Aeronautical Engineer

Eligibility for Aeronautical Engineering is 10 + 2 in Science stream; high percentage of marks in Science subjects and qualifying exam (JEE, AIEEE and others)

To be an aeronautical engineer one should be a BE/B.Tech. in aeronautics. The Madras Institute of Technology offers a one year postgraduate programme in aeronautical engineering for B.Sc. students. One can also study M.Tech. and Ph.D. in aeronautics from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

Those who have passed the Associate Membership Exam conducted by ASI (Aeronautical Society of India), which is at par with a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering, they are also eligible to become aeronautical engineers. It is possible to take a degree in electronics or physics to work in this field and leave more options open.

The Aeronautical Society of India

The Society is the recognized body for aeronautical engineering in India. It was established in 1948 and it conducts Associate Membership Examination consisting of two sections (Section A and Section B). Section A has eight compulsory papers. The eligibility for appearing in the Associate Membership Examination is minimum 50% marks in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics individually in 10 + 2. Other than this, students having other qualifications can also apply provided they meet the eligibility criteria as detailed in the prospectus.

Section B comprises of eight specialist streams and each stream consists of seven papers. The eligibility for appearing in Section B examination is completing and clearing Section A examination. But if there are any candidates who hold a degree in any branch of engineering then they are eligible to directly appear for Section B exam. However, such candidates will have to appear for and pass the exam for the subject "Principles of Flight" from Section A.

Each subject is a 100 mark paper and pass marks are 50. Examinations are held twice a year, in June & December across nine centers. Those who successfully clear through the 2 sections are designated as Associate Member of the Aeronautical Society of India (AMAeSI) which is recognized as equivalent to B.Tech (Aeronautical Engineering).

Following is a list of some of the aeronautical engineering colleges in India:

• Indian Institute of Technology, Powai, Mumbai - Four year B. Tech in Aerospace Engineering
• IIT, Kharagpur (WB) - Four year B. Tech in Aerospace Engineering
• Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai (Tamil Nadu) - Four year B. Tech in Aerospace Engineering
• IIT, Kanpur
• Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh

Top Universities as per QS World University Rankings 2014 Engineering - Mechanical-Aeronautical and Manufacturing

1. MIT, USA

2. Stanford University, USA

3. University of Cambridge, UK

4. University of California Berkeley ( UCB)

5. University of Michigan USA

6. Imperial College London, UK

7. National University of Singapore, Singapore

8. The university of Tokyo, Japan

9. Georgia Institute of Technology, USA

10. Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

11. California Institute of Technology, USA

12. Purdue University, USA

13. Tsinghua University, China

14. Northwestern University, USA

15. The university of Melbourne, Australia