MBA
What the degree is, how PGDM compares, and what to weigh up before you commit two years to it.
MBA is the common abbreviation for Master of Business Administration. The course is taken after graduation and usually runs over two years. PGDM is a Post Graduate Diploma in Management. In practice there is no difference between an MBA and a PGDM — what matters far more is the ranking of the institute.
An Executive MBA is also available as a career choice. It lasts about a year and is aimed at people already in work.
An MBA or PGDM is one of the most common career choices among young people in India today, largely because of the placements the course offers. It can help anyone who wants to move up in their career: management matters in every sector and in every endeavour of life.
Where to start
If you are still in Class 11 or Class 12, you do not have to wait for graduation. The five-year Integrated Programme in Management takes you into an IIM straight after school.
- IPMAT Indore — IIM Indore's five-year IPM
- IPMAT Rohtak — IIM Rohtak's five-year IPM
- JIPMAT — for IIM Bodh Gaya and IIM Jammu
- Other BBA entrance exams
If you have graduated or are about to, the CAT and the other MBA entrance exams are the route. Our courses cover both paths.
Mission IPMAT provides free, valuable and comprehensive online study material for IPMAT, CAT, MAT, XAT and SNAP aspirants.
Deciding between IPM after Class 12 and an MBA after graduation?
Tell us your class or graduation year and we will explain which route fits, including what it costs and how long it takes.