Diploma in Marine Engineering Course- Benefits, Eligibility and Admission Process

DME, popularly known as Diploma in Marine Engineering, is a pre-sea training course of two years that produces well-qualified, trained, and competent individuals to deal with global merchant ships. The course focuses on several technical aspects and covers the essential key topics of marine engineering, including marine machinery, naval architecture, ship construction, automation and control, maintenance of hip propulsion plant, to mention a few. As a result, the students imbibe in themselves the required academic knowledge and skills to effectively cope with the national and International Maritime Industry. The students interested in pursuing a professional career at sea must ensure they possess minimum eligibility requirements such as class XIIth certificate, normal hearing & eyesight, and even some soft skills.

Moreover, students can get admission into the reputed institutions after clearing the entrance like VITEEE, BIT SAT, IMU CET, to name a few. The average DME course fee ranges from 50k to 3lacs. After completing the course, students can be Second Marine Engineer, marine surveyor, Port Manager, Chief Marine Engineer, and many more. The students who graduate with Diploma in Marine Engineering course can earn considerable salary packages.

What is Diploma in marine engineering Program?

Diploma in Marine Engineering is a 2-year diploma level engineering at sea course that is designed to build energetic and competent marine engineers who can deal with the operation and maintenance of merchant ships. The course focuses on providing technical knowledge and skills of maritime engineering to the students. And the course entails several vital topics, including communication skills, ship construction, safety technology, naval architecture, marine machinery, ship design, automation and control, marine electrical, to name a few. It helps the expected marine engineers to develop the acumen to understand every essential technical aspect of marine engineering. It also develops skills in dealing with issues that arise during sea operations. 

Students wishing to pursue a career as a marine engineer can apply for the DME course after completing their intermediate or class XIIth examination. The course requires some basic skills related to the maritime industry from the candidates. Moreover, the course will help students achieve their desired engineering goals at sea. Students can be Chief Engineers on completing every module of marine engineering.  

Diploma in marine engineering eligibility

A diploma in Marine Engineering is one of the gateways to making a career in the merchant navy field. The course teaches students various technical aspects of marine engineering and also provides hands-on experiences until it is completed. To enroll in the course, the aspirants should have completed their class 12th and are inspired to make a career in marine engineering. It is a 1-3-year diploma program that requires some essential requirements from the students. Among them are listed below-

Minimum Qualification: Students should have completed their class XIIth with Mathematics, Chemistry, and Physics as the compulsory subjects from a recognized board. In intermediate certificate, they have obtained at least 55% aggregate marks. Moreover, aspirants are also required to hold a minimum of 50% marks in English in the 10th or 12th examination.

Apart from the above-mentioned minimum qualification, candidates can also pursue the DME course if they meet the following qualification requirements.

(a) Students holding any diploma degree from Naval Architecture/Mechanical/Marine/Electrical/(EEE) Electric & Electronics Engineering with at least 50-60% marks in Final Year can pursue the DME course. Also, they must have been rewarded 50% marks in English in the 10th or 12th examination.

(b) Passed Diploma in Ship Building Engineering from an AICTE or UGC approved college with minimum marks of 50% in the year (Final 4 year Course) and minimum 50% marks in English at 10th or 12th or Diploma Exam.

Age Limit: Aspirants must be under 28 years of age when the course starts

Fitness Certificate: Participants must be physically fit and capable of taking up seafaring. They have to provide a medical fitness certificate to the authority.

EyeSight & Hearing: The candidate must not suffer from colour or night blindness; otherwise, they will be barred from pursuing the course. They have to qualify for a full eyesight test conducted by the DG Shipping approved medical doctor before being selected for the course. More so, they must possess normal hearing & eyesight.

Popular Entrance Exams for DME Programme

The universities and institutions conduct several entrance exams to select aspiring students to study the course. The students must understand that institutes approved by DG Shipping Govt. of India only conduct all the maritime entrance exams. So, students excited to make a career in the merchant navy field must clear entrance exams of the reputed colleges/universities. Some popular entrance exams in India that are conducted to provide admission to Diploma in Marine engineering course are listed down-

Indian Maritime University Common Entrance Test (IMU CET):- Indian Maritime University Common Entrance Test is an entrance taken to offer a seat in various maritime courses. The registration will be started in the month of April 2022. The aspirants who have completed their intermediate examination and are interested in pursuing a career in marine engineering can appear in this entrance test.

Birla Institute of Technology and Science Admission Test (BIT SAT):- BITSAT is one of the popular entrance exams conducted every year to allocate seats into the Diploma in Marine Engineering, Bachelor of Pharm., and MSc programs. The registration for the various undergraduate programs will start from the 3rd week of February if Covid will be in control.

Vellore Institute of Technology Engineering Entrance Examination (VITEEE)- Vellore Institute of Technology Engineering Entrance Examination is the gateway to provide entry into various Vellore Institute Technology colleges, including VIT Chennai, VIT Bhopal, VIT Vellore, and VIT Andhra Pradesh. The exam paper questions are based on the syllabus of class XIIth Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics and encompassed English and Aptitude for Diploma in Marine Engineering program. The questions mostly asked in the entrance exam are NCERT based questions.

Diploma in Marine Engineering Admission Process

Admission to the DME course depends on the institute’s procedures of entry. The admission process differs from university to university. Therefore, the students have two choices of admission either they can be admitted to the colleges by qualifying for the entrance exams or through the academic performance in their intermediate examination. Aspirants seeking access to reputed colleges have to clear the respective entrance exams. In India, there are several universities that offer access to the course based on the valid rank or score in the entrance exams. Some popular entrance exams are BIT SAT, VITEEE, IMU CET, KEAM, and several others.

Syllabus of Diploma Marine Engineering Course

It is a 2-year diploma course that provides a gateway to obtain a handsome job in the merchant navy areas. So, to make a path for their better prospects, the colleges and universities brought Diploma marine Engineering courses and included many important subjects that could help the students grab the rewarding job. Since it is a two-year course, it has been divided into small modules to properly let the students imbibe the essential aspects of marine engineering. Some of the important topics and subjects taught in the course frame are listed below:

Particulars of Diploma in Marine Engineering-

Benefits of Pursuing Diploma in Marine Engineering

The DME course helps students to avail themselves of several benefits in different Indian & foreign shipping companies. Some of them are-

(a) The students can get a top-notch job in different departments of the maritime companies.

(b) The course works upon the holistic development of the students to meet the demand of the global maritime industry, ashore and afloat.

(c) The students are well trained, qualified, and equipped with the essential academic knowledge, skills, and talents to efficiently work in the marine industry.  

(d) The course also makes a strong foundation for further studies such as M.Sc., M.Phil., and even for Ph.D.

Diploma in Marine Engineering Fees

In India, there are numerous universities or colleges that allocate seats to the students to study the Diploma in Marine Engineering program. Some of them are concerned with providing entry through academic performance in the intermediate examination. But, most of the renowned colleges offer admission to the students through an entrance-based method. Since every university/college has set up different criteria to provide access to the Diploma in the marine engineering program, they will definitely have different fee structures for the course. Several other factors are also considered on the fees being applied to the programme. Some of them are the infrastructure of the institutions, location of the institutions, faculty provided by the universities/colleges, to mention a few. So, the candidates will pay the fee for the course according to the demand of the respective colleges. Although, the average fees structure of the DME course ranges from Rs. 50k to 3Lacs for the entire course.

Diploma Marine Engineering Jobs and Career Prospects 

Several top-notch jobs are available for the students who have graduated with Diploma in Marine engineering. Also, the demand for well-trained, qualified, and talented graduates are increasing every day in the global maritime industry. The proficient students complete the requirement of human resources in safely operating and maintaining the merchant ships. More so, the course opens the door to go in both govt. and private enterprises such as Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), Shipping Companies, Design firms, Engine Production Firms, Turbo Mot India Pvt. Ltd., to name a few. They are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to deal with the science behind marine engineering under the course Diploma in Marine Engineering program. Moreover, the participants will be responsible for several roles in the propulsion design & future developments, ship design principles, operations and maintenance, oil platforms, shipyards, and many more. Some of the jobs for the graduates are:

(a) Chief Marine Engineer

(b) Marine Surveyor

(c) Second Marine Engineer

(d) Ship Manager

(f) Port Manager

(g) Ship Operator

(h) O.I.C. of an Engineering Watch

(i) Technical Superintendent

(j) Maritime Educator

Besides, there are top-notch organizations that offer the most acceptable job profiles to the Diploma in Marine Engineering degree holders. Some of the recruiting companies are as-

(a) Colleges & Universities

(b) Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI)

(c) Worley Parsons – Chennai

(d) GE Shipping Co. Limited

(e) American Cruise Lines

(f) Turbo Mot India Pvt. Ltd. – Mumbai

(g) TMC Shipping

(h) Global Maritech – Bokaro Steel City

(i) GMMCO Limited

(j) Coastal Marine Construction Engineering Limited – Mumbai

Salary of Diploma Marine Engineering Graduates

Life as a marine engineer can be an exciting experience for students attracted by the journey of Sea and Ocean. Although marine engineers stay away from their parents and children for an extended time, the opportunity to experience the beauty of the Ocean and the world and earn money isn’t to be missed. After achieving a Marine Engineering Degree, the door to employment in local companies and international corporations will be opened, and participants will receive attractive pay packages. Well, the pay structures will not be identical for all job profiles as it differs from company to company, from country to country, and even the qualifications.

Furthermore, the pay structure is also influenced by seniority, import and export requirements, and much more. However, the starting pay for a Diploma in Marine Engineer graduate is the equivalent of Rs. 3 to 6 lakhs per year. The expertise of the participants is more valuable in the marine industry.

DME Colleges in India 

(a) Central Polytechnic College, Chennai

(b) Parul University, Vadodara, Gujarat

(c) Anglo Eastern Maritime Academy, Raigad

(d) Tolani Maritime Institute- TMI, Talegaon Dabhade, Pune

(e) Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Institute of Technology, Port Blair

(f) Indian Maritime University, Chennai- Mumbai Campus MERI, Mumbai

Diploma in Marine Engineering Colleges in Chennai, Tamil Nadu

(a) Central Polytechnic College, Tharamani

(b) St Mariam Polytechnic College, Tirunelveli

(c) GKM College of Engineering and Technology, Chennai

(d) Vels University Chennai – Vel’s Institute of Science Technology and Advanced Studies

(e) School of Maritime Studies, Vel’s Institute of Science Technology and Advanced Studies, Chennai

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