CA or MBA: Which is Better?– Introduction

CA or MBA: Which is Better? – Given the competitive nature of today’s marketplace, no one can overlook the value of a professional degree. On the one side, students have professional courses such as CA course and CS. On the other side, they have the option of postgraduate degrees such as an MBA course, each with its own benefits.

There is always debate among aspirants about which is better, CA or MBA. These are two of the country’s most popular and well-known career choices, but students don’t know which one to choose.

So, in this article, we’ll share the major differences between Chartered Accountancy and MBA courses, including the comparison of salary, scope, skills, eligibility, and more. Thus, check the complete article to make an informed decision.

Overview About CA Course

Chartered Accountancy is a professional certification course. The CA course deals in accounting, finance, and taxation. Most commerce students pursue a career in accounting or auditing after their 12th class.

A chartered Accountant refers to a person who has completed a CA course. After passing the 10+2 exam, candidates can register for the CA course. If a candidate has a bachelor’s degree, then he can directly go for the CA Intermediate course. The ICAI is the governing body for the CA Course in India.

There are three exam levels of the CA course:

• Foundation Level
• Intermediate Level
• Final Level
• There is also a 3-year articles that every CA student has to complete.

The CA Course’s primary goal is to expose students to the financial and accounting sectors. It will take at least 5 years to clear all the exams and become a Chartered Accountant. However, it can take more if you don’t clear the exams.

A CA examines various government notices, taxes, and other financial regulations following the finance ministry’s rules. They also make appropriate recommendations based on the taxonomy laws.

Overview Of MBA Course

A Master of Business Administration (MBA), is a postgraduate degree. MBA course is widely recognised around the world. Candidates with an MBA degree have a plethora of career options.

A bachelor’s degree in any field, such as science, humanities, or commerce, is required to enrol in an MBA program. To get admission to Business schools, students must clear the entrance exams such as the CAT, CMAT, BMAT, MAT, XAT, and others.

The main goal of an MBA course program is to expose students to various domains such as human resources, marketing, finance, and other fields. Moreover, the number of startups has shown rapid growth for MBA graduates.

Under a management belt, an MBA comprises multiple specialization courses in finance, management, marketing, etc. It enables students to enhance in one field while also diversifying their interests in other fields.

Comparison Between CA or MBA: Which is Better?

1. CA or MBA: Which is better by Future Scope

Future Scope for CA

CA course is one of India’s most reputable certifications. Despite the recent emergence of many short-term diploma certifications in accounting and finance, CA certification gets more weightage in work roles.CA’s can start freelancing after gaining experience or working for reputable CA firms and global corporations. Also, due to its broad scope, CA graduates will get a chance to work in various fields. Graduates can operate in audit and accounting firms, financial analysis banks, tax firms, and other fields.

CA Graduates have the freedom to choose and operate from a plethora of options. Almost every company needs an accounting and finance unit, and CA graduates are always needed to keep it running smoothly.

During article training, CA graduates can experience auditing, taxation, cost accounting, and finance. This broadens their scope and increases their likelihood of getting investment banking positions.

Future Scope for MBA

The ever-increasing demand for MBAs demonstrates how decent the job opportunities are in the employment market. MBA curriculum equips graduates with theoretical and practical knowledge that allows them to work in various settings.

In any company, the need for management personnel is more important. A strong management structure is essential for organisational progress and requires highly qualified MBA graduates with prior experience.

The MBA’s specialisation diversity has also resulted in new job opportunities in the data science and analytics sectors.

2. CA or MBA: Which is better in Skills Acquired

Skills acquired in CA

When a student undergoes the CA course and the articleship training, he gets practical exposure to auditing, accounting, and taxation. They also acquire discipline, conceptual understanding, great communication skills, diligence, hard work, and managing tight schedules.

Skills acquired in MBA

Apart from earning a specialisation, the 2-year program develops many skills in students. This includes strategic thinking and analysis, networking right, working in high-pressure situations, leadership, time-management, and decision-making skills.

3. CA or MBA: Which is better by Duration and Fees

Duration and Fees in CA

The minimum CA course duration for students taking the Foundation Route is around five years. Each additional attempt to pass an examination could cost students at least six months. However, students taking the direct entry route can complete the course in 4.5 years.

The total CA Course fees for all three levels is Rs. 76,200. It includes the registration, exam form and membership fees during the 5-year course. However, if we add the cost of coaching and study material, it will go around 3-4 lakhs.

Duration and Fees for the MBA Course

MBA course is a two-year program. Furthermore, the Internship duration ranging from 3 months to 6 months is also included in these two years of the program.

Talking about the fees, MBA course is costlier and difficult for everyone to afford. The MBA course fees can range from 2 lakhs to 40 lakhs. Students should note that the fees will vary from college to college.

4. CA or MBA: Which is better by Salary Perspective

CA or MBA: Which is better by Salary perspective

Experience, area of specialisation, and the domain in which they work are all critical factors influencing pay scale. Both graduates have a variety of job responsibilities, which entitles them to a wide range of pay.

Salary of a CA in India

The average salary of CA are as follows:

Job Roles- Salary

• Chartered Accountant- INR 7.39 LPA
• Business Analyst- INR 6 LPA
• Financial Planner- INR 8 LPA
• Auditor- INR 7.77 LPA
• Taxonomy Specialist- INR 8.1 LPA

Salary of MBA

MBA course graduates, like chartered accountants, work in a variety of fields. The following are the average salaries of MBA graduates:

Job Roles- Salary

• Business Development Specialist- INR 6.3 LPA
• Human Resource Manager- INR 7.02 LPA
• Sales Manager- INR 4.33 LPA
• Customer Relationship Management- INR 6.77 LPA
• Marketing Manager- INR 7.01 LPA

5. CA or MBA: Which is better- Eligibility Criteria

• To be eligible for the CA Course, students need to complete their 12th class with at least 50%. Other than that, there is no other restriction regarding stream and age. But graduate students through the direct entry route have to get at least 55% (commerce stream) & 60% (science stream).

• Students who want to pursue MBA course have to complete a bachelor’s degree. Furthermore, to take admission to reputed colleges, they need to clear the entrance tests, such as CAT, XAT, and GMAT.

6. CA or MBA: Which is better– Exams and Passing Percentage

• Talking about the CA course, there are three exams that students must clear to become a Chartered Accountant. These exams are Foundation, Intermediate and Final. The difficulty increases with each level. The passing percentage for the CA exams is very low and ranges between 10 to 30% only. There are many students who couldn’t clear the levels even after multiple attempts.

• For MBA course, students first need to pass the entrance exam and then clear the 4-semester exams in the 2 years of college with a required percentage. The passing percentage for the MBA program is a bit higher and students manage to complete the papers.

7. CA or MBA: Which is better– Syllabus

The CA syllabus is large and involves:

• Basic and Advance Accounting.
• Basic to Advance level Auditing.
• Financial and Strategic Management.
• Corporate Laws.
• Direct, Indirect, and International Laws.

On the other hand, the MBA program includes:

• Financial Planning and Management.
• Business Economics
• Product, Human Resource Management
• Marketing
• Leadership
• IT infrastructure and risk management.

CA or MBA: Which is Better?

Both CA and MBA are equivalently reputable in the job market. There are some fields where CAs are preferred over MBAs and vice versa. We have also seen CA graduates learning new skills on the job and taking on more duties than MBA graduates. MBAs with multiple skill sets in data analytics and business management are in higher demand.

So, it is completely based on students which one is better for them among Chartered Accountancy and MBA. To make an informed decision, they should consider factors like their interests, preferred job role, salary, career scope and job security.

Students can also take career counselling after the 12th to make better decisions and move in the right direction.

CA or MBA: Which is Better? – Conclusion

Chartered Accountancy is not only a versatile profession but also provides a greater degree of security and stability. They are aware of new laws, modifications in laws, and other changes. As a result, almost every organisation requires CAs to handle finance, accounting, and auditing. Opting for a career in CA can be a wise decision.

For more information about the courses, click:

CA Course

MBA Course

Frequently Asked Questions

Ques 1. Which one is harder, CA or MBA?

Ans. As per the pass percentage, we can say that the CA course is harder than MBA. In MBA, students can somehow manage to clear the exams. But there are many CA students who couldn’t clear their exams even after 5-6 attempts.

Ques 2. Who earns more, a Chartered Accountant or an MBA?

Ans. The average salary of a Chartered Accountant in India is 8-9 lakhs per annum. Furthermore, the CA toppers can get annual packages of 15 to 20 lakhs. In the case of MBA graduates from IIMs, their average package is around 18 to 20 lakhs per annum. But this is not the case for the MBA graduates from the local college.

Ques 3. Is MBA equal to CA?

Ans. In the finance field, we can say that MBA and CA are almost similar.

Ques 4. Can I do both CA and MBA?

Ans. It will be very difficult to do both courses simultaneously. However, you can do MBA after CA, as it will also help in getting better job roles and packages.