Introduction
"Mechanical Engineers have been contributing to the mankind’s benefit from time immemorial. The invention of the wheel is said to be a work of mechanical engineering."
Sudipto Mukherjee, Professor, department of mechanical engineering, IIT Delhi, reiterates the point, "Everything, except buildings — the work of civil engineers — is the work of mechanical engineering."
The career of a Mechanical Engineer involves design, analysis or testing, manufacture and maintenance of anything that has movable components. Given the broad applications it has, this ‘mother’ branch is described as an “all-weather” and “all-purpose” field that allows practitioners to enter a variety of sectors, from the automobile and electrical industries to bio-medical equipment manufacturers and energy companies.
Mechanical Engineering is a perennial branch. Today, mechanical engineers are involved in the management of people and resources as well as the development and use of new materials and technologies, especially computer-aided engineering.
Mechanical Engineering can be broadly divided into the following sub-divisions: a) production — these engineers make objects; b) design of mechanical equipment — professionals in this line work on, say, failure prevention and performance design; c) thermal and fluid sciences — those in this area design air-conditioners, fans, turbines, steam boilers and power plants for performance. The best paying industries for this field include aviation and space, and management consultancy.
Courses and Eligibility
Bachelor of Engineering (BE)/ Bachelor of Technology (BTech): The eligibility is class 12th with physics, chemistry and maths as the main subjects, and Entrance Exam. The AMIE (Associate Memberships of the Institution of Engineers) offers courses which are also equivalent to BE and B.Tech.
Masters in Engineering( ME) or Masters in Technology M.Tech: Eligibility is B.E./B.Tech. and entrance Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) exam. The marks scored in this exam are valid in most colleges.
For those who wish to study further, a Ph.D. in engineering can be pursued as a good career option.
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Course Fees
The 4 years course in engineering from an IIT will cost about 2lakhs. There are a number of scholarships, fee waivers and loans available for those who are unable to fund the education. Apart from this, in most colleges the students can earn a small amount while working on a research project with the professors in their college and this can also help funding the course. The fees in other private colleges is more ranging from about 40,000 per year to about 70,000 per year.
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Top Colleges to do B Tech Mechanical Engineering
In India there are many Universities and colleges that offer B Tech / B E and M Tech. Some of the top colleges offering the course are:
all the IITs
Then there are 30 NIT's located in various parts of the country that offer B Tech . M Tech programs.
1. NIT Warangal
2. NIT Tiruchirappalli
3. MANIT Bhopal
4. MNIT Jaipur
5. MNNIT Allahabad
6. NIT Jamshedpur
7. SVNIT Surat
8. VNIT Nagpur
9. NIT Kurukshetra
10. NIT Calicut
11. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar National Institute of Technology Jalandhar
12. NIT Rourkela
13. NIT Surathkal
14. NIT Patna
15. NIT Raipur
16. NIT Srinagar
17. NIT Hamirpur
18. NIT Delhi
19. NIT Arunachal Pradesh
20. NIT Agartala
21. NIT Durgapur
22. NIT Goa
23. NIT Puducherry
24. NIT Manipur
25. NIT Meghalaya
26. NIT Mizoram
27. NIT Nagaland
28. NIT Sikkim
29. NIT Silchar
30. NIT Uttarakhand
Some other reputed colleges are
University Institute of Engineering and Technology, South campus, Panjab University ChandigarhDelhi Technological University, New Delhi (Formerly Delhi College of Engineering)Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology, DelhiIndira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for women, New Delhi .
Pay and Remuneration
Entry-level salaries range from about Rs 2.0 lakh to Rs 4 lakh per annum. Pay hikes depend on your performance and any additional skills you acquire. A mechanical engineer with five to nine years’ work experience makes about Rs. 8 lakh to Rs. 14 lakh per annum. Senior level people are paid very handsomely.
Famous Personalities
Henry Ford: The founder of Ford motor company was a mechanical engineer.
Verghese Kurien: The father of Indian white revolution was a mechanical engineer.
Anil Kumble : Indian cricketer is also a mechanical engineer.
A Day in Life
The average day of a mechanical engineer working in the R&D division of an automobile company:
7.30 am: Leave for office
8 am: Breakfast at office canteen
8.15 am: Look at the day’s activities in the week plan
8.45 pm: Departmental meeting with section head to discuss problems, progress, field complaints or testing issues
9.15 am: Tea break
9.25 am to 1.15 pm: Talk to design and testing teams about the points discussed in the morning meeting. Check drawings of parts under development, made by CAD (computer-aided design) engineers. Go through the simulation and analysis report prepared by design engineers (who are mostly mechanical engineers and some auto engineers)
1.15 pm: Lunch
1.45 pm: Visit testing lab. Monitor progress of products (e.g. steering, chassis under development)
6.30 pm: Leave for the day