| | 8 MAY 2024HIGHERReviewWith over 50 branches, engineering is one higher education stream that offers plethora of specialization options to the students. Out of these, aeronautical engineering which predominantly deals with study concerning the development of spacecraft and aircraft is one of the most unique engineering branches as it opens up new alleyways for lucrative job options, immense career development opportunities and the ability to work in both aeronautical and mechanical industries. India has more than 200 colleges offering BTech in aeronautical engineering and out of this, 90 percent are private players. Most of the aeronautical engineering programs cost between two to three lakhs but one can also find courses starting below one lakh as well. The rising accessibility of top-notch aeronautical engineering programs has increased the popularity of aeronautical studies in India as shown by the fact that every year nearly 8,000 to 10,000 aeronautical engineers pass out from engineering colleges. This number is also seeing a 4 to 6 percent increase ever year. Being one of the frontier streams in engineering education, aeronautical engineering evolves at a rapid pace. So, let's analyze some of the most notable changes that are shaping the aeronautical engineering space. The Importance of being Multidisciplinary Conventional engineering programs follow a process where the lecturer is the active agent delivering classes while the students become passive agents and thereby, the effectiveness of the teaching-learning process is significantly reduced. Following this traditional method leads to low motivation levels and little to no room for self-learning for students. This method of compartmentalized knowledge sharing doesn't fit well with aeronautical engineering as students will be under-skilled to solve the problems that they will face in real-world scenarios. To equip students with the needed aeronautical engineering skills required to thrive in the modern world, multidisciplinary education which emphasis on practical training is important. By widening the scope of aeronautical engineering, students can not only acquire knowledge on more areas but they will also be able to expand their horizons even more.Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology is a great example which further highlights the importance of multidisciplinary education in aeronautical engineering. Under the `School of Mechanical', Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology runs four core departments including Department of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Mechatronics Engineering, Department of Aeronautical Engineering and Department of Automobile Engineering. By running these programs side by side, the institute is promoting and encouraging multidisciplinary education which benefits teachers and students from all these four individual streams. By sharing knowledge and expertise with each other, students at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology is able to acquire and hone their skills on a multitude of engineering arenas. This multidisciplinary education not only allows the students of the institute to be better prepared for the industry but it also allows them to be more versatile as well. Sustainability and Research; the Need of the Hour Like in most other industries, sustainability and its growing importance has had a major impact on the aeronautical industry as well. One of the most significant leaps taken towards sustainability in the aviation segment is the introduction of sustainable fuels which will reduce the Co2 emissions by up to 80 percent when compared to conventional fossil fuels. One of the other impressive facets of sustainable aviation fuels is the fact that, in order to use these fuels, there is no need to drastically change the fueling systems as well as the engines of the aircrafts. Some of the other key areas that is impacted by sustainability in the aeronautics industry is the FOCAL POINT TRENDS RESHAPING AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING EDUCATION
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