Best Answer:
The primary focus of
instrumentation
engineering is the
development and
implementation of
electrical and electronic
instruments for the
purpose of measuring,
monitoring, and
recording physical
phenomena. Among
many other types of
instruments,
instrumentation
engineers develop
seismic sensors, blood
glucose sensors, fire
detectors, and
amperemeters.
Instruments developed
by instrumentation
engineers include
analog, digital, and
mixed signal electronic
devices. Major users of
these instruments
include industries that
rely on automated
processes, such as
chemical and
manufacturing plants.
They depend on these
devices for safety, and
for improving
productivity and
reliability. A very large
field of work is also
offered in biomedical
engineering, and in
metrology (the
discipline that provides
devices for technical
measurements).
The scope of
instrumentation
engineering is vast, and
appears to be growing,
in part due to the
increased use of
automatic control in
manufacturing and
process plants. Growth
is also tied to the
development of more
accurate and more
robust sesnors, which
allow us to detect
phenomena of interest
(such as the presence of
minute levels of toxins
in food) with much
higher precision than
what we could do a
generation ago.
The Applied Electronics
and Instrumentation
curriculum in most
universities includes
courses on the design of
analog and digital
electronic devices used
for measurement and
control of parameters
such as flow, pressure,
temperature, and level,
and the calibration of
such instruments.
Students learn to
program
microcontrollers, and to
design and implement
communication
networks composed of
sensors, actuators, and
programmable logic
controllers (PLC). Since
instrumentation
engineering is closely
related to control
engineering, some
universities include
courses on signals,
systems, and control
theory.
The degree title
mentioned in the
question, Applied
Electronics and
Instrumentation, is most
popular in India.
Therefore, we decided
to look at what Indian
universities that offer
Applied Electronics and
Instrumentation
degrees say about the
career paths that
graduates are likely to
have.
Here is what the
Department of Applied
Electronics and
Instrumentation
Engineering at the
Silicon Institute of
Technology in
Bhubaneswar says
about career prospects
of its graduates:
The demand for Applied
Electronics is growing
rapidly and job
opportunities for
graduates are multi-
faceted. The graduates
can work as
Manufacturing
Engineers in [multi-
national corporations]
like Sony, LG, Samsung,
and Philips, as quality
controllers, research,
design & development
consultants,
entrepreneurs, and
teachers.
The Applied Electronics
and Instrumentation
Department at Manav
Rachna College of
Engineering also cites
rapid growth and the
diverse application of
the field:
The field of Applied
Electronics and
Instrumentation
Engineering is growing
at a very fast pace. Over
the past three decades
the field of
instrumentation has
seen an extremely
widespread application
in almost all discipline of
engineering e.g., mining
& metallurgy, robotics,
textile, rolling mills,
cranes & hoists, arc
furnaces, chemical
engineering, process
control, and static relays.
Source(s):
