10 Best Colleges for Aerospace Engineering in India

Aerospace engineering is about designing and construction of different types of aircrafts – including jets, rockets and missiles. Engineers who work with defense systems, aviation technology and space exploration are often aerospace engineers.

Aerospace engineering may lead to jobs with space research organizations like NASA and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) or with large aviation companies like Boeing and Airbus. Besides them DRDO (Defense Research and Development Organisation), CAD (Civil Aviation Department), NAL (National Aeronautics Ltd) and HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited) also employ aerospace engineers.

The field is highly dynamic and exciting. So, even though aerospace engineering is new, it is one of the favorites of engineering aspirants for the interesting projects that it offers.

Here are some of the best-known colleges in India that offer B.Tech course in Aerospace Engineering:

• IIT Bombay

IIT Bombay established the Department of Aeronautical Engineering in 1966 and renamed it as the Department of Aerospace Engineering in 1992. Five broad areas in which it offers specialization are Aerodynamics, Control and Guidance, Propulsion, Structures, and Systems Engineering.

At present, the faculty here are actively involved in research projects related to Aircraft (UAV and Airship) Design, Axial Compressor Design and Analysis, Combustion and Heat Transfer, Composite Materials, Experimental Aerodynamics, Flight Dynamics and Control, Gas Turbine Engines and Rotor Dynamics, Nonlinear Systems and Stability, RCS and Infrared Signatures and Structural Dynamics and Aeroelasticity.

• IIT Kharagpur

Established in 1965, the Department of Aerospace Engineering at IIT KGP has set up many laboratories – in the areas aerodynamics, and structures and propulsion. A Centre of Excellence was also established for the Composite Structures Technology in 1999.

Right now, major work is going on in the areas of Air Breathing Propulsion, Aerospace Control Systems, Aero-Servo-Elasticity, Aerothermo-Mechanics, Composites, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Industrial Aerodynamics, Non-destructive testing and Wind Energy.

Many of the research projects are sponsored by organizations like AICTE, ADA, ARDB, DST, ISRO, and MHRD.

• IIT Madras

IIT Madras established its Department of Aerospace Engineering in 1969. Since then, it has been in the forefront of fundamental and applied research in the field. It has also been involved with government projects as well as with R&D agencies of international repute.

Undergraduate and graduate programs it offers in the field are considered world-class and best in the country.

The research work at IITM is going on in various fields which can broadly be categorized into Aerodynamics & Flight Dynamics, Propulsion and Structures.

• IIT Kanpur

More than 40 years old, the Aerospace Engineering Department at IIT Kanpur was known by the name Aeronautical Engineering Department. It has 12 laboratories available for  academic and research projects that include – High Speed and Low Speed Aerodynamics Lab, Propulsion Lab, Combustion Lab, Flame Dynamics Lab, Structures Lab, Flight Lab, Aeromodelling Lab and even an Autonomous Helicopter Lab.

IITK faculty had been part of the establishment of the National Wind Tunnel Facility (NWTF.

A number of research projects are going on in aerospace engineering here, which are funded by agencies like Aeronautics R & D Board (ARDB), Department of Science & Technology, ISRO, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., Delhi Metro Railways Corporation, NAL, and DRDO.

• IIST , Thiruvanatapuram

Established in 2007, IIST enjoys a ‘Deemed-to-be-University’ status. It is the first Space Institute of Asia and the first of its kinds in the world to offer courses at all levels – undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels – that focus specifically on space science, technology and applications.

It is unique in the sense that it holds an autonomous position under the Department of Space, Government of India and produces engineers and scientists that often go on to work at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which recently came into limelight when it launched ‘Mangalyaan’ successfully in just 18 months and at a fraction of cost that NASA is spending on a similar Mars mission.

Besides these Top 5 Aerospace Engineering colleges in India, other colleges that are worth mentioning here are:

• Madras Institute of Technology, Chennai
• Hindustan Institute of Engineering Technology, Chennai
• Nehru College of Aeronautical and Applied Sciences, Coimbatore
• School of Aviation Science and Technology, Delhi
• Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh
• Indian Institute of Aeronautics, Patna

To discuss career opportunities in Aerospace Engineering and the best course to a focused career choice, you can interact with askIITians experts at info@askIITians.com.
This post was written by Aditya Singhal, co-founder of askIITians