Studying abroad.

Dear Madam,
My son is currently studying in 12th standard (CBSE). He aspires to take up mechanical engineering. But I am worried about the options available in this field for him as everyone is raving about software engineering these days. He wants to pursue MS in automotive specialisation either in the country or Germany. Kindly tell us about the scope of this subject both in India and Germany.
Shiva

Dear Shiva,
Mechanical engineering is a sought-after subject with ample scope and job opportunities. With an increase in demand for automobiles, there will always be a need for good automotive engineers who can design, test and develop vehicles and supervise its production right from its conceptualisation to its manufacture. There are millions of vehicles on roads in every corner of the world, and automobile engineers are the people responsible for that. The pay in this industry is good, there is a certain amount of glamour attached to this stream of engineering and it is ideal for students who are passionate about cars and other vehicles. Although some universities offer bachelors in automotive engineering, it is better if he studies mechanical engineering at undergraduate level and then move on to specialisation at masters level. As far as scope in India is concerned, more and more automobile companies are setting up their manufacturing plants in every state, which means there will be a demand for qualified automotive engineers. Germany, as we all know, is the leader of automobile industry in Europe. So, there is certainly a lot of scope there! Perhaps your son could also look into pursuing his bachelors in
mechanical engineering abroad.  

Dear Madam,
With reference to your reply on a query published on January 15, regarding MS programme in automotive electronics in Germany. I see that I have to take up only the DSH test for German language proficiency while GRE and TOEFL are not necessary. In DSH, there are different levels such as A1, A2, B1 and so on. How many of these levels should I clear in order to apply for any university in Germany? Are there any coaching centres available? If yes, where? I am currently in my final year of electronics and communication engineering. Could you also give me details about the visa procedures and other formalities?
V Kumar

Dear Kumar,
You have clearly missed out an entire paragraph in my article on January 15, where I have said the admission procedure for Masters in any country is quite similar. You need your official transcripts, a good statement of purpose, a resume, GRE/ GMAT scores, PTE/ IELTS/ TOEFL scores. The Goethe Institute (Max Mueller Bhavan) in Indiranagar offers special courses for students who want to go to Germany for higher education. They would advice you on the language courses. Here is a link to their website:www.goethe.de/ins/in/bag/enindex.html. For complete information on German Universities, fees, scholarships, funding and working opportunities, visa etc please visit www.study-in.de/en and www.daaddelhi.org. The Bangalore DAAD information point is in the Cash pharmacy building on Residency Road.

Dear Madam,
After completing BSc in chemistry, I have completed BTech from Technology of Dyestuff and Intermediates. I have been working in the manufacturing section of an MNC as a manager for the past 18 years. I have even pursued MBA in marketing through distance education. I would like to work in US. Is there any opportunity available for a person of my calibre? If, yes, which field and how do I apply? I am interested in the field of safety as well. Is there any government recognised distance education programme for a course in industrial safety, preferably with a study centre at Mangaluru?
George

Dear George,
With your background, you could work in the US in chemical plants, food processing, pharmaceuticals, petrochemical, oil
refineries, electrical equipments manufacturing, thermal power based units,
textile industries etc. Distance education programs on industrial safety are offered by Annamalai University and IGNOU. They generally have study centres in every city. Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT) Mumbai offers MTech, PhD and diploma courses in your area of specialisation. In the US, Georgia Tech University offers courses in industrial safety.

Dear Madam,
I am currently working as a freelance web developer and I am planning to
attain my bachelors degree from a foreign university. I completed my PUC in 2006 but couldn’t pursue engineering due to financial issues.  Kindly suggest some universities that offer bachelors and masters degrees as a dual-degree programme or a concurrent programme. What’s the application procedure? Which country would be better-suited for computer science degree in terms of finance?
Harsha Jagadish

Dear Harsha,
Most universities in the US will offer dual or joint degrees to students with an
outstanding academic record. With a dual degree, a student can complete their
bachelors and masters programme in five years instead of six. University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago, Rochester Institute of Technology, University of Washington and Hofstra are some of the universities that offer BS/MS joint degrees in computer science. For a complete list of universities, please visit www.umaaswani.com. You need to take the SAT and TOEFL/ IELTS exam to apply to US universities. In UK, it will take you four years to complete your bachelors and masters. You don’t require SAT to apply to UK. Just take the IELTS or PTE. Financially, UK will be less expensive than US.