Engineering Streams

Branches Of Engineering: Overview

There are 15 main branches of engineering you must choose from as you move into your engineering career. Students must choose carefully, as the branch you choose in your first year is what you will have to graduate in. Branch changes in later years are not permitted. So do your research well, speak to your senior students or family members who have done engineering to better understand which branch you would like to pursue in the future.

Mechanical Engineering

Overview:
Mechanical Engineering is one of the oldest and broadest fields in the study of engineering. Almost every company that designs and manufactures a product employs mechanical engineers. The field is divided into two sections: design and manufacturing. Every product that is manufactured is designed by a mechanical engineer; ranging from automobiles to airplanes, washing machines to furniture manufacturing equipment, biomedical products etc.

Academic focus:
Statics, dynamics, study of various materials and processes, involves extensive hours of physical and computer-aided drawing.

Future Prospects:
Large manufacturing intensive companies such as TELCO, Eicher, Blue Star, Voltas offer highly technical job profiles. Students are expected to have a good knowledge and application based understanding of the content studied during the 4 years of engineering.

Best Institutes for Mechanical
Mumbai: VJTI, SPCE
Pune: COEP, VIT, MIT
Delhi: DCE, MAIT
Bangalore: MSRIT, RVCE

Computers Engineering

Overview:
An immensely popular course in the recent years, Computer Engineering students are almost assured of a campus placement with a good IT company. Important to note is that the study of computer engineering essentially consisting of coding and developing programs. The course also teaches about the hardware of the computer and how it works. Computer engineers do not make computers, but study and specialize in the intricacies of what goes on inside the machine.

This field of study provides you lots of opportunity to study further. Plus, computer engineering graduates can get absorbed into companies as soon as they finish their graduation. They will continue doing at work what they have done at college for 4 years: coding.

Academic Focus:
Coding, building programs, designing real world applications, sharpening of one’s logical and analytical skills.

Future Prospects:
In this stream, the college you graduate from does not make too much of a difference. Almost all large IT companies like Accenture, TCS, Infosys and Wipro hire through campus recruitment.

Best Institutes for Computer Engineering
Mumbai: VJTI, SPIT
Pune: COEP, VIT, PICT
Delhi: DCE, NSIT
Bangalore: RVCE, PESIT, BMSCE

Electrical / EEE

Overview:
One of the core branches of engineering, it deals with electricity, power generation and transmission. Course content involves study of electrical machines, transformers, motors, and generators.

Academic Focus:

  • Study and application of electricity, electronics, wave theory, control systems, power electronics, etc.
  • Generation and transmission of power and the methodology implemented.
  • Covers some fundamental aspects of Electronics engineering, machinery used in industries and the various types available.
  • Provides a comprehensive overview of all that works on power/electricity.

 

Future Prospects:
Core electrical tasks, involving the production, repair, maintenance and development of electrical appliances or even planning and executing power houses. Companies like Philips, Reliance Power often come in and recruit electrical engineers.

Best Institutes for Electrical / EEE
Mumbai: VJTI, SPCE
Pune: COEP, VIT, PVG’s COE
Delhi: DCE

Electronics / ECE

Overview:
This course involves the design and testing of electronic circuits that use the properties of components such as resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes and transistors to achieve a particular functionality. Scope of study includes the basics of microprocessors, microcontrollers, their circuits, and working of the insides of a very basic level computer, also an introduction to robotics.

Academic Focus:
Detailed study of various components (micro as well as macro) used in electrical instruments, extensive study of graphs, and complicated numericals. Study of the subject moves from simple concepts to highly complex ones during the years of study.

Future Prospects:
There are not very many companies offering jobs in core electronics today. Being a highly technical field, companies such as Philips, Videocon, BHEL, HCL Infosystems, DELL India are the common recruiters for Electronics graduates. Job structure involves synthesizing Integrated Circuits (ICs) maintenance, repair, and development of electronic devices or appliances like televisions, refrigerators, air conditioners, etc.

Best Institutes for Electronics / ECE
Mumbai: VJTI, SPIT
Pune: Modern COE
Delhi: DCE, MAIT
Bangalore: UVCE, RVCE, PESIT

Production/ Industrial Engineering & Management

Overview:
Similar to Mechanical Engg., but not quite on par, the curriculum of Production / Industrial Engg. & Mgmt. teaches students the technical and management side of industries.

Academic Focus:

  • Comprises the study of materials, their strength, their usage in various industrial machinery, study of the machinery itself.
  • Technical drawing
  • A combination of Technical & Management aspects of understanding how an industry works.
  • The final year has an Industrial training period for 6 months that gives students a exposure to actual work.

 

Future Prospects:
A technical job profile at large and mid-sized manufacturing companies like L & T, Randstad, Reliance Industries. Interested recruiters announce their internships typically around the end of the seventh semester.

Best Institutes for Production / Industrial Engg.:
Mumbai: DJ Sanghvi, VJTI
Pune: COEP, VIT
Bangalore: BMSCE, MSRIT, DSCE

Biomedical / Medical Electronics Engineering

Overview:
This branch of study is a mix of engineering and medicine, where students are taught about the working and designing of various instruments used for medical purposes.

The course involves study of human anatomy and regular visits to hospitals. On the engineering front, subjects based on electronics form a substantial part of the study. A very specialized engineering domain, but one that does not provide students with updated study of the latest equipment in the industry. If you wish to pursue this branch of study seriously, you will have to do your MS later. At that stage, this branch offers many interesting options.

Future Prospects:
Most Biomedical Engineers get placed at a variety of different hospitals, though they are also eligible for the IT companies that come in. It is always advisable to apply to hospitals externally (i.e., off-campus) as well.

Best Institutes for Biomedical Electronics:
Mumbai: TSEC, DJ Sanghvi
Pune: Bharati Vidyapeeth
Bangalore: BMSCE, MSRIT

Instrumentation Engineering

Overview:
Study of Instrumentation has to do with study of measurement and the various equipment used for process control in factories and industries. Instrumentation engineers design, install and maintain measuring elements in a factory or industry.

Academic Focus:

  • Measurement of all various aspects of manufacturing such as temperature, pressure, level, flow rate etc.
  • Process control, where processes are controlled to meet the required set of measurements.
  • Automation is an Instrumentation engineer’s area of specialisation.
  • Instrumentation also involves the study of a few subjects from other branches like mechanical, electrical, electronic and computer engineering.

 

Future Prospects:
In the current scenario, there is limited demand for instrumentation engineers and most graduates from this field settle for IT jobs, or mechanical-engineer-type jobs at best. The premium colleges, however, have companies like Ultratech Cement, etc. coming in for placements.

Best Institutes for Instrumentation Engg.:
Mumbai: VESIT, RAIT
Pune: COEP, VIT
Delhi: NSIT, Bharati Vidyapeeth
Bangalore: RVCE, BMSCE

Marine Engineering

Overview:
Marine engineering prepares students for careers in construction and maintenance of sailing vessels. This also includes the supervision of engine crew involved in operating the machines, and checking for smooth functioning of all steam engines, electric motors, propulsive engines etc.

Academic Focus:

  • Deals with the design, manufacture, operation and maintenance of ship engines and machinery.
  • Study of current levels of efficiencies and possible improvements of existing shipboard conventional steam, gas turbine, diesel, and nuclear propulsion plants.
  • Introduction to new technologies such as superconductivity, magneto hydrodynamics, fuel cells, and ocean thermal energy.

 

Future Prospects:
To make the best of his career, a student must go on to do MS overseas, in this line of study to be able to find opportunities internationally.

Automobile Engineering

Overview:
An automobile engineer’s main duty is to design, test and develop vehicles and/or components from concept stage through to production stage. The automobile engineer is involved in the development, production and launch of the vehicle, and post-launch, he is required to work on product improvement as per the customer’s feedback.

Academic Focus:

  • Study of automobile design, manufacture and operations of vehicles like buses, trucks, cars etc.
  • Study of respective engineering subsystems of various types of vehicles, under vehicle engineering.

 

Future Prospects:
The really good students get a break in leading automobile companies like Tata Motors, Maruti, etc. The jobs in this profile are limited, students must take this factor into account while choosing this stream.

Best Institutes for Automobile Engg.:
Mumbai: Saboo Siddik, PIIT
Pune: Dhole Patil
Bangalore: DSCE, Acharya

Textile Engineering

Overview:
Textile Engineering combines the principles of engineering with specific knowledge of textile equipment and processes. The curriculum draws from other engineering disciplines including mechanical, electrical, and industrial and chemical engineering. The emphasis is on science and engineering. Students planning to pursue a degree in textile engineering will find it advantageous to have a strong background in mathematics.

Future Prospects:
Popular career choices for Textile Engineers include dyeing and finishing, research and development, quality control, or sales and marketing in domestic or foreign companies related to textile production.

Best Institutes for Textile Engg.
Mumbai: VJTI, ICT

Civil Engineering

Overview:
With the boom in infrastructure and real estate in India, civil engineering has had many takers in the recent years. During the 4 years, the student is exposed to the concepts of infrastructure and construction of bridges, roads, dams, canals and buildings as well as their maintenance.

Academic Focus: The concepts of building drawing, modern construction equipments and methodologies, town planning, sustainable structures now known as Green Buildings, behaviour of soil and its mechanics, designing of the bridges, infrastructure and construction management and estimating the quantity of the required quality of the materials.

Future Prospects:
Simply put, civil engineers build the homes, commercial spaces, the roads, infrastructure and the cities that people live in. From planning and designing bridges, tunnels, new cities, inventive residential, commercial and industrial spaces, civil engineers do it all. These specialists are also required to supervise the many ongoing projects to ensure the projects are executed as per plan to specifications and within defined budgets and timelines. L&T,

Best Institutes for Civil
Mumbai: VJTI, SPCE
Pune: COEP, Sinhgad, Vadgaon
Delhi: DCE
Bangalore: RVCE, BMSCE

Chemical Engineering

Overview:
Chemical engineering largely involves the design, improvement and maintenance of processes involving chemical or biological transformations for large-scale manufacture.

Academic Focus: The curriculum for this branch includes study of equipment designs, plant operations and engineering aspects involved in the manufacture and processing of industrial chemicals. During the years of study, students are required to have a thorough understanding of mathematics and the simple principles of conservation of mass and energy. The final year project usually consists of a summary of content learned over the 2nd and 3rd year.

Future Prospects:
Chemical-based companies like aromatics, petrochemical, washing powder etc. regularly recruit chemical engineering graduates. Pursuing a masters degree in chemical engineering from abroad is recommended, as that is what most pharmaceutical companies, packaged-foods companies look for. Specializing in perfumes at the masters level can open doors to working with the leading names in the perfume and cosmetics segments.

Best Institutes for Chemical
Mumbai: ICT, TSEC
Pune: VIT , Sinhgad, Vadgaon
Delhi: USCT (Only College offering Chemical)
Bangalore: BMSCE, MSRIT

Information Technology (IT)/ Information Science (IS)

Overview:
Most students tend to get confused between choosing Computer Engineering and Information Technology. One should not worry too much about what to opt for, as both the streams essentially offer the same curriculum. The two courses differ by just about six subjects in all from all the four years! IT concentrates more on the software front, and skips the study of computer hardware. Additional topics covered in this stream is the management and the security of IT. The course requires the student to work on several projects.

Future Prospects:
IT companies consider computer engineers and IT engineers on par, and most of the leading companies hire through campus recruitment. Blue-chip companies like INFOSYS, WIPRO, GOOGLE, Yahoo and various other software and internet related companies have an ongoing need of IT and computer engineers.

Best Institutes for IT
Mumbai: VJTI, SPIT
Pune: COEP, VIT, PICT
Delhi: IIIT, DCE
Bangalore: RVCE, BMSCE, PESIT

Bio-Technology Engineering

Overview:
This branch is a combination of biology and technology. In practical application, this means that scientists can use genetic technology to develop treatments for diseases and to beneficially alter the genetics of humans as well as other life forms. Biotech engineering is offered only in few colleges, and has subjects similar to those in Biomed. This stream though is more IT-centered, rather than electronics-centered.

Future Prospects:
In Mumbai, biotech engineers and biomedical engineers are almost considered on par in terms of placements. Students can apply directly to hospitals or go through campus recruitments if keen on being picked up by IT companies.

Best Institutes for Bio-Technology:
Mumbai: TSEC, MGM
Pune: Sinhgad, Vadgaon; DY Patil, Pimpri
Delhi: DCE, NSIT, USBT
Bangalore: PESIT, MVIT

Electronics & Telecommunication

Overview:
This course focuses more on electronics than communication. Students must note that telecommunications is taught extensively only in the last year, the first three years essentially dealing with introduction to the subject.

Academic Focus:

  • Extensive study of electronic circuits on a large scale, theoretical and practical.
  • Involves an in-depth study of electronic devices, signals, systems and a lot of circuits.
  • High on theory and mechanical design-based subjects.

 

Future Prospects:
If a student follows up this course with a masters in Telecommunications, he will have the opportunity to work for Telecom giants like Reliance Communications, Huawei & Intervo or cellphone companies like Nokia, Samsung, etc. The job profile would involve designing mobile networks or mobile phones respectively. But for students who just complete graduation, they will be considered on par with regular electronics engg. Graduates.

Best Institutes for Electronics & Telecommunication
Mumbai: DJ Sanghvi, SPIT, VJTI
Pune: COEP, VIT, PICT
Delhi: NSIT, DCE
Bangalore: PESIT, MSRIT, RVCE

Core Cities for Engineering Studies

  • Mumbai, Navi Mumbai
  • Delhi
  • Bangalore
  • Ahmedabad
  • Hyderabad
  • Chennai
  • Bhopal

Your JEE Main score also qualifies you to apply for NITs