What is Lateral Entry in MCA? The Complete Guide

Any qualified graduate with a Computer Science background who wishes to make their career in the IT sector and is keen to work with computers and software, can join the professional degree - MCA lateral entry. The MCA duration in India is 2 years and is designed for aspirants with BCA (Bachelor of Computer Application) or BCS (Bachelor of Computer Science). 

The core objectives of the MCA lateral entry program are:

• Prepare aspirants for a career in the software industry 
• Provide a magnificent environment for teaching
• Help aspirants research in the core discipline areas
• Provide the experience of relevant skills
• Prepare aspirants for all practical queries of the IT industry

Lateral entry for MCA is designed according to the needs of working professionals and job seekers. Both working professionals and job seekers can enrol in this MCA degree while working at a firm with the basic knowledge of the program after graduation. MCA lateral is equally valuable as regular or distance MCA. 

If you handle this MCA wisely, it will be easy to get expertise in a particular field with a master's degree in your hand at the same time. Let us check out the course details of this MCA degree here.

Course Highlights

MCA Lateral Entry
Duration	2 years
Eligibility	Minimum 50-60% marks in BCA or equivalent course with Mathematics in Class 12 as a compulsory subject
Admission Process	Direct admission, entrance exams or merit-based
Top Colleges	JNU, NITs, DU, Mumbai University, IP University, VIT, etc.
Average Fees	Rs. 1 to Rs. 5 lakhs
Top Recruiters	Google, Microsoft, Amazon,  Deloitte, Infosys, Sapient, TCS, Accenture, IBM, etc.
Top Job Positions	System Analyst, Technical Writer, Software Developer, Data Analyst, System Administrator, Web Developer, Troubleshooter, etc.

Eligibility for MCA Lateral Entry

The MCA course eligibility for the lateral entry mode is mentioned below.

• The candidates must be graduated with a regular BCA degree with a minimum of 50% marks.
• The candidates who have passed BSc IT(Information Technology) or BSc CS (Computer Science) through distance mode of education are ineligible for MCA lateral entry admissions.
• The candidates who graduated with BSc in Computer Science or Information Technology can take admission in the second year of the MCA degree. 
• The candidates who graduated with BSc in Computer Science or Information Technology must have studied Mathematics as one of the subjects in Class 12th.

Skills Required for MCA Lateral Entry

• Command over programming languages like C, C++, Java, Net, etc.
• Good programming skills and hands-on experience
• Knowledge of data structure and database
• Strong technical skills
• Awareness of the trends in the latest technology 

Benefits of MCA Lateral Entry

• Any qualified graduate with a regular BCA, BCS, BSc IT, and BSc CS degree can pursue this course.
• A majority of the syllabus of the first-year MCA is the same as that of the BCA or BSc IT/CS course. You can avoid redundancy by joining directly to the second year.
• It is time-saving in comparison to the 3-year-long regular or distance MCA programs.
• The training modules of these courses are carefully designed for working professionals and job seekers so that they can pursue higher education along with their job.

MCA Lateral Entry Specialisations

The candidate can choose a specialisation for their MCA lateral entry. Below-mentioned are some of the specialisations they can choose from.

• Management Information Systems 
• Systems Management
• Application Software
• Systems Development - 
• Systems Engineering
• Hardware Technology
• Networking
• Software Development

Top Indian MCA Lateral Colleges

Some of the popular universities and colleges that offer MCA lateral in India are

1. Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
2. Birla Institute of Technology (BIT), Mesra
3. National Institute of Technology (NIT), Rourkela
4. Hyderabad Central University
5. University of Pune
6. ITM University, Gwalior
7. National Institute of Technology- Surathkal
8. MN National Institute of Technology (NIT)- Allahabad
9. PSG College of Technology- Coimbatore
10. National  Institute of Technology, Trichy

Syllabus of MCA Lateral Entry

The syllabus of MCA lateral entry is different for different institutions. However, they all have some subjects in common and some of them are given below.

• Fundamentals of IT
• Computer Organisation
• Computer Graphics
• Java Programming
• Programming in C
• Object-Oriented Programming in C++
• Operating Systems
• Data and File Structures
• Data Communications and Networking
• Database Management Systems
• Design and Analysis of Algorithms
• Linux Programming
• Software Engineering
• Enterprise Computing with Java
• Data Warehousing and Data Mining
• Object-Oriented Analysis and Design
• Theory of Computation
• Software Testing
• Computer Networks
• Discrete Mathematics
• Web Technologies

Admission Process for MCA Lateral Entry

MCA Lateral entry course admissions take place through entrance exams at the university level or State level. Some of the organisations provide direct admission facilities. MCA aspirants may need to give a knowledge-based test on the day of their admission interview.

Direct Admission

Based on the merit or scores obtained in the qualifying examination or graduation, direct admissions to MCA lateral entry courses happen. Another way of direct admission is in the management quota provided by the management of the organisation. These quota seats are reserved in every college and the admission fee will be far higher than the general one.

Entrance Test

Once the candidates qualify for the MCA admission entrance exam, they will be invited for a counselling session. It is conducted for MCA seat allotment in various colleges affiliated with that university. If the candidate is satisfied with the seat allotted to them, they can join the course.

Job Profiles for MCA Graduates

Here are some of the important job profiles for an MCA graduate.

• Technical Writers
• Systems Analyst
• Software Programmer
• Web Designer
• Software Developer
• Social Media Handler
• Trouble-shooters
• Hardware Engineer
• App Developer
• Web Developer
• Manual Tester
• Business Analyst
• Network Engineer
• Ethical Hacker
• Database Engineer
• Software Consultant
• Quality Analyst

An MCA lateral entry graduate will be easily absorbed into reputed companies like Microsoft, TCS, Infosys, WIPRO, ORACLE, HCL, Cognizant, ADOBE, Mahindra, etc. In the ever-growing IT field, an MCA graduate will find a scope to grow and build a successful career. MCA  at top colleges with Sunstone can help you grow in your career. So, invest some time and effort before making the choice. 

People Also Ask

Is lateral entry possible in MCA?

Yes, lateral entry is possible in MCA.

Who is eligible for MCA lateral entry?

Any qualified graduate with a Computer Science background who wishes to make their career in the IT sector and is keen to work with computers and software, can join the professional degree - MCA lateral entry. The MCA duration in India is 2 years and is designed for aspirants with BCA (Bachelor of Computer Application) or BCS (Bachelor of Computer Science). 

What is the difference between MCA and MCA lateral entry? 

MCA or Master of Computer Applications is one of the best postgraduate options to choose after BCA (Bachelor of Computer Application) or BCS (Bachelor of Computer Science). MCA duration is 3 years or 6 semesters, and it includes the study of latest software development trends, computer application tools, and programming languages.

Lateral entry for MCA is designed according to the needs of working professionals and job seekers. Its duration is 2 years or 4 semesters and any qualified graduate with a regular BCA, BCS, BSc IT, and BSc CS degree can pursue this course. A majority of the syllabus of the first-year MCA is the same as that of the BCA or BSc IT/CS course. You can avoid redundancy by joining directly to the second year.