Soil & Water Conservation Engineering Syllabus 2025: Check Semester-wise Subjects & Syllabus

Soil and Water Conservation Engineering is a popular course offered as a stand-alone four-year B.Tech program or as a specialisation in four-year B.Tech in Agricultural Engineering program. This course offers exposure to the various methods of conservation of soil and water resources. Currently, Indian agriculture struggles with the issues of soil erosion, irregular rainfall, poor agricultural practices, lack of irrigation which impedes the agricultural growth of our country.

Soil and Water Conservation engineers are prepared to address these challenges through scientific interventions for conserving the soil and water resources in order to promote sustainable agriculture. They implement methods such as Terrace Farming, Contours, Bunds, Drop Spillways, Earthen Dams, Stream Bank Protection and other Agronomical measures to control water erosion in difficult terrains. They also study the soil quality and devise measures to prevent soil erosion through land surveys and levelling and grading of land. They analyse the climatic conditions affecting soil and water quality of a particular area and suggest measures for water harvesting and improving water quality.

Candidates who have completed this course can become lecturers, academicians and researchers in the field of sustainable agricultural practices. They can also work with research institutes such as Indian Institute of Water Management, Water Resources Department and Municipalities for short-term or long-term rehabilitation projects. Top agricultural institutes such as Indian Agricultural Research Institute, College of Agricultural Engineering, OUAT offer undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Soil and Water Conservation engineering.

Soil and Water Conservation Engineering- Important Facts

• Course Duration- The duration of undergraduate course in Agricultural Engineering or Soil and Water Conservation Engineering is of four-years whereas postgraduate course is of two-years.
• Eligibility Criteria- Candidates aspiring to pursue B.Tech must have cleared Class 12^thwith passing percentage and from a recognised board. In addition to it, they must have also cleared any state or national-level entrance exams. For pursuing M.Tech, candidates must have cleared GATE and also pursued B.Tech in Agricultural Engineering/Soil and Water Conservation Engineering from a recognised university.
• Course Fees- The cost of pursuing B.Tech in Soil and Water Conservation Engineering vary from INR 2 lakh to INR 5 lakhs per annum, whereas for pursuing M.Tech, it varies from INR 50,000 to INR 2.5 lakhs per annum.
• Scope in India- Soil and Water Conservation Engineering offers a range of career prospects in the field of academics, policy making and rehabilitation work. Professionals can work as Irrigation Consultant, Agriculture Officer, Purchase Manager, Researcher and Professor.

Soil and Water Conservation Engineering Syllabus

Soil and Water Conservation Engineering is offered as a specialisation in B.Tech in Agricultural Engineering as well as in M.Tech in Agricultural Engineering. B.Tech course consists of core subjects, electives and other minor subjects which are skill development courses. Candidates need to complete the minimum number of credits in order to complete the undergraduate course. In addition to the credit courses, they have to also submit a dissertation and participate in a seminar for successfully completing the course. 

Similarly, in M.Tech, apart from finishing the credit courses, candidates must undergo industrial training and study specialised courses on areas such as Hydrology, Irrigation Systems, GIS ad Remote Sensing, Irrigation Water Management etc.

Core Subjects

The core subjects offered in undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Construction Engineering are as follows:

UG Program

Subject	Details
Engineering Drawing	This is an introductory course for all engineering streams wherein students learn the skills to draw effective engineering designs.
Soil Mechanics	This course is a branch of soil physics wherein students study the soil behaviour, its porosity, tensile strength and phases of soil formation.
Engineering Mechanics	It deals with the application of mechanics in the soil and water conservation engineering.
Soil and Water Conservation structures	Students learn about the functioning and creation of soil and water conservation structures across various geographical regions.
Irrigation Engineering	This subject deals with the organisation, maintenance and designing of irrigation structures in water-deficit areas.
Strength of materials	This subject deals with the mechanics of materials used in soil and water conservation structures, their ability to handle stresses and strains.
Surveying and Levelling	It is a practical subject which prepares candidates to make effective surveys which are precise and accurate with the help of levelling.

 PG Program

Subject	Details
Applied Hydrology	It deals with the principles of hydrological cycle, precipitation and estimation and control of flood situations.
Soil –Water Plant relationship	This subject deals with concepts such as soil water retention, soil water measurement and water exchange inside the soil. It also deals with solutions for water deficiency in soil.
Drainage of Agricultural Land	The candidates learn about drainage problems and construction and maintenance of effective drainage systems.
Watershed Development and Management	It deals with the characteristics of an effective watershed and its management and conservation practices.
Design of Soil and Water Conservation Structures	It introduces the learners to the methods of designing structures for soil and water conservation such as Bunds, Contours, Dams, Terrace etc.
Fluid Mechanics & Open Channel Hydraulics	It introduces the learners to the concept of fluid flow and instability in uniform flow and how it can be used to understand the water flow in soil.
Advanced Soil &Water Conservation Engineering	It introduces the basic principles of soil erosion and practices to control soil erosion. It also prepares professionals to select the right water and soil conservation strategy.

Elective Subjects

UG Program

Subject	Details
Micro irrigation system design	It introduces the learners to the various structures and designs of micro irrigation systems in dry and arid areas for water conservation.
Remote sensing and GIS Applications	It deals with the application of Remote Sensing in assessing the degradation of water and soil resources and monitoring rehabilitation process through data.
C Programming	Candidates are introduced to C Programming and the application of algorithms and flow charts in making designs.

PG Program

Subject	Details
Hydrological Modelling	It introduces to the principles of modelling hydrological cycle and studying water distribution patterns across a geographical area.
Watershed Hydrology	Candidates learn about the various components and methods of hydrological cycle and watershed modelling.
Flow Through Porous Media	It deals with the principles related to water movement and movement of soil water in mountainous areas.
Land Reclamation	It deals with the reasons for land degradation and the methods for re-claiming land and maintaining salt levels in soil.
Soil Salinity and Water Quality	It deals with the importance of soil salinity and the methods to manage salinity in order to control leaching and protect crops.
Air Photo Interpretation & Remote Sensing	It introduces the learners to the methods of aerial photography and its application in agricultural and water resource management.

Popular Books and Authors for Soil and Water Conservation Engineering

Book	Author	Details
Applied hydrology	Dr. Ven Te Chow	The author explains the principles of hydrological cycle such as hydrological processes and modelling and hydrology of large rivers and lake basins.
Irrigation Engineering	R.N.Reddy	The book acts a manual for agricultural engineers and conservationists on the techniques of irrigation and challenges posed to irrigation systems.
Strength of Materials	S.S. Bhavikatti	It deals with the concepts of strength and stresses of various materials and how to choose the right material for constructing irrigation structures.
Soil Salinity and Water Quality	R. Chhabra	It covers various topics such as soil salinity, areas affected by soil salinity and its management and saline water treatment.
Watershed Hydrology	R. Suresh	It introduces the learners to the concept of watershed, management and rehabilitation and principles of hydrology.
Surveying and Levelling	K.N. Basak	It teaches the readers on the methods of levelling and determining heights as well as making accurate surveys of any geographical area.

Entrance Exams for Soil and Water Conservation Engineering

Candidates who wish to pursue undergraduate or postgraduate course in Construction Engineering must appear in state-level or national-level entrance examinations. Some of the top entrance exams are as follows:

• OUAT CET- Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology conducts entrance examination for admissions to undergraduate courses in Agricultural Engineering and Soil and Water Conservation Engineering courses.
• CCMT- This is the counselling conducted on behalf of various NITs, IIITs and other Agricultural Institutes for admissions to M.Tech courses in Agricultural or Soil and Water Conservation Engineering. It is a centralised counselling for postgraduate courses which accepts the scores secured in GATE.
• AP PGECET- Andhra Pradesh Postgraduate Engineering Common Entrance Test is a state-level entrance exams conducted for admissions to postgraduate courses in the engineering colleges in Andhra Pradesh. It is a computer-based test and it will take place in the month of June, 2023.
• GATE- GATE is conducted for admissions to postgraduate courses in top IITs and IISc. Candidates scoring good ranks can get admission in M.Tech or M.Tech-Ph.D courses in various disciplines.
• ICAR AIEEA- All India Entrance Examination for Admission to ICAR is a national-level entrance exam which is conducted for admissions to various undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral courses offered by ICAR.

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Following are the top exams for Soil & Water Conservation Engineering. Students interested in pursuing a career on Soil & Water Conservation Engineering, generally take these important exams.You can also download the exam guide to get more insights.

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Following are the most popular Soil & Water Conservation Engineering UG Courses . You can explore the top Colleges offering these UG Courses by clicking the links below.

Following are the most popular Soil & Water Conservation Engineering PG Courses . You can explore the top Colleges offering these PG Courses by clicking the links below.