Top 10 weird engineering departments in the country

Overview

While pursuing academic career, many students entering into IITs or other well known engineering colleges, look for the most popular branches of engineering like civil, mechanical, electrical and electronics engineering or computers. However, there are several not so popular but weird engineering disciplines that also exist today for which job opportunities are available in various Indian industries. Some of the uncommon or strange engineering departments and their features are:

1. Textile technology and carpet engineering     

This is a branch of engineering where the course is designed involving innovative methods and techniques used for the production of a variety of textile yarns in the factory. The program of study is based on the physical and chemical principles that are used for the analysis of the polymer behaviour, and is used in textile and production. The main aim of the concerned engineering department, which designs the course curriculum, provides all aspects of manufacturing processes, machineries, products and fibers. Graduates undertaking such a course will cover basic topics related to mathematics and physical sciences. However, their focus is more on chemistry than in other areas. Employment opportunities exist for successful graduates in industrial sectors engaged in the production of carpets and textile yarn.

2. Mineral Engineering

The contribution of mineral engineers is great in industries that are engaged in the production of cooking utensils, automobiles, trains, planes, glass, computers, and construction of phones. These engineers also steal their show in the production of packaging industries involving toothpaste and soap manufacturing. The course syllabus for the successful completion of mineral engineering covers from the identification of mineral mines and quarries, their supervision and management, and in involving extraction of minerals. A well trained mineral engineer will be able to design and fabricate ore and mineral dressing machinery and plants on a turnkey basis. The department engaged in imparting this mineral engineering course is a blend of chemistry, physics and mathematics. Besides this, a study on various environmental sciences and geology is included in the curriculum. After successful completion of this course, the mineral engineer will learn the trade of extraction and processing of minerals in an eco-friendly way. As a part of the curriculum taught in many popular institutes in the country, process equipment selection, elements and principles of material engineering, fuel technology, coal preparation, systems of material handling, particle technology, stratigraphy and petrology, mineralogy, engineering mechanics, global scenario and energy security of India and earth system science are included. For completing graduation in mineral engineering, students must have completed 10+2 with biology, maths, chemistry and for IIT students, it is necessary for them to get qualified in the JEE. They can also pursue programs at master and doctoral levels.

3. Geosciences and remote sensing

This is an engineering course concerned with earth or geo science. The department handling this discipline provides any student to learn a detailed study of atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere and oceans and the solid earth. The students are taught to utilize tools from subjects of study covering physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology, and other allied topics. This knowledge helps them to build their quantitative understanding ability as to how the system of earth works. Remote sensing is defined as that process of acquiring information related to an object or phenomenon without making any type of physical contact. In general, the term remote sensing engineering, according to modern usage, is the usage of aerial sense technologies. Through this, it is possible to detect and make classification of objects on the earth. This engineering discipline is extensively used for government planning such as rural and urban planning, development of infrastructure, management of land use, forestry, public health, agriculture and even in areas of defence services. Students can obtain B. Tech degree in Geosciences and remote sensing engineering.

4. Mining machinery engineering

This is a course that deals with the mining activities. The entire course of study covers aspects of mechanical and electrical engineering concerned with various construction or mining machineries used in areas like opencast mines or underground mines in coal and non-coal sectors. An engineer working in the mining machinery engineering department of an organization will be able to practice, the theory, the science and technology, and application of processing and extraction of various types of minerals that occur naturally in the environment. Mining engineering also includes mineral processing to obtain additional value. For getting the desired education, a student has to successfully complete Bachelors degree in Mining Machinery Engineering.

5. Industrial engineering department

Industrial engineering is a branch of engineering dealing with various methods of studies adopted to optimize the production of any manufacturing organization. Time and motion study is one of the important aspects of Industrial Engineering. Starting from design, development of drawings, production planning and control, manufacturing processes up till finishing stage of any product, time and motion studies, are conducted by the department of Industrial engineering in any organization. Industrial engineers implement necessary improvements in all the stages of manufacturing to the finishing stage of a product. This enables them to cut down the production costs involved without impairing the function of the product for which it is used. In order to become an industrial engineer, the student must have completed a course in the field of mechanical engineering first. Then he can become an Industrial engineer by completing a course on Industrial engineering.

6. Tool engineering department

Tool engineering is a part of industrial engineering and its basic function in any manufacturing organization is to plan the production processes, design and develop tools, jigs and fixtures and other special purpose production machines. A tool engineer working in a tool engineering department will integrate all these facilities to produce the desired product as per technical specifications laid in the design drawing. The engineer uses minimal expenditure time, labour and materials to produce the product. Qualified tool engineers can find job opportunities like tool detailers, product drafters, tool designers at entry level, CAD and CAM operators and other technical positions. Students can obtain B. Tech in tool engineering.

7. Automation engineering

Automation engineers working in an organization mainly concentrate on the design and fabrication of production machines. Engineers working in this discipline will be able to assemble engines required power plants, control systems, structural design and development of vehicles of all sizes. The future of automation engineers is very bright and certainly offers them opportunities to work as professionals in the field. Automation engineers do learn the principles of mechanics, energy and materials needed to design and produce automatic machines and gadgets of all types. They can obtain B. Tech in automation engineering from any recognized institute as it is a separate branch of engineering department.

8. Aircraft manufacturing and maintenance engineering

Aeronautical engineering has a separate branch of engineering known as Aircraft Manufacturing and its maintenance. This is a specialized branch of engineering dealing with the design, construction, development, fabrication, testing, revamping, inspection and commissioning, associated with the production and maintenance of aircrafts and its components. Any Aircraft manufacturing engineer will have the capacity to design and fabricate the aircraft. The task of an aircraft maintenance engineer is to control, maintain and repair the aircraft. The course provides training to aircraft maintenance engineers to maintain the aircraft and its safety, while flying. There is a separate department identified for this purpose in IITs and other reputed institutes in India.

9. Fire and safety engineering department

This department was established in the year 1999 in the country, and has become the first approved engineering department by All India council of technical and engineering department. This department provides four years of Bachelors’ degree of engineering in the field of Fire and Safety engineering. This is an innovatively developed department that offers students to take part in a quality improvement programme. Through this programme they get training in the basics of training in fire fighting, first aid, paramedics training and design and installation of fixed fire fighting devices. Fire fighting engineers are allowed to participate in the workshops and seminars conducted at all India level, and gain the best training in fire fighting techniques and operation of fire fighting machines.

10. Systems engineering department

This department of engineering primarily focuses on the method of designing and management of complex engineering projects. The projects include turnkey projects like the establishment of large scale power plants, hydropower projects and thermal power based projects. Any systems engineer will develop such projects from the conceptual stage to its implementation and commissioning. He will help the project from its conceptualization to the completion stage by solving issues like reliability, logistics, coordination of different teams at working levels, management of requirements, evaluation measurements and other interrelated activities. These activities will become more difficult while handling large or complex projects. The system engineer will deal effectively to implement optimized work processes, use of programme evaluation techniques or critical path methods to monitor the project till the end.  

Conclusion

No doubt these engineering fields may be considered to be strange today. But, after obtaining the basic degree of civil, electrical or mechanical, the student can broaden his career objectives by enrolling into one of these courses offered by reputed institutes in India. This will certainly improve his career advancement to a great extent.