What course to choose after graduation? A question that haunts like a nightmare to most of the students in the final year of their degree. Choosing the right higher education course to study further after the completion of under graduation is a significant discussion in student’s life. The students studying BBA, BCOM, BMS, BBM and many more courses related to Business Management faces great confusion in choosing the right course after their degree. The higher education terms for management especially MBA and PGDM courses create a sort of confusion among students. Here is a list of differences between MBA and PGDM courses to help students in choosing the right course and career according to their interests and abilities.

1. Degree and Diploma  -

MBA stands for Masters in Business Administration and PGDM stands for Post Graduate Diploma in Management. MBA is a full-time master's degree in management and PGDM is a full time higher diploma course in management. The market values are given to MBA and PGDM courses differ.

2. College and University –

MBA courses are offered by numerous colleges and universities across India. There are more than 3000 colleges and universities in India offering an MBA degree course to students. But, the PGDM courses are offered only by autonomous colleges, universities do not offer PGDM courses. The numbers of institutions offering PGDM courses in India are less than 1000. Comparatively the colleges and universities offering MBA courses are more than PGDM courses.

3. Curriculum –

The most significant factor that differentiates these two courses is its syllabus or curriculum. Curriculum for MBA is set by the university and is considered rigid by most colleges and students because the university does not update the course frequently and it focuses more on theory than industry trends. Whereas the PGDM courses are considered to be more flexible as they are designed by the respective colleges. Institutions offering PGDM courses keep their curriculum updated with changing industry trends.

4. Fees –

Fees structure for MBA is considerably less than PGDM courses. The reason for this is MBA degree is offered by colleges approved by the universities, and PGDM courses are offered by private or autonomous bodies. There are scholarship facilities available for MBA degree and in case of PGDM course that student has to pay complete program expenses and no scholarship is provided.

5. Teaching Methods –

The techniques used in methodologies of teaching differ in both the courses. The training and teaching in the PGDM course are more innovative than an MBA degree. The teaching methods in MBA are based on the curriculum set by universities, whereas the teaching methods used in the PGDM course is designed by the respective institutions.

List of specialized subjects in MBA degree –

1. Finance and Accounting
2. Human Resource Management
3. Marketing
4. Supply Chain Management
5. Operation Management
6. Entrepreneurship
7. Information Technology
8. Business Management
9. Event Management
10. Economics

List of specialized subjects in PGDM course –

1. Sales Management
2. Customer Behavior
3. Services Marketing
4. Brand Management
5. Advertising
6. Global Marketing
7. B2B Marketing
8. Digital Marketing

To summarize this, any student is interested in studying and making a career in management and marketing, then there is equal value for MBA and PGDM. Both the courses provide best placement opportunities with a good salary package compared to other courses. The MBA offers degree certificate and PGDM offers a higher diploma certificate to the students. Both courses are challenging to students because the core subjects directly or indirectly rely on the market trends and implementation of services and solutions. You can choose the right course depending upon your strengths, capabilities, and interests. Hope this article helps you in choosing the right course and career.