MCA SYLLABUS ALLAHABAD UNIVERSITY 2025

 PAPER 1: PROGRAMMING IN ‘C’ WITH DATA STRUCTURES (MCA540) 

Unit 1 : Algorithm development and C language Programming: Structure and properties of algorithm,   Flowchart, Introduction to C, Compilation & execution of C programs, , Data types & sizes, Declaration of variables, Modifiers, Identifiers & keywords, Symbolic constants, Operators: Unary operators, Arithmetic & Logical operators, Bit-wise operators, Assignment operators and expressions, Conditional expressions, Precedence & associativity, order of evaluation. Control statements: If-else, Switch, Break, Continue, Go-to statement; Loops: For, While, Do-while. 

Unit 2: Functions and Arrays: Functions: Built-in & User-defined, Function declaration, Definition &function call, Parameter passing: Call by value, Call by reference, Recursive functions. Linear arrays, Multi-dimensional arrays, passing arrays to functions, Arrays & Strings; Storage classes: Automatic, External, Register & Static. 

Unit 3: Pointers and Linked list: Pointers: Value at (*) and address of (&) operator, Pointer to pointer, Dynamic memory allocation, Calloc & Malloc functions, Array of pointers, Function of pointers, Macros, C pre-processor, Structures & Union: Definition and differences. Linked list and Operations (insertion, deletion and modification): Singly linked lists, Circular list, Doubly linked lists and its application, array and linked representation.  

Unit 4: Stacks and Queues and Trees: Stacks: Basic idea, array and linked representation. Prefix/ infix / postfix expressions and their inter-conversion for evaluation. Queues:  Basic idea, array and linked representation, Priority queues and simulation, Recursion. Trees: Definition, terminologies and properties, Binary tree representation traversals and applications, Binary Search trees, Threaded binary trees.

 Unit 5:Sort and Search Algorithms: Linear and Binary search. Internal and External Sorting algorithms, Heap sort, Merge sort, Quick-sort, Radix sort, Bucket sort. Hashing: Hash functions, collision resolution techniques (chaining, linear offset, others). 

Reference Books: 

1. The C Programming Language, B.W. Kernighan and D.M. Ritchie (PHI) 

2. Programming using the C language, R.C. Hutchinson and S.B. Just (McGraw Hill) 

3. Data Structures and Program Design- Robert Kruse. 

4. Data Structures- Horowitz and Sahni 

5. Data Structures through C- A. Tennenbaum 4 

PAPER 2: DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (MCA541) 

Unit 1: Introduction and ER Modelling: An overview of database management system, Database System Vs File System, Data models schema and instances, data independence and data base languages. Data Definitions Language, Data Manipulation Language, Overall Database Structure. Data Modelling using the Entity Relationship Model: ER model concepts, notation for ER diagram, mapping constraints, keys, Concepts of Super Key, candidate key, primary key, Generalization, aggregation, reduction of an ER diagrams to tables, extended ER model, relationships of higher degree. 

Unit 2: Relational data Model and Language: Relational data model concepts, integrity constraints: entity integrity, referential integrity, Keys constraints, Domain constraints, relational algebra, relational calculus, tuple and domain calculus. 

Unit 3: Introduction to SQL: Characteristics of SQL, Advantages of SQL, SQL data types and literals, Types of SQL commands, SQL operators and their procedure, Tables, views and indexes, Queries and sub queries, Aggregate functions, Insert, update and delete operations, Joins, Unions, Intersection, Minus, Cursors in SQL. PL/SQL, Triggers and clusters. 

Unit 4: Data Base Design & Normalization: Functional dependencies, normal forms, first, second, third normal forms, BCNF, inclusion dependencies, normalization using functional dependency, Multivalued dependency and Join dependency. 

Unit 5: Transaction Processing & System Architecture: Introduction: Transaction Processing, Transaction System Concepts, Transaction Atomicity, Durability, and Isolation, Serializability. Concurrency Control: Deadlock Handling, Multiple Granularity, Lock-Based Protocols, TimestampBased Protocols, Validation-Based Protocols. Database-System Architectures: Centralized and ClientServer Architectures, Server-System Architectures, Parallel Systems, Distributed Systems, Network Types. 

References: 

1 Date C J, “An Introduction To Database System”, Addision Wesley 

2 Korth, Silbertz, Sudarshan, “Database Concepts”, McGraw Hill 

3 Elmasri, Navathe, “Fundamentals Of Database Systems”, Addision Wesley 

4 Paul Beynon Davies, “Database Systems”, Palgrave Macmillan 5 

PAPER 3: COMPUTER ORGANIZATION & ARCHITECTURE (MCA542) 

Unit 1: Generation of Computers, Functional block diagram of a computer, Hardware and Software, Generation of programming languages-Machine Level Language, Assembly Level language and High Level Language; Digital Computers ,Number Systems-Binary, Octal, Decimal Hexadecimal, and Conversion; Binary Arithmetic- Binary Addition, Subtraction etc. 

Unit 2: Logic Gates, Boolean Algebra, Minterms, Maxterms, Sum of Product Form, Product of Sum Form, realization of switching expressions by Karnaugh map ; Codes- weighted, unweighted codes, self Complementing Code, Gray Code, BCD, Excess 3 Code ; Code Conversion 

Unit 3: Adder-Half, Full, 4 and 8 bit parallel adder circuits,  and Subtractor-Half, full, 4 and 8 bit  parallel subtractor circuits; Magnitude comparator, Decoders, Encoders, Multiplexer and demultiplexer, Realization of switching expressions by decoders, encoders, multiplexer and Demultiplexer, Sequential circuits, latches and Flip Flops-SR, D, JK and T flip flops;  Analysis of clocked sequential circuits. State reduction and assignment; Counters-Ripple Counter, Ring Counter etc 

Unit 4: Introduction to microprocessors, essential and non-essential elements of a microprocessor, addressing modes, Interrupts and its types, Instruction cycle, machine cycle, T-state, pipelining, Superpipeline, Superscalar Pipeline, Pipeline Hazards. 

Unit 5: Memory Hierarchy, IO methods-Direct IO (DMA) and Indirect IO-Memory Mapped IO and IO Mapped IO; Memory Interleaving-Lower and Higher order Interleaving , Memory organization-2D and 3D, Cache Memory, addressing cells in the cache memory: Associative and Direct memory organization, Memory Management. 

References: 

1. William Stalling, “Computer Organization & Architecture”, Pearson education Asia 

2. Mano Morris, “Computer System Architecture”, PHI 

3. Zaky&Hamacher, “Computer Organization”, McGraw Hill 

4. B. Ram, “Computer Fundamental Architecture & Organization”, New Age 6 

PAPER 4: PRINCIPLES OF MANAGEMENT (MCA543) 

Unit 1: Definition, Functions, Process, Scope and Significance of Management. Nature of Management, Managerial Roles, Managerial Skills and Activities, Difference between Management and Administration. Significance of Values and Ethics in Management.  

Unit 2: Evolution of Management Thought, Approaches of Management Thought, Functions of Management.  

Unit 3:  Planning and Organizing Nature, Scope, Objective and Significance of Planning, Elements and Steps of Planning, Decision Making Organizing Principles, Span of Control, Line and Staff Relationship, Authority, Delegation and Decentralization. Effective Organizing, Organizational Structures, Formal and Informal Organizations, Staffing.  

Unit 4: Directing -Effective Directing, Supervision, Motivation, Different Theories of Motivation Maslow, Herzberg, Mc Clelland, Vroom, Porter and Lawler, Job Satisfaction. Concept of Leadership- Theories and Styles. Communication Process, Channels and Barriers, Effective Communication.  

Unit 5: Controlling and Coordinating- Elements of Managerial Control, Control Systems, Management Control Techniques, Effective Control Systems. Coordination Concept, Importance, Principles and Techniques of Coordination, Concept of Managerial Effectiveness. 

References: 1. Management: Principles and Practice by S.K. Mandal 

2. Management Principles and Practices by Parag Diwan 7 

PAPER 5: SOFTWARE ENGINEERING & CASE TOOLS (MCA544) 

Unit 1: Introduction to software engineering and software development life cycle models: Introduction to Software, Types of Software, Introduction to Software Engineering, Software Processes; SDLC: Introduction, Models. 

Unit 2: Software Requirement and Quality Assurance: Requirement Engineering, Types of Requirements, SRS, Characteristics of SRS, DFD and ERD; Verification and Validation; Software quality Assurance: definition, Objectives, Goals and Plan; CMM. 

Unit 3: System Design and Software Measurement: Design Objective, Design Principles, Modularization, Coupling and Cohesion; Software Metrics: Definition and Types. 

Unit 4: Software Testing and Maintenance: Testing Principles, Levels of Testing, White Box and Black Box Testing; Software Configuration Management, Need and Types of Maintenance, COCOMO. 

Unit 5: Risk Management, CASE Tools and Case Studies: Risk Analysis; Project Scheduling; Reverse Engineering; Re-engineering. Introduction to CASE tools, Use and Application; Case Study: To analyse a problem and prepare a SRS document including DFD and ERD. 

References:
1. Pressman, Roger S., “Software Engineering: A Practitioner’s Approach Ed. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2001 

2. Jalote, Pankaj, “Software Engineering Ed.2”, New Delhi: Narosa 2002 

3. Schaum’s Series, “Software Engineering”, TMH 

4. Ghezzi, Carlo and Others, “Fundamentals of Software Engineering”, PHI 8 

PAPER 6: DISCRETE STRUCTURES & GRAPH THEORY (MCA545) 

Unit 1: Logic: Logical Statement, Logical Operators and their Properties, Tautology, Contradiction and Contingency, Normal Forms and Properties, Implications and Biconditional, Arguments and Fallacy, Rules of Inference, Predicate Logic: Quantifier, Validity of a Predicate, Properties and Translation. 

Unit 2: Combinatorics: Permutations and Combination, Summation: Properties of Binomial Function and Generating Functions, Solution of Recurrence Relation. 

Unit 3: Set Theory: Relations: Definition of Relation, R-Relative Set, Representation of a Relation, Operations on Relations, Types of Relations, Counting of Relations and Closure of Relations, Equivalence Relations and Partial Order Relation, Properties of Equivalence Relations and Power of a Relation, Functions: Definition of Function, Domain and Range, Types of Functions, Counting of Functions, Inverse of Function, Composition, Group Theory 

Unit 4: Poset, Lattices and Boolean Algebra: Poset, Toset, Woset, Topological Sorting, Hasse Diagram, Extremal Elements of Posets, Lattice, Semi Lattice, Properties of Lattice, Types of Lattice, Boolean Algebra 

Unit 5: Graph Theory: Definition of Graph, Types of Graph, Degree of a Vertex, Special Graph, Graph Representation, Graph Traversal (BFS and DFS), Isomorphism of Graph, Connectivity of Graph, Applications: Euler’s Graph, Hamiltonian Graph, Planar Graph, Trees: Spanning Tree, Enumeration of Graph and Graph No. 

References: 1. Discrete Mathematical Structures with Application to Computer Science- Tremblay &    Manohar.   

2. Discrete Mathematical Structures – Preparata and Yeh