BBA vs BA – How to choose the right one?

A large percentage of Indian students opt for engineering or medicine as their under graduation programs.

These students usually have their career path chosen even before they completed their 12^th board examinations. But there are students who are not interested in making a career in science and opt for alternative
courses in commerce, arts or management.

A few among such students are not sure about the prospect of courses like BBA or BA and can get confused about which will be the best option for their future.

In this detailed post we will discuss the difference between BBA and BA, their prospects and which one can be the better choice as an under graduation program.

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BBA (Bachelor in Business Administration)

The full form of BBA is Bachelor in Business Administration. As the name suggests, it is a Bachelors Degree program in management.

It is a three-year course many like other undergraduate courses. BBA curriculum involves the students learning in depth about business administration, marketing knowledge, sales, finance and accounting, economics and other related subjects.

It is more of a professional course than a regular Bachelors Program, as it focuses on a particular career field. The issues that are usually covered in a BBA course are –

• Principles of Management
• Business Mathematics and Statistics
• Business Economics
• Financial and Management Accounting
• Production and Material Management
• Personnel Management and Industrial Relations
• Marketing Management
• Business Data Processing
• Business Laws

BBA is considered as the basic level for candidates aspiring to have a career in business management.

There is usually an entrance examination conducted by various universities and colleges to admit students in the BBA Programs.

The most significant advantage of opting for a BBA Program is that the curriculum is more or less similar in different universities across the world and the program is offered by some of the best international universities.

A lot of BBA graduates opt for MBA Program for their post graduations and can have a successful career as a management professional.

The basic eligibility for a BBA Program is 10+2, and usually, universities allow students from all backgrounds into the program.

However, some universities require the students to have Mathematics as a subject in their 10+2. BBA is a Bachelors Degree Program that can be diverse and versatile as it is focused on real-life applications of business and management.

Students can also enter the professional field right after their graduation and perform roles like –

• Operations manager
• Information security officer
• Sales manager
• Loss prevention manager
• Cost estimator

For candidates looking for international opportunities, Germany is one of the most popular choices. The prospect of the degree definitely improves with an MBA afterward.

BA (Bachelor of Arts)

BA is short for Bachelor of Arts. It is one of the most popular undergraduate degrees chosen by students all over the world. There are several subjects that offer a BA degree. Those are –

• Education
• French
• Archaeology
• Anthropology
• Economics
• History
• Geography
• German
• English
• Hindi
• Literature
• Library Science
• Mathematics
• Political Science
• Philosophy
• Public Administration
• Sanskrit
• Psychology
• Sociology

Choosing a subject for pursuing a BA degree should depend on your interest. Also, students from any background are not eligible for some of the BA programs.

For example, BA in economics may need students to have studied Mathematics in their 10+2, BA in Geography will require students to have Arts subjects along with Geography in their 10+2, etc.

So, few of the BA degree courses will expect a similar educational background to be eligible. There is usually no entrance examination for admission to the BA Program. Colleges admit students based on merit or individual admission tests.

BA like BBA is also a three-year course. It involves detailed knowledge of the subject, focussing on the theoretical aspects of the field and lesser on real-world applications.

BA degree can be followed by an MA (Master of Arts), and the student can pursue a Ph.D. if they are interested in research. Career prospects include higher studies, research, teaching in universities and colleges, several roles in media and communication field and journalism.

BA in Economics can be a very prospective career choice for Indian students, and Delhi School of Economics, JNU, Symbiosis, and other reputed institutes offer excellent prospects after an MA degree.

One of the advantages of pursuing a BA degree is that interested students can enter a management career with an MBA or focus on their respective fields. Thus, students can have more options after graduation. Students can also prepare for Civil Services examinations after their BA (Hons).

Final Thoughts

If you are a management aspirant and want to pursue an MBA, BBA can be a stepping stone to the career. However, a successful career in management can also be achieved after a BA degree, considering you have chosen a subject like Economics.

But if you are not aspiring to be a management professional, a BA degree can mean a prospective career in the field of journalism or mass media, one of the booming industries in the country.

Moreover, if you are interested in research and learning about the theoretical aspects of the field, a BA degree in one of the subjects can be the perfect choice for you.

Choosing BBA or BA will also depend on your educational background or 10+2 stream. In that case, BBA scores a tad better as students from any experience can pursue the program.

Furthermore, students can join the corporate workforce after a BBA degree as it is a professional course that prepares students with the necessary skills needed for the management profession.

Again, BA fares more than BBA as it offers diverse career options to the graduates.

So, as a conclusion, we can say that both BBA and BA can be prospective career choices, but pursuing them should depend on your career interests and future goals. Moreover, achieving a successful career depends more on hard work and perseverance, rather than your field of study.