PGDM or MBA: which one should you go after to enroll

PGDM or MBA: which one should you go after to enroll

Every year, millions of students graduate from various colleges in India. As per the latest stats after graduation, more than 50% of degree holders aspire to make their careers either in the corporate sector or as a successful entrepreneur. The way to accomplish their goal is by pursuing the best postgraduate management course. The students usually have clarity that they may reach their dream job through the management courses only, but more often, the problem for them is deciding which course to opt, either PGDM or MBA.

So let us discuss the courses, PGDM and MBA comprehensively, and draw one conclusion at the last of this article, to help students out in making a decision.


PGDM, stand for “Post graduate diploma in management” while MBA stands for “Masters in Business administration. MBA is a degree program, while PGDM is a diploma program. The PGDM diploma certificate is awarded from any AICTE approved autonomous college, which regularly designs and updates its curriculum in sync with the prevalent business requirement. While an MBA degree is awarded from the institutes affiliated to University, and they run the curriculum based on the syllabus of that particular University. Both the MBA degree and PGDM diploma are important, but the adaptability of the PGDM program with the current business requirement makes it more admired and sought after program.

Course: PGDM and MBA Difference Similarities
1. Former is diploma course, while latter is degree course Both are business oriented course
2. Former is run by any AICTE approved autonomous institute, while latter is run by any institute affiliated by any university and approved by UGC Both are of two year full time management programmes
3. AICTE approved institute regularly make changes in the curriculum in sync with the business requirement, while in MBA course the curriculum is designed by the government run universities Both have same outcomes in terms of employment prospective
4. PGDM curriculum is regularly updated so it always remain in high demand, while MBA degree loses its potential if the government run universities has not updated the syllabus based on the current changes. Both courses are relevant to learn the in-depth technicalities of management world.
5. PGDM have better placement records than MBA institution. Some MBA institutes have reputation at par to the PGDM
6. From Jobs perspective PGDM has more edge over MBA degree. In real sense both has same value

 So if the students want to become productive assets from day one, they may opt for PGDM, while if they desire to learn more theoretical aspects of the management studies, then they may opt for MBA. PGDM provide both the practical as well as theoretical knowledge to the stundets.