In the previous part of this series, we learned about the various Master’s degree options and which of those might suit you the best. In this part, we will take a deeper look at the Master of Science/Master of Technology options in India.

M.S. and M.Tech degrees are offered in IITs, NITs, renowned institutions like IT BHU, BITS Pilani, BIT Mesra and most other government and private engineering colleges. The admission to almost all these institutes is based on the scores of Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE).

As mentioned in Part 1 of this series, around 1.5 lakh prospective students are expected to appear for this test this year and among them, only a few thousands will be able to secure admissions to the top institutes of the country. You might be getting an idea of how competitive this test is. (When I appeared for GATE and secured an admission to IIT Madras, there were only about 10,000 GATE applicants. Those were the days!!)  

GATE exam paper consists of multiple choice objective questions carrying a maximum of 100 marks. There will be a deduction of marks for wrong answers. There are a total of 21 papers that include Aerospace, Computer Science, Chemical, Electrical, Electronics, Mechanical and other branches of Science and Engineering. The GATE exam score is valid for one year. You can find more details regarding the GATE exam by clicking here.

Even though GATE exam score is the most important criteria for admission to an MS/MTech programme, many of the top institutes conduct additional tests and/or interviews before offering admissions to the successful candidates. So it is essential that GATE aspirants display the ability to communicate their technical knowledge in an interview setup. Previous academic performance will also be considered for admissions.

Most of the top institutes offer Assistantships to the students. For example, IIT Madras offers Rs.5000 per month to the full-time students provided they work 8 hours per week in one of the academic departments. Many of the IITs also have student exchange programmes that enable students to study in renowned institutes abroad. For example, IIT Madras students can spend one semester studying in one of the top universities in Germany. Interested students will have to go through a rigorous process to get selected to this exchange programme.

So, what are the career paths available after an MS/MTech?

There are broadly 5 major paths one can pursue after completing the Master’s degree in Science/Technology

1. Join R&D labs of leading government intuitions like DRDO, ISRO, VSSC and BARC among others.
2. Join  the R&D department of private companies like GE, Microsoft, Airbus, Honeywell and others
3. Work in a Product Development function of multinational/national firms like Samsung, LG, Adobe, Microsoft, etc
4. Pursue PhD in India or abroad
5. Take up a teaching profession

If any of these career paths appeal to you, get ready to prepare for your GATE exam. Work hard and prepare well. You will be rewarded for your hard work and preparation. All the best.

In the next part, I will talk about MS abroad. Till then, have a great time.

Popularity: 14%

In Part 1 of this series, we went through the issues that should be considered while deciding on pursuing a Master’s degree. In this part, the different Master’s degree options will be explored.

1. Master of Science/Master of Technology/Master of Engineering 

Graduates who hold a Bachelor degree in Science and Technology/Engineering fields can pursue an MS/ME/MTech degree. There are several different areas of specialization in each discipline of science and engineering. If you have a scientific bend of mind and have a passion for science or technology, this is what you may want to do.

The career paths options after an MS/MTech include corporate Research and Development, Product Development, academic research and teaching. If you want to pursue a corporate career, you will mostly be doing Product design, project management and manufacturing engineering.

The career progression will be within the Engineering, Manufacturing or Procurement departments.

2. Chartered Accountant/MBA Accounting/Chartered Public Accountant

Graduates who intend to pursue accounting careers can pursue a Chartered Accountancy degree. Some colleges abroad offer an “MBA in Accounting” program which prepares graduates for a career with some of the big accounting firms. The Chartered Public Accountant in the USA is equivalent to the C.A. in India.

3. Economics

If your are deeply interested in economics and aspire to become an economist in corporations, in banks(RBI,IMF, World Bank) and Government of India planning commission, you ought to do an M.A. or M.Phil in economics . Some of the prestigious institutions that offer Master’s programmes in economics include London School of Economics and Jawaharlal Nehru University.

4. MBA

Master of Business Administration is one of the most sought after degrees in this era of globalization. With the Indian economy integrating more and more into the world economy, the need for trained business leaders and managers is increasing.  

If you are comfortable with ambiguity, like interacting with people and are seeking long term leadership roles, you should consider doing an MBA. On the other hand, if you love doing technical jobs and are not very comfortable managing people, you should do any objective analysis to find if an MBA fits your aspirations.

There are several other fields that I have not discussed, like, medicine, law, public affairs among others. These fields are highly specialized and I will be mostly covering the M.S/M.Tech and MBA options in my future posts. If you have questions regarding any of the fields that I haven’t covered, feel free to contact me. I will try to provide as much information as I can.

Till my next post, good bye.

Popularity: 14%