What is better to pursue: PGDM or MBA?

PGDM: PGDM expands to Post Graduate Diploma in Management, the confusion starts when you see the term Diploma. Many students are of the view that it is a Diploma course and not a Degree; you are right to an extent that it is a Diploma. The main reason why postgraduate courses are named as PGDM is because when an Institute is an autonomous body (meaning it is not affiliated to any University) and conducts management courses then such Institutes cannot offer MBA degree. Even IIMs, XLRI's doesn't offer MBA degrees they only give PGP Diploma or PGDM since they are autonomous and independent bodies. On similar lines AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education) is allowing approved colleges to run a PGDM course. Some Business Schools offering this AICTE PGDM course need not be autonomous, the PGDM course will be autonomous given by the Institute & directly approved by AICTE, Ministry of HRD, Govt of India. Just like how UGC - University Grants Commission controls the Universities in India, AICTE - All India Council for Technical Education has control on both technical and management courses and especially colleges not under Universities. Even colleges offering UGC recognized MBA Programmes in most cases should have AICTE approval. MBA: A two year management degree expands to Master of Business Administration, only Universities can grant MBA degrees. It could be a recognized foreign university or an Indian University. MBA vs PGDM: The degree of MBA is offered by 'Universities' or 'Colleges that are affiliated to Universities'. There are many Colleges and Institutions that are affiliated to a university and can offer an MBA degree while PGDM is offered by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) approved Institutions. However, accreditation by Association of Indian Universities (AIU) gives an institute's PGDM equivalence to MBA. But, it has to be noted that a one-year PGDM course is not equivalent to MBA.

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An MBA is for those who seek a university programme to get a holistic view of the programme while the PGDM is for those who seek specialisation in the area of their interest. There is not much difference but MBA will not have recognition problems for those going abroad while PGDM students have to be doubly sure of taking the equivalence certificates.

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Vaikunth Mehta National Institute of Cooperative Management

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