One of the Most Common Confusion amongst commerce students (After class 12th) now a days is related to choice between BBA and B Com. Though B.Com is a more traditional course compared to BBA, over the years things have changed with the economy of the country. BBA has emerged as an important option among students after completing Class 12. Many students are confused due to lack of proper information and guidance and often end up making a wrong choice. This article will help you clear your doubts and confusion. I hope you would be able to distinguish between two and decide about your future endavour.
What is BBA
Bachelor of Business Administration or BBA is a three year degree course which is designed to impart management education and inculcate entrepreneurship skills in a student. It is a professional degree where theoretical concepts like Management information systems, fundamentals of Human Resource Management (HRM), Financial Law, and fundamentals of marketing are taught and supplemented by practical experience of case studies, industry visits, presentations and summer placements. A well structured BBA program develops a student's intellectual and managerial skills and helps in nurturing leadership qualities and trains them to be future leaders. Those who are serious about business and its processes, its definitely a better option for them.
Eligibility: Passed 12th in any stream and have obtained 50% marks in average. (Though it varies from institute to institute or university)
Scope after BBA:
The determining factor of choosing BBA over B.Com is a job in the field of management or shaping your career as an entrepreneur. So, the most obvious step after BBA is MBA or Masters in Business Administration. A BBA degree by itself might fetch you a job at the entry level, but will not provide you with enough growth opportunities unless you follow it up with an MBA from an institute of repute. Armed with a BBA degree, getting through some of the top B schools in the country should be a smoother one compared to others, though ofcourse cracking the CAT is a different game altogether. MBA courses are much advanced compared to BBA programs, but now that you have your fundamentals clear at the undergraduate level, your MBA program should be much simpler.
BBA also enables you to get a job as a trainee or even as a junior executive in the fields of marketing, HR or finance. Industry experience will also give you the much needed exposure and a work experience certificate which is almost mandatory for pursuing MBA degrees in some of the top MBA schools in India.
Industries offering jobs to BBA graduates:
BBA graduates can seek job openings in the following sectors:
- Banking
- Consultancy
- Finance
- FMCG and Consumer Durable Companies
- IT companies
- Advertising agencies
What is B.Com
Bachelor of Commerce or B.Com is a fundamental stream of study after class 12 in India. B.Com is a three year degree course taught in most universities across India. A B.Com degree equips a student with fundamentals and concepts on Accountancy, Business Administration, Finance, Economics and Industrial policies.
Eligibility: A student who has passed 12th in commerce or in science stream can pursue B.Com as an undergraduate degree. However, he or she should have Mathematics as one of the core subjects.
Scope after B.Com: B.Com is and always has been a lucrative career option among students. It is the first big step for students who wish to pursue careers in Finance, Taxation and Accountancy. It is the basic qualification required for students who want to pursue a career as CA / ICWA / CS. After completing your B.Com, a student can further his academic qualification by doing an M.Com from a recognized university. MCom is a postgraduate degree of 2 years and will enable a student to even qualify for lectureship exams like UGC NET/JRF or even state level exams. Though B.Com is not a professional course, yet if you complete your B.Com from a reputed university, you also have the option for good placement in various industries.
You can even do your MBA after B.Com and specialize in finance, if you still want to be remotely connected with commerce and you are good with numbers.
Industries offering jobs to B.Com students:
- Banks
- Consultancy firms
- Tax Practitioner
- Junior Accountant
Difference Between BBA and B.Com
To understand the difference between these two degrees you have to understand that If you are good at numbers or financial computations, then your aim should be that of a Chartered Accountant or CA. It is an extremely specialized area and a B.Com degree is the first step towards achieving that goal.
On the other hand, if you are sure that you want to pursue a career in management, then BBA is a good alternative, though you can still pursue your MBA after B.Com. However, you can get good work experience after completing your BBA in areas of your interest.
If you are planning to start your professional career immediately after class 12, BBA is a good choice as it is a professional course compared to B.Com which is a stream in the general line.
B.Com is offered in some of the more prestigious universities and colleges in India like Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) Delhi, Loyola College (Chennai), St Xavier's College (Kolkata), Presidency College (Chennai), Symbiosis Society's College of Arts & Commerce (Pune), and St Xaviers Mumbai.
Please refer to the list appended in this blog for Top commerce colleges in india.
BBA is offered in fewer universities compared to BCom, though many universities have started with BBA or BBS courses. Some of the colleges and universities offering BBA courses are University of Mumbai, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University or IP University, Delhi, Bharti Vidya Peeth, Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg, Deemed Univ , Jamia Hamdard, Symbiosis Pune, Barkatullah University , Bhopal, Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar, Banasthali Vidyapeeth, University of Rajasthan.
Along with the option of pursing MBA, a B.Com will open doors for other commerce related careers as well.
Consider the following tabular form for the difference
Sn Bases B Com BBA
1 Course Traditional Professional
2 Good for Students in love with Numbers Students with Soft, leadership Skills
3 Help ful for CA / ICWA MBA
4 Marks required in 12th High %age required for top colleges Less marks required Comparatively
5 Jobs offered Accountant, Auditor, Analyst Management Trainee
