Engineering courses have always been lucrative for students who like technical disciplines. But over the years, newer disciplines have evolved. Marine engineering has become one of the most attractive disciplines for study in the past few years. Marine Engineering can land students varied jobs related to sea vessels. This is especially lucrative for people who have a passion for all things marine.
What is GME?
GME means Graduation in Marine Engineering. It is a course that has received approval from the Directorate General of Shipping. The content of the course deals with construction and proper maintenance of ships and other naval vessels, including the designing of boats, ships, and other marine vessels. It is a 1-year course that is divided into two semesters.
Who is eligible to apply?
The eligibility for application is based on two criteria – educational qualifications and medical fitness. Students who already have a degree in mechanical engineering or naval architecture are eligible to apply. They should have secured a minimum of 50% marks in their BE/ B.Tech program. Only people aged below 28 can apply.
The medical aspect requires that students be physically healthy and fit. They should have no vision problems (myopia, hypermetropia, color blindness or night blindness) or sea-sickness.
What are the career prospects after GME?
Any industry that deals with nautical vessels or sea’s employ marine engineers. They can be hired in shipping companies, in the Merchant Navy, in ship manufacturing companies, consultancy firms, etc. The minimum starting salary of most marine engineers is INR 1,00,000 and can go very high up to 11,00,000 P.A.
What are some good GME colleges in India?
Talking about GME colleges, the first name that pops up is the Hindustan Institute of Maritime Training. Other colleges include Maritime Foundation, Vels University, Coimbatore Marine Centre, C.V. Raman College of Engineering, and Mangalore Marine Institute. There are other colleges that offer mechanical engineering degrees, like Amity University, Mumbai, but most don’t offer marine engineering.
Why is the Hindustan Institute of Maritime Training (HIMT) a good choice?
Located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is the premier institute in the field of Marine Engineering in India. It is the best choice because it is the largest maritime institute in India. The institute is affiliated to the Indian Maritime University. The Directorate General of Shipping has also approved the courses taught at the institute. The institute offers a variety of courses, at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The courses offered here include BTech (Marine Engineering), BSc (Nautical Science), Diploma in Nautical Science, Pre-sea Training for Diploma Holders, Pre-sea Training for Mechanical Engineers, and General Purpose - Deck/Engine Rating.
How do admissions work?
The admission process is long and complex. First, interested applicants have to apply online and pay an application fee of INR 1,000. If they are eligible, they will have to take an IMU-CET entrance exam conducted at the university level.
Those who successfully pass the entrance exam will be further called for medical examinations and a psychometric test, to see if the candidate is physically and mentally fit for sea travel. This is followed by a panel interview and finally, the candidate is given Pre-Sea Training.
Is HIMT expensive?
HIMT is one of the more expensive colleges offering GME courses. However, if a candidate can arrange for the finances, there is no better place to study marine engineering. The GME course costs INR 3 LPA. The total cost comes up to INR 12 lakhs per annum. The average fees of HIMT, including all courses, is INR 4.95 LPA. The infrastructure offered is comparable to private universities like Amity Mumbai. The world-class infrastructure and excellent teaching faculty justify the high fees.
Are there any scholarships?
HIMT offers scholarships to students belonging to low-income groups. The Merit-cum-Means Scholarships are awarded to students who have consistently shown excellent academic performance and belong to a low-income family. Each student who undertakes a GP rating every 6 months is awarded INR 25,000.
The HIMT Award of Excellence is given every year to two students in each course. The first prize is INR 20,000 and the second prize is INR 10,000. There are also sports scholarships, scholarships for children of people who served in the Indian Armed Forces, female candidate scholarship and scholarships for special merit.
Walk-in-Walk-out Scholarships are awarded to rank holders (top ten) of any state or central board examination at the plus two levels. 50% of the tuition fees are waived and if the students continue to secure the highest marks in each semester then the remaining fees will also be waived off.
An institution that gives back
The fees might be high at the institute but it makes efforts to dispel scholarships so that more people can study here. They are an institute that gives back to society in the form of scholarships. Being the best in its field, it is still an institute that tries to help its students.
Check out HIMT College (Hindustan Institute of Maritime Training) courses & fees 2020 at https://www.shiksha.com/college/himt-college-hindustan-institute-of-maritime-training-kilpauk-chennai-40606/courses