BBA vs BCA- Which Is Better And Why?

BBA vs BCA- Which Is Better And Why?

Edited By Team Careers360 | Updated on Feb 07, 2024 02:46 PM IST

After completing 10+2, students start contemplating their higher studies. They are puzzled with questions like which course should be pursued, which college should be joined, etc. Usually, students look for a course that secures their future and a college that provides good placement opportunities. Since graduation lays the foundation for their career, they want to choose the one that promises good career options.

When it comes to planning your higher studies, the first question that comes to mind is which course would be the best bet for you. Some of the most common and popular undergraduate courses are B.Sc., B.Com, BCA, and BBA. Every course has an individualistic value and a deep curriculum. Since B.Sc. (Bachelors of Science) and B.Com (Bachelors of Commerce) courses are stream-oriented, students often get confused between BCA and BBA. Both fields are growing by leaps and bounds and the demand for management and technology roles is increasing appreciably. In fact, the Bureau of Labour Statistics has predicted a 12% growth rate between 2018 and 2028. This means the IT sector as well as management industry will continue to grow.

BBA or BCA which is better for students and has more scope in the future? BCA vs BBA salary in india? So, answers to these questions can be found in this article.

Before you decide on a path for you, you should know the differences between both courses. There should be clarity in your mind regarding the features and scope of both BBA and BCA offers. The differences between the BBA vs BCA subjects are explained below to help you make the best choice.

Bachelor in Business Administration (BBA)

If you find yourself outstanding in presentations, have great convincing power, and know business tactics, you are perfect for BBA. Justifying its name, BBA is a bachelor’s course in business administration. It is a three-year professional course of management divided into six semesters. A student from any stream (Science, Arts, or Commerce) can do a BBA course. It is one of the most flexible courses.

In three years, the BBA professional course includes core subjects like financial accounting, marketing, entrepreneurship, HRM (human resources management), digital marketing, etc. to make an overall growth in your capabilities and personality. This course is designed in a way to polish your skills and make you ready for industries like corporations, bank sectors, financial institutions, etc. It is advised to enroll in the regular full-time course but you can also use distance learning mode or online BBA course as per your choice and convenience.

Also read: Career as Bank Clerk

There are many specializations offered under the BBA degree. These specializations shape your practical, managerial, and communication skills, and sharpen your decision-making ability. Many of the specializations give you practical training in the form of projects, internships, industrial visits, etc. It can be confusing for you to choose among the various specializations. Based on your strengths and interests, you should opt for a core subject. To make your work easier here is a basic idea of each specialization and its potential. Here is a list of specializations you can choose from:

Business Administration- This is the best suited for those who want to unleash their business administration and management skills by learning its fundamentals. With this degree, you get to work on the management section of the business where the salary of the employees is quite high.

International Business- If you are dying to work in multinational companies (MNCs), you should know the tactics of conducting business on an international scale. A BBA degree in international business is perfect to make you learn how to enter a corporate world and rule it. It teaches you about international trade, accounting laws, and taxation processes.

Finance- This specialization gels well with the students who know how to play with numbers and are excellent at analysis and reasoning skills. BBA Finance not only opens a door of opportunities but also ensures high salaries.

Also read: Career as Financial Analyst

Entrepreneurship- If you want to be your own boss and do not work for others, a BBA degree in entrepreneurship will help you to do so. It makes you learn about establishing a company from scratch, make it grow, or grow your existing family businesses.

Also read: Career as Entrepreneur

Hospitality- A BBA in hospitality management is one of the most popular specializations. It has gained momentum due to the growth of the hospitality industry. You can even dream of having an overseas career with this degree.

Event Management- Another specialization in demand these days is BBA in event management. The course has turned out to be one of the best BBA courses. This course prepares you to design, coordinate, plan, and promote events using your management skills.

Also read: Career as Event Manager

Human Resource- BBA in HR is one of the most commonly preferred specializations. HR acts as a link between employees and management. This course teaches you all the fundamentals of managing the organizational structure to keep employees happy. You are even taught to hire talent on the behalf of the organization.

Also read: Career as Human Resource Manager

Tourism- This is especially for those who love travelling and want to explore new places while working. You can work in travel companies offering tourism-related services with a BBA certificate in tourism.

Also read: Career as Travel Agent

Marketing- Marketing is an undying sector as companies will keep on introducing products and to sell them they will have to market them. Nowadays, even marketing is categorized into core subjects like BBA in Digital Marketing. Apart from drawing a good salary from the organization, marketers get many other perks. This is a plus point and hence many students choice this field.

Retail- Without any doubt, the retail industry is one of the biggest contributors to our country’s economy. So, selecting the retail specialization may be one of the best decisions for your career. A BBA course in retail teaches you about customer management, product management, make you work on your accounting skills, inventory, etc.

Information Systems: This core subject trains students on how to use technology for solving business problems. So, it is like learning two skills at a time i.e. business management along with computer programming. You can enter the IT industry with this specialization and can draw a good salary with certain benefits.

Other specializations include BBA in global business, accounting, supply chain, hospital, healthcare, and sports management.

It is advised to go for an MBA (Masters in Business Administration) degree for a course after BBA as it paves better career opportunities. If in case you want to polish your computer skills after doing BBA, you can still choose MCA for your master’s degree. In this way, you will become a perfect blend of management and computer skills.

Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA)

If you are more inclined towards technical sections like algorithms, coding, and have got great problem-solving skills, you should go for BCA. Just like BBA, it is also a three years course with six semesters. The study comprises the study of different computer languages like C, C++, Java, etc. It provides a base for those students who are interested in computer programming, software engineering, accounting, management, inventory management, etc. This technical BCA course prepares a student to face the technological world with basic concepts of hardware, software, computer languages, programming methods, etc.

The BCA degree is gaining popularity due to the appreciable growth of the IT industry. The advancements in the IT industry demand more computer professionals and this results in a lot of job opportunities for the graduates.

Generally, it is a regular degree course in most of the universities. But some of the universities offer online BCA courses or distance education programs. To sharpen your skills, you should enroll in the Masters of Computer Application (MCA) after completing your BCA. You can get employed as programmers after completing BCA but doing MCA will open doors for well-paid jobs.

A bachelor’s degree in Computer Application is a vast field and it offers various specializations. Some of the popular ones are as follows:

Computer graphics- This is one of the most interesting specializations offered under the BCA certificate. You may learn various topics like graphics functions, algorithms of computer graphics, detailed study of computer applications, etc.

Also read: Career as Graphic Designer

Internet Technologies- This course teaches you to use practical skills and address problems arising from computer systems and their applications. It is quite popular among students and can be learned effortlessly in distance mode or online mode.

Database Management- If you are good at numbers, you will do well in this course. A BCA degree in Database Management System will teach you to analyze data needs of a company, organize it, and store it logically.

System Analysis- This course teaches exactly what its name suggests. It covers the study of businesses to analyze their goals and then create a system to achieve those goals efficiently. This is one of the growing sectors in computer science.

Word Processing- As the name says, this course teaches to process words. It makes students learn the art of producing typewritten documents with computerized typing and text-editing tools.

Financial Accounting- Since it is related to revenues, expenses, assets, and liabilities of a business, Commerce students get attracted to this course. With the knowledge of financial accounting, you can ascertain the profitability of a company and know its financial position.

Also read: Career as Accountant

Animation- This course is made for those who are passionate about digital arts, 2D and 3D animation, and web designing. It unleashes your creative skills and conceptualizing ability and teaches you principles of graphic designing and virtual reality.

Also read: Career as Animator

Personal Information Management- This subject has successfully grabbed attention due to an increase in online security breaches. This management study gives you control over your personal data and allows you to handle it in a secure online storage system.

The above-mentioned list has some of the most popular specializations among students. However, with the expansion in technology, a lot of specializations and domain may open up like BCA in music and video processing.

Key differences between BBA and BCA course

BBA

BCA

The student should have passed 10+2 with any stream.

The student should have passed 10+2 with Science or Mathematics stream (precisely).

It is a management course focusing on theoretical concepts.

It is a technical concept based course.

It requires management skills.

It requires programming skills.

Out of the two, BBA may be considered easier for it is a theory-based course that can easily be understood by anyone. It does not require prior knowledge of the subject, unlike BCA. BCA requires prior knowledge of the basics of Computer Science. On the other hand, BCA can be considered as an easy option for a Science student for its technical approach.

To select a college, go through BCA and BBA course information on the college’s websites and get an insight on which institution offers you the best BBA or BCA course.

It would not be just to choose which one is better- BBA or BCA degree as both the courses have their significance and potential to make you rise in the competitive field. To make a final choice for yourself, you should first analyze your strengths, interests, and skills. This analysis will help you to understand which course is perfect for you. For a better interpretation, note down the pros and cons of the two and then decide accordingly. Though the scope of the course is a considerable point but excellence in your field of interest will open gates to various job opportunities. So, it is recommended to tread on the path that arouses curiosity in you and unlocks the doors of excellence.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Can BCA and BBA be done simultaneously?

No, two regular courses cannot be pursued simultaneously.

2. Is Mathematics required to do BBA?

No, Mathematics is not compulsory if you want to pursue BBA. You only need to score minimum 50% marks in 10+2 from a recognized educational board. Moreover, the eligibility criteria may vary from institution to other.

3. Can non-Maths students apply for BCA?

Non-Maths students can apply for BCA only after attending bridge classes that cover the basic concepts of class 11th and 12th. These bridge classes fill the gap and students can easily pick concepts taught in BCA.

4. Do colleges offer these bridge courses?

There is no certainty. Ever college doesn’t offer bridge classes. You need to check the availability of bridge classes in the website of the particular college.

5. Can a BCA student apply for GATE Exam?

No, a BCA student cannot apply for GATE Exam. Since applicant for GATE must have a 4-year degree and BCA is a three-year program.

6. What can I study after BCA other than MCA?

There are a lot more options other than MCA to pursue after completing BCA. You can study Master in business Administration (MBA), Master in Management (MIM), and Post Graduate Programme in Corporate Studies (PGPCS).

7. Does BBA and B.Com offer same job opportunities?

In a way yes, both the courses offer similar job or career opportunities.

8. What portion is covered in BBA entrance?

Important topics asked in BBA entrance exams include English Language, Reasoning Ability, and Quantitative Aptitude.

9. What are some career options after completing BCA?

Graduates who have completed BCA can opt for the below career options –

1.    Computer programmer

2.    Database administrator

3.    Computer Support Service Specialist

4.    Information Systems Manager

5.    Web developer

10. What is the average salary for BBA graduates in India?

BBA graduates in India can earn an average salary anywhere between INR 30,000 and INR 1,00,000 per month.

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