The alternative route to engineering

Updated on: Monday, August 17, 2009

AMIE (Associate Membership of Institution of Engineers) is an alternative option to become an engineer. AMIE is recognised as equivalent to an engineering degree by AICTE, UPSC, SSC and Central Government Departments and State government departments.

Those who pass the AMIE exams can appear for the Indian Engineering Service exam held by the UPSC, Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) and Graduate Record Examination (GRE). They can also go for M.E. or M.Tech. programmes. The AMIE qualification will not be considered for teaching posts in professional colleges.

The Institution of Engineers India (IEI), Kolkata, conducts the AIME examinations all over the country. The course involves syllabus-oriented private study and students can utilise library facilities and oral coaching.

The AMIE programme has two sections. Section A is common for all and under Section B, the student member can choose a particular branch of engineering. Section A and B examinations are held twice a year — in June and December.
Student membership

There are two type of student membership — technician and senior technician.

Minimum entry qualification for technician is a pass in Plus-Two or equivalent examination with minimum 45 per cent marks in aggregate in physics, chemistry and mathematics. B.Sc. degree holders with physics, chemistry and mathematics can also apply for membership.

For the enrolment as senior technician, three-year engineering diploma in any branch is required. AMIE Examination is separately designed for diploma stream (senior technician members) and non-diploma stream (technician members).

After completing the Plus-Two examination, you can register for section ‘A’ examination under technician (non-diploma) stream with the Institution of Engineers. The application fee is Rs.375, and Rs.4,800 has to be paid as registration fee for Section ‘A’ examinations.

Application forms can be bought from any of IEI centres.

Section A

The Section A (non-diploma) examination includes the following 10 subjects.

• Basic sciences: Engineering physics and chemistry, engineering mathematics.

• Social Science: Society and environment

• Engineering sciences: Fundamentals of design and manufacturing, material science and engineering, electrical science, mechanical science, electronics and instrumentation.

• Communication: Engineering drawing and graphics, computing and informatics.

The student member should pass Section ‘A’ examination in all 10 subjects of which seven papers are compulsory and three optional. Each paper carries 100 marks, and the duration of examination for each subject is three hours. Grading system is followed for all subjects. Nobody is permitted to appear in more than four subjects in one-term.

Section A (diploma) stream covers four subjects — fundamentals of design and manufacturing, material science and engineering, computing and informatics, society and environment.
Section B

After passing Section A papers, students should apply for registration for Section ‘B’ examination in any one engineering discipline of their choice in which examinations are being conducted by the institution. At present, Section B examination is being conducted in these engineering disciplines — chemical, civil, computer science and engineering, electrical, electronics and communication, mechanical, materials and metallurgical engineering, mining engineering, production engineering and textile engineering. Registration fee for Section B examination is Rs.4,800. Fee should be paid in the form of demand draft drawn in favour of the Institution of Engineers, payable at Kolkata.

AMIE examination centres will include Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Coimbatore, Tiruchi, Madurai, Neyveli, Chennai, Mysore, Bangalore, Visakhapatnam, Goa, Hyderabad and Mumbai.

All technician and senior technician members are provided with identity card. Student member must pass the Section A examination within six years and Section B examination within six years after passing Section A.

Technician and senior technician members pursing Section ‘B’ examination can take up project work only after securing minimum grade ‘C’ in five subjects in an engineering branch of Section ‘B’. The students should separately apply for project work to the headquarters of the institution. The grade cards will be issued to all the candidates who qualify in Section A and B examinations and those who pass Section ‘B’ examination will be given a provisional certificate of AMIE.

The Institution of Engineers also offers postgraduate courses for its graduates and corporate members in select engineering discipline in collaboration with the Birla Institute of Technology (BIT), Mesra, Ranchi. IEI chapters and some private institutes are also providing coaching classes for the registrants of AMIE examinations.

The alternative route to engineering

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