MBA is under a university, but PGDM can be under any Business School. PGDM is more focused on applims more cations of theories than the theory itself. If a course is certified by AICTE, then that is good. However, as MBA is under a University there are books to be followed and the course becomes more bookish.

Good PGDM programs, on the other hand, are full of case studies. There are faculty members from the industry and hence it is based on application oriented. IIMs (BLACK) are the best Business Schools in India and they provide PGDM.

after IIMs, there are a few good Business Schools in India, like SP Jain, IMT Gaziabad. Woxsen School of Busienss is one such college. They have an amazing campus (200-acre), great faculty (90% of them are from Industry and from IIM ABC background), the best in class groomnig and corporate preparation program (50 workshops per year). Naturally the placement is great. Woxsen provides 100% placement year after year. Some students get 2-3 offers.

Average package is INR 8LPA and highest package is INR 20+LPA. There is also a week long Global immersion program in Singapore/ Germany. They also provide good scholarships. So if anybody wants to add real value to the profile and invest in career - Woxsen will be the natural choice.

MBA: Stands for Master in Business Administration.PGDM: Stands for Post Graduate Diploma in Management.

Why are they pursued?

MBA: A Master in Business Administration (MBA) is a degree course offered by the colleges affiliated to the universities. So, only universities can offer MBA programmes.

PGDM: A Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) is a diploma course offered by the institutes that are recognised by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and which are autonomous and not affiliated to any university. However, accreditation by Association of Indian Universities (AIU) makes an institute's PGDM course equivalent to an MBA.

Difference between the curriculum:

Although there are similarities between the curriculum of both, differences exist as well. A student pursuing MBA will be studying more of the theoretical aspects of management. An MBA institute will be following a fixed curriculum as it will be based on the university guidelines.

A student pursuing a PGDM course will be gaining knowledge regarding building soft skills and the programme is more industry-oriented. An autonomous institute does not have to follow university standards, so it is free to change its curriculum according to industry standards and change in the business environment. The course will prepare you for a senior level position in a company.

MBA: A Master in Business Administration (MBA) is a degree course offered by the colleges affiliated to the universities. So, only universities can offer MBA programmes.

PGDM: A Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) is a diploma course offered by the institutes that are recognised by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and which are autonomous and not affiliated to any university. However, accreditation by Association of Indian Universities (AIU) makes an institute's PGDM course equivalent to an MBA.

Difference between the curriculum:

Although there are similarities between the curriculum of both, differences exist as well. A student pursuing MBA will be studying more of the theoretical aspects of management. An MBA institute will be following a fixed curriculum as it will be based on the university guidelines.

A student pursuing a PGDM course will be gaining knowledge regarding building soft skills and the programme is more industry-oriented. An autonomous institute does not have to follow university standards, so it is free to change its curriculum according to industry standards and change in the business environment. The course will prepare you for a senior level position in a company.

Hello surbhi, i am going to tell you the basic difference between both the courses.

MASTER IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION    MBA

1) Recognized by                       universities

2) fees                                      25000 to 6-7 lakhs (depending upon the university)

3) Eligibility                               50% in graduation

4) Course duration                     1/2 year

5) Award                                   degree

6) placement                             average 3-4 lakh p.a

POST GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN MANAGEMENT  PGDM

1) Recognized by                       colleges are autonomous body

2) Fees                                      5-10 lakhs

3) Eligibility                                50% in graduation

4) Course duration                     2 year

5) Award                                   Diploma

6) Placement                             average 5-6 lakhs p.a

hence the PGDM courses is conducted by the autonomous body the curiculum of those colleges are latest and updated as per the market demand and situation which we can corelated to the world market trend. The average placement seeks by the candidate is more than the MBA student. The basic reason behind this the  student is updated with the current knowledge and implement it in a practical world. This course is ideal for one who are ambitious and want to take steps fastly on the ladder of corporate world. hope the above information will clear all your doubt.

Hello Surbhi,

I hope you realize the difference between an MBA and PGDM. If not, let me clarify. The institutes that are autonomous and not affiliated to any university offer you a PGDM. Those that are affiliated to one offer you an MBA.

Let me clear it a little bit more. IIMs used to offer PGDM before 2017. So does that mean in 2016 IIMs were less valuable? NO. They used to offer PGDM and were still ranked as the most preferred institutes in India to pursue post graduation in management.

So, the name of the degree does not matter. Not at least in India. And recruiters do not demand people on the basis of the name given in the degree. Rather, the name of the college surely matters. Even back in 2016, any recruiter would have preferred a PGDM guy from IIM-B as compared to any other guy with an MBA degree from a tier-2 institute. Name of the degree would not have mattered.

Now coming to another side of the coin - Do you wish to pursue higher education after post graduation in management, outside of India? Then the name of the degree would matter for sure. Because PGDM is seen as a diploma and MBA is considered as a proper degree.

So, it boils down to your aim. If you are looking to work and for a job (India as well as overseas), PGDM or MBA does not matter. If you are looking to study further (overseas), an MBA would be preferred over PGDM.

Kindly choose accordingly. Hope this helps!

Hi Surbhi,

There is only one difference between MBA and PGDM . MBA is given by the government and semi government university  and PGDM is given by autonomous colleges . Even top names like IIM provide you with PGDM, PGDM is more towards practical exposure here the curriculum is set according the current buisness needs and MBA is more focussed towards theoritical aspect which will help you in exam preparation. It all upon you which degree you want to apply for both will give you a entry towards corporate life at the end. Its just im doing Pgdm so i feel it has helped me in becoming multitasker and time manager.