Course Information

Best Agricultural Engineering Colleges in India- Scope, Eligibility & Opportunities based on 2022 – 23 Rankings and Reviews

Updated on 15 March 2023

Best Agricultural Engineering Colleges in India – Scope, Eligibility & Opportunities based on 2022 – 23 Rankings and Reviews

Agricultural Engineering:

It’s a known fact that India has always been and will continue to be known as an Agriculture-based economy. Being the largest producer of food and agricultural commodities and second when it comes to farm produce – India has a rich history with Agriculture.

With almost 50% of the total workforce indulged in agricultural activities, India’s GDP is majorly aided by the sector. Right from the Vedic times and the Indus Valley agricultural era, India and farming have had a very intimate relationship.

Whenever you go on a train journey to another state, the route is often filled with endless farmlands. I’m sure you must have observed them. Agriculture is the bread and butter and a source of income not just for people from rural areas and villages, but also tier-2 cities.

The bottom line is that Agriculture is the most important sector in India that needs to be continually built upon to increase production while also keeping the farmers satisfied The latter is a disputable claim as farmer protests and suicides have multiplied in the past few years.

What’s the reason behind such unrest? It’s a combination of factors that include rising debts, destruction of crops due to natural calamities, lack of investments and most importantly, the use of outdated and low-quality techniques, methods, pesticides, and equipment.

In order to bring about a positive change, the Agricultural sector needs the help of experts who understand the science of production and processing.

Agricultural Engineering is all about. Let’s extrapolate…

What’s Agricultural Engineering?

Agricultural Engineering involves an in-depth study of essential agricultural procedures and ways to efficiently boost food production. Agriculture Engineering takes various important principles from other streams of engineering such as Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, and Chemical.

In India, Engineering colleges offer two variants of Agricultural Engineering, namely: Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.) and Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech.). Don’t get confused, both are similar in nature. We will be referring to the course as B.Tech. for the purpose of this article.

As a process, Agriculture is made up of different components and the engineering coursework aims at thoroughly familiarizing students with all the various aspects. Here are some of the things that are covered as part of the course:

Land profiling
Surveying
Groundwater Hydrology
Design, construction, and management of agricultural equipment and machinery
Efficient land and water use
Erosion control
Soil management and soil mechanics
Electrical systems, motors, and circuit analysis
Water conservation
Irrigation techniques
Atmospheric Science
Farm planning and ideal farm structures
Rural electrification
Farm drainage
Harvesting
Tractor systems
Fluid mechanics
Climatology
Seeding
Processing of the produce, Food Engineering
Livestock production and management
Renewable energy resources
Properties and strength of materials

Agriculture has evolved with time and the course offers the most modern approach to what is the most traditional occupation in the world.

B.Tech. in Agricultural Engineering covers all bases which will make you the complete agriculturalist.

B.Tech. In Agricultural Engineering Course Duration:

The B.Tech. In Agricultural Engineering course is 4 years long, with a total of 8 semesters.

Most candidates often take up a 3-year Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Agriculture instead of the Engineering alternative, when in reality, nothing can even come close to B.Tech.

Engineering is more technical and provides greater scope in terms of jobs and professional development.

B.Tech. In Agricultural Engineering Eligibility Criteria:

Candidate must have completed 10+2 from a recognized under the science stream with subjects Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics.
The minimum cut-off is 50%, however, candidates are advised to score as high as they can in 10+2 exams as there is a great demand for the course.
Clearing an entrance exam would also be mandatory to get admissions in most top institutes.
Some colleges conduct their own entrance aptitude test, while most accept the national level exam scores.
All India Entrance Examination for Admission (AIEEA), which was previously conducted by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), will now be administered by the National Testing Agency (NTA).
AIEEA is the most commonly accepted entrance exam for agriculture-related programmes. You can even appear for any of the exams conducted by the respective states.
Colleges who don’t need an entrance exam clearance, fill their seats via merit (10+2 scores).

B.Tech. In Agricultural Engineering Admission Procedure:

Make a list of colleges based on different factors such as:
- Fees that you can afford
- Favorable location
- A vibrant campus culture
- Placement opportunities
- College reputation and track record
- Experienced and well-qualified faculty
- Scope for industry exposure
- Extracurricular activities
Get hold of the applications forms of the colleges you wish to apply for. The forms can be collected from the college campus or can be downloaded from the official websites.
Along with the completed admission forms, candidates would need to submit their academic mark sheets, school leaving certificate, identity proof, and passport size photographs. Collect the same and submit them to the college before the deadline.
Colleges that require an entrance exam clearance will inform you about the cut-off and other relevant details.
Give the exam and wait for the results.
Once the results are out, colleges will put up merit lists based on the exam scores.
Pay the first year’s fees and confirm your admission if you make the merit list.

B.Tech. In Agricultural Engineering Syllabus and Course Structure:

The syllabus, as curated by the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), has been broken down semester-wise for your understanding below:

Semester I

Theory

Engineering Mechanics
Communication in English
Basic Electrical Engineering
Engineering Chemistry
Mathematics I
Engineering Physics I