MBA After BA: Eligibility, Salary, Scope and Top Colleges

MBA After BA: Eligibility, Salary, Scope and Top Colleges

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Shruti
Shruti Garg
Assistant Manager- Editorial
Updated on Oct 14, 2025 11:35 IST
Thinking to pursue MBA after BA? Learn about MBA eligibility criteria, MA specialisation choices, MBA entrance exams, top universities, scope, and potential salaries. Discover how an MBA can enhance your career prospects, skills, and earning potential here.
Learn about MBA eligibility criteria, MA specialisation choices, MBA entrance exams, top universities, scope, and salaries. Discover how MBA can improve career prospects, skills and earning here.
MBA After BA

MBA After BA

Considering to pursue MBA after BA? Or confused if one can pursue MBA after BA? The answer is a Yes! Candidates can pursue MBA depending upon their skills that would help in professional growth. MBA is a popular postgraduate option among candidates after graduation. MBA is two-year postgradute degree that can be pursued by candidates from any discipline and stream. Candidates are required to appear for the entrance examination and appear for the admission process of the university they desire to take admission in. Read this article to know the MBA eligibility criteria, specialisation, entrance examination and top universities here.

Table of contents
  • Can I do MBA After BA? Check Eligibility Criteria
  • MBA After BA: Choosing Right MBA Specialisation
  • Types of MBA Specialisation
  • MBA After BA: Entrance Examination
  • MBA After BA: Top Universities
  • MBA After BA Scope
  • After BA Salary
  • MBA After BA: Success Stories
View More

Can I do MBA After BA? Check Eligibility Criteria

Yes, you can pursue MBA after BA. If you are a Graduate with Bachelor of Arts, you must ensure to fulfil the below-mentioned eligibility criteria for admission to B-school in India:

  • Appeared for the national level or state level entrance examination conducted for shortlisting candidates for the admission process of B-Schools.
  • Candidate must have completed graduation from a recognised/statutory institute/university with at least 60% marks (55% for reserved categories) in total in qualifying examination.
  • Candidates who are appearing in the qualifying examination can also apply for the MBA entrance exam.
Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   Do IIMs accept MAT score?
A: 

No, IIMs do not accept MAT score for MBA Admission. They only accept CAT score for admission to their MBA/PGP programmes. However, MAT score is accepted by over 700 MBA colleges in India including: Amity University GL Bajaj Institute of Management & Research Christ University GITAM Institute of Management JIMS Rohini Jain University Taxila Business School, Jaipur SRM University Birla Institute of Management Technology Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University Tezpur University Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India IIFM Bhopal YMCA.

Q:   What is MAT age limit?
A: 
There is no age limit for appearing in MAT exam. Any candidate who has a graduation degree can appear for MAT. They can be fresh graduates or working professionals with several years of work experience. A good number of MAT applicants are working professionals who are seeking to enhance their management skills by pursuing an MBA course. At the same time, a large number of fresh graduates also apply for MAT. Especially from non-technical background as the difficulty level is not as high as CAT or XAT exams. Since, MAT is accepted by MBA colleges for Executive MBA, Online MBA, Part-Time MBA and Distance MBA courses too, a good number of working professionals appear for the MAT exam. MAT is also popular among Management aspirants and working professionals as it is an easy exam and one can prepare for it while working as well. It is easier to strike work and study balance in MAT.
Q:   What is the validity of CAT score?
A: 

CAT score is valid for one year at the IIMs and top B-Schools. In some tier 3 and government institutions, CAT score of previous two years are also acceptable. Many B-schools including IIMs have an option of deferment of admission, wherein you can confirm your admission and pay the nominal fee but join the batch in the next year. It is advised that candidates take admission in the same year as their CAT attempt so that they don't have to reappear next year. Given the competition in MBA space, it is difficult to get a good college whether you have a low score or average score. So, incase one is getting a good college, they should take admission and not drop a year to appear for CAT again.

MBA After BA: Choosing Right MBA Specialisation

When choosing the MBA specialisation, candidates can consider following factors to select the right specialisation after BA:

  • Candidates must choose specialisation based on interest.
  • Based on career objective, know how a specific MBA specialisation can help achieve goals.
  • Stay updated with job market to know which MBA specialisations are in demand, as this helps in career opportunities.
  • Analyse skills and strengths to pursue MBA specialisation and that builds upon those skills.
  • Student must be updated on industry needs. This can provide unique career opportunities.
  • Connect with MBA professionals in desired specialisation to gain more information.
  • Know return on investment for desired MBA specialisation and analyse the previous session placement reports.

Also Read:

MBA Specialisation Guide

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Types of MBA Specialisation

MBA specialisation refers to the focused area of study in MBA. It helps develop expertise in a field of interest. MBA specialisation can include the fields such as Finance, Operations, Human Resource, Strategy and so forth. Check below the list of MBA specialisation:

Also Read:

List of Top MBA Specialisations: Which One to Choose?

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   For how long is MAT score valid?
A: 

MAT score is valid for admission for the same academic year in which the candidate has taken the exam. For example, MAT 2025 score will be valid for admission for 2025-2026 MBA batch only. If a candidate wishes to drop a year after taking the MAT exam, then they will have to appear for the exam once again next year. They should however check the eligibility or selection criteria to have a clarity of MAT score of which session/phase is valid for admission in which academic year. For example, for 2025 academic session MAT September and MAT December scores will be valid for admission to some MBA colleges who have the admission cycle of January-February. Whereas, colleges who conduct admission in March-May accept MAT February exam scores for admission. To simplify, MAT test takers must not try to use their score for admission more than one year after appearing for it. They should appear for it again and use the latest score for admission.

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MBA After BA: Entrance Examination

Candidates willing to puruse MBA after BA must appear for the national level or state level examinations to get admission to top B-schools in India. Candidates qualifying for the National level or state level examinations do not guarantee admission to B-schools in India. Qualified candidates will have to appear for the selection rounds of the respective B-School. based on overall performance in MBA entrance exam and selection rounds, final admission is offered. Refer to the list of National level MBA entrance exams and State level MBA entrance exam below:

National Level MBA Entrance Exams

  1. CAT
  2. SNAP
  3. MAT
  4. CMAT
  5. XAT
  6. IBSAT
  7. NMAT By GMAC
  8. ATMA
  9. KIITEE MBA
  10. MICAT

State Level MBA Entrance Exams

  1. OJEE
  2. TANCET
  3. TSICET
  4. MAH-CET
  5. AP ICET
  6. Karnataka PGCET
  7. KMAT

MBA After BA: Top Universities

Check the list of Top MBA universities accepting MBA entrance exam scores below:

  1. IIM Ahmedabad - Indian Institute of Management
  2. IIM Bangalore - Indian Institute of Management
  3. IIM Calcutta - Indian Institute of Management
  4. XLRI Xavier School of Management
  5. NMIMS School of Business Management, Mumbai
  6. IIM Lucknow - Indian Institute of Management
  7. Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Symbiosis International, Pune
  8. Management Development Institute
  9. SP. Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai
  10. Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Delhi

Also Read:

Best MBA Colleges in India

MBA After BA Scope

Check below to know the Scope of MBA after BA:

  • Helps in career growth in industries like consulting, finance and management.
  • Provides knowledge of business concepts, leadership and problem-solving skills.
  • Provides networking opportunities.
  • Helps in gaining necessary knowledge.
  • Higher salaries compared to those with just a BA.
  • Increased job opportunities, including management positions, consulting roles, business development, and corporate strategy.

After BA Salary

MBA salary after BA varies based on factors such as work experience, location, qualification, MBA specialisation and so forth. On average graduates with MBA degree earns higher than candidates without MBA degree. On average MBA, a professional can earn from INR 5 lakh to INR 25 lakh per annum. These salaries can differ and can go higher with experience and expertise. Check the table below to know the MBA salary in various specialisations.

MBA in Finance Salary

Job Profile

Average Starting Salary 

Financial Analyst 

INR 3.63 LPA 

Corporate Finance 

INR 6.10 LPA 

Assistant Vice President - Corporate Banking 

INR 19.26 LPA 

Credit Risk Management 

INR 11 LPA 

Derivatives Structuring 

INR 9.25 LPA 

Portfolio Manager 

INR 11.35 LPA 

Treasury Manager 

INR 9 LPA 

MBA in Business Analytics Salary

Job Profile 

Average Starting Salary 

Marketing Analyst 

INR 4.87 LPA 

Data Analyst 

INR 4.38 LPA 

Marketing Manager 

INR 6.85 LPA 

Senior Business Analyst 

INR 9.94 LPA 

Order Processing Manager 

INR 4.34 LPA 

Business Analyst (Unspecified Type) 

INR 5.42 LPA 

MBA in Sales and Marketing Salary

Job Profile

Average Starting Salary

Sales Management

INR 6.09 LPA

Marketing Management

INR 5.97 LPA

Business Development

INR 6.77 LPA

Customer Relationship Management

INR 6.37 LPA

Strategic Management

INR 8.05 LPA

MBA in Human Resources Salary

Job Profile 

Average Starting Salary 

HR Manager - Talent Acquisition 

INR 3.5 LPA.  

HR Manager - Training 

INR 4.6-4.7 LPA. 

HR Manager - Compliance 

INR 3-4 LPA. 

HR Professor 

INR 2-3 LPA. 

Read More on MBA Salary in India

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About the Author
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Shruti Garg
Assistant Manager- Editorial

Shruti Garg is a graduate in English and Education with over 7 years of experience in content writing/editing and education journalism. At Shiksha.com, Shruti covers UG and PG entrance exams like MBA entrance exams,

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