Careers in Aeronautical Engineering :

Aeronautical or Aerospace Engineering deals with the development of new technology in the field of aviation, space exploration and defense systems. It specializes in the designing, construction, development, testing, operation and maintenance of both commercial and military aircraft, spacecrafts and their components as well as satellites and missiles. The main trust in this area is on design and development, which extends to even space and satellite research. The specializations includes in areas like structural design, navigational guidance and control systems, instrumentation and communication or production methods or it can be in a particular product such as military aircrafts, passenger planes, helicopters, satellites, rockets etc.

Course Details
In India there are two types of courses in Aeronautical Engineering that is at undergraduate and Post-graduate level. The basic eligibility criteria for BE / B.Tech program in Aeronautical Engineering is 10+2 with Science ( Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics) or equivalent examination with at least 60% of marks in the aggregate. It is also mandatory to qualify in the Joint Entrance Examinations (J.E.E.) which is conducted by the IITs. Besides the IITs there are some other institutes which also conduct their own separate entrance examinations for the admission of students. There are also many national and state level entrance exams for admission into this course. But Most of the institutes conducting engineering courses in Aeronautics consider JEE score as the qualifying grade. Besides Diploma courses are also available in Aeronautical Engineering. The BE / B.Tech program is of four years duration while the Diploma programme is of 2-3 years duration. For M.Tech or PhD program in aeronautical engineering one should have completed degree in (BE/BTech) aeronautical engineering or any other equivalent branches of engineering.

Career Prospects
For Aeronautical engineer jobs are available with the national, international, public and private Airline Services, aircraft-manufacturing units, Defense services and research and development organizations. In the Indian context the Defense service particularly the Air Forces and Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) happen to be two major employment providers for Aeronautical Engineers. Moreover, the Aeronautical Engineers often get employment in organizations such as Hindustan Aeronautical Ltd (HAL), Defense Research and Development Laboratories (DRDO), National Aeronautical Lab (NAL), Aeronautical Development Establishment. Employment opportunities are also available for Aeronautical Engineers in Civil Aviation sectors. Here they are absorbed by public sector airlines like Indian Airlines and Air India. However the most lucrative jobs are available in private sector airlines like Kingfisher and Jet Airways etc because they offer better pay packets. A lot of job opportunities for aeronautical engineers are also available in countries like United States of America, France, UK and Germany. A good percentage of Indians constitute the work force of engineers and technical professionals in NASA.

Institutes Offering
Indian Institute of Technology (Mumbai, Kharagpur, Chennai, Kanpur); Madras Institute of Technology, Chennai; Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh; Hindustan Institute of Engineering Technology, Chennai; Nehru College of Aeronautics & Applied Science, Coimbatore; School of Aviation Science and Technology, New Delhi; Indian Institute for Aeronautical Engineering & Information Technology, Pune; Indian Institute of Aeronautical Engineering, Dehradun; Institute of Aviation Technology, Bahadurgarh (Haryana); Hindustan Electronics Academy, Bangalore; Indian Institute of Aeronautics, Patna; Institute of Aeronautical and Marine Engineering, Bangalore.

Remuneration
These days Aeronautical Engineering is a remunerative and prestigious career option. Although salary of most of the Aeronautical Engineers depends on academic excellence and skill of the individual person, the average start up salary in this field ranges from 1.5 lakh to 3.0 lakh per annum. A highly skilled and experienced Aeronautical Engineer may get a salary of Rs 40,000-1.25 lakh per month. Generally the salary and perks are better in private sector than in government sector like various fringe benefits to their employees. The approximate starting salaries in the government /public sectors such as HAL, NAL, are Rs. 8,000 to Rs.10, 000. Those working in research organizations like ISRO and DRDO are getting Rs. 12000 to Rs 18000 per month. Engineering graduates with management degrees get a starting salary of Rs.10, 000 to Rs.40, 000 per month plus perks. Thes are all estimates prior to the sixth pay commission. So you can easily analyse what is the current pay-package, really awesome.