Mba Vs Pgdm: What Difference Will It Make?

By Author: Krutika Sharma
Total Articles: 38

MBA i.e. Master’s degree in Business Administration and PGDM i.e. Post Graduate Diploma in Management, both are two of the most sought after courses in India as well as abroad. Students from any stream can apply for PGDM or MBA in any of the leading b – schools of the world. However it has been noticed that students mostly have queries and confusion regarding which course should they choose among the two. There is a slight difference between a PGDM program and a MBA program.

MBA Vs PGDM: Scope and Curriculum

Both the programs have their own pros and cons. Here is a complete guide to the curriculum, scope and differences between the two. Management institutes attempt to reach out as many candidates as possible hence they generally seem to offer two options for postgraduate degree namely a Post Graduate Diploma and a Master’s in Business Administration.
The difference in approach in MBA vs PGDM lies in their curriculum. MBA focuses mainly on development of general and overall management skills. However a PGDM shapes individuals according to a particular business aspect.

MBA is a 2 year full time post graduate course. However there are also several institutes that offer distance learning MBA programmes for already working individuals. An MBA program focuses on developing management skills such as leadership, cooperation, team work, effective intelligence, creating networks, and hence building one’s personal band. Ethics in business environment is a soft skill which is also inculcated in MBA students.

Carrying forward the MBA vs PGDM debate we would now look into the basics of PGDM program. The basic differencebetween MBA and PGDM is that PGDM is a more practical and market oriented program. It trains entrepreneurs in a particular field of business management.

There are several international as well as Indian institutes that offer PGDM with various specializations such as finance, marketing, human resource management, information analysis and operations management etc. In leading Indian management institutes like IIMs and XLRIs PGDM is also a 2 year program. However here you get a lot of exposure to the real market scenario via mock tests and field visits.

The technical difference between the two programmes is that University Grants Commission i.e. UGC recognized universities in India offer a MBA degree whereas All India Council for Technical Education i.e. AICTE recognized and generally autonomous institutes offer a PGDM degree. Hence when taking about PGDM the institutes have greater flexibility to design their own curriculum which is more competent and market oriented. You need to appear for CAT, Mat or GMAT, XAT etc. to get a seat in any of the top business schools.

Keep track of the various updates and information related to MBA and PGDM programmes offered by the leading b – schools at itm.edu, also know the difference of MBA vs PGDM.