Engineering is a career that is highly sought after by Indian students. The admission scenario in the top engineering colleges in India is extremely competitive and the quality of education in mid – rung and low – rung engineering colleges is often not up to the mark. This scenario often drives many Indian students to study engineering abroad, primarily in countries like the U.S, Australia, Singapore and Canada.
After you complete your Bachelors degree in Engineering from a foreign university, most countries will allow you to work there as long as you get a job. However, you might be required to appear for certain qualifying exams or/and undergo a training period in order to be able to work as a certified Engineer in some countries.
Do keep in mind that your eligibility to stay in that country and work there is subject to the ongoing visa policies of that country.
Indian student with a Foreign Engineering degree, wants to work in India
You should ideally face no problems in working in India (or pursuing a postgraduate degree) as long as your engineering degree is recognized in India.
In case your degree is not recognized, you might face complications in working in the Government sector or pursuing a postgraduate course or at an Indian university. As far as working in the private sector is concerned, whether companies accept your qualifications or not depends on the company you’re applying to.
Indian student with a Foreign Engineering degree from one country wants to work in another country
Whether you’re allowed to work as an Engineer in a foreign country with a graduation from another country completely depends on the laws of the country you wish to work in. Some countries might allow you to work there whereas some might not. Additionally, for some countries, you might need to undergo training or pass in certain qualifying examinations to prove your eligibility to work as an Engineer.
Engineering Courses in Different Countries
U.S
Engineering is offered in the U.S as an undergraduate as well as a postgraduate course. The duration of the undergraduate engineering degree is 4 years and you’re typically awarded a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) degree upon completion of the course. Certain universities also offer a B.S degree or an S.B degree in engineering as well. If you wish to work in the U.S upon graduation, you must make sure that you join an ‘ABET – approved’ engineering course.
In the U.S, you will have the option of pursuing accelerated 3 year engineering degrees or even pursuing an integrated Bachelors – Masters Engineering degree.
At most universities, you will have the option of studying various engineering disciplines in the 1st year of the undergraduate engineering program and then deciding upon a particular Major (Mechanical, Civil or Electrical etc.) before the start of the 2nd year. A majority of the universities will also allow you to change your Major during the course of the program, although the time limits for this change vary from university to university.
Admissions into the undergraduate engineering courses are based on your past academic record (Class 11th and 12th marks), Personal Statements, Recommendation Letters, Extracurricular activities etc. Most universities would also require you to have qualified in either of the following: SAT or the ACT (with Writing) as well as in 2 SAT Subject Tests (generally Math and Science). At most U.S universities, interviews are also conducted as a part of the admission process.
Apart from the above tests, you might also be required to appear for English proficiency tests like the TOEFL or the IELTS. You would only be considered for admission if you have studied the ‘Pre Requisite subjects’ required for your program during school (depends on major and university).
Upon graduation, you can stay on and work in the U.S through OPT (Optical Practical Training) for a period of 12 months (if you haven’t worked under OPT during your program) which can be extended by another 17 months for some students.
Typical Tuition Fee* Costs of BSE Degree in the U.S (yearly) in US Dollars:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology – $ 45,015
University of Minnesota – $ 22,445
Princeton University – $ 43,540
Harvard University – $ 43,938
Yale University – $ 45,800
Boston University – $ 45,686
University of Illinois – $ 34,514
University of Arizona – $ 23,830
* Excludes Living Costs and Other Expenses
Canada
Engineering is offered at the undergraduate as well as the postgraduate level in Canada. The typical duration of an undergraduate degree in Engineering is 4 years and you are generally awarded a ‘Bachelors of Applied Science’ (BASc.) upon completion of the course. Some universities, such as the McGill University, provide you with a B.Eng. degree upon graduation.
Like the U.S, most Canadian universities will allow you to study various engineering disciplines in the first year and then declare a major before the start of the second year. Some universities will even allow you to study without declaring a major till the end of the 2nd year.
Admissions in Canada are based on your past academic record (Class 11th and 12th mark sheets), personal statements, recommendation letters, extracurricular activities etc. You might also be asked to appear and qualify in English Proficiency Tests like the TOEFL or the IELTS. You will only be eligible for admission if you have studied the required ‘Pre requisite’ subjects during school (depends on major and university).
Upon graduation, you will be able to stay on and look for a job/work in Canada for a period of up to 3 years through the Post Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWPP). You do not need a job offer to receive the Post Graduation Work Permit.
Typical Tuition Fee* Costs of BASc. Degree in the Canada (yearly) in Canadian Dollars:
Queens University – $ 27,641
University of British Columbia – $ 28,798
University of Alberta – $ 20,954
University of Toronto – $ 43,540
McGill University – $ 32,493
Victoria University – $ 18,011
* Excludes Living Costs and Other Expenses
Australia
Engineering is offered at the undergraduate as well as the postgraduate level in Australia. The typical duration of an undergraduate degree in Engineering is 4 years and you are generally awarded a ‘Bachelor of Engineering’ (B.E) upon completion of the course. The only exception is the University of Melbourne, which only offers the Engineering degree at the postgraduate level.
Most Australian universities will allow you to study various engineering disciplines in the first year (if you wish to) and then declare a specialization (Mechanical, Electrical or Civil etc.) before the start of the second year.
Admissions in Australia are primarily based on your past academic record (Class 11th and 12th mark sheets), and extracurricular activities etc. You might also be asked to appear and qualify in English Proficiency Tests like the TOEFL or the IELTS. You will only be eligible for admission if you have studied the required ‘Pre requisite’ subjects during school (varies from university to university).
Upon graduation, you will be allowed to stay on and work in Australia for up to 2 – 4 years (depends on your degree) through the Post Study Graduate/Work Stream.
Typical Tuition Fee* Costs of undergraduate B.E Degree in Australia (yearly) in Australian Dollars:
Australia National University – $ 30,011
University of Queensland – $ 33,280
University of Wollongong – $ 29,800
University of New South Wales – $ 37,440
University of Sydney – $ 35,600
* Excludes Living Costs and Other Expenses
Singapore
Engineering is offered at the undergraduate as well as the postgraduate level in Singapore. The typical duration of an undergraduate degree in Engineering is 4 years and you are generally awarded a ‘Bachelor of Engineering’ (B.Eng.) upon completion of the course. Some universities offer accelerated engineering programs that can be completed within 3 years.
Admissions in Singapore are based on your past academic record (Class 11th and 12th mark sheets), personal statements, recommendation letters, and extracurricular activities etc. You will only be eligible for admission if you have studied the required ‘Pre requisite’ subjects during school (varies from university to university).
Upon graduation, it will be mandatory for you to stay on and work in Singapore for a period of up to 3 years if you accepted the Singapore Government’s tuition fee subsidy at the time of admission.
Typical Tuition Fee* Costs of undergraduate B.Eng. Degree in Singapore (yearly) in Singaporean Dollars:
National University of Singapore (NUS) – $ 15,700
Nanyang Technological University (NTU) – $ 15,700
* Excludes Living Costs and Other Expenses
U.K
Engineering is offered at the undergraduate as well as the postgraduate level in the U.K. The typical duration of an undergraduate degree in Engineering is 3 years and you are generally awarded a ‘Bachelor of Engineering’ (B.Eng.) upon completion of the course.
The preferred engineering degree in the U.K is an integrated Undergraduate and Master’s degree, the duration of which is 4 years. Typically, you are provided with a B.Eng. if you quit the course after 3 years or an M.Eng. after the 4th year if you complete the course. Many universities only offer this course and do not offer the separate 3 year B.Eng. courses.
Admissions into both B.Eng. and M.Eng. courses are primarily based on your academic record, although the more competitive universities might consider other aspects such as personal statements, recommendation letters, extracurricular activities, entrance exams etc. You might also be asked to appear in certain English proficiency tests like the TOEFL or the IELTS.
Even though U.K universities are internationally reputed, they are not necessarily known for their engineering courses. Additionally, as India generally does not accept 3 year undergraduate engineering courses or 1 year masters coruses, you might face certain difficulties in applying for a Masters/Ph.D in India or taking up a Government job. Whether private companies accept you or not depends on each individual firm.
Typical Tuition Fee* Costs of undergraduate B.Eng. Degree in the U.K (yearly) in Pound Sterling:
University of Cambridge – £ 22,923
University of Oxford – £ 21,855
University of Liverpool – £ 16,800
University of Exeter – £ 18,000
* Excludes Living Costs and Other Expenses
