Which is better Automotive Engineering or Mechanical Engineering?

So, let us start by explaining the key difference between the two. Broadly speaking, Mechanical Engineering programmes comprise of core mechanical subjects. This engineering branch deals with the basic theories related to mechanical devices. On the other hand, Automotive Engineering focuses its attention on vehicle design.

And considering the ever growing auto industry, out of the two, automotive engineering is much more in demand as of today.

So, to get a better understanding of both these engineering branches, we spoke to a few experts to get more details and reasoning on why one should choose either of these two engineering branches.

Automotive vs Mechanical: Which is a better choice for students?

Smit Anarkat, Lead advisor for Engineering at Shiksha was quick to share that, “Mechanical Engineering is better than Automotive as Automotive is a branch of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering is a vast subject”. He further said, “Automotive is more popular as lot of MNC’s invest in R&D and if one wants to make a career in automotive Engineering then it should be done from a prime institute otherwise it’s not worth it”.

Chartered Engineer and Chief Engineering Advisor of Shiksha, Nikhilesh Mathur further elaborated on this by saying, “If the question is focused for those Indian students who are determined not to leave the shores in their career then mechanical engineering can be termed as a safer bet. This is because the options for a fresh mechanical engineer are wide open. It can even lead them into Automotives just in case they missed getting it in the first place or could not dare to opt for it at the time of admission.”

He also said, “Automotive engineering is basically a mix of mechanical, electrical, electronics & production engineering.  So, again this concept needs to be clear in the mind of any student who has just cleared his XII class exam. A student opting for Automotive Engineering cannot just afford to think that Automotive has something extraordinary which no other engineering branch has. Infact Automotive begins with mechanical engineering and probably ends with that keeping electrical, electronics, production engineering fundamentals in between.”

Automotive vs Mechanical:  Does India offer advantage in any field?

Nikhilesh Mathur said, “Often we get mixed up between the two branches because we lay less emphasis on specialisation and give more weightage to the people who are ‘Jack of all’. This tendency can spoil the career of many specially those who opted for automotive engineering, have the aptitude & guts to make it happen for themselves but lose on opportunities under the mistaken approach of the ones who are governing this field”. He also shared, “Automotive engineering is not just designing attractive automobiles; it has to deal much more in fuel efficiency, safety & durability. It needs to target people of different strata for their social status & to facilitate conveyance for them by re-engineering”.

Manish Ramachandra, Chief Advisor at Shiksha says, “India has not adopted Mechanical Engineering in designing, we are still following the conventional way”. Taking the baton further, Nikhilesh Mathur says, “We also lack in the infrastructure and the facilities for the research oriented work related to both these branches of engineering. We give less importance to the developmental work and to the careers which get spent in attempting innovation without any proper returns unless some of the efforts yield good economic results. This is evident in both fields but is much more in automotive engineering than in mechanical. Indian industry needs to effectively utilize psychometric testing for evaluating candidates so that the right man gets into the right kind of activity”.

Automotive vs Mechanical:  Salary one can expect

Smit Anarkat shares, “If we talk about salary, initially both might give a similar package at the start but later the instant growth is in Mechanical Engineering. He also said, “Starting salary of Automotive might be higher but Mechanical Engineering has better career prospects”

However, Nikhilesh Mathur states that students “should try not to expect different salaries in mechanical and automotive branches at least in the initial part of their career. It can be quite same for both kinds of engineers in the beginning in the same organisation”. He also said that packages offered for either of the job profiles may vary from company to company”. He also shared, “Automotive engineers have to first establish themselves good mechanical engineers before they are move to other zones of this industry. I say this because I have found that automotive engineers expect a higher remuneration than mechanical engineers and in that quest often loose tough & good assignment. They may get it if the company is bigger. But that holds equal for mechanical engineers as well”.

Automotive vs Mechanical: Specialisation to be picked up at Undergraduate or Graduate level

Manish Ramachandra feels that students should pursue a specialisation at the post-graduation level. He further said, “Automotive Engineering has grown in India because lots of MNC’s have entered the market and they prefer to invest in R&D in India but Mechanical Engineering has stability. To study Automotive Engineering one has to study Mechanical Engineering also to know the basics”.

Nikhilesh Mathur agrees by saying, “Mechanical engineering is one of the important steps which one has to climb to be an automotive engineer. As a matter of fact there are other specialisations also which emanate from mechanical engineering as it is the ‘Mother branch’ for many like – Design & Fabrication engineering, Project engineering, Power engineering, Steam engineering etc. Automotive engineering is one of the special branches which are built on the basics of mechanical engineering but takes into account electrical, electronics, production engineering along with an important input of personal creativity”.

He further said, “Studying Automotive engineering at under-graduate level can misguide students that it is something extraordinary and that they do not have to put any special emphasis on learning mechanical or electrical or electronic engineering. Their fundamentals would then forever remain weak and they might just end up being ‘helping engineers’ in the automotive industries. Automotive engineering specialisation at graduation level will enable students to enhance their knowledge & engineering capabilities on stronger foundation of the basic fundamentals”.

Automotive vs Mechanical: How do both fare in terms of quality of engineering in India?

Shiksha.com’s engineering expert Nikhilesh Mathur feels, “As of now Indian mechanical engineers have fared better than the automotive engineers inspite of the fact that Automotive engineering throws open a more challenging environment. Automotive engineering has still some way to go in aspects related to costs and durability in India. Mechanical engineering has rather combined well with Civil, Electrical and Electronics but it is unable to contribute to the desired extent in Automotive Engineering especially in terms of quality enhancement. Automotive engineers after all need sound mechanical engineers.”

Well, these are some inputs regarding Engineering branches such as Automotive and Mechanical Engineering. However, many educational institutes in India are now working to offer an integrated course in Mechanical and Automotive Engineering. Know more about life as an automation and mechanical engineering student here.