The Master of Computer Applications (MCA) is a postgraduate degree meant for students interested in advanced computing, software development, and IT management. In India, an MCA course is usually 2 years (4 semesters) after a BCA (Bachelor of Computer Applications) or a related course. For students from non-CS streams, some universities have an extended 3-year program where the first year deals with basic computer science topics.
The courses cover programming languages, database administration, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and security. In addition, they have practical experience in projects, internships, and labs. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 made reforms to permit certain universities to provide integrated BCA-MCA (5 years). The students can go for a career in software development, data science, security, and IT consulting with career opportunities in multinational corporations and start-ups. The program is industry-ready, and it provides students with both theoretical concepts and hands-on skills that are needed in the dynamic IT industry.