After completion of your graduation, the question that you must have pondered upon is whether to go for MBA or a PGDM program? What are the key differences between MBA and PGDM!

This question arises when you have made up your mind to do an MBA program but while selecting your desired institute, you suddenly realize that the institutes that you have shortlisted provide a PGDM course and not MBA.

So, to have a better knowledge about it, let’s know the key differences between MBA and PGDM.

MBA stands for Masters in Business Administration and it is a degree course while PGDM stands for Post Graduate Diploma in Management and as the name suggests, it is a diploma course.

Although both the courses are accepted equally by the industry when it comes to offering jobs (no extra weightage or preference is given to MBA degree holders) but there are still some differences between MBA and PGDM course. Now let’s understand the difference between MBA and PGDM.

An MBA degree is usually granted by a UGC approved university while PGDM is offered by independent colleges affiliated by A.I.C.T.E. or autonomous colleges.

Since MBA is affiliated by a university, so its curriculum is designed by a university, and it focuses more on the theoretical knowledge and concepts. While colleges have full freedom in designing their curriculum for PGDM program so they focus more on the practical knowledge, and industry exposure.

The syllabus once set-up by a university stays the same for years (syllabus is updated usually once in 3 to 5 years) but the syllabus of a PGDM course is updated easily as per the industry changes and new standards.

Another difference between MBA and PGDM is that the students of a PGDM program are more ready to face the industry challenges as compared to the MBA degree holders as they get more practical knowledge through lectures delivered from various industry experts, guest sessions etc.

While designing the curriculum of a PGDM program, the opinion of various industry experts is sought and they suggest the changes as per the industry requirements, on the other hand this does not happen while designing the curriculum for an MBA course.

Private B-schools offering PGDM courses for their students focus on overall development of their students by developing their soft-skills, organizing leadership based activities and by providing time to time industry interaction through guest lectures from various industry experts and it is a one of the key difference between PGDM and MBA.

MBA exams are conducted by the universities and all the exams are same for all the colleges that are affiliated by those universities but in a PGDM program, the individual colleges have more autonomy and more control in their evaluation criteria.

A PGDM program from a good B-School offers more than just classroom teaching. Case study, live examples from industry, videos, latest developments in various industries are a part of teaching pedagogy which help the students understand concepts more clearly and with real-time examples. Various extra-curricular activities are organized for PGDM students like submission of business plans, participation in various social initiatives, competitions which helps in developing various soft skills of the students which make them better management professionals once they enter the industry. Various workshops are organized for students to polish their leadership skills, analytical skills, etc. which helps them to have a successful management career.

Both the programs accept scores of various competitive tests such as CAT, MAT, GMAT, etc. However, there are some elite B-schools which conduct their own entrance exams like SNAP for Symbiosis, XAT for XLRI, IIFT EXAM for IIFT. Various colleges and universities have their different cut-off criteria on basis of which a student gets admission.

Conclusion:

So, after analyzing the key differences between PGDM and MBA, you can decide which course to opt for, you should have clarity about your preferences like which factors matter more to you e.g. faculty, the curriculum, accreditation, placements, industry exposure, etc. We at IIMP PGDM, provide the best of knowledge to our students by providing time to time industry exposer by means of guest sessions from industry experts, international tours broadens the thinking of students by giving them a global perspective, a lot of attention is given on developing soft skills, leadership skills, analytical skills, logical thinking, etc. which help them to have a smooth and rousing career and also better human-beings. So if you are looking for a robust industry academia interface, practical exposure, global perspective, updated curriculum, then PGDM could be the answer for you! Make your choice thoughtfully!

Also Read : PGDM Course- A roadmap to Successful Career