What is Ceramic Engineering? Explained By Ceramic Engineer

Ceramic Engineering: Learn everything about Ceramic Engineering. I am a ceramic engineer from Anna University, India. A Lot of people wonder what is ceramic engineering & ceramic technology. What a ceramic engineer will do after finishing their degree? So In this post, I am going to explain, What is Ceramic engineering, Career / Jobs, Scope, Vacancy, Salary, Syllabus, Collage, Associations, Placements, Internship, projects, Books & explain everything about it. Whoever is chosen ceramic as a career through their studies, they are called as a ceramist. In my experience, whenever I say that I am a ceramic engineer, people will raise their eyebrows and ask what is about? Many people never heard about ceramic technology course.

CERAMIC ENGINEERING IS NOT only LEARNING ABOUT POTTERY & GRANITE. IT is MUCH MORE Than that. COURSE COVERS FROM TRADITIONAL CERAMICS TO TECHNICAL CERAMICS.

In this article, I am not going to write or explain chemical formula, chemical properties, physical properties, production process and uses of ceramic materials. Because these details are easily available. The best source will be Wikipedia. But in Wikipedia, you can’t find the non-technical information related to ceramic engineering. The non-technical part is that what you are going to do after completing ceramic engineering & what will be the scope of this study and everything. So now I am going to explain about opportunities available for ceramic engineering/Technology or diploma students, career growth, how to search for jobs in ceramic industry and other cool practice stuff not boring textbook stuff. I would love to clear any of your doubts about it if I missed anything leave a comment below in the comment section so that I know what I missed here and I will answer that question. Leave an introduction about yourself in the below comment section and if you have something to say, it will be good information for all. Ok. Now we will dive into the subject let us start with the first question. Here is the information you will find in this ceramic engineering post:

What is Ceramic Engineering

Ceramic engineering is a study about Inorganic, non-metallic materials. The study covers all types of Ceramic materials, Manufacturing Process, Properties, Uses and etc. In study you will learn all the theoretical part of ceramic processing. You will know ceramic is not only used in basic application and it has advance properties that are being used in extraordinary application like nuclear reactors, Main parts of the rocket and much more application you never heard of. Ceramic engineering study has different degrees just like all other subjects. There is a certificate course which gives a basic knowledge about ceramic materials. And then a diploma course which will be study time of 2 to 3 years. And then there come the 4 years bachelor degree engineering for ceramics. And then as you know master degree and PhD. The more you study the more you learn about the ceramic materials in depth. You have to choose the level of study according to your career plan. For working in ceramic manufacturing plant I belive a diploma or a bachelor degree is enough to cover the technical aspect of the production process and technical aspects. Normally production industries don’t prefer master degree or PHD people for production jobs. Some companies may hire for R&D purpose. If you are going for an advanced research job you must have to go of master degree in ceramics or PhD level. So decide your career you want to proceed and move your study level according to that.

Scope

Ceramic Engineering is a narrow subject so that the scope of the study is limited. There are advantage and disadvantage of this. Even though the scope is very narrow, you be a specialized person in this sector and treated a perfect professional for this job. But still, the scope is limited. You will able to get a job in limited sectors only not like a mechanical engineer or electrical engineer. As a ceramic engineer after 12 years, you may find yourself in top of the organization sector which is not so possible in other industries.

Below is a list what some of my classmates, seniors & juniors doing from my ceramic engineering college?

1. Me working in a sanitaryware production line.
2. My friend working in the sanitary ware lab and R& D.
3. Some of our senior working in a tiles production line.
4. One of our classmates working on Glass production line.
5. Tech senior joined as a lecturer in a ceramic collage.
6. 4 of our classmates, some juniors & seniors joined in steel authority of India (SAIL).
7. Some have gone for government jobs like the postal department.
8. Few of them have gone abroad and joined MS in informational technology.
9. Some have joined MBA & then gone for the job.
10. Some seniors are working on a refractory production line.
11. One of my classmates joined as a research scholar in abroad.
12. A junior from Ceramic technology joined as an engineer on the Fiber production line.
13. One of my M.Tech senior also works in Sanitaryware production line.
14. Some seniors started small manufacturing units to supply Raw materials, equipment and machinery to ceramic factories.
15. One of our juniors joined in the clay processing unit.
16. Some have joined in IT field.

As you can see, the same as other courses, ceramic also have a wide opportunity in many areas.

What is after ceramic engineering?

Possibilities are limitless, as you have seen above what my friends are doing after done their ceramic engineering course. Whether you can join higher studies or You can get a job. If you didn’t get a job through campus selection then you will get some time between your studies and getting selected for a company. If you have decided that you are going for a job after you completing the degree then prepare yourself for job hunting. Job hunting is not easy for a ceramic engineer as far as I know. Because A computer science Engineer can get a job in any small companies but a ceramic engineer can get a job only in a big industry or a research organization. Approaching a big organization is kind of difficult and reaching key decision making person can’t be easy either. So prepare yourself for job hunting, find key contacts, reach them to find a job for you.

Ceramic engineering scope Comparision:

Here we will compare ceramic engineering career with other engineering person career. After finishing ceramic engineering from my experience I feel these points are to be considered before choosing a ceramic engineering career. Here I have compared a computer science engineer career with ceramic engineer career.

1) Job opening: ceramic engineering Job openings are less compared to other departments. But the competition is also very less. For example, if an IT company announces 100 jobs or fresher a minimum of 2000 fresher’s will apply for that opening, in some case more than that. So the competition ratio will be 1:20. But a ceramic company announce for an opening of 5 positions then they will receive a maximum of 10 or 20 applications. Some cases the numbers will be very less. Even though many other degree holders from other specialization apply for that job but the ceramic engineer will be very less or sometimes nil. Once I have attended an interview for a production engineer position. That is a foreign company and they are looking for 5 years experienced person for that job. But I had only 1 and a half years of the interview. But I am the only person who attended the interview with a ceramic degree so I got selected. So competition is very less but finding that a small number of job opening is the key.

2) Job Location: Finding a job at a particular location will be a dream. And maximum Industries are located at the outer side of the main city. Compared to other specialization get placed where you want to be placed is very much difficult. For example, a computer science engineer can find a job at a city location because Information Technology office is normally located in the city. And many companies will be located in the same place. So finding a job at city near to home it not so difficult for computer engineers. A computer engineer can find a minimum of 10 companies for him around 60 Kms from his home. Sometimes even more than 100 companies if he stays in cities. But for ceramic engineer life, it is not that much simple. Find a job around 200 Kms itself difficult. A very limited number of companies available and nearly all companies will be a well outer side of the cities. Even if there is a company probability of available vacancy will be very less. For example, I have studied in Chennai, 3 ceramic companies are available near Chennai. But there is no vacancy for me when I finishing my college, I got a job in Hyderabad which is more than 600 Kms from my home town. So leave this ceramic engineering course if you want to stay near to home.

3) Job Position: Once you finish ceramic engineering course and if you join any industry you will be offered a decent position. That means you will not be in the bottom of organization structure. To explain even more though you are a fresher you will be looking after some number of employees and some of the people will report to you. So your work will be managing and problem-solving. But a computer science engineer will not be getting this level in origination structure. He will be the one who is doing the work and he will not be getting anyone to report to him. So ceramic engineer will get a better position when compared to other specialization.

4) Career Growth: A ceramic engineer can reach a Plant Manager (General Manager) position in 12 to 15 years of experience. Plant manager position is a top-level position in any industry. But for computer science engineer will reach his career-best position (General Manager) at 25 to 30 years of experience. So reaching top-level potion in the industry is much easier for ceramic engineering person that a computer science engineer.

5) Living at one location: No, not at all possible for a ceramic engineer. Compared to computer science engineer living at one location and changing job is not possible for a ceramic engineer. Because as I explained before ceramic industries are not located near to each other. And for career growth and other personal reason staying at one company is not possible. So a big No, No for living at one location.

Career & Jobs

What Opportunity you can get after finishing ceramic engineering. Ceramic Engineers normally will get a job in ceramic production line and ceramic research & development labs. Now I want to clear some of the doubt normally arises for ceramic students.

What are the companies that are recruiting ceramic engineers?

All sanitary ware, tiles, refractory, glass, fibre, insulators, cement, metallurgical & other ceramic related manufacturing industries would love to recruit a ceramic student.

How much difficult is for a ceramic student to get a job?

Normally approaching a manufacturing industry is very difficult when you are a fresher. But once you get experience, then it is easy for you to change companies. And still many ceramic industries are managed by mechanical and chemical students. So when you compete with them in an interview ceramic student will be preferred.

What will be the minimum and maximum salary for a ceramic engineer?

Fresher from ceramic engineering college will get a minimum of 5000 Dollars per annum. It depends on which collages from you are graduating and the company you are getting offers. Metallurgy, Glass, refractory and advance ceramic companies will offer more pay than sanitaryware, tiles, cement & other ceramic manufacturers.

Which field is best for ceramic professional as per career growth?

Different Fields in ceramic industries offer different career growth. As per our experience, we feel that carrier growth, according to the order mentioned below,

1. Research & Advance ceramics.
2. Metallurgy.
3. Glass.
4. Refractory.
5. Sanitary ware.
6. Tableware.
7. Tiles & Cement.

This above order may vary according to the company, Location & position which you are employed, For example, an engineer from an MNC glass industry may get higher salary than an engineer in the small metallurgy company. And above list is limited core ceramic industry. They are many companies offers a job to a ceramic professional. All the companies that are related to the core industry require ceramic professionals. Sometimes these companies pay more than the core industry because of the specialized skill required. Changing from one field to another field within the ceramic line is not advisable and it is impossible after a period of experience.

What other skills are those required for ceramic professionals to be competitive? We suggest developing some extra skills through extra courses to be competitive in the industry. Those are lean management (Six Sigma), excellent computer operating knowledge like making a technical drawing, Powerpoint presentation & drawing a flow chart. Learning software like MS Office, Photoshop, Basic auto cad & MS Visio is recommended. Taking an Industrial safety course for the industry is another helpfull to be competitive in the industry. Every day new technologies are developed so keeping in touch with the latest technology in the field is very important.

Is it difficult for a ceramic fresher to get a job?

I say no. Why? Because when we look at how many numbers of ceramic manufacturing (Cement, Glass, sanitaryware, Tiles, Insulator, Refractory, metallurgical & other) in the world. It would be more than 10,000. A ceramic manufacturing company requires a minimum of 10 ceramic professionals. But some of the large companies require more than 40 ceramic professionals from diploma level to PhD level. so if we take a minimum of 10 people per industry, then around 1,00,000 jobs are available and every year a minimum of 2500 jobs is being created for ceramic professionals. But every year not more than 2000 ceramic professionals come out of college. And not all students for ceramic industry always chose careers in the ceramic industry, nearly more than half of the ceramic professional looks jobs outside of the ceramic industry. That is why getting a job for a ceramic fresher is not so difficult. But normally job in industries are more like to be filled with referrals. So contacts, play a major role in job finding in the industry.

Job searching tips

Searching a job is a really difficult task when you have no contact within the industry. In industries, 70% of jobs are filled through contacts only. So when you want job in industry you need to watch out very closely to get a job. Once you get an experience you can build up contacts. Then it is easy for you to search and change your company. I have listed below some of the tips on how a ceramic engineering student can find a job in the industry. It is not limited only to ceramic engineering students it also for ceramic diploma student.

Do project in industries not in a research laboratory or college laboratory:

If you want a job in the production industry then do your final year ceramic engineering students should do their project in industry. When doing the project you have to explore job opportunity in that same company. Talk to the plant manager or production manager of that company. Request a job for you. In industry Plant manager or production manager has full power to give you a job. Even there is no opportunity at that moment they have the power to create a job for you. So when you doing a project impress them with your talent. Solve one of the biggest issues in production. It will help you to land a job in that company. Normally the biggest issue will be rejection or defects and utilization of full production capacity. When you enter an industry, observe the list of issues and try to find a solution for some of the issues. Then make a PPT and submit to GM or production manager. Trust me this method works because I got an offer. But playing in the industry will never help you to get a job.

Search Jobs in Social Media:
You need to concentrate on three social Medias other than job portals.

1. Facebook: Join Groups related to the ceramic industry. Search keywords like a ceramic engineer, glass, Sanitaryware and etc.. Many groups are created by industrial people sometimes they will share job opportunity. And employees also create groups for their company. Search company name and look for groups and post you profile in that group.
2. Twitter: User search box on twitter. An example search key WordPress are ceramic engineering jobs, ceramic jobs, glass jobs, sanitaryware jobs & etc.
3. LinkedIn: A social networking site for working professionals. Join groups related to ceramic and join in the conversation.

Social media will help you to get more contacts which will lead to a job opportunity. Other Job finding tips:

Write an article related to ceramic industry and link to your social media page or leave your email id. I get a lot of contacts through this website. If you want to submit an article related to the ceramic industry in this website or Want some idea about which topic you can write article or Want to start a new website on your own then you can contact me. I can help you to publish article on this website or start a new website for your own. Mail me at vm3567 @ gmail. com.

Create a Google alert for keywords like “ceramic engineer jobs”, “Ceramic engineer vacancy“ and other words related to ceramic engineer jobs. Same like this you can create many keyword alerts. Other example keywords are “glass company jobs”, “sanitaryware vacancy”, “sanitaryware jobs” & etc…

Salary

As we already discussed the salary of the ceramic engineer may vary based on many factors. We have listed out some of the major factors which will decide your salary.

• The college you have studied.

• The field you chose in ceramics. (We have discussed the fields in the previous chapter) • Years of experience you have.

• Your communication.

• Your technical knowledge in that area you looking for a job.

• Your Negotiation skill.

• The location of your company & policy of the company.

• The position which you are going to join.

• Your day to day Responsibilities.

• The tax imposed by the government.

• The competition for your post your applying.

• The country you going to work.

• Last but not least your luck.

As rough Calculation, we can say a fresher in the ceramic field can get around 5000 Dollars per annum. Again this is a rough calculation based on the factor I know. But I know there are some people who got a hooping 9000 Dollars per annum. So to get a high starting salary you need to set a goal and work accordingly. You have to target a sector which you want to work and grow skills in that sector. Try to do make connections with the people in that industrial sector. There are many ways to make connections with this person the best way is going through your college’s seniors. Try to do and implant training/ Internship. So that you know the process in that particular industry and when you go for an interview you can give answers to satisfy the interviewer.

For an Experienced person, the salary mainly depends upon the sector and the experience in that industry. As we have seen in the scope and career section after 10- 15 years when you find a top-level position in the organization structure you may get 25,000 $ – 40,000 $ per Annum. These salary figures are given as per Indian Companies. India will not have so much tax deductions like USA and etc;

Syllabus:

The Ceramic Engineering Syllabus covers all-ceramic materials like glass, sanitaryware, tiles, refractory, insulators, advance ceramics and etc. You will study the production process, properties and uses of these materials. The depth of the syllabus level will vary according to the level of studies you choose like a diploma, Bachelor degree, Master degree and PhD.

The ceramic Course is available from Diploma to PhD. Below the table that represents list of the subjects that are covered in the ceramic course and the objectives of those courses. Even though we tried to cover all the subjects, but some colleges may offer different electives and subjects.

Subject	objective
Glass	This subject Explains about Glass manufacturing process, types of glass, Furnace used in glass and technologies related to glass manufacturing industries.
Material science	This subject explains about characterization, structure , phase diagrams & phase transformation of solid materials.
White ware	Triaxial bodies, the Production process of white wares, causes of defects in production, uses, kiln used and technologies related to white ware industries.
Refractories	Raw materials, compositions, preparation of refractories, properties & Classification of refractories.
Ceramic raw materials & properties:	In-depth details about ceramic raw materials, properties of ceramic raw materials, use of various ceramic raw materials.
Glaze Technology	Explains about Raw materials for glaze, preparation, testings & application method for the glaze.
Advance ceramics	Introduction of advance ceramics. properties and applications of nitrides, oxides, carbides.
Bio Ceramics	Introduction to chemistry & mechanical properties of bio ceramics. preparation & uses of bio ceramic materials.
Kiln & furnaces	Technologies in kiln & furnace, types of kiln & furnace, burners, flames & furnace & kilns designs and pyrometry.
Phase Equilibrium	Introduction to phase equilibrium, thermodynamics, theories, diagrams & transformations.
Fibres & Composites	Introduction to fibre & composite materials. Production Process and other details related to fibres & composites.
Abrasives	Introduction to abrasives, types, uses and production techniques,
Electronic Ceramics	Introduction, Raw materials, steps involved in production, types and applications of electronic ceramics.
Traditional Ceramics	Overview of tradition ceramics, history, raw materials, production and applications.
Ceramic Testing Methods	Introduction to ceramic raw materials testing, equipment required, formulas to calculate and procedures.

Colleges:

Not many colleges offer ceramic engineering on their campus. Only limit numbers of colleges offering ceramic engineering courses. Below is a list of colleges that are offering courses related to the ceramic field.

Engineering Colleges/ Universities:

Below is the list of colleges offering Bachelor degree, Master degree and PhD in Ceramic specialization.

S. No	Name of the Colleges/ Universities	Courses Offered	City
1.	Anna University	B. Tech, B.E, M. Tech in Ceramic Technology	Chennai
2.	Rajasthan Technical University	B.Tech in Ceramic Technology	Rajasthan
3.	Government College of Engineering and Technology, India	B.Tech in Ceramic technology	Rajasthan
4.	Indian Institute of Technology (IIT (BHU))	M. Tech, B. Tech in Ceramic Engineering and Technology	Uttar Pradesh
5.	National Institute of Technology (NITRKL)	B.E, B. Tech & M. Tech in Ceramic Engineering & Ceramic Technology	Rourkela
6.	Govt. College of Engineering and Technology	B. Tech in Ceramic Engineering	Rajasthan
7.	Andhra University (AU) College of Engineering	B. Tech in Ceramic Technology	Vishakapatnam
8.	HKE Society’s PDA College of Engineering	B.E in Ceramic and Cement Technology	Karnataka
9.	Government College of Engineering and Ceramic Technology	B. Tech in Ceramic Technology	Kolkatta
10.	Imperial College	B.S in Ceramic Technology	–
11.	Missouri University of Science and Technology	B.S in Ceramic Technology	Rola
12.	Alfred University, Inamori School of Engineering	B.S in Ceramic Technology	New York
13.	Banaras Hindu University- BHU	B.E in Ceramic Technology	Uttar Pradesh
14.	A.K.S University	B. Tech in Ceramic Technology	Madhya Pradesh
15.	Jalpaiguri Government Engineering College	B. Tech in Ceramic Technology	West Bengal
16.	West Bengal University of Technology- WBUT	B .Tech in Ceramic technology	West Bengal
17.	Mewar University	M. Tech in Ceramic Technology	Rajasthan
18.	Banaras Hindu University- BHU	B.E in Ceramic Technology	Varnasi
19.	University of Calcutta	B. Tech in Ceramic Technology	Kolkata

Diploma Colleges

Below is the list of colleges offering Diploma in Ceramic specialization.

S.No	Name of the Colleges	Courses Offered	City
1.	R.N Shetty Rural Polytechnic	Dip in Ceramic Technology	Karnataka
2.	Indian Institute of Ceramics	Dip in Ceramic Technology	West Bengal
3.	Government Polytechnic Jhajjar	Dip in Ceramic Technology	Haryana
4.	Gujarat Technological University	Dip in Ceramic Technology	Ahemedabad
5.	Lakhdhirji Engineering Colege	Dip in Ceramic Technology	Gujarat
6.	Sri Jayachamarajendra Government Polytechnic	Dip in Ceramic Technology	Bangalore
7.	Lukhdhirji Engineering College- Polytechnic	Dip in Ceramic Technology	Gujarat
8.	Utkalmani Gopabandhu Institute of Engineering	Dip in Ceramic Technology	Orissa
9.	Seth Ganga Sagar Jatia polytechnic	Dip in Glass and Ceramic Engg	Uttar Pradesh

Books for ceramic engineering

Normally for ceramic students, there won’t be a separate textbook for the course. As per syllabus Students needs to refer books. So below we have listed that are helpful for ceramic students.

S.No	Name of the Book	Author Name	Year of Published
1.	Total Quality Management – A Practical approach	H.Lal	1990
2.	Colourants and Auxiliaries: Volume I Colorants	Shore J	2002
3.	Fine Ceramics: Technology and Applications	Norton F.H	1978
4.	Introduction to Ceramics	Kingery W.D, Bowen H.K and Uhlmann D.R	1991
5.	Electroceramics	Moulson A.J and Herbert H. M	1990
6.	The Chemistry of Ceramics	Hiraoki Yanagida	1996
7.	Thermal Engineering	Khurmi R.S., and Gupta J.K	2001
8.	Ceramic Raw Materials	Worrall W.E	1992
9.	Materials and Processes	Paul De Garmo E, Black J.J and Ronald A.Kohser	1997
10.	Elements of Ceramics –Vol II	D.Ganguli, S.Kumar	1984
11.	Quality Control Handbook	Juran J.M and Gryna F.M	1988
12.	Ceramic Glazes	Kenneth Shaw	1971
13.	Ceramic Whitewares: Production, Testing and Quality Control	Sudhir Sen	1987
14.	Ceramics Glaze Technology	Tailor J.R and Bull A.C	1986
15.	Introduction to Glass Science & Technology	James E.Shelby	1997
16.	Handbook of Ceramic Glasses & Diamonds	A. Charles A Harper	2001
17.	Handbook of Refractories	D.N.Nandi	1991
18.	Modern Ceramic Engineering	David W. Richerson	2005
19.	Introduction to the Principles of Ceramic Processing	Reed J.S	1988
20.	Ceramic Processing	Mohamed N.Rahaman	2007
21.	Biomaterials: An Interfacial Approach	Hench L.L and Ethridge E.C	1982
22.	Melting Furnace Operation in the Glass Industry	Alexis G.Pincus	1980
23.	Perry’s Chemical Engineers’ Handbook	Perry R.H and Green D	1984
24.	Ceramic Processing	Terpstra	1995
25.	Handbook of Glass Manufacture	Tooley F.V	1960

There are some ways you can download this ceramic from the internet for your references. Now I am going to explain one way how you can download this above majority of books from a single site. The website is bookzz.org. This website will have a maximum of all ceramic books and research papers submitted about ceramic materials. Actually this site is not only for ceramic books but also have all books that are digitally available. The reason I recommend this site is that this is the only site which has a maximum number of ceramic books downloads and research papers download for free and also this site will not have too many ads and also allow easily download the books with not much navigation. Download these books for only references purpose and if you actually want to use that book buy it legally and support the author.

Associations for Ceramic professionals:

There are a lot of associations for ceramic professionals some are for general ceramic associations, And some associations very specify to the particular field inside ceramic-like glass ceramics, advanced ceramics and etc. Some associations operate internationally, some are regions Specific associations like Asian Ceramic Associations, American Ceramic Associations and etc;

S.No	Association Name	Country
1.	The American Ceramic Society (ACerS)	USA
2.	The Ceramic Society of Japan	Japan
3.	Association of Ceramic Society (AEucc)	Italy, France, Romania, Spain.
4.	National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA)	USA
5.	The Chinese Ceramic Society	China
6.	German Ceramic Society,	Germany
7.	Treffpunkt Keramik, Ceramics Applications,	Germany
8.	The British Ceramic Confederation,	UK
9.	The Australian ceramic Association	Australia
10.	Ceramics Researchers Association of Nigeria (CeRAN),	Nigeria
11.	International Ceramic Federation (ICF),	Germany
12.	National Institute of Ceramic Engineers	India
13.	The Oriental Ceramic Society,	London
14.	Indian Ceramic Society	India
15.	The Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE)	USA

Conclusion:

Even though we try to cover everything related to ceramic engineering but cant covered in a single post because it is a very vast subject. If you have any doubt regarding ceramic engineering, career, job then comment below. we will answer it which will improve the article much more. If you are a ceramic engineer or ceramic professional please leave an introduction about yourself in below comment section.