BCA (Bachelor of Computer Applications) Course, Eligibility, Admission, Syllabus, Scope & Career Options
What is BCA?
BCA is a three-year undergraduate programme in the field of computer science and information technology. It is one of the most popular career options for students who want to make their career in areas related to computer science. The programme makes students competent and technically skilled to showcase their technical expertise and work in the IT industry.
Students from both science and non-science backgrounds can take admission to the BCA programme. With the rapid growth in the IT industry, there is a great demand for IT professionals throughout the world. During the course of the programme, students study topics such as fundamentals of computers, programming languages, database management, networking, web designing, operating systems. There are a lot of job options for BCA graduates who can find jobs in both the private and public sectors.
Some institutes offer admission to BCA study programmes based on past academic records, while some conduct an entrance examination. The entrance examination is sometimes followed by an interview test depending upon the admission process of the institutes. Careers360 presents to you the necessary details that the BCA aspirants must know like eligibility criteria, syllabus, BCA scope, career opportunities, job profiles. In this article, we will discuss BCA full details, BCA full form, BCA subject list.
What is BCA full form?
BCA full form is of Bachelor of Computer Applications. It is a 3-year computer applications-based post graduate programme. Candidates who want to become a developer, programmers can pick the BCA programme.
BCA Course Highlights
Full Form | Bachelor of Computer Applications |
Duration | Three years |
Examination Type | Semester System |
Level of programme | Undergraduate |
Eligibility Criteria | 10+2 from a recognized university |
Employment areas | IT, Software Development, Banking, Networking |
BCA Course Fees | 70,000k - Rs. 2 lakh |
Average BCA Salary | Rs. 2.5 - 8 lakh per annum |
Job Profiles | Software Developer, Software Tester, Junior Programmer, Database Administrator, Web Designer, Web Developer, System Analyst |
Entrance Examinations | AIMA UGAT, IPU CET, SUAT, GSAT, SRMHCAT, KIITEE BCA |
Employment areas | IT, Banking, Advertising, Media, Government Agencies |
Top Recruiters | Cognizant, Infosys, HCL, Deloitte, Microsoft, Oracle, Facebook, Twitter, Sapient, Bajaj Finserv, KPMG, Capgemini, NIIT, IBM, Deutsche Bank |
BCA Eligibility
Candidates who wish to take admission to the Bachelor of Computer Applications programme must have completed 10+2 in any stream from any recognized board.
The minimum age limit of the candidate should be 17 years.
The BCA eligibility varies depending on various colleges and universities.
BCA Admissions
The admissions in the BCA study programme are done with the help of both the entrance test and merit. For admission into the BCA programme through merit, the marks scored by the candidates in senior secondary examinations are considered. Based on these marks and vacant seats, the admissions are done for the BCA study programme. There are many entrance examinations for admission to BCA courses such as IPU CET, BUMAT, AIMA UGAT and SUAT. These entrance examinations are followed by personal interviews or group discussions in some colleges and institutes.
Top BCA Exams
IPU CET - Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University is a university level entrance test for admission in affiliated colleges of IP University. The online examination consists of 150 questions. The total marks of the examination is 400. For every correct answer, candidates will be awarded with one mark. One mark is deducted for every incorrect response.
AIMA UGAT - Under Graduate Aptitude Test is a paper-based test conducted for admission to Bachelor of Computer Applications and other bachelor's programmes. UGAT is usually conducted once a year. It is an objective type test which is designed to measure the general aptitude and technical skills of candidates. There is no negative marking for wrong answers. The question paper consists of questions from the English Language, Numerical and Data Analysis, General Knowledge, Reasoning and General Intelligence, Service Aptitude and Scientific Aptitude. The total number of questions is 180.
SUAT - Sharda University Aptitude Test is conducted by Sharda University for admission to BCA and other programmes offered by the university. The test pattern comprises 100 objective-type questions each carrying one mark. The question paper analyzes the problem-solving skills, analytical skills and language proficiency of the candidates. Those candidates who qualify for the entrance test are invited for a personal interview based on which the final admissions are done.
BUMAT - Bharati Vidyapeeth Undergraduate Management Aptitude Test is a national-level entrance test conducted by Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University. The aptitude test consists of 200 objective-type questions carrying one mark each. Negative marking is not applicable for incorrect answers. The question paper consists of questions from four sections. i.e, Logical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, Quantitative Aptitude and Verbal Ability.
GSAT - The entrance test is conducted by the GITAM Institute of Science, GITAM University. The entrance test is conducted for admission to BCA study programmes offered by three campuses - Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru. The exam consists of 60 objective-type questions each carrying one mark. The test is conducted once a year. The pen and paper-based examinations are conducted in 30 cities across the country.
SRMHCAT - SRM University Haryana Common Aptitude Test is conducted by SRM University for admission in BCA programmes. The question paper consists of questions from logical reasoning, General Awareness, Management and English. The maximum mark for the question paper is 300. The paper consists of 100 questions and the correct answer for each question carries 03 marks. The medium of examination is English. There is no negative marking for incorrect responses.
Types of BCA
BCA is a three-year undergraduate programme in the field of computer applications.
Browse List of BCA Colleges in States
Browse List of BCA Colleges in Cities
BCA Specializations
BCA is an undergraduate programme providing specialization in the following fields.
Animation | Music and Video Processing |
Accounting Applications | Programming Languages |
Internet Technologies | Personal Information Management |
Computer Graphics | Word Processing |
Database Management | Systems Analysis |
BCA Courses
The three-year programme is divided into six semesters. During the course of the programme various classroom lessons, practicals, lab sessions, project work, assignments, presentations and group discussions are done to enrich students with theoretical knowledge and practical skills. The BCA course is basically designed for those students who possess aptitude skills and wish to make learn various prospects of computer applications such as networking, application development, database management, system security.
Also Read: Computer Applications Certification Courses
Advantages of BCA
Duration- Unlike a B.Tech in computer science, BCA is a three-year programme. Therefore, students who do not wish to study for that long can choose BCA over B.Tech.
In-depth knowledge- Since BCA as a course has its syllabus entirely designed around computers and its application. Students get to acquire detailed knowledge about computer applications in this field.
Demand- A student with knowledge of computer languages is preferred in an IT company over a B.Tech graduate.
BCA Syllabus
The syllabus of BCA covers both subjects included in classroom teaching and laboratory classes. These BCA course subjects and topics are to be studied during the course of three years. In the table below, we have discussed BCA subject list which is divided in six semesters.
Semester 1 | |
Hardware Lab (CIA Only) | Digital Computer Fundamentals |
Creative English | Introduction To Programming Using C |
Foundational Mathematics | C Programming Lab |
Statistics I For BCA | PC Software Lab |
Semester 2 | |
Case Tools Lab (CIA Only) | Data Structures |
Communicative English | Data Structures Lab |
Basic Discrete Mathematics | Visual Programming Lab |
Operating Systems | - |
Semester 3 | |
Interpersonal Communication | Object-Oriented Programming Using C++ |
Introductory Algebra | C++ Lab |
Financial Accounting | Oracle Lab |
Software Engineering | Domain Lab (Cia Only) |
Database Management Systems | - |
Semester 4 | |
Professional English | DBMS Project Lab |
Financial Management | Web Technology Lab |
Computer Networks | Language Lab(CIA Only) |
Programming In Java | - |
Semester 5 | |
Unix Programming | Unix Lab |
User Interface Design | Web Designing Project |
Graphics And Animation | Graphics And Animation Lab |
Python Programming | Python Programming Lab |
Business Intelligence | Business Intelligence Lab |
OOAD Using UML | - |
Semester 6 | |
Design And Analysis Of Algorithms | Multimedia Applications |
Client-Server Computing | Introduction To Soft Computing |
Computer Architecture | Advanced Database Management System |
Cloud Computing | - |
Popular Engineering Colleges in India
Salary after BCA Programme
Information Technology sector is one of the highest BCA salary package offering fields. There are a plethora of job opportunities in both the private and government sector for BCA graduates. A fresher can expect a salary of Rs. 2.5 lakh per annum working in a subordinate position. There are various multinational corporations such as Facebook, Oracle, Twitter and SAP Labs which pay very handsome packages to the students. With technical expertise and work experience, one can get a quick rise in their BCA salary. Government institutes and agencies also offer very decent job profiles and good salary packages to BCA graduates.
Job Profiles and Salary after completing BCA
Job profile | Job Description | Average Salary |
Software Tester | Software testers test the bugs through manual and automatic processes for any software or application. They are responsible for quality assurance during the software development cycle. | .Rs. 2 - 4.5 lakh per annum |
System Administration | System Administrators are responsible for the maintenance and configuration of servers and computer systems. | Rs. 3 - 5 lakh per annum |
Junior Programmer | A Junior Programmer is a person who writes code and assists the development team in developing software applications. | Rs. 2.5 - 4.5 lakh per annum |
Web Developers are responsible for the coding, designing and creating layouts of a website for the user interface. | Rs. 3 - 5 lakh per annum | |
Web Designer | A Web Designer designed the layout and functions for the website. | Rs. 2.5 - 5 lakh per annum |
Software Developers are responsible for developing a software application to do a specific task. | Rs. 3 - 8 lakh per annum | |
System Engineer | A System Engineer is a person who provides technical support and other IT services for desktop, server and networking servers. | Rs. 4 - 8 lakh per annum |
A System Analyst is a person who analyzes system problems, evaluates and helps in providing system solutions. | Rs. 3 - 6 lakh per annum | |
A Database Administrator maintains the data in the computer server and provides security to the database. | Rs. 3 - 8 lakh per annum | |
A Business Analyst analysis business opportunities, strengths, weaknesses and strengths to start and operate a business smoothly. | Rs. 3 - 6 lakh per annum |
Also Read: Computer Applications Certifications Courses
Scope of BCA
BCA is considered a job-oriented course, there is plenty of jobs offers that aspirants can get after completing their undergraduate course. After completing a graduate degree in computer applications, students can also opt for higher studies by pursuing Masters in Computer Applications or pursuing an MBA programme. A postgraduate programme or postgraduate diploma programme in computer applications provides specialization in different fields such as ethical hacking, system security, cloud computing and software application.
There are many job opportunities for Bachelor of Computer Applications graduates in the sectors like IT, web designing, digital marketing, banking, logistics, data communications, desktop publishing, E-Commerce, consultancies, system maintenance, and cloud networking. There are many certification programmes offered by various institutions. One can pursue a Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) certificate programme for Network administrators and Network Operations Specialists. BCA graduates can start freelancing or build up their own startups.
Students also liked
- Online Degree and Diploma Courses
- Online Free Courses and Certifications
- Online Short Term Courses and Certifications
- Online Certification Courses
- View List of all Online Courses and Certifications
- Top Certification Course Providers
Careers Opportunities after BCA
There are plenty of career options after completing BCA programmes in both government and private sectors. Computers and mobiles are used almost everywhere in the world. This omnipresence has called for an ample number of job opportunities for BCA graduates. After completing the programme, one can start working in MNCs and IT firms where one can work in an entry-level position. The knowledge of various software tools and programming languages gives an upper edge to BCA graduates in getting a good job.
There are many e-commerce companies which require a lot of BCA graduates to work in different job profiles. If you are someone who wishes to learn more about computer applications and develop domain expertise, you can pursue a postgraduate degree or a postgraduate diploma programme. Apart from the private sector and higher studies, students can also work in government agencies such as banks, railways and defence. However, one must clear the competitive examinations to work in any of these government agencies.
Top Recruiters for BCA
NIIT Ltd | Deutsche Bank |
Cognizant | Accenture |
IBM | |
Oracle | Microsoft |
Indian Navy |
Frequently Asked Question (FAQs) - BCA (Bachelor of Computer Applications) Course, Eligibility, Admission, Syllabus, Scope & Career Options
Question: What is BCA full form?
Answer:
BCA full form is of Bachelor of Computer Applications. It is a 3-year computer applications-based post graduate programme.
Question: What is the full form of the BCA programme?
Answer:
The full form of BCA programme is Bachelor of Computer Applications.
Question: What is the duration of the BCA programme?
Answer:
The total duration of the Bachelor of Computer Applications programme is three years.
Question: Which of the entrance exams are required for admission in the BCA programme?
Answer:
IPU CET, SUAT, GSAT, AIMA UGAT, and KIITEE are a few of the entrance tests for BCA programmes.
Question: What are the requirements for the BCA programme?
Answer:
The BCA programme accepts applicants who have completed their 10+2 in any stream from a recognized board.
Question: What is the average salary of a BCA graduate in India?
Answer:
The average salary of an BCA graduate ranges between Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 Lakh per annum in India.
Question: What types of jobs are available for BCA graduates?
Answer:
Database Administrator, System Analyst, Junior Programmer, Web Designer/Web Developer, Computer System Analyst, Software Developer, Software Engineer or Programmer, Software Application Architect, etc. are just a few of the job opportunities available after completing BCA programmes.