Naval Architecture Colleges- Cochin University of Science & Technology

Department of Ship Technology, Cochin University

Pride of CUSAT

The Cochin University of Science and Technology's B.Tech. Naval Architecture and Ship Building course is in great demand among students as job is virtually assured on the successful completion of the course.

The Department of Ship Technology has a pride of place at the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat). It has the distinction of offering one of the most-sought after courses in the engineering stream in the country.

The B.Tech. in Naval Architecture and Ship Building course offered by the department has, for the last three decades, attracted thousands of students from across the country.

With the department maintaining 100 per cent placement every year, the demand for the course continues to be on the rise among students. Only three other institutions - IIT Kharagpur, IIT Madras and Andhra University - offer the course in the country.

The curriculum

The B.Tech. course was started in 1975 with a view to creating a new generation of naval architects to meet the requirements of the Indian shipbuilding industry, ship classification societies, research and development organisations and the Indian Navy.

The curriculum of the eight-semester course has been designed to provide students with an in-depth knowledge of the various facets of Naval Architecture along with training in basic Science and Engineering courses.

The major areas of study in the curriculum include ship designing, ship building technology, marine engineering, computer-aided designing (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), offshore structure designing, designing fishing vessels and refrigeration and air-conditioning at sea.

"The course also lays special emphasis on providing technical training to the students. Every year, students are sent to various shipyards, ship repair firms, ports and research and development organisations for training for six to eight weeks," says K.P. Narayanan, head of the department.

Students are also trained in computer programming and computer applications in Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering.

The sanctioned intake for the B.Tech. course was 39 in 2003. Of the total seats, 12 were reserved for candidates sponsored by the Indian Navy.

Eligibility

Candidates applying for the course should have passed Plus Two/pre-degree examination conducted in Kerala in first class or the examination of any other university/board accepted by the Syndicate of the university with Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry as subjects of study.

The candidate should have secured a minimum of 50 per cent marks in Mathematics and in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry put together.

The minimum eligibility for economically-backward communities is 45 per cent marks in Mathematics and in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry put together.

Job prospects

According to Dr. Narayanan, around 30 per cent of the students who had passed out from the department over the years had found jobs abroad.

Several former students of the department had landed lucrative jobs in the United States, Europe, Middle East, Australia, Asian and African countries.

Some of the prominent ship classification societies offering job opportunities include Lloyd's Register of Shipping, Indian Register of Shipping, American Bureau of Shipping and Det Norske Veritas.

M.Tech. programme

The department also offers an M.Tech. programme in Computer-Aided Structural Analysis and Design. The four-semester programme consists of lectures covering subjects like CAD, structural analysis, ocean waves and effects, dynamics of structures and finite element analysis.

The third and fourth semesters are fully devoted to a project carried out within the department or in other approved organisations like Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Structural Engineering Research Centre (SERC) and Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO). The programme has an intake of 15 seats (five sponsored).

Besides the B.Tech. and M.Tech. programmes, the department offers doctoral programmes in Naval Architecture, Ocean Engineering and related fields.

The department had recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Chosun University, South Korea for academic collaboration and exchange of teachers and students.

Recognition

The department is a recognised centre of excellence by the Indian Navy for training Naval officers.

The Union Ministry of Transport has approved the department for the selection of marine engineers. The Royal Institute of Naval Architecture (RINA), London has also given its accreditation to the department.