[SunilNagpal]

Hey Sunil !
I have got 52nd rank in Gate biotech this year. I have applied for mtech in clinical engineering in IIT Madras. I request you to kindly give me an insight on the future prospects of this stream. It seems really interesting to me , but it would be a transition from Biotechnology to Biomedical engineering,which could be difficult. Also can you please give me some tips for preparation for the test and interview. I am really confused since this is an interdiscilinary courses and most of the branches are eligible for it. Will they ask a lot of maths and aptitude questions?

Also I want to know if your Btech performance plays a major role in the short-listing process. I feel really insecure about this since my undergrad performance has been just average.

Please please reply..I am really confused and your posts really help me.

Thanking you in advance
priyanka

Hello Priyanka,

Congrats for the brilliant performance! And kudos to your decision to pursue your interest and go for Clinical Engineering, when you could easily get offer/admission in any IIT of your choice.

Future prospects of Clinical Engineering are indeed bright (especially in Clinical Research Centres, Hospitals, Healthcare MNCs). In India (and ofcourse entire world), there has been a surge in attention towards healthcare diagnostics and high-end treatment, under such a state of art, Clinical Engineering does stand a field of good potential (both in terms of jobs and learning curve).

If you go for this course, then your first focus should be Khorana Program (applications start in October-November). Followed by that, at the end of the degree Stanford India Biodesign could be an ideal platform to launch your career in the right direction (obviously, that depends upon the kind of projects you pursue during the degree).

Companies that you can focus on after such a degree are: GE Healthcare, Wipro Biomedicals, L&T Biomedicals, Accenture, P&G, Agilent, Bioradar, ThermoScientific, Advinus etc.

Ideal hospitals would be AIIMS New Delhi(collaborated with Stanford India Biodesign), CMC, PGI Chandigarh, Lady Hardinge Medical College (all are institutional and are govt. hospitals, mostly). Private hospitals may also be targeted.

Opportunities abroad are innumerable!

Now the Hiccups:

1) Yes you will be shifting to Biomedical, which would be interdisciplinary (it's both exciting as well as challenging).
2) For written test, the syllabus remains focussed towards Mathematics, Physics and the basic engineering principles (taught in firs year of B.Tech degrees). You should have got the intimation of the syllabus by now. If not, then refer this:
(I have copied it from IITM website. It's the syllabus for written test:

Mathematics

Numbers, Logarithms, Complex numbers, Algebra, Trigonometry, Sequences and Series, Sets, Relations and Functions, Mathematical Induction, Linear and Quadratic equations, Cartesian System of Rectangular Coordinates, Straight lines, Circles, Conic Sections, Three Dimensional Geometry, Permutations and Combinations, Binomial Theorem, Probability, Statistics, Mathematical Logic, Boolean Algebra, Vectors, Matrices and Determinants, Limits and Continuity, Differentiation, Application of Derivatives, Definite and Indefinite Integrals, Differential Equations.

Physics
Physical World and Measurement, Kinematics, Laws of Motion, Motion of System of Particles and Rigid Body, Work, Energy and Power, Gravitation, Electricity, Magnetic Effects of Current and Magnetism, Electromagnetic Induction and Alternating Current, Electromagnetism, Waves, Optics, Oscillations, Dual Nature of Matter and Radiations, Thermodynamics.

Basic Engineering [First Year Undergraduate Level]
Basic electrical and electronic engineering, Solid mechanics, Strength of materials, Basic thermal sciences, Basic programming, Engineering drawing.

For Mathematics and Physics, you can rely on 11th and 12th level NCERT books or related books you referred to during your Senior Secondary Schooling.



Once you are done with the Written Test, you should be confident enough that you will make it to the seat in IITM (after written test, 70% weight-age is given to your GATE performance. And, I'm sure the interviewers would look more for your aptitude for the course than your current state of knowledge for the subject (at the end of the day, you are joining that course because of you interest in learning the same.)

Hope it helps

All the best!

Sunil