Aeronautical Engineering: Courses, Jobs, Salary, Top Colleges

Aeronautical Engineering is the branch of engineering that involves the study, design, maintenance and research of aircraft, including their systems and components.

Aeronautical engineers are trained to design and develop aircraft such as planes, helicopters, space shuttles and drones.

If you’re passionate about aeroplanes, space shuttles, drones, and other high-tech flying machines, a career in aeronautical engineering could be the perfect fit for you.

Candidates can pursue a B.Tech in aeronautical engineering which is one of the most popular courses among the engineering aspirants.

To be eligible for the aeronautical engineering course, candidates must have completed 10+2 with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics as the mandatory subjects.

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The top colleges and universities in India offer admission on the basis of entrance exams conducted at national level like JEE Main, JEE Advanced and GATE.

Aeronautical Engineering Course Details

Aeronautical engineering is an in-depth study of “Aeronautics.” The term “Aeronautics” is derived from the ancient Greek words “Aer,” meaning ‘air,’ and “Nautike,” meaning ‘navigation of the air’.

This field focuses on the science and technology of flight, involving the design, development, and maintenance of aircraft and related systems.

Below are the key highlights of aeronautical engineering programme:

Aeronautical Engineering Eligibility Criteria

For admission in B.Tech Aeronautical engineering program candidates have to meet the eligibility criteria set by the university or a colleges.

While the eligibility conditions may slightly vary from university to university but more or less the same. The eligibility conditions for admission to the Undergraduate level B.Tech course is listed below:

Educational Qualification

• The candidates Must have completed 10+2 or equivalent from a recognized board.
• Should have studied Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics (PCM) as core subjects in 10+2 grade.

Percentage Criteria

• The candidates must secure at least 60% aggregate in PCM. The percentage criteria varies from university to university.
• For admission in IITs and NITs, candidates must have at least 75% marks in 10+2.

Age Limit

The ideal age limit to pursue the course is 17-25 years.

Medical Fitness

The candidates applying for the course should be medically fit as the profession requires alertness, sharp vision and physical endurance to work in the challenging environment.

Aeronautical Engineering Courses

Candidates can choose from a wide range of UG and PG courses as per their educational qualification and interest.

In India, the students can choose from the below mentioned list of courses in aeronautical engineering.

1. Polytechnic diploma course with the duration of 3 years after 10 or 10+2 examination.
2. UG degree courses leading to the BE/B.Tech with the duration of 4 years after 10+2 examination.
3. PG degree courses leading to the ME/M.Tech with the duration of 2 years after the completion of UG degree in engineering.
4. Doctoral degree courses leading to the PhD domain with the duration of 1-2 years after the completion of PG degree in AE.

In the course curriculum of aeronautical engineering, the students are taught about the navigation system, control systems, communication & radar system.

Apart from the theory, candidates also receives practical training in structural design, maintenance, quality check, testing launch, development and manufacturing of the aircraft and spacecraft.

Aeronautical Engineering Admission Process

The admission process is based on the entrance exams conducted at national, state and university level.

For admission to UG Engineering  programme like B.Tech in Aeronautical engineering, students need to appear in JEE Main 2025.

For admission to PG engineering courses like M.Tech candidates need to appear in GATE 2025 exam.

All IITs and NITs conduct the engineering programme in aeronautical engineering. There are some other universities and colleges in India (Punjab, Tamil Nadu & Maharashtra) which offers the same programme.

The student who had a B.Tech degree in electrical engineering, electronics engineering or mechanical engineering can get the admission in M.Tech with aeronautical engineering.

To get admission in M.Tech programme, it is mandatory for the candidates to qualify GATE exam. This entrance test, allows students to take admission in M.E. or M.Tech programs offered by IITs or NITs in India.

Many state and university level examinations are also conducted for admission to diploma and B.Tech programmes in aeronautical engineering.

Aeronautical Engineering Entrance Exams

The top universities and colleges offering admission in aeronautical engineering courses accept entrance exam. Below is the list of popular entrance exams in India:

• JEE Main
• JEE Advanced
• GATE
• MET
• CUET
• MH CET
• BITSAT
• VITEEE
• IPU CET

Top Aeronautical Engineering Colleges

Top aeronautical colleges in India are listed below

• IIT Bombay
• IIT Kanpur
• IIT Madras
• IIST, Thiruvananthapuram
• IIT Kanpur
• Manipal Institute of Technology
• Anna University
• SRM University
• Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai
• UPES
• Punjab Engineering College (PEC), Chandigarh
• Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science (HITS), Chennai

The admission in these colleges are based on entrance exams like JEE Main, JEE Advanced or university specific entrance test like SRMJEE, Manipal MET etc.

Career & Jobs in Aeronautical Engineering

As an Aeronautical engineer you will get exciting opportunities to design, innovate, and work on advanced aerospace technologies.

Graduates will have the opportunities to work with space research organizations, aircraft manufacturers and companies specializing in drone technology.

They will be responsible for development of cutting-edge propulsion systems, aerodynamics optimization, and structural design of the aircraft.

There are numerous national and international companies  that actively recruit aeronautical engineers. These companies operate in industries like aviation, defence, space exploration, and research.

Some of the job profiles are as the following:

• Thermal Design Engineer
• Aviation Consultants
• Mechanical Design Engineer
• Aerospace Designer Checker
• Graduate Engineer Trainees
• Assistant Technical Officers
• Assistant Aircraft Engineers
• Aircraft Production Manager

Aeronautical Engineering Top Recruiters

Some of the top recruiters of aeronautical engineering are as the following:

• HAL
• DRDO
• ISRO
• Air India
• Indigo
• Boeing
• SpaceX
• Lockheed Martin
• Helicopter Corporation of India
• DRDL
• ADE
• Civil Aviation department

Aeronautical Engineer Salary

Aeronautical engineers are paid handsomely, the starting salary of a fresh engineering graduate ranging between INR 5-10 lakhs per annum in India.

With a few years of experience, professionals can earn between INR 15 to 30 lakhs per annum, depending on the company, role, and expertise level.

The public sector organizations like Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), ISRO, DRDO pays competitive salaries as per the government norms and offer several other benefits and allowances.

Many top aircraft manufacturers like Boeing, Airbus, SpaceX offer lucrative salary packages. A mid to senior level aeronautical engineer with 5-8 years of experience an earn $150000 or more annually.

The aeronautical engineering can also find career opportunities in space research organiaztions like NASA, ISRO and other international space agencies.

Candidates can go for higher education like M.Tech in Aeronautical engineering and pursue their PhD for more opportunities in space research and explorations.

Books & Study Material

Some of the preferred books and references are as the following:

• Modern Compressible Flow with Historical Perspective By Anderson, J.D
• Elements of Gas Dynamics By Liepmann, H.W., and Roshko
• Fluid Mechanics By Landau, L.D., & Lifshitz, E.M
• Aerodynamics, Aeronautics & Flight Mechanics By McCormick, B.W
• Flight Stability and Automatic Control By Nelson, R.C
• Dynamics of Flight By Etkin, B. and Reid, L.D
• Aerodynamics, Aeronautics, and Flight Mechanics By McCormick, B.W
• Aerodynamics for Engineers By Bertin, J.J
• The Dynamics and Thermodynamics of Compressible Fluid Flow By Shapiro, A.H
• Aircraft Structures for Engineering Students By Megson, T.H.G
• Aircraft Structures By Peery, D.J. and Azar, J.J
• Jet Propulsion By Cumpsty, N
• Gas Turbine Theory By Saravanamuttoo, H.I.H., Rogers, G.F.C. and Cohen, H
• Gas Turbine Engineering Handbook By Boyce, M.P

Career in Aeronautical Engineering FAQ’s

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