BCA- Eligibility, Syllabus, Scope, Fields & more
BCA i.e., Bachelors in Computer Application is a 3-year undergraduate course which is equipped to prepare students in computer languages and applications.
BCA is one of the most popular courses in the Information Technology sector and students interested in learning about computer applications in detail can opt for this course.
IT sector is witnessing rapid growth in India, as well as, globally. With it, the demand for professionals in IT is also increasing, which makes it a course with a steady and expanding scope.
It is a course which is considered at par with B.Tech or BE but in this course, you dont necessarily need to have Physics or Chemistry as a subject. As it is mainly about computer applications it would be an ease for the student if he/she is acquainted with the basics of computers.
BCA courses are in high demand due to the hands-on experience of the software and IT industries. After completing your BCA, you have several career paths, you can choose one path according to your choice.
Eligibility for BCA
A positive aspect of this course is that anyone, even an Arts or a Commerce background student can apply for admission in this course. You do not have to be from a Science background to do BCA.
The eligibility for BCA may vary from college-to-college, thus you need to be updated about the colleges you are interested in and their criteria for admission.
Students are eligible for this if they meet the following conditions-
- You must have passed your 10+2 from a recognized board of education.
- You must have scored 50% aggregate marks or higher in your 10+2.
- Some colleges/universities conduct entrance tests for the admission in BCA. You must be aware of their scheduled dates and syllabus, which varies from college-to-college.
- The students are generally admitted on the basis of personal interview and written examination conducted by various institutes/universities.
- Some colleges/universities admit student on merit basis.
- The merit is prepared on the basis of candidate’s performance in the qualifying examination (12th).
It is important to know the eligibility criteria before thinking of applying for any course. We hope that the above information was helpful to you, however, if you have any other queries related to admission in BCA you can talk to our counselor by filling the inquiry form.
Syllabus
Though syllabus varies from one college to another college, and it gets modified every year to make it more industry-oriented and beneficial for the students, there are a few fundamental learnings and concepts that never get changed.
These are the core subjects that you will study in your BCA course-
• Computer Graphics
• Internet Technologies
• Accounting Applications
• Animation
• Music and Video Processing
• Personal Information Management
• Programming Languages
• Database Management
• Systems Analysis
• Word Processing
You will study these subjects in detail during your BCA course.
The course period of BCA also includes subjects, such as Networking, Programming in C Language (Basic and Advanced), World-Wide-Web, Advanced C Language Programming, Data Structure, Database Management, Software Engineering, Mathematics, Programming using PHP, JAVA, Oracle, Object Oriented Programming using C++, Visual Basic, Operating Systems, Web Scripting and Development, etc.
The syllabus is handcrafted for students who are highly interested in computer applications and are willing to learn more about the IT world and its functions.
It includes interesting learnings about computer fundamentals, data structure, and algorithm, system design, and concepts, networking, e-commerce, etc. which sound very intriguing to the IT students.
If this outlook of the syllabus seems like something that you would be interested in learning then why not consider it as a course for your graduation?
Later, if you want to go for higher studies in the same field and get specialization in a few subjects then you can go for MCA.
MCA aims at preparing Information Technology experts who could successfully extend their valuable contribution in streamlining the decision-making process and innovation in the areas of Computer Applications.
Scope of BCA
There is not a question that BCA is a highly ranked course and one of the best educational courses that one can go for.
After completing BCA, there is an ample number of opportunities for students. A person who has studied BCA can be working in a software company or can opt for higher studies in the future.
The subjects that you study in BCA are very much alike the subjects that a B.Tech student studies in his course.
Many MNCs hire BCA graduates in their technical department in India and globally. It is one of the highest in-demand fields of career and its scope is widening each day with the rapidly growing economy and digitalization taking over the economy.
After getting a degree in BCA you get the required knowledge to be able to even go for self-employment. In fact, freelancing is very common in the IT industry. You can be a freelancer in Web Designing or Software Developing and make huge bucks sitting at home sipping your favorite tea.
You just need the required knowledge and skills to be able to pursue self-employment and that can be provided by this course.
Career Fields
After completing graduation in computer applications there are various career options that one can choose from.
Students often get confused about which field they should make a career in. And it is okay to be confused as there are so many career options in the entire world.
The only way to find out which is the best career for you is by researching about different fields and their scope and reading more and more about them.
The increasing demand for IT professionals in India and abroad is making it a hotshot career field. After the completion of the BCA course, the student can find a job in reputed IT companies like IBM, Oracle, Infosys, and Google.
The student can work as a System Engineer, Junior Programmer, Web Developer or as a System Administrator. This field provides you ample opportunities to make your career not only in the private sector but also in the public sector.
The government organizations like NIC, Indian Army, Indian Air Force, and India Navy also recruit a large number of computer professionals for their IT department.
Here are some of the widely chosen career fields after BCA-
- System Engineer
- Software Tester
- Junior Programmer
- Web Developer
- System Administrator
- Software Developer
Let us look into these career fields in a detailed manner.
System Engineer
A System Engineer is someone who combines his knowledge of computers and engineering to implement computer systems for the growth of businesses and organizations.
The job of a System Engineer, who is also known as Computer Systems Software Engineer, is to implement and maintain computer systems for the optimum functioning of the organization.
It is a career suitable for tech-savvy people who have a nose for engineering services as well. A person who keeps both engineering and computers at the top of his interests-list can work towards a career in this field.
They work towards designing systems and analyzing the requirements of the clients they serve. And they need good mathematical, business, and communication skills to succeed in this field.
They implement new systems, correct software errors in existing systems and improve performance through hardware upgrades. Systems Engineers may also prepare progress and specifications reports, maintain their departments inventory and oversee payroll.
System Engineers usually hold at least a bachelors degrees in computer science, software engineering or another related field. For this, BCA is a good option as it increases the knowledge of computer applications and related fields.
Software Tester
A Software Tester is someone who looks into the development and deployment of software.
Their jobs aim is simple i.e., to ensure that the software that is developed is at par with the requirements and quality. They look into the working of the software and identify if there are any bugs or issues that need to be removed from the software. This is done to ensure that the final product is matching the quality standards and its everyday users are satisfied with it.
This job requires a good knowledge of computer languages and coding. Those who find their niche in coding and computer applications, and are also analytical with their approach towards software, are perfect for this field of career.
The job requires him to meet with system users to understand the scope of projects, work with software developers and project support teams, identify business requirements, plan projects, monitor applications, and software systems, performance testing, and scalability testing.
In addition, it also requires them to write and execute test scripts, run manual and automated tests, test in different environments including web and mobile, write bug reports, assess code, carry out resource planning, review documentation, work towards departmental and project deadlines, provide quality assurance.
Junior Programmer
You must be wondering why a Junior Programmer and not a Senior Programmer. It is because you need to have experience as a junior in order to get promoted to a higher level.
After BCA, you can apply directly as a Junior Programmer if you have the required knowledge and skills for it.
This job profile requires you to have a good understanding of computer programming and coding.
The responsibility of actually writing the code lies on the shoulders of the Junior Programmer and the Senior Programmers job is to supervise the tasks of programming and suggest measures to make it even better.
They are responsible for the maintenance and application upgrade of the software as well.
Web Developer
A Web Designer/Developer is someone who is engaged in the working of creating World Wide Web applications. The work of a Web Developer is to design, create, and maintain websites and web applications.
This job can be done by being hired by a company or even as a freelancer if you have the required skills to do so.
A Web Designer is responsible for designing web pages. It takes more than what is visible to the layman’s eye in designing a web page. Looking at the aesthetic aspect, it is important to select appropriate colors, font, layout, and images to create the whole look of the website.
The usability of the website has to be kept a priority. The created web page should be relatable to the target market. They are basically in control of the entire website and have to create appropriate images while keeping in mind that the website is easy to use and the information is easily accessible.
System Administrator
A system administrator is responsible for managing, overseeing and maintaining a multiuser computing environment, such as a local area network (LAN).
A System Administrators responsibilities vary, depending on an organizations requirements. He should possess strong technical knowledge and skills, as well as expertise in personnel management.
His responsibilities include setting up system-wide software, executing anti-virus mechanisms, creating user accounts and assigning user permissions, creating backup and retrieval policies and assigning bulk storage, light programming or scripting, monitoring network communication, creating file systems, updating systems upon release of new OSs or software, strategic planning for service and system outages, implementing computer network and security policies for system and network users, user training and management, system-related project management.
The most important requirement in this field is to have effective problem-solving skills because any technical issue in the system has to be diagnosed by the SA.
Software Engineer/ Developer – As a Software Engineer you are responsible for designing, developing, installing, testing and maintaining software systems.
The job involves analyzing a client’s needs and creating solutions to meet those requirements.
A Software Engineer has to apply techniques of computer science, engineering and mathematical analysis to design, develop, test and evaluate the software and the system.
They have to design and develop different types of software like operating systems and network distribution, and software for compilers. Software Engineers instruct a computer to perform the desired function.
They have to possess strong programming skills and develop algorithms and analyze and solve programming problems. Their work is to analyze the needs of the user and then design, construct, test, and maintain computer applications software or systems.