Production and Industrial Engineering is an amalgamation of manufacturing technology with management science. In industry, P&I engineers deal with integrated design and efficient planning of the entire manufacturing system. They are the people in charge of the different processes which require transforming raw materials into manufactured products. The topics covered in this discipline radically transform the thought process of the students and are applicable everywhere, irrespective of the line of work. The curriculum is not tiresome and gives the students ample time to work on themselves and their projects. Moreover, students are taught in detail the relatively new concepts such as Lean Management, Six-sigma, TQM etc. which are used in industries globally. As far as the scope of this discipline in is concerned, it is limitless. One can choose a career in operations, manufacturing, design, R&D etc. For those who have MBA as an option later in their career, P&I could prove to be extremely useful. The placements in IITR, however, are not extraordinary (with exceptions). For someone looking for an overnight jackpot, this may disappoint you. Other than that, P&I students are at par with their mechanical and chemical counterparts in terms of the number of openings and the packages offered. For those who wish to pursue a core-oriented career, the placement opportunities in IITR are few and not lucrative enough at the moment. However, that is changing and with time it will improve. Research opportunities in this field are aplenty and there is tremendous scope for the same with studies being conducted amongst the best institutions across the globe. - Sameer Rastogi

Ford, Tata Steel Ltd., Exonmobil.