ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT AEROSPACE ENGINEERING

I am a student of Class 10 and will be opting for science stream with physics, chemistry and mathematics as compulsory subjects in Class 11. I want to pursue a career in aerospace engineering. Please suggest some good colleges in India that offer undergraduate programmes in aerospace engineering? – Arjun Muthiah

There are a limited number of institutes offering BTech in aerospace engineering in India, the most prominent being the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) in Chennai, Mumbai, Kanpur, and Kharagpur which offer this course and also a five-year MTech dual-degree programme. Other institutes include Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram; Anna University, Chennai; Hindustan College of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore; Hindustan College of Engineering, Chennai; University of Petroleum Studies, Dehradun; and SRM University, Chennai. However, before you focus on aerospace engineering it may be worthwhile to keep in mind that there are limited work opportunities in this field both in India and abroad. Aerospace engineers can apply for jobs with organisations like Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Defence Research and Development Laboratories, National Aeronautical Lab, Aeronautical Development Establishment, Indian Space Research Organisation and the civil aviation department. However, with the cutbacks in the aviation industry and the space programmes, limited openings are available.

I am a Class 10 student, living in Delhi. We may shift to Noida next year. Does this mean that I will not be allowed to sit for an entrance in Delhi University or any other Delhi college because of domicile? How will it affect me if we shift? – Akshara Singh

Delhi University is a public Central university located in Delhi, and admits students from all over the country and even foreign students. Central universities, like Delhi University, and institutions of national importance like the IITs and IIMs, and deemed universities admit students on an all-India basis. So, you would not require domicile status in Delhi state to apply for admission to the courses being offered by Delhi University. At present, Delhi University has 77 colleges and five other recognised institutes affiliated to it with about 132,435 regular students and 261,169 students in nonformal education programmes. Students compete on merit for seats in Delhi University colleges, and cut-offs can be very high. For some subjects such as BBS, BBE mass communication, an additional entrance test is also conducted. There are only three engineering colleges, Delhi Technological University, NSIT and Ambedkar Institute of Technology which have 85% reservation for Delhi domicile students. There is no reservation for the Delhi medical colleges. So, you can shift to Noida and still apply for admission to any college of Delhi University.