Answers (3)
Sampriti Gupta Student Expert 30th Jan, 2020

Both PGDM and MBA are reputed post graduation courses offered for a duration of 2 years but there is a slight  difference that you need to understand

  • PGDM(Post Graduate Diploma in Management) is a diploma course whereas MBA (Masters of Business Administration) is a degree course.
  • Secondly PGDM courses are offered by autonomous institutions which are recognized by AICTE whereas MBA is offered by Universities or colleges which are affiliated to those universities like FMS which is under the University of Delhi offers an MBA degree and IIMs being autonomous offer PGDM.
  • Though IIMs and other top B schools like TAPMI, SP Jain, XLRI and others offer PGDM and are not affiliated to any university but they are recognized by institutions like Ministry of HRD, AICTE and UGC.
  • Both the courses provide same job opportunities and career growth but the PGDM program is industry targeted and provides more exposure to industry as compared to MBA which emphasizes more on theoretical study. But the top MBA colleges like SIBM Pune, NMIMS Mumbai, FMS etc provides equally good industry exposure as that of a PGDM course.
  • There are some autonomous institutes who offer PGPM courses like ISB Hyderabad. PGPM is a little flexible certification program which is equivalent to both PGDM and MBA.

But the PGDM course is a little expensive as compared to an MBA. You can pursue MBA at an affordable price. There are a lot of good colleges especially the government colleges like FMS, PUMBA, SIMSREE that has a fees of less than 2 lakhs. But the course fee of PGDM usually starts from 6 lakhs and goes up depending upon the reputation of the college. But the top private colleges like SIBM Pune, NMIMS Mumbai etc. do have high fees but offer great ROI.

Both PGDM and MBA have equal relevance in Indian context. There won't be any problems while looking for a job. But if you want to pursue some courses in foreign countries then PGDM course sometimes create problems and it varies from country to country. Students may face issues while getting an education Visa. Countries like Canada accept 1 year program equivalent to MBA and students usually find it difficult to get through the Visa process since the country demands certain years of education for education visas.

Hence if you are not planning to study further in abroad then both are courses will be treated equally and your placement opportunities will depend only on the reputation of the college you're pursuing the course from and the individual potential.

Good Luck




Sampriti Gupta Student Expert 30th Jan, 2020
First of all you need to understand what those courses mean.

  • Both PGDM and MBA are reputed post graduation courses. PGDM(Post Graduate Diploma in Management) is a diploma course whereas MBA(Masters of Business Administration) is a degree course.
  • MBA course is offered by Universities or the colleges that are affiliated to those universities whereas PGDM is offered by autonomous institutions who are affiliated to AICTE.
  • All the top B schools such as IIMs, SP Jain, XLRI and others offer PGDM courses and institutes like SIBM Pune, NMIMS Mumbai and others offer an MBA degree.
  • Some Institutes who are autonomous but not affiliated to AICTE offer PGPM also which is a flexible certification program. Colleges like ISB Hyderabad, Great Lakes, IBS Hyderabad and others offer PGPM.

But whatever courses they offer the final placements in those institutes ultimately depend on their reputation in the industry. So you cannot say one is better than the other. And if you're planning to make a good career in management you must join an institute based on its ranking and reputation otherwise both the courses have similar market value.

Good Luck

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Akram Khan 30th Jan, 2020

Hi,

PGDM ( post graduate diploma in management) is a post graduate diploma course and M.B.A (master of business administration) is a post graduate degree course.

Both the courses are having an importance of their own. So both have more or less equal importance in terms of job to private companies.

However if you do MBA you will be called a degree holder and if you do PGDM you will be called a Diploma holder. In academics degree is considered superior to diploma.

Hope it helps.

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