What Is BCA? (Definition, Advantages and Career Scope)

Updated 9 July 2022

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With the rapid growth of the IT industry, there is an increasing demand for computer professionals. For building a career in computer science and the IT field, it is essential to have a technical degree like BCA or Bachelor of Computer Application. If you have an interest in joining the IT industry, it may be beneficial to understand more about the BCA degree to decide on a suitable career path. In this article, we explain “What is BCA?”, advantages of studying Bachelor of Computer Application, career scope, how to join a BCA course and skills required for this course.

What is BCA?

BCA is a three-year undergraduate course in computer application. This degree gives good knowledge in areas related to computer science, the IT industry and networking. It is considered an alternative to an engineering degree and students from science and non-math backgrounds can pursue a BCA degree. During the programme, a student studies topics like programming languages, database management, fundamentals of computing, operating, web designing and networking. After completing the BCA degree, a student can get hired in various public and private sector firms.

Advantages of studying BCA

Here are a few advantages of studying BCA:

Duration of the course: BCA is a three-year programmer, whereas engineering is a four-year course. A student who wants to save one year can prefer BCA over a BTech or BE degree.
In-depth knowledge: The syllabus of BCA revolves around computers and their applications. Students get to acquire detailed knowledge about computer science and the IT industry.
Multi-faceted career: A degree in BCA opens employment in various sectors such as finance, trading, IT, healthcare, transportation, education and software.
Multiple specialisations: You can choose from artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, the internet of things, machine learning, full-stack development, information security and cloud technology.
Chances of internships in top companies: As BCA is a technical and professional degree, many companies hire BCA interns and pay them a good salary. Such internships can help you build job skills and prepare you for a full-time job.

Career scope after BCA

A BCA graduate has many opportunities to work in different companies and industries. Here are some career options after BCA you can pursue:

Government sector: A BCA degree can help you enter various government sectors like banks and defence. You can clear various government organisations to get a job in government sectors.
Public sector: BCA graduates can work in different public sector companies and earn a good salary. To get a public sector job, BCA graduates do not appear for any entrance exam.
Private sector: Many Indian and international companies hire BCA graduates and offer excellent salaries.
Freelancing: BCA graduates can work on multiple projects when they work as freelancers.

How to join the BCA course

Follow these steps to join the BCA course:

1. Complete your 10+2

The bare minimum requirement to take admission in BCA is to complete your 10+2 in any stream from a recognised board. Also, the minimum age limit of the candidate is 17 years. The eligibility criteria may vary from college to college.

2. Clear the entrance exam

Some colleges may offer admission based on marks scored in 10+2, but some colleges require candidates to clear different entrance exams. Based on the performance in the entrance exams, colleges take out merit lists to provide admission to eligible students. There are various entrance exams to gain admission to BCA. Some of these are:

Indraprastha university common entrance test (IPU CET)
All Indian management association undergraduate aptitude test (AIMA UGAT)
Bharti Vidyapeeth undergraduate management aptitude (BU MAT)
Symbiosis entrance test (SET)
GITAM science admission test (GSAT)
Sharda university online admission test (SUAT)

3. Choose the specialisation

After gaining admission to a relevant college, you can opt for various specialisations. You can choose from one of the following specialisations:

computer graphics
database management
system analysis
programming languages
word processing
accounting applications
personal information management
music and video processing
animation

This three-year programme spreads over six semesters. During the programme, candidates go through classroom sessions, lab sessions, assignments, project work, group discussions and presentations.

Skills required for a BCA graduate

A BCA aspirant possesses different skills. Some of the important skills for this programme are:

Leadership skills: Leadership is a desired skill because BCA is for individuals who have authority in their organisations. Employers prefer BCA graduates who are good at planning, controlling things and organising.
Communication skills: In any BCA-related job profile, a candidate requires excellent communication skills to work in leading IT and software companies. Also, good communication skills can help you pass the interview and gain admission to a reputed college.
Presentation abilities: Colleges and employers prefer candidates who have strong analytical and presentation skills. It helps them present their ideas during the job and the admission interview.
Teamwork: Teamwork is a collaborative effort necessary to achieve a common goal or complete a task efficiently and effectively. Also, teamwork skills help a candidate excel while completing their degree and help them excel at the workplace.

Job roles for BCA graduates

Here are some job roles that you can pursue after completing a BCA degree:

1. Software developer

National average salary: ₹26,938 per month

Primary duties: A software developer is an IT professional who develops, stores, retrieves and manipulates data to analyse the system capability and requirement. They are responsible for maintaining and designing a software system. These professionals overlook the entire process of developing software. They also meet clients, determine needs, ensure usability and complete the quality assurance.

2. Web developer

National average salary: ₹16,763 per month

Primary duties: Web developers are responsible for developing a code that tells a website how to operate and function. These professionals build user-friendly websites and that is easy to navigate. They use software programs and web programming languages. Their work is project-focussed and involves collaborating with team members to create websites according to client's requests.

3. Programmer

National average salary: ₹21,071 per month

Primary duties: Computer programmers or system programmers design and create software programs, integrate systems, train end-users, analyse algorithms, modify source code, write system instruction and maintain the operating system. They are also responsible for coding and debugging and troubleshooting system errors. These professionals manage database systems and maintain operating systems.

4. Digital marketer

National average duties: ₹18,829 per month

Primary duties: Digital marketers promote their services or products online to acquire and get more customers and generate sales. These professionals use various digital marketing methods to communicate with customers and promote the sales and activities of an organisation. As digital marketers, these professionals are responsible for creating a multi-channel communication strategy to grow a company's customer base. They also provide accurate reports to the company's management and clients about the return on investment of a marketing campaign.

5. IT security specialist

National average salary: ₹9,98,074 per year

Primary duties: IT security specialists develop a plan to safeguard an organisation's computer files to prevent unauthorised modification and destruction of important and sensitive data. They are responsible for implementing password authentication to keep unauthorised access to sensitive file information. These professionals encrypt data transmission and erect firewalls to prevent leakage of confidential information.

6. Systems analyst

National average salary: ₹6,16,084 per year

Primary duties: A systems analyst is responsible for examining an organisation's current technology processes and ensuring that an organisation is running efficiently. These professionals research trends in technology, design customised solutions and perform computer systems and networks. They design and implement the correct hardware, computer software and cloud services to solve their business problem. Systems analysts also train company end-users on specialised software, hardware and online tools that a company implements and creates.

7. Data scientists

National average salary: ₹8,50,138 per year

Primary duties: A data scientist gathers and analyses a large set of structured and unstructured data to help organisations make better decisions. These professionals find patterns and trends in datasets to uncover insights. They may use data models and algorithms to forecast outcomes and use machine learning techniques to improve data quality. To remain updated and use the latest technologies, these professionals are on top of innovation in the data science field.

Please note that none of the companies mentioned in this article are affiliated with Indeed.

Salary figures reflect data listed on Indeed Salaries at time of writing. Salaries may vary depending on the hiring organisation and a candidate's experience, academic background and location.