Mechanical Engineering is one of the oldest and broadest disciplines of engineering. It deals with production and usage of heat and mechanical power for designing, production and operation of machines and tools. For students who wish to pursue a career in this field, they require a good understanding of the core concepts such as those of mechanics, kinematics, thermodynamics, material science, structural analysis etc. The course mostly covers technical areas like the distribution of electricity through generators, transformers, designing electric motors, automobiles, aircraft and other heavy vehicles.  

How to get admission in Mechanical Engineering Courses?

Mechanical Engineering is one of  the most sought after courses in the core engineering disciplines. Students can pursue a course in Mechanical Engineering at various levels i.e. diploma, undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral but each one of them has some prerequisite eligibility criterions that students must meet. Thus, the eligibility criteria different course types in mechanical engineering are mentioned below -

Eligibility Criteria for different courses in Mechanical Engineering

• Diploma Courses - The candidate should shave passed class 10th examination from a recognised education board. Also, the student must have studied maths and physics and have appeared for the subjects in the qualifying examinations.
• Undergraduate Courses - For admission into UG programme, the student must appear for the relevant entrance exams. Also, he should have successfully cleared the class 12th with physics, chemistry and mathematics as the main subjects.
• Postgraduate Courses - For admission into the PG programme also, the student must appear for the relevant entrance exams. And must have an undergraduate degree in a related field from a recognised university.  
• Doctoral Courses - For admission into the doctoral programme, the student must have a postgraduate degree in a related field from a recognised university.  

Entrance Exams for Mechanical Engineering

Entrance exams are conducted at national, state and university levels for admission into different disciplines of engineering. Some of the popular exams that students must appear for are as follows -

• Joint Entrance Exam - Mains (JEE Mains)
• Joint Entrance Exam - Advanced (JEE Advanced)
• VIT Engineering Entrance Examination (VITEEE)
• The Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (MHTCET)
• Uttar Pradesh State Entrance Exam (UPSEE)
• Birla Institute of Technology and Science Admission Test (BITSAT)
• VIT University Master’s Entrance Examination (VITMEE)
• Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE)
• Birla Institute of Technology & Science Higher Degree Exam(BITS HD)

Courses Offered in Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical engineering is one of the core fields of engineering. It also is one of its oldest disciplines. As of today, mechanical engineering has diversified into many specialisations. The concepts covered here overlap with those of other fields. Like for example petroleum, automobile, aerospace, civil, chemical etc. For students wanting to pursue a course in mechanical engineering mentioned below are different course types that they can enroll in -  

• Diploma Courses- This course offers the students a polytechnic diploma in Mechanical Engineering and can be pursued both after class 10th and class 12th. The Duration of the course is of 3 years.
• Undergraduate Courses-  This is a 4 year duration course that leads to an undergraduate degree of B.Tech (Bachelors of Technology) in Mechanical Engineering. You can do the course after successful passing out from class 12th.
• Postgraduate Courses- This is a 2 years duration course that leads to a postgraduate degree of M.Tech(Masters of Technology) in Mechanical Engineering. An undergraduate degree in a relevant field is essential for students to pursue this course.
• Doctoral Courses - This course leads to a doctoral degree of Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) in Mechanical Engineering. A postgraduate degree in relevant subjects is essential for students to pursue this course.

Most Popular Sub-Disciplines in Mechanical Engineering

There are many specialisations in the field Mechanical engineering that students can choose when pursuing higher studies post getting their bachelor's degree. Some of the most popular specialisations in the field are -

• Mechatronics and robotics - This field deals with multiple disciplines like robotics, artificial intelligence, computer science, neuroscience, psychology and many others. For someone specialising in robotics, there are many great career opportunities. They can join various industries like the manufacturing, healthcare, transportation, energy and others.
• Thermodynamics and thermo-science - This field deals with the fundamentals of heat transfer and thermodynamics along with their application and designing of advanced engineering systems.
• Nanotechnology - This field involves the study and development of technology on an extremely small scale. Students specialising in this field leads to career opportunities in the fields of chemistry, engineering, biology etc.  
• Fluid Mechanics - Specialising in fluid mechanics is very important for understanding and designing rocket engines, air-conditioning, oil pipelines, wind turbines etc. It is also important for analysing of ocean currents, tectonic plates and such.   
• Solid Mechanics - Specialising in solid mechanics involves the study of solid materials in terms of behaviour, motion, deformation and external influences. Having an expertise in this field will lead to a wide range of engineering careers for you in manufacturing, civil engineering, aerospace engineering and nuclear technology.

Major Subjects covered in this field

Some major subjects covered in the field of mechanical engineering are as follows -

• Computational Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer
• Computer Aided Design of Thermal Systems
• Fundamentals of casting and solidification
• Industrial Engineering and Operation Research
• Modelling of Turbulent Combustion
• Principle of Vibration Control
• Railroad Vehicle Dynamics
• Robot Manipulators Dynamics and Control
• Transition and Turbulence
• Wave propagation in solids

Top 10 Institutes for Mechanical Engineering

In India, 'Indian Institutes of Technologies' i.e. IIT's are considered to be the best colleges for pursuing engineering courses. Also, the Top 10 UGC recognised engineering colleges in the country as per the NIRF rankings 2018 are as follows -

• Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Madras
• Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Bombay
• Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur
• Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Delhi
• Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur
• Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee
• Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati,  Guwahati
• Anna University, Chennai
• Jadavpur University, Kolkata
• Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Hyderabad

Career Prospects for Mechanical Engineers

Mechanical engineering covers various aspects of designing and testing of machines among other things. The job demands supervision and planning of live projects in various field such as those of thermal power plants, nuclear stations, generation of electricity etc. Renewable energy, automobiles, quality control, industrial automation etc are some of the new and emerging fields in this field. There are plenty of good job opportunities for students in various fields such as those of manufacturing, production, services and development for students after successful completion of their undergraduate degrees. We live in the age of machines and where there is a machine there is a need for a mechanical engineer so, there is no dearth of job opportunities for mechanical engineers.

Popular Job profiles for Mechanical Engineers

Based on their specialisations mechanical engineers can find work in a multitude of industries. Some of the popular job profiles for mechanical engineers are -

• Architectural and Engineering Managers

Architectural and engineering managers are responsible for managing, planning, directing and coordinating activities in architectural and engineering companies.

• Drafters  

This job involves use of software to convert the designs made by engineers and architects into technical drawing to help design things like microchips and skyscrapers. One can specialise in different fields from architecture, civil, engineering, mechanical and others.

• Material Engineers

This profile involves the study of properties and structure of metals, ceramics, plastic, composites, nanomaterials and various other substances to create new materials. As a material engineer you'd also be developing, processing and testing materials used to create a wide range of products from microchips to aircrafts wings to golf clubs, biomedical devices etc.  

• Mechanical Engineering Technicians

Mechanical engineering technicians help mechanical engineers in designing, developing, manufacturing and testing various mechanical devices. You are responsible for making rough layouts, recording and analysing data, doing calculations and making estimates and reporting of project findings.

• Nuclear Engineers

Nuclear engineers are responsible for researching and  developing the process and systems that can be used to make use of nuclear energy and radiation for our benefit.  

• Petroleum Engineers

As a petroleum engineer you'll be responsible for designing and developing methods for extracting oil and gas from oil deposits.  

• Physicists and Astronomers

Physicists and Astronomers study the ways in which various forms of energy and matter interact. Some physicists also get to design and perform experiments with sophisticated equipment such as particle accelerators, electron microscopes, lasers etc.

• Sales Engineers

Sales engineers sell complex scientific and technological products to various businesses. As a sales engineer you'd be required to have extensive knowledge of the product its parts and functions. You must also have a sound understanding of the scientific process involved in the working of the product.  

Popular Recruiters for Mechanical Engineers

Some popular recruiters that offer good job opportunities to mechanical engineers in both government and private sector are as mentioned below.

Government

• Bharat Heavy Electrical Ltd. (BHEL)
• National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC)
• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
• COAL INDIA
• Electronics Corporation of India (ECIL)
• Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)
• Steel Authority of India (SAIL)

Private  

• Tata motors
• Bajaj Auto
• Hero MotoCorp
• Leyland Motors
• Ford Motor Company
• Honda Motor Company
• Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC)

Salary Prospects after Mechanical Engineering

Salary prospects in the field of mechanical engineering are pretty good. Take a look at the salary statistics provided below: