Career as Automobile engineer

Automobile engineer

Automobile engineers are professional who are specialized in designing vehicles, repair them with various instruments as well as stylize them.Automobile engineering is a branch of vehicle engineering.There are mainly three types of automotive engineers,ie, Design Engineers,Development Engineers,Production Engineers. Automobile engineers develop and organize testing procedure and analyze and interpret data . If not redesigning the entire vehicle, the design engineers design components of the vehicles, test them in laboratory and then incorporate them in the automobile.

Automobile engineer specialize in a specific area such as aerodynamics and thermodynamics of the vehicles.Ever growing demand of vehicles worldwide has increased the demand for Automobile engineer. 

The trend, with auto manufacturers has been to hire mechanical engineers, electrical and electronic engineers as well as metallurgists for the job. In the recent times, in keeping with the demand for car styling, there are design institutes, which offer courses in automobile design. Engineers who undergo such courses contribute significantly to the car companies.The job of an automobile engineer encompasses material treatment, design of control systems (electronics), the Computer Aided Design (CAD) & CAM process and logistics.

Courses and Eligibility

A course in automobile engineering equips you with the knowledge of the manufacturing process of the vehicle including the stages towards its final assembly. Though very few colleges offer a course in Automobile Engineering at the undergraduate level, you can always do a basic 4 year engineering course (5 years for a dual degree) and get a BE or a B.Tech degree. Thereafter, you could go in for a specialization in Automobile Engineering at the postgraduate level. There are also some institutes that offer a diploma in Automobile Engineering.

1. Bachelor of Engineering (BE)/ Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech): 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.After successful complerion of dergree course and completion of the required internship the candidate is ready to join automobile industry as an engineer.

2. Masters in Engineering( ME) or Masters in Technology M.Tech: Eligibility is BE, B Tech and entrance - Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) exam. The marks scored in this exam are valid in most colleges.

Fresh Engineering graduates, when hired by an automobile manufacturing company, have to undergo practical training to understand the practical aspects right from the supply chain to assembly to management as well as marketing.With a few years of experience, these young engineers can go for management degrees with specialization in manufacturing and operations. Such a qualification from reputed institutes are in high demand from top tier consultancy companies

Course Fees

The fee for a four year course in any branch of Engineering from the IITs is around Rs.3-4 lakhs. Since automobile engineering course is available in most colleges as a postgraduate program, an aspirant will have to spend around Rs.2 lakhs more for the specialization. The government funded colleges offer scholarships, fee waiver and loans in case the student makes to the merit list.Many colleges also have the concept of a ‘research associate’ at the post graduate level, where in the students can collaborate with a professor on an ongoing research and earn a monthly stipend.

College

India

In India there are only a few colleges, which offer a course in automobile engineering.There are Engineering Colleges in India that offer B.E/B.Tech or M.E/M.Tech courses in Automobile engineering. Some of the well-known colleges in this field are:

• Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay
• Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati
• Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi
• Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur
• VJTI, Mumbai
• VIT, Vellore offers B Tech mechanical with specialization in Automotive engineering.
• DTU, Delhi offers B Tech in Automobile engineering.
• SRM University, Chennai
• SCMS School of Engineering and Technology (SSET)
• BITS, Pilani
• NIT Jaipur

Automotive Design Institutes:

• National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad
• DYP-DC Center for Automotive Research and Studies, Pune
• MAEER's MIT Institute of Design, Pune
• DSK International School of Design, Pune

International

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
• National University of Singapore (NUS)
• Stanford University
• University of Ontario Institute of Technology- Oshawa
• IED- Milan, Italy
• Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
• Chalmers University- Sweden
• University of Windsor- Windsor
• Purdue university- West Lafayette
• Michigan state university- East Lansing

Salary

For a fresh graduate, Automobile Engineering Job can fetch a salary of anywhere between 3 to 4 lakhs at big automobile industries like TATA motors,Mahindra etc. As one progresses and adds years of experience to their work, the salary can go up to even 18 to 20 lakhs per annum in India and around $60000 to $70000 per annum working in MNCs (like Bugatti , Ferrari, Porsche , Mercedes ,McLaren, , Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini).

Career Prospects

In India, with the boom in the automobile manufacturing industry, there are a number of companies which hire automobile engineers. Some of the well-known ones are Maruti, Tata Motors, Mahindra and Mahindra, etc. Moreover, these big car manufacturers are dependent on smaller companies which manufacture the various components used in the car. And, this opens up a whole new world of job opportunities for Automobile Engineers.


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