WHICH IS BETTER - PGDM OR MBA?

WHAT IS PGDM PROGRAMME? HOW IT DIFFERS FROM MBA?

There is a wide variety of nomenclature of degrees in management education. There are mainly
two categories - postgraduate diploma and master's degree.

Postgraduate diplomas include Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration (PGDBA),

Postgraduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) and Postgraduate Diploma in Business
Management (PGDBM). Most of these diploma courses are having two-year duration and
graduation is the entry qualification. Master's programmes include Master of Business
Administration (MBA), Master of Business Management (MBM), Master of Business Studies
(MBS), Master of Finance and Control (MFC) and Master of Management Studies (MMS).

According to the University Grants Commission Act, universities and university-level institutions,
including deemed universities, alone can award MBA and related degrees. The institutions
outside the university system can award postgraduate diplomas. All institutions offering PG
programmes in management should obtain the approval of the All India Council for Technical
Education (AICTE). PG Diplomas in Business Administration / Management awarded by very
few institutions are approved by the AICTE as equivalent to the corresponding masters
degree/MBA.

PGDM is awarded by autonomous institutes offering management programme. A Two Year

PGDM is equivalent to MBA. All autonomous/private universities in India cannot award MBA &
they should award a PGDM (IIMs also confer PGDM for those joining PGP). MBA is awarded
by Indian Universities recognised by UGC & who are members of Association of Indian
Universities. Autonomous educational bodies cannot use the term MBA & they normally have to
mention 2 years PGDM (being equivalent to MBA). A one year PGDM programme is not
equivalent to MBA.

MBA is an academic approach whereas PGDM is a profession approach towards career

WHICH TYPE OF SPECIALISATIONS ARE COVERED IN MBA & PGDM PROGRAMME?

Today corporates are demanding students with dual specialization. Very few of the MBA
Institutes cover such a program. In this program, the student would be given dual
specialization as per his interests and skills from various choices available like Marketing,
Finance, HR, International Business Etc. Under this program one would be the Major
Specialization and another would be the Minor one. Normally all the Management Institutes
providing PGDM Degree offers Dual Specialization to their student making them at par with
the expectations of the Business World.
Dual specialization has many advantages. It broadens your field of knowledge and by the
very fact of studying another discipline, you’ve specialized. It’s a great combination.
Generally students graduating with a dual specialization from the same institution command
a greater starting salary over their fellow MBA graduate.
Dual Specialization offerings vary greatly. And one final and important word, you’ve to
choose a business school for the business excellence it can bring you, make certain that the
school has the resources to provide you with excellence in the second field as well.
HOW DOES IT AFFECT THE COMPANIES RECRUITING MANAGEMENT GRADUATES?

As far as corporate world is concerned, it doesn’t make a difference, provided you take that
from a reputed institute.

The reputation of the institution within the industry, the quality of the faculty, infrastructure,
placement record, location of the institute, etc. are the factors that need to be taken into
account before choosing a masters programme or a PG diploma.

It is not important whether a student pursues PGDM or MBA. The institution where he/she is
studying is of paramount importance and enhances their employability.

Those who pass out from reputed Management institutes irrespective of their degree get better
job opportunities in multinational companies in the executive/managerial posts.

IIMs, Xavier Labour Relation Institutes (XLRI) (Jamshedpur), Xavier Institute of Management
(XIM) (Bhubaneswar), Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (Mumbai), Narsee
Monjee Institute of Management Studies (Mumbai), S.P. Jain Institute of Management and
Research (Mumbai), Barathidasan Institute of Management (BIM) (Tiruchirapalli), Wellingkar
Institute (Mumbai), Parul Institute of Management, Vadodara, Som Lalit Institute of
Management Studies (Ahmedabad), Tolani Institute of Management Studies (Kutch) etc. are
some of the top institutes offering PGDM programmes.
 COMPARITIVE ANALYSIS BETWEEN MBA & PGDM ON KEY PARAMETERS
MBA
(Affiliated to University)
Approved by AICTE, New Delhi &
affiliated to the concerned
RECOGINITION
University.
Academics are guided and
standardised by concerned
University’s norms and regulations
Implement ability of innovation in
academics gets delayed due to
more rigidity in structure and
execution of University’s
mandates.
Calendar is designed by the
Concerned University which
ACADEMICS
depends on the Annual admission
process conducted by various
Government agencies.
The process is designed with
examination centric approach.
The date of completion of the
course varies every year.
The focus of the course is more
on knowledge dissemination and
individual centric learning.
The curriculum is provided by
University and is
implemented/imparted ‘as it is’
There is limited scope for
enhancing the coverage, teaching
contents and general pedagogy of
CURRICULUM
course and exams.
Total twenty eight subjects during
the course in normally 1200 hours
of class room teaching.
Most of the Faculty is from the
region and mostly having a limited
exposure in academics & industry
FACULTY
The placements are more
targeted towards catering to local
and regional requirements of
companies and businesses
The whole placement plan is
PLACEMENTS designed to target the local needs
and the grooming of the student is
done accordingly.
Majority of the placement is on the
executive level rather than
managerial levels.
PGDM
(Autonomous, Approved by AICTE)
Approved by AICTE, New Delhi & in line with
IIMs, IIFT, XLRI, IMT, MDI, SPJain, Wellingkar,
Parul Institute of Management and others
providing only PGDM Programme.
Although educational institutions follow the
broad guidelines of AICTE (norms of approval
process); but academics are highly adaptable to
the objectives of the institution conducting the
PGDM Programme, as per the changing
business demands and placement avenues
available.
Thus, experimentation & innovation
opportunities are available
Calendar is finalised at the commencement of
the course and followed accordingly. It matches
with the Corporate requirement of the students
for the final placement.
The whole process is designed with the
approach of Corporate adaptability.
The Home date and the completion date of the
course is fixed every year i.e. 17th June and
30th April.
More of holistic solving approach focusing on
group base learning.
The curriculum is adapted according to
corporate needs and the changing educational
requirements of business houses and market
environment.
One of the most rigorous and comprehensive
managerial nurturing course.
More than 1200 hrs of classroom learning
sessions & More than 200 cases
Overall development activities including
presentations, soft skills development,
Competence assessments, Seminars,
Symposiums, research meets etc.
Learning through advanced computer based
business simulations
The faculty teaching in the course is having a
National & International Exposure in the
subjects concerned.
The faculty has advantage to remain in close
association with Students as well as the Industry
of the executive council which is of International
repute.
The placements are more targeted towards
National requirements of the corporate sector.
As the placements are planned for PAN India
locations, the training and grooming for the
students is done accordingly including more of
filed visits, learning of more languages,
research, conferences & PAN India exposure for
the same.
The target of the placements is the Managerial
Level rather than Executive level.
 Infrastructure available is only on
the basis of the norms of various
bodies involved in the conduct of
the course.
The provided facilities have
INFRASTRUCTURE
limitations due to limited (self-
financed) means for developing
fixed assets due to moderate fee-
structure as guided by State Govt.
The student-ambience hails
mostly from districts and towns in
state
The faculty environment is more
focused on building the basic
AMBIENCE
managerial acumen of students
/ENVIRONMENT
The possibility for establishing
industry-interface is limited by the
scale of interactivity (which is
focused on local and regional
levels)
INDUSTRY
INTERFACE
Students in the course are mainly
concentrated on the regional basis
and attract the region participation.
ENTRY MODE
Infrastructure is adapted to suit the
cosmopolitan corporate fraternity like lap tops,
air conditioned class rooms, Library full of
National & International Publications, Research
Journals, online resources etc.
There is more room and better leverage in
terms of up gradation of infrastructure due to
liberal (self-financed) fee structures.
Infrastructure is designed and managed to
facilitate the Faculty to deliver best of his skills.
The students hail from metros and larger cities
as the selection criteria is of a national genre
(CAT, MAT being preferred over others)
The faculty and learning environments are
focused on increasing the competitiveness of
students to face the national and international
business challenges and environments
The students coming in the course are having
the global perspective in their approach and aim
which creates a competitive and cutting edge
corporate ambience.
The possibility for establishing industry-
interface is limitless, and can be enhanced
spread out to national, international and supra-
national levels, as per the need.
A National symposium, meets, conferences
gives the student to develop the corporate
insights and hands on experience of business
environment.
Participation & organising such events and
meets is an integral component of the course
and carries significant credit/ weightage in the
overall evaluation system.
The partnership of the various industry
associations and corporate fraternity in the
course gives the first hand information about the
dynamic requirements of the Industry and thus
creates a need on updating the course on
continuous basis.
International Tour at Industry and Academic
Institutes in foreign Countries, give insights
regarding the Global Development.
The regular industry participation in the
Programme bridges the gap in the demand and
supply of prospective managerial talent.
The selection in the course is based on
National level Examination and hence attracts
the best of students from all over the country
and abroad.
This helps in the development of cross cultural
and interdisciplinary learning environment.