Bangalore: The global economic slowdown has impacted corporates in many ways. Companies started cutting their IT spend and this seems to have taken away the edge from the MCA degree. Software programmers are also being edged out by professionals with engineering degrees, as outsourcing work gets more complex. A sharp increase in the number of engineering colleges in the country has given students a wider choice in the form of a B Tech or a BE degree, which is preferred over MCA by employers, according to Economic Times. "A candidate with an MCA degree might be good with programming, but when it comes to design and technical know-how, he is in a disadvantageous position compared to a BE or a B Tech degree holder," says Pradeep Bahirwani, VP, talent acquisition, Wipro. In such an environment, fewer students are applying for the MCA entrance test every year. Even universities are saying that the number of enrollment has come down by about 5-10 percent in MCA courses. Universities and institutes across the country are also witnessing dwindling interest in the course. There were just 29 takers for the 39 seats on offer last year at the New Delhi-based Jawaharlal Nehru University, whose MCA course is considered among the best in the country. At the National Institutes of Technology or NITs, 6,504 students appeared for the combined entrance exam in 2009, compared to 8,223 in 2008. Of the 20 NITs spread across the country, 11 offer the MCA programme, with 766 seats in all. Many experts feel that the time duration of the course should be reduced. "Instead of a three-year programme, MCA should be made a two-year programme to make it competitive vis-a-vis the B Tech programme. The industry considers an MCA degree equivalent to a B Tech one, whereas one takes longer to finish the MCA," says ARKS Srinivas, Director, TIME Mumbai, a coaching institute. However, the colleges offering MCA degree are considering to increase the number of seats. For instance JNU will be offering 46 seats in this year. Number of seats in Maharashtra could be risen by up to 20 percent this year. Seats in various NITs are also on the rise.