What is an online BCA degree all about?

For a lucrative career in the field of IT and computer applications, a BCA degree is the first and the most important step. The degree lays the perfect foundation for a promising journey in the domain of computer technology. It also unlocks multiple avenues for high-paying job roles that challenge your skills and expertise at every stage. The best way to pursue a BCA degree is to take it up online. Online learning has several advantages and has made education more easily accessible to a vast segment of the audience across the globe. Moreover, it ensures a flexible learning structure that allows a convenient pace of study. This blog covers these and other benefits of an online BCA degree. 

Also read: BCA course details – All you need to know 

Different Modes of Pursuing a BCA Degree

Online is not the only way of studying and earning a Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA). You can choose to pursue the three-year degree course in other ways as well. Offline on-campus learning continues to remain the traditional form of education in India even today. However, some added pressures follow. These include the time and cost involved in commuting to and from the campus, expensive course fees, and the difficulty of attending scheduled classes while working a job. 

This is why distance learning and online learning are slowly but surely taking prominence over traditional campus programs. One of the many benefits of an online BCA degree for students is that it offers flexibility of schedule, allowing you to study at your own time and pace, as best comfortable. This is particularly helpful for working professionals who find it easy to manage time while working in parallel with pursuing an online degree. 

Yet another reason as to why choose an online BCA course is that it allows easy access to digital learning resources from across the globe. This facility isn’t possible with offline learning that restricts the availability of study material to physical libraries. 

What is an Online BCA and Is It a Valid Degree?

Before you decide on why choose an online BCA course, let us begin by understanding what the degree is all about. An online BCA focuses on the latest developments in the domain of computer technology. Students are equipped with the much-desired technical skills in the field of IT and are prepared for high-rewarding job roles in the sector. Online BCA allows these students easy access to a high-tech virtual environment for programming, e-library, and webinars from experts in the IT industry. 

The course lasts 3 years or 36 months in online mode. Online BCA is offered over 6 semesters, spread out over 15-20 hours per week. Students pursuing online BCA courses get the opportunity to upskill in data science and analytics, cloud computing, and cybersecurity. In addition, they gain exclusive access to the curriculum defined by the Google Cloud Computing Foundations.

Contrary to popular belief, an online BCA is recognized globally and validated as holding relevance at par with the one offered on campus. The global recognition and accreditation of the degree by an international education body makes it an attractive choice for students aspiring for job roles overseas. 

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Benefits of an Online BCA Degree

There are multiple reasons to enroll in an online BCA degree. Students find it a much better choice to sign up for the course online over conventional offline programs and here’s why:

1. Flexibility: If you’ve still been on the fence as to why choose an online BCA course, here is one of your top reasons. Pursuing an online degree offers a huge amount of flexibility in study schedules and allows you to balance your time with other work and personal commitments. You can choose to study at your own time and pace, and wherever you like. 

2. Affordability: Yet another of the top reasons to enroll in online BCA programs is their cost-effectiveness compared to on-campus degrees. Online degrees are generally more affordable than their traditional offline counterparts. This is because the former can save additional costs incurred by students on commuting, accommodation, and buying study resources. 

3. Anytime availability of learning material: Online BCA students gain easy access to a wide array of digital study resources available at their disposal. This makes learning more comfortable for students who don’t have to rely only on the availability of study material at libraries or shops. They have access to learning resources from any part of the world at the click of a finger.

4. Scope for global networking: Since online BCA degrees allow students from all parts of the globe to connect over a single learning platform, there is plenty of scope for international networking. This further enables students to find rewarding career opportunities anywhere in the world.

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Subjects Covered in an Online BCA Degree

We discussed above some of the main reasons to enroll in online BCA courses. The course curriculum also forms an integral part of this discussion, as the content of the program provides a fair idea to the students of what they can learn from the course. Here are some of the key topics covered in online BCA degrees:

• C Programming
• Database Management System
• Software Engineering
• Introduction to Network Security
• Introduction to Web Programming
• Fundamentals of Computer & Digital Systems

In addition to the above core subjects, the online BCA course makes room for some specialized study areas for the overall benefit of students. These include Artificial Intelligence for Problem Solving, Data Structures, and Cybersecurity. These subjects may vary as per the course curriculum.

Career opportunities after online BCA in 2024

Online BCA graduates hold immense potential for lucrative career prospects in the relevant job industries. A growing demand for IT professionals can be witnessed in the domains of healthcare, technology services, finance, and e-commerce, both in India and overseas. Some of the top career opportunities after online BCA in 2024 are highlighted below for your easy reference:

Expected Job Role	Average Annual Salary (Approx)
Web Designer	INR 20.9 lakhs per annum
IT Consultant	INR 11.8 lakh per annum
Database Administrator	INR 8.1 lakh per annum
Software Developer	INR 7 lakh per annum
Network Engineer	INR 5.5 lakh per annum

In addition to pursuing lucrative careers after completing an online BCA, students can choose to take up higher education opportunities as well. These include pursuing an MCA, MBA, or any other specialized certification to boost your career potential. 

Conclusion

Given the valuable career prospects and also the potential for higher education with the promise of better-paying job roles, an online BCA degree course can be your best bet in today’s tech-driven world. The course comes with the added advantage of flexible learning that is easily accessible to anyone sitting in any part of the world. Manipal University Jaipur offers the online BCA degree course to all those aspiring for career-advancing roles in the world of IT and computer applications.