Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) is an undergraduate program in Computer Applications. It is open for students who have qualified Higher Secondary Examination with a minimum of 45% marks.

BCA is a 3 year program and is often seen as equivalent to a B.E. or B.Tech. in Computer Science. The course is, usually, divided in six semesters. The admission is generally through a Common Entrance Test conducted by respective institutes.

The average tuition fee for BCA in India ranges from 1.5 Lakh INR to 6 Lakh INR for three years.

After completing BCA, a student can find employment in various fields like Software Development, Banks, ITES, Government departments, Education etc. The average monthly salary offered to a BCA graduate ranges between 20,000 to 25,000 INR.

Duration
BCA is normally of 3 years duration and each year is divided in two semesters. For BCA in the correspondence mode of education, the minimum duration is 3 years and maximum duration ranges from 5 to 6 years depending upon the university.

What is BCA about?
In the recent years, BCA has emerged as one of the in-demand vocational courses. This course focuses on preparing students for roles pertaining to Computer Applications and IT industry. The course helps a student develop programming skills, networking skills and learn application packages, programming languages and modern techniques of Information technology.

Difference between BCA and B.Sc. in Computer Science
Ideally there is not much difference between BCA and B.Sc. in Computer Science except that the former is more professionally inclined.

In BCA a student learns mainly about operating systems, DBMS, Digital Electronics and other areas of Information Technology. BCA, as a course, seeks to bridge the gap between business and technology. In BCA, focus is on the technological aspect of computer applications.

On the other hand, Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Computer Science is a theory based paper and deals in both hardware and software part of computer. In this course a student can learn soft computing skills and mathematical and theoretical concepts related to computers.

So for students looking for a professional course BCA is ideal, while for those interested in learning theoretical concepts related to computer software and hardware B.Sc. in Computer Science is the right course.  

Where to study?
BCA is available at more than 1000 colleges in India. For a promising career after the completion of course, it is necessary to pursue BCA from one of the top institutes in India. Here is a list of some of the top BCA colleges in India.

Christ University, Bangalore
Madras Christian College, Chennai
Presidency College, Bangalore
Symbiosis Institute of Computer Studies and Research, Pune
DAV College, Chandigarh
Academic Options after BCA
After completion of BCA degree, there are several options available for students in India. After BCA an obvious choice is an MCA degree which is a postgraduate degree in Computer Applications. MCA is available at all Top Universities including JNU, Delhi, University of Delhi and University of Hyderabad.  Another good option is Master Degree in Computer Management (MCM) or Master Degree in Information Management (MIM).

For students inclined more towards the managerial aspects of an organization, MBA in Information Technology from a reputed B-School in India is a good option. 

Aspirants seeking admission to 3 year Full-time BCA Program should have passed 10+2 examination with 50% marks from a recognized Board.