PGDCA Course

Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Applications or PGDCA course is a one-year course that deals with importing knowledge about computer applications. It is pursued after one completes their graduation in fields such as BTech, BBA, BCA, B.Com, B.Sc, etc. Candidates are trained in Computer Science with professional, technological, and communication skills. In order to pursue the PGDCA course, candidates need to score 40-50% aggregate in their graduation or equivalent course from a recognised university. 

Admission to this course is on a merit basis where some institutions such as JMI Delhi and DU conduct entrance exams for the selection of candidates. These entrance exams include JMI EEE, GITAM GAT, IISER, NEST, and DUET. After completing the PGDCA course, candidates can take job roles related to IT Support Analyst, IT Consultant, Quality Assurance Analyst, Software Developer, Systems Analyst, etc. PGDCA courses can be pursued online, offline as well as through distance modes. Top institutes that provide PGDCA courses are Jamia Millia Islamia, Lovely professional university, University of Delhi, IGNOU, Madras Christian College, etc. The PGDCA course fee ranges between INR 10,000 to 1,10,000.

The PGDCA course highlights have been presented in the table below. Candidates who are aiming to pursue a PGDCA course in India are advised to check the PGDCA highlights before proceeding with the other topics. The highlights of the PGDCA course contain the full form, eligibility criteria, top colleges, PGDCA fee, PGDCA duration, top job profile, recruiters, etc.  

The table below highlights the same.

There are various reasons for choosing PGDCA as a career option. Some of these reasons have been explained in the following bullets. Candidates can go through them to avoid any confusion.

• Less Time Consuming: PGDCA is a 1-year Postgraduate program, which makes it a viable career option as compared to other similar courses like MTech or MCA whose duration is for 2 years. PGDCA courses consist of a comprehensive curriculum that not only saves time but also will help you give tough competition to students from other courses.
• Low Saturation Level: For any professional courses students generally opt for a Master’s degree over a Diploma degree, thus making PGDCA courses a great career choice, in terms of its competition which is relatively low as compared to other professional courses.
• Preferential Business: Companies while hiring fresh graduates would any day prefer a PGDCA over a BTech graduate, simply because of the fact that a BTech Graduate would expect more salary package than a PGDCA scholar, which would help the company cut down its expenditure cost to a significant extent.

The eligibility criteria for PGDCA highly depend on the type of institute you are applying for admission to. Therefore, a student must check the eligibility criteria before applying for the PGDCA course. However, the basic eligibility can be understood by the candidates from the following points-

Qualifying exam: The candidate applying for PGDCA must be a graduate in any discipline such as BA, B.Com, B.Sc, BBA, BCA, B.Tech, etc.

Minimum marks: Some colleges or universities require candidates to have a minimum of 40-50% marks or equivalent in graduation courses from a recognized university.

Age limit: Some colleges or universities like Vallabh Government College, Mandi have an age limit for admission to PGDCA courses. However, this is not required in most colleges and universities.

There are various types of PGDCA courses that can be divided into regular mode and distance mode. There are several advantages and disadvantages of both these courses. The advantage of distance education is that it can be pursued by the candidates from the nearby or the native place where a center is located. The regular classes are more beneficial since the candidates are able to clarify their doubts to the mentors.  The duration of the distance education in PGDCA courses is approximately six months whereas the regular PGDCA courses duration 1 year. The PGDCA fee for regular as well as distance courses ranges from Rs 7000 to Rs 1.1 LPA.

The differences between Diploma in Computer Application (DCA) and Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Application (PGDCA) have been made on the basis of the following parameters- full form, duration, course fee, top colleges, syllabus, and annual salary.

The table below highlights the differences between both the course. Candidates having confusion between the two courses can go through them to avoid confusion. 

PGDCA course details are available on the college websites through which the candidates can begin their application process. The following are points that have to be kept in mind for the admission process for the PGDCA course:

• PGDCA course details are available on the college websites through which the candidates can begin their application process
• There are some institutes such as Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata where the admission process is based on a written test that is done to filter the candidates who are willing to appear for PGDCA.
• Candidates need to note that they should check the eligibility criteria prior to applying for the institute. This will ensure that they are not wasting time on the wrong institute.
• The applications for the PGDCA are available to candidates through both the offline and the online modes
• Candidates are required to fill out the application through whichever mode they prefer and provide the required lawful documents for the same as required
• After the submission of the PGDCA applications, Candidates will have to sit for entrance exams (if any)
• Candidates who are able to qualify for the entrance exam (if any) are called for a final interview before the final seat allotment.

NOTE: Candidates need to note that the admission process of the PGDCA course is done on the basis of merit only. There are some exceptions where certain institutes may conduct an institute-level entrance exam for the admission of the candidates.

• After this, candidates will be called into the respective institutes to finish the admission formalities.

The entrance exams that offer admission to the candidates willing to pursue the PGDCA course have been listed below. Candidates can check them for more references.

JMIEEE

JMI Engineering Entrance Exam or JMIEEE is an entrance exam conducted by Jamia Milia Islamia for candidates who are interested in engineering programs.

DUET

Delhi University Entrance Test or DUET is an exam conducted by Delhi University for candidates who are interested in admission into PG and Ph.D. programs

NEST

NEST entrance test is held for admission to the Post Graduate Diploma Course in Computer Application. The exam is given entirely online. Bhubaneswar Board, NISER, and UMDAE CEBS Mumbai are among the colleges that accept the NEST entrance exam for PGDCA admission

GITAM GAT

GITAM University holds a GAT entrance test for all prospective PGDCA students. It provides admission to numerous institutions affiliated with GITAM University. 

IISER

The Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER) hold admission exams for candidates interested in pursuing the PGDCA programme at various IISERs. IISER results are accepted by IITs for PGDCA entrance.
 

There are a large number of colleges available for PGDCA courses in India that provide quality education to the candidates willing to pursue PG and Ph.D. courses in India. Some of these universities include Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi, Punjab technical university, Jalandhar, Indian statistical institute, Kolkata, Maharishi Markandeshwar University, Vallabh government college, mandi, Vallabh government college, mandi, etc. To know more about the mode of study and PGDCA course fee have been presented in the table below

Below you can find a list of some of the best colleges for PGDCA:

The top PGDCA colleges according to the city have been segregated according to the top cities. These top cities include Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, and Mumbai. To know more about these top colleges in the top cities, carry on reading the tables below.

Best Colleges for Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Application (PGDCA) in Delhi:

The top colleges in Delhi that render quality education to the candidates willing to pursue PGDCA have been presented below:

Best Colleges for Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Application (PGDCA) in Bangalore:

The top colleges in Bangalore that render quality education to the candidates willing to pursue PGDCA have been presented below:

Best Colleges for Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Application (PGDCA) in Pune:

The top colleges in Pune that render quality education to the candidates willing to pursue PGDCA have been presented below:

Best Colleges for Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Application (PGDCA) in Mumbai:

The top colleges in Mumbai that render quality education to the candidates willing to pursue PGDCA have been presented below:

Following are the required skills for becoming a successful PGDCA- great communication skills which have to be verbal as well as written, familiarity with industry standards, knowledge of the core subjects, teamwork, creativity, leadership skills, acquaintance with computer and IT, analytical and creative thinking. These skills have to be mastered properly as candidates who will conclude the PGDCA courses in the future have to be very efficient in communicating with the whole organisation. Communication is the key to get hold of the whole organisation togather. Therefore it is essential for all the candidates to acquire it. 

Another most important skill that is essential for all the candidates is teamwork. Coordination is required in a team else the whole functioning of the organisation becomes void. Different people will come up with their own perceptions and hence no one will be able to cope up and team up with each other. Therefore all the candidates who are willing to be successful in the field of PGDCA have to be lenient and cordial.

The PGDCA course durations for a year, therefore, there are two semesters included in the whole academic course. It must be noted that the PGDCA syllabus may vary from institute to institute. However, the core topics included can be understood from the following table:

PGDCA is a new course that has carved out a space for itself among its target audience. Since it is a professional degree, the student may choose to work after completing the program. Students who complete a PGDCA program have two options:

Go for higher education 

 Many students prefer to pursue higher education rather than immediately begin working after completing the PGDCA program. They can enroll in degrees like MCA, and M.Sc. IT, and M.Sc. CS to improve their job prospects. The benefit of obtaining a PGDCA degree is that it permits you to take lateral entries to these programs. 

Start working 

After completing the PGDCA course, Candidates can be hired into private as well as government sectors, particularly if the degree is obtained from a prestigious institution such as the Indian Statistical Institute in Kolkata.

The PGDCA government jobs are varied given the various number of esteemed organizations that provide designations to the graduates of this course. The scope of PGDCA is not only forbidden to IT firms and private industries as the widespread impulse articulates but also to various state-level and central-level government institutes that deliver an honorable designation with generous job protection. The PGDCA job recruitment in the public sector is typically done on the basis of an entrance exam and personal interview conducted by various boards. Some of the top governmental organizations that disburse handsome PGDCA job salaries in India include Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, Indian Statistical Universities, ISRO, Bharat Electronics Ltd, Reserve Bank of India, and Indian Telephone Industries. The average salary for PGDCA in India is INR 7 LPA.

Some of the carrer options that are available after concluding PGDCA include IT Operations Manager, SQL developer, Technical Writer, Project Manager, Android Software Developer, Database Administrator, Information Systems Manager, Technical Architect, Java Developer, etc.

To stand out in front of recruiters and be different from other candidates one must have interpersonal and technical skills. Having additional skills also makes it easy to perform day-to-day duties.

Candidates must develop the following abilities in order to be a qualified candidate for industry needs after completing the PGDCA cours

• Communication skills 
• Familiarity with Industry Standards
• Teamwork
• Creativity
• Multi-disciplinary exposure
• Leadership Skills
• Analytical & Creative thinking
• Acquaintance with Computers & IT
• Time management 
• Presentation skills

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The top job profiles of a successful PGDCA include IT Support Analyst, Software Engineer, IT Consultant, Web Designer, Software Developer,  Quality Assurance Analyst, Systems Analyst, and many more. The average salaries range from inr 2.5 LPA to INR 15 LPA. An average study has been drawn out in the table. The salary after completing the PGDCA course will depend on the job profile as well as experience. Generally, the salary increases with an increase in inexperience. The average salary of some of the top job profiles are listed below:

After completing the course of PGDCA, students are offered job roles IT Support Analyst, Software Engineer, IT Consultant, Web Designer, Software Developer,  Quality Assurance Analyst, Systems Analyst and many more. The job descriptions have been presented in the table below. Candidates need to check them so that they are not mistaken between any of the professions. 

The top recruiting companies that hire the concluders of PGDCA include TCS, Dell, etc. To remove any confusion among the candidates, all the recruiting companies have been pointed out in the pointers below.  Some of the top companies that recruit graduates who have completed PGDCA courses are:

• TCS
• Tech Mahindra
• Amazon
• Wipro
• Oracle
• Infosys
• Accenture
• Deloitte
• National HCL
• Lenovo
• Dell