Plastic Engineering | Courses, Scope and Career in India
Intertek Plastics Laboratory in United States of America is one of the leading researchers of plastic technology with 20 years of experience in this field; Image Courtesy: ptli.com
After steel, plastic is the most widely used material all over the world. Plastic is increasingly being used as a substitute to materials like rubber, wood, glass and paper in packaging industry and metals in other industries.
Making a career in Plastic Technology or Plastic Engineering is perhaps a right option as the Indian plastic industry has enormous opportunities for growth.
The programs are offered at various levels - diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate. Aspiring individual can start his/her career right after his schooling.
Eligibility Criteria
There are a few requirements that need to be fulfilled before applying for a degree in Plastic Engineering. They are as follows,
At the 10+2 level, it is mandatory for the student to have opted for Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry.
Pursue B.E. or B.Tech in Polymer Engineering
For B.Tech, entrance exams are a must; JEE for admission to IIT's and other entrance exams as conducted by other colleges
A student has to give JEE - Main for admission in NIT's and other colleges across the country.
B.Tech course duration is of 4 years
M.Tech course duration is of 1.5-2 years
IIT Delhi is one of the many institutes in India that offers courses in Plastic Technology
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Scope of Plastic Engineering in India
Among the prominent institutes offering courses in plastic technology and polymer sciences are the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, Cochin University, Department of Chemical Technology, University of Bombay, the Maharashtra Institute of Technology Pune, LD College of Engineering Ahmedabad, University College of Science and Technology (Calcutta University) and the Nirma Institute of Technology, Ahmedabad.
M.Tech and Post-graduate diploma courses are offered by the Central Institute of Plastic Engineering and Technology (CIPET), at Chennai under the Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Govt. of India.
The institute with extension centres at Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad, Imphal, Lucknow, Mysore, Patna, Haldia and Guwahati conducts six long-term courses leading to Diploma, Post Diploma and Post Graduate Diploma in various disciplines of Plastics Engineering & Technology.
Govt. polytechnics, diploma engineering schools and ITI/ATI/CTI in all States offer courses viz. Diploma in plastic Engineering and Plastic Processing Operator courses which are of 3 years and 2 Yrs of duration respectively.
Finolex is one of the many companies that offer jobs in plastic technology in India; Image Courtesy: wirecable.in
Career and Job Prospects
Plastic technologists and professionals are in great demand in today’s ever growing plastic industrial sector. Both public and private sectors offer tremendous job opportunities to plastic technologists and professionals.
The public sector organizations including Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Oil India Limited, polymer corporations of different states, petrochemical research laboratories, and the Ministry of Petroleum and Chemicals offer several jobs to plastic professionals in their various positions. Others regularly recruit chemical engineers and plastic technologists.
Moreover, there are large petrochemical engineering plants and various private companies dealing with the production and marketing of plastics commodities which offer attractive employment opportunities.
Over the last decade, plastics technology and polymer sciences have attracted multi-crore investments from some of the biggest industrial houses in India. Companies like Reliance, Spic, Nocil, Finolex and others have set up plants to produce raw materials as well as research laboratories to develop new products.
Today, the plastic industry is playing a significant role in the growth and development of key sectors of the economy such as agriculture, through plasticulture, packaging for processed foods, telecommunications and information technology sector.
Salary Package
There are enormous opportunities for plastic engineering fresh pass outs and skilled professionals in the manufacturing and Design related industries. In India there are many global manufacturing and Designing centres which give perfect recognition to the rightly trained plastic professionals.
The average salary starts from minimum of Rs.8000. The salary increases with experience of the candidate so they can get anything between Rs.20,000 to Rs.30,000 once they get some experience.
ICT Mumbai is the top ranked college for Plastic Engineering; Image Courtesy: eduinfo.asia
Top 10 Colleges/Institutes for Plastic Engineering 2017
| Rank | College/Institute | State |
| 1 | Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai | Maharashtra |
| 2 | Harcourt Butler Technological Institute, Kanpur | Uttar Pradesh |
| 3 | LD College of Engineering, Ahmedabad | Gujarat |
| 4 | Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology, Chennai | Tamil Nadu |
| 5 | University of Mumbai | Maharashtra |
| 6 | Gujarat Technological University, Ahmedabad | Gujarat |
| 7 | Central Institute of Plastic Engineering and Technology, Bhubaneswar | Odisha |
| 8 | University Institute of Chemical Technology, Jalgaon | Maharashtra |
| 9 | Government Polytechnic, Nashik | Maharashtra |
| 10 | Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology, Ahmedabad | Gujarat |
Source: engineering.careers360.com
State Wise List of Engineering Colleges
- Tripura