Earthquake Engineering is the scientific field dealing with protection of society, the natural and human-made atmosphere from earthquakes by reducing the seismic risk to socio-economically acceptable levels. Traditionally, earthquake engineering has been defined as geo-structures and structures subject to seismic loading thereby considered as a subset of geotechnical and structural engineering.

However, with the tremendous effects of the recent earthquakes, the scope of earthquake engineering has widened to encompass disciplines from the wider field of civil engineering and from the social science, particularly, finance, economics, political science and sociology. With the increasing incidence of earthquakes these days in different parts of the nation, the need for earthquake engineers is increasing and therefore many students with to take up M. Tech in earthquake engineering as their degree course. However, the number of institutions offering this course in India is comparatively lesser than other engineering branches like civil engineering and mechanical engineering. The names of the few government colleges offering this course in India are given below:

• National Institute of Technology, Silchar

• Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee

Eligibility requirements:

For seeking admission to the Master of Technology in Earthquake engineering course, candidates must have completed their Bachelor of Technology, Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Engineering in appropriate discipline.

Admission procedure:

Admission of students to the Master of Technology in Earthquake engineering course is normally done based on the GATE score secured by the candidates. Even UGC and CSIR scores are taken into consideration for selection of appropriate candidates for the course.

Career Prospects for earthquake engineering professionals:

The life of an earthquake engineer is always busy researching data and gathering information from varied locations and sources and finding solutions for making structures that are earthquake resistant. In addition to gathering information and researching, they should also travel to places for gathering information from local bodies. These professionals can find job opportunities with research and development organizations engaged in the researches on earthquake. They can work with private and government agencies engaged in the construction of space stations, bridges, ports, highways, railways and buildings. When it comes to academics, they can find job placements as researchers, professors and lecturers and their services are also required by NGOs working for environment and earthquake related issues.

Pay package for earthquake engineers:

Earthquake engineers are respected professionals and they play an integral part of society. An engineer in this profession can earn between Rs.25000 to Rs.30000 in the beginning of their career. Various other facilities like medical care, DA, TA and HRA are also offered to these professionals. However, there is no limit and pay scale can increase as they gain experience.