Students Think Beyond engineering and medicine

Astir

Beyond engineering and medicine

A list of alternative courses and the universities and institutes that offer them.

This is the time when parents of Plus-Two students are more worried, anxious and confused than their wards. Students have to decide their future profession!

At the outset, one should determine the real inclination towards a particular stream of education. In the first place, the candidate should stick to interest, skill and talent. Students should realise that there are infinite number of courses other th an engineering and medicine.

· Engineering aspirants should know that there are branches other than the conventional branches like civil, electrical, electronics, mechanical and chemical engineering. For instance, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, is an internationally-known institute for mining and metallurgical engineering ( www.ismdhanbad.ac.in).

· Likewise, the Central Institute of Chemical Research Institute, Karaikudi ( www..cecri.re.in), is known for its unique course on electrochemistry.

· The Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology ( www.cipet.gov.in) offers courses in plastics technology.

· The Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Thiruvananthapuram ( www.iist.ac.in), is the one and the only institute of its kind in the country, which offers B.Tech. space technology, and the subject suits the high-technology requirements of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Cochin University of Science and Technology ( www.cusat.ac.in) offers a programme in safety technology. There is a college of fire technology in Ahmedabad ( www.collgeoffiretechnology.com).

· Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram ( www.sctimst.ac.in), is a centre of excellence in biomedical technology.

· National Defence Academy ( www.nda.nic.in ), Pune, is a well-known institute moulding high-tech defence personnel.

· Indian Maritime University at Chennai ( www.imu.tn.ac.in.) offers B.Sc. nautical science.

· The Shipping Department of the Government of India offer courses in marine engineering. Details can be obtained from www.iims.dgshipping.com.

Other non-conventional programmes of high value are petrochemical engineering, pharmaceutical engineering, food technology, geo-informatics, printing technology, agricultural engineering, aeronautical engineering, astrophysics technology, mechatronics, paramedical technology and horticultural technology.

Design

· National Institute of Design ( www.nid.org) is the only one of its kind in design technology and is among the best in the world. There is a separate university for petroleum technology in Gujarat . National Institute of Fashion Technology ( www.nift.ac.in) offers specialised job-oriented courses in fashion technology.

· Avinashilingam University in Coimbatore ( www.avinashilingam.edu) offers high-quality education in home science.

Food technology

· Centre for Advanced Research in Food Technology, Mysore ( www.cftri.com), offers innovative courses in food technology.

· Central Institute of Speech and Hearing, Mysore ( www.aiishmysore.com), offers courses in hearing and speech.

· Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata ( www.isical.ac.in), and its branches offer degree courses in statistics.

· Centre for Advanced Studies in Marine Biology is an established institute at Portonova, Chidambaram.

· Centre for Leather Technology and Research Institute, Chennai ( www.clri.org), is an ideal institute to study leather technology-related courses.

Nanotechnology

· Centre for Nanotechnology is coming up in a big scale at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore ( www.jncasr.ac.in).

· Centre for Textile Technology can be considered for pursuing studies in textile science.

· National Dairy Research Institute ( www.ndri.res.in ) under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, a deemed university at Karnal, Haryana, imparts training in dairy technology. Courses offered include B.Tech. and Ph.D.

· There are universities offering courses in physical training and sports..

· Detailed information regarding the specialised courses of various institutes under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research can be obtained from the web site www.csir.res.in.

Civil Services

Students can also think, plan, work hard and prepare well for the Indian Administrative Services, Indian Foreign Services and Indian Police Services. There are several popular arts and science colleges.

Nursing, medical laboratory technology, radiology, optometry, physiotherapy, medical informatics, dental mechanisms, speech therapy and audiology offered by reputed medical colleges can also be considered.

For those who have a flair for ancient languages and history, there is a Sanskrit University in Haridwar.

S. Raghavan (TH) (The writer is Professor, Electronics and Communication Engineering Department, National Institute of Technology - Tiruchi.)