apps as per user's needs and requirements.

Average Salary: INR 3,76,000 LPA

Systems Analyst- The job of a system analyst is to determine what hardware or software the company needs. They are entitled to the whole IT system, instead of only software or hardware systems.

Average Salary: INR 6,54,000 LPA

Network Administrator- The work of network administrators is to take full charge of supporting, setting up, and managing internal servers.

Average Salary: INR 3,67,000 LPA

System Administrator- The roles of system administrators include installing, supporting, & maintaining servers/computer systems. Other responsibilities may include scripting, programming, project management, and more.

Average Salary: INR 3,04,000 LPA

Hardware Engineer- They look after the hardware configurations of a computer system.

Average Salary: INR 3,78,000 LPA

Technical Writer- They write fundamental technical content in easy-to-read text. These experts are highly sought for to write about technical topics for product descriptions and blogs.

Average Salary: INR 4,93,000 LPA

Read More: Jobs after MCA and Salary

MCA: Government Jobs

While there are lot of career options in private domain, there are a few choices for government jobs for MCA course graduates. Students who have interests to work in government organizations after doing master of computer applications course can check out the organizations, jobs roles, and average salary available below:

MCA: Top Recruiters

Here is a list of the top recruiters that hire MCA course graduates:

• TCS
• Wipro
• Infosys
• Cognizant
• IBM
• Accenture
• HCL
• Tech Mahindra
• Hi-tech Solutions