Aeronautical Engineering

Aeronautical Engineering

Aeronautical Engineering course

Aeronautical Engineering course is a well-known branch of engineering that attracts students with an interest in aeroplanes and their mechanisms. It deals with the designing and construction of specialised machines used in the aviation and defence sector. It is the science which deals with the manufacturing and maintenance of machines which are flight-capable. Machines such as helicopters, satellites, jet machines, military aircraft and space shuttles. Aeronautical Engineering course also prepares professionals to develop new technologies for the commercial aviation sector. Recruitment opportunities are available in defence services and the aviation industry. Engineering in aeronautics is taxing because of its vast syllabus which necessitates a lot of thoroughness and hard work.

However, completion, of course, is rewarding for any student as it leads to a job with good remunerations. An engineering degree in Aeronautical Engineering helps one in getting a job in the aviation industry, defence establishments, and civil aviation department. The primary job of an Aeronautical Engineer is to devise aircraft and propulsion systems, but with time, the engineer is given many more responsibilities to carry out. The average salary of an aeronautical engineer is INR 6 lakhs or more. BTech in Aeronautical Engineering is a popular course and it has developed a niche for itself.

To be eligible for Aeronautical Engineering admissions, candidates must have passed the Class 10+2 exam from a recognized board with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics as core subjects, with a minimum 60 percent aggregate in the above mentioned courses. Some of the top entrance exams for Aeronautical Engineering Courses are JEE Main, LPUNEST, MET, GATE, JEE Advanced, etc. Moreover, some top colleges for Aeronautical Engineering courses are Manipal Institute of Technology, LPU, Amity University, SASTRA Deemed to be University etc. 

Aeronautical Engineering Course: Highlights

The BTech programme in Aeronautical Engineering course is spread over eight semesters whereas MTech Aeronautical Engineering course is spread over four semesters. Listed below are some of the major highlights of the course such as course structure, course level, examination type, average starting salary, top recruiters and top job profiles:

Highlights Details
Course LevelDiploma, Undergraduate, Postgraduate, Doctorate
EligibilityDiploma: Class 10UG: Class 12 along with entrance examinationPG: BTech + GATEDoctorate: MTech
DurationDiploma: 3 yearsUG: 4 yearsPG: 2 yearsPhD: 3- 6 years
Examination TypeSemester-wise
Course FeeINR 6-10 lakh
Top CollegesManipal Institute of Technology, LPU, Amity University, SASTRA Deemed to be University
Average SalaryINR 8- 10 lakh
Job PositionsAeronautical Engineers, Aeronautical Mechanical Engineers, Aeronautical Electronics Engineers, Flight Engineers, Systems Engineer, Aircraft Designer, Payload Specialist, Testing Engineer, Avionics Engineer
Admission ProcessJEE Main, LPUNEST, MET, GATE, JEE Advanced
Top Recruiting CompaniesAir India, Pawan Hans, DRDO, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Private Airlines, Indian Air Force

What is Aeronautical Engineering Course?

Aeronautical Engineering course deals with the designing, manufacturing and maintenance of flight machines and aircraft. It is a niche domain which is under development in our country and provides great career opportunities not only in India but in foreign nations also. 

This course is very popular amongst candidates who wish to enter into the field of designing and maintaining flight machines and various types of aircraft. This course offers promising career opportunities and a good pay scale, especially after one enters Airlines industry or Air Force. It is a challenging yet exciting career choice and professionals must always be ready to solve complex challenges. 

Who can pursue Aeronautical Engineering?

To pursue Aeronautical Engineering course, students must have studied physics and mathematics in school. Courses in aeronautics prepare candidates for jobs in the field of aerospace and aviation. Classes in these fields are typically part of an undergraduate or graduate degree program. Aeronautical Engineering courses are available at undergraduate, postgraduate and doctorate levels.

What is the scope of Aeronautical Engineering?

These courses help candidates in becoming air traffic controllers and maintenance technicians as they get hands-on experience in aircraft manufacturing, mechanics, and engineering. Aeronautical Engineering being a technical skill requires professionals with keen observation and strong calculative skills. Aeronautical Engineering can also be pursued at postgraduate or doctorate levels, which will help professionals to gain promotions.

Aeronautical Engineering Eligibility Criteria

The average cost of an undergraduate program is around INR 1 Lakh per annum while the average cost of a PG program is around INR 2 Lakh per annum. Diploma course in aeronautics costs around INR 60,000-1,00,000 annually. Any candidate who wishes to pursue Aeronautical Engineering must fulfil the following eligibility criteria:

CourseDescription
DiplomaDiploma holders in aircraft maintenance engineering can acquire degrees on clearing the exams of the Aeronautical Society of India.
UndergraduateThe basic eligibility criteria for aeronautical engineering is minimum 50-55% marks in aggregate in PCM in Class 12.Aeronautical Engineering is offered by many engineering colleges in India. Admission criteria for Aeronautical Engineers are JEE Main and JEE Advanced scores.
Postgraduate and DoctoralThe candidate must have completed a Bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering.Many institutions like IITs, IISc, Science research institutions accept GATE scores as admission to Master’s degree in the discipline.For Doctoral Programmes, candidate must have completed the Master’s programme and cleared any research entrance test.

Top Aeronautical Engineering Entrance Exams 2024

Most of the colleges offering Aeronautical Engineering courses accept admissions based on the entrance test that is either conducted in-house or accept scores of the national level engineering entrance exams.

Some of the popular engineering entrance exams that an aspirant should consider appearing for admission to Aeronautical Engineering courses are mentioned below:

ExamExam DatesExam Schedule
JEE MainJEE Main 2024 Exam Date Session 1-24 Jan ’24 – 1 Feb ’24JEE Main 2024 Exam Date Session 2-1 Apr ’24 – 15 Apr ’24JEE Main Schedule
JEE AdvanceJun ’24 (Tentative)JEE Advanced Schedule
MHTCETPCM and PCB- May ’24 (Tentative)MHTCET Schedule 
CUET15 May ’24 – 31 May ’24CUET Schedule
TS EAMCETTS EAMCET 2024 exam for AM and Eng stream- May ’24 (Tentative)TS EAMCET Schedule

Top Colleges for Aeronautical Engineering

Course fees and placement opportunities are two important factors which should be kept in mind before deciding a college for pursuing Aeronautical Engineering. The government and private colleges offering various courses in Aeronautical Engineering are as follows:

Top Government Colleges for Aeronautical Engineering

Some of the top government colleges for pursuing Aeronautical Engineering course includes various Central and State engineering universities which are popular for offering Aeronautical Engineering courses. Some of the popular government colleges for Aeronautical Engineering are as follows:

CollegeTuition Fees 
Bikaner Technical UniversityINR 2 lakh
Dr. Ambedkar Institute Of Technology (AIT), BangaloreINR 2 lakh
Feroze Gandhi Institute of Engineering and TechnologyINR 2 lakh
IIST – Indian Institute of Space Science and TechnologyINR 1- 5 lakh
Madras Institute of Technology, Anna UniversityINR 50,000- 2 lakh
PES College of EngineeringINR 2 lakh
Punjab Engineering College, ChandigarhINR 73,000 – 7 lakh
Punjab State Aeronautical Engineering CollegeINR 3 lakh
Rajasthan Technical UniversityINR 2 lakh
Visvesvaraya Technological UniversityINR 12,000 – 1 lakh

Top Colleges for Aeronautical Engineering

Course fees and placement opportunities are two important factors which should be kept in mind before deciding a college for pursuing Aeronautical Engineering. The government and private colleges offering various courses in Aeronautical Engineering are as follows:

Top Government Colleges for Aeronautical Engineering

Some of the top government colleges for pursuing Aeronautical Engineering course includes various Central and State engineering universities which are popular for offering Aeronautical Engineering courses. Some of the popular government colleges for Aeronautical Engineering are as follows:

CollegeTuition Fees 
Bikaner Technical UniversityINR 2 lakh
Dr. Ambedkar Institute Of Technology (AIT), BangaloreINR 2 lakh
Feroze Gandhi Institute of Engineering and TechnologyINR 2 lakh
IIST – Indian Institute of Space Science and TechnologyINR 1- 5 lakh
Madras Institute of Technology, Anna UniversityINR 50,000- 2 lakh
PES College of EngineeringINR 2 lakh
Punjab Engineering College, ChandigarhINR 73,000 – 7 lakh
Punjab State Aeronautical Engineering CollegeINR 3 lakh
Rajasthan Technical UniversityINR 2 lakh
Visvesvaraya Technological UniversityINR 12,000 – 1 lakh

Top Private Colleges for Aeronautical Engineering

Some of the private colleges include Deemed to be Universities as well as other autonomous engineering institutes. They provide excellent infrastructure and experts in the field of aeronautical engineering which makes these colleges popular for pursuing Aeronautical Engineering. Some of the popular private colleges are as follows:

InstituteTotal Average Fees
Amity University, NoidaINR 3- 12 lakh
Hindustan Institute of Technology and ScienceINR 2- 13 lah
Kalasalingam Academy of Research and EducationINR 4 lakh
Kumaraguru College of TechnologyINR 2 lakh
Lovely Professional University, JalandharINR 7 lakh
Manipal Institute of TechnologyINR 10- 13 lakh
Manav Rachna UniversityINR 5- 6 lakh
Parul UniversityINR 1- 3 lakh
SASTRA (Deemed to be University)INR 5 lakh
Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr Sagunthala R and D Institute of Science and TechnologyINR 2- 10 lakh

Aeronautical Engineering Career, Scope and Job Profiles

Aeronautical Engineers as the name suggest, specialise in the creation and maintenance of aircraft and aircraft related technologies for improved functioning of aviation and defence industry. Check below the list of Aeronautical Engineering jobs and the average salary offered to the respective job profiles. The salary data is according to the website Payscale.com.

Job ProfilesJob DescriptionAverage Annual Salary 
Aeronautical EngineersAeronautical Engineers are trained to design aircraft. Their main job includes designing aircraft and propulsion systems and studying the aerodynamic performance of aircraft and construction materials.INR 6- 9 LPA
Aeronautical Mechanical EngineersAeronautical Mechanical Engineers are responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of aircraft engines. They service and overhaul, if need be, the engines and airframes.INR 7- 10 LPA
Aeronautical Electronic EngineersAeronautical Electronic Engineers are hired for maintenance of electrical and electronic equipment used for navigation, radar and radio communication, etc.INR 7.5- 11 LPA
Flight EngineersFlight Engineers are the ones who are responsible for the smooth performance of the aircraft during the flight. The job profile of a flight engineer includes making pre-flight inspections, keeping a check on system failure and managing repairs.INR 8- 12 LPA
Aerospace TechnicianHe conducts routine maintenance work and keeps a record of it, responds to difficulties faced by flight during take-off and landing, and carries out repairs.INR 6- 9 LPA

Future Growth Prospects

Studying aerospace engineering offers a variety of career options. Potential fields to specialise in comprise thermodynamics, propulsion, aerodynamics, and celestial mechanics. If anyone has a passion for a specific aerospace product, for instance, rockets, missiles, helicopters, or military jets he/she may choose to specialise in that particular product as well.

As per a recent report, it has been stated that the employment of aerospace engineers is expected to grow by 6% from 2016 to 2026. Aircraft are being redesigned to cause a smaller amount of noise pollution and have better fuel efficiency, which will demand more research and development. Aeronautical Engineers are in demand nationally and internationally. They are required in private and public Airline Services as well as aircraft-manufacturing units. At the start, these engineers are hired as graduate engineer trainees or Junior Engineers. Countries like the US, UK, France, and Germany hire Aeronautical Engineers. In NASA, a good number of Indian Aeronautical engineers can also be found.

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Aeronautical Engineering Top Recruiters

A qualified Aeronautical Engineer can find jobs in the aviation industry, in government as well as private airlines. Along with the aviation industry, Aeronautical Engineers are hired by defence establishments for building and maintenance of defence aircraft.

Some of the top recruiters are listed below:

Top Recruiters
Civil Aviation DepartmentAeronautical Development Establishment
Air IndiaDefence Research and Development Laboratories
Helicopter Corporation of IndiaHindustan Aeronautical Ltd (HAL)
National Aeronautical Lab (NAL)Pawan Hans
Indian Air ForcePrivate Airlines