The question of why pursue management is usually followed by a confusion ensuing between the two courses, PGDM and MBA in dual specialization. It is the solution to this very confusion that later decides on the colleges that a management aspirant wants to get admission to.
As important as this question is, the answer is very simple and straightforward. But let’s first see how these two management study-offering courses are different from each other:
A Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) is a management course offered by autonomous institutes in India – those colleges that do not come under any university). While they are recognised by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), they run independently. While this course provides a diploma at the end of the course, it is no less than getting a degree in management following an accreditation by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU).
An MBA (Master in Business Administration), on the other hand, is a management course that gives a degree at the end of two years, and is offered by only those institutes that are affiliated with some university.
PGDM vs. MBA
One of the most important differences between these two courses stems from the difference in the institutions that in fact offer these courses. As colleges offering a degree in management should necessarily be affiliated with some university, there are few chances of change that they can offer in terms of basic things like syllabus, fee structure, admission procedure, and so on. And anyone, belonging to any industry, would agree to the fact that change is the only thing that is constant and the thing that is common to all industries. This has a lot to do with the curriculum being taught in management colleges, because every time an industry trend changes or something new comes up, future managers are expected to be fully acquainted with the facts and be on their toes.
This is difficult to achieve as you get an MBA instead of a PGDM. For an MBA ahmedabad, it is absolutely essential to strictly follow the university guidelines, and that applies to the syllabus as well. And for any changes to be inculcated, the university senate would have to agree on it, which can take up to 10 years. So it doesn’t come as a surprise to see batch after batch of management students reading the same things without any change in the books or the reading material.
On the other hand, you’ll find any MBA College ahmedabad, being self-governing in its nature, changing its syllabus and reading modules as frequently as it needs to, giving more importance to practical or field knowledge instead of theoretical one. Furthermore, by emphasising communication and soft skills in addition to the regular curriculum, students benefit in more ways than one.
One of the major examples of the same would be, the way a PGDM-offering institute would readily offer an MBA in dual specialization, while an MBA college does not. Today’s industry standards have changed drastically over the years, demanding a lot from people—least of all, knowing more than their field of study. So, instead of making a student do it on their own, a PGDM college gives them a good start by expanding the horizons of their specialisation itself. It gives a student the kind of boost they need in order to make a foray into any industry of their choice.
It makes a big difference knowing what your alma mater can offer you in terms of improving your performance and preparing you to make a name for yourself as you enter the real world of money and markets.
And that’s where being autonomous acts as a game changer—that’s where a PGDM trumps an MBA.
