How to Become a Scientist in India?: Eligibility Criteria, Salary, Top Institutes & Jobs

If you are someone who got beaten up to make a completely new model out of the one car you got on your birthday, then you might be one of the creative and problem-solving kids who might be interested in reading this Shiksha article. In this article, we will discuss important factors to simplify the career paths to becoming a scientist in India. If you feel nostalgic, then read this article to get an answer on how to become a scientist. 

How to become a scientist in India?

Few people dream of becoming scientists, and even fewer who actually achieve this dream. There are various factors that can determine whether one should pursue such a career, but one of the major factors is the curiosity and level of understanding complex things in a much easier way, which can be executed in real life. 

Many of us learn science subjects, but there are really fewer students who think beyond just scoring good marks. How many of us try to create something new out of the concepts we learn in our classrooms? Not many, right? So, if you are someone who has always been a science enthusiast, explorer, loves to experiment and create and build something from the classroom learnings. You must definitely go for a science-backed career, like becoming a scientist in India. 

How to become a Scientist: Eligibility Criteria

Before starting anything, one should know whether they are eligible to get an answer on how to become a scientist. Students must pass their class 11 and 12 in the science stream with Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics as their main subjects. After this, students need to complete a graduation degree in science stream courses like BSc and BTech. Those students who wish to get in-depth knowledge and experience in their preferred course or subject need to pursue a master's course like MTech and MSc. 

How to get Top Institutions to become a Scientist?

Those budding scientists should know that if they are planning to get admission to some of the best institutes to become a scientist in India, like CSIR, ISRO, DRDO and others. The preparation should be based on cracking the admission to get the fellowship to the best institutes to become scientists, to be able to pursue a course for scientists. Candidates need to crack some of the most competitive exams to get to the preferred research institutes like CSIR NET, JEST, UGC-NET, GATE and more. Once a student qualifies for these exams, they will be eligible to further pursue research fellowships. 

Once candidates are done with their degrees, they can go for further internships, work as Junior Research Fellow (JRF) to get practical experience through other projects, and publish their original research work and publications to get recognised as a scientist.

How to apply for jobs as a scientist?

There are two sectors where budding scientists can apply for a job, one is research and government institutions, and the one is academic institutes. 

• For government institutes, one can apply after completing their necessary degrees, for scientist positions in the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and DRDO - Defence Research and Development Organisation. 
• For academic institutes, one can apply after completing their qualifications to get into the IISc and IITs, research-based academic institutes and universities, across the country. 

What is the Salary of a Scientist in India?

A scientist's salary in India varies between INR 8 lakh to INR 30 Lakh per year, based on their experience, research papers, qualification and the institutions they are working for. Initially, the salary range can differ based on qualification, institute, job profile, and various other factors, but as time goes by, with experience and consistent research work, one can achieve groundbreaking discoveries that can change the way the world thinks and works. 

Entrance Exams for Scientists after 12th in India

Here is the list of all the exams that students can prepare to fulfil their dream of becoming a scientist in India. 

• After class 12th, students need to prepare for the entrance exams like BITSAT, IISER, CUET UG, JEE Mains and Advanced, and NEST. 
• To get direct entry for the scientist's role after completing graduation, students need to appear for the ISRO (ICRB) recruitment to become scientists and engineers in ISRO. Then, come job opportunities in BARC & DRDO, to get into this for students need to qualify for exams like CSIR-NET. 
• Those who completed their Master's need to pass exams like ICAR AICE JRF/SRF, JEST, IIT JAM, CSIR-NET, UGC NET, and GATE. 

Which is the best college to become a scientist in India?

There is no one college that can be considered the best, but yes, there are various colleges that have given some of the best scientists in India. Check out the list of colleges to get admission in the top science colleges in India. 

• Miranda House - Delhi University (MH-DU) - New Delhi
• Loyola College - Chennai
• University of Delhi- New Delhi
• Hindu College, Delhi - New Delhi
• Hansraj College - New Delhi
• St Stephen's College - Delhi
• Madras Christian College - Chennai
• Lady Shri Ram College For Women-Delhi University (LSR-DU) - New Delhi
• Kirori Mal College - Delhi
• St. Xavier's College - Kolkata
• St. Xavier's College - Mumbai
• Ramjas College - Delhi 
• Christ University - Bengaluru
• Mithibai College of Arts, Chauhan Institute of Science and Amrutben Jivanlal College of Commerce and Economics - Mumbai
• Stella Maris College - Chennai
• Indian Institute of Science (Bengaluru) - Bengaluru
• Sri Venkateswara College (DU) - New Delhi
• St Joseph's University - Bengaluru
• Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College - New Delhi
• Daulat Ram College-Delhi University (DRC-DU) - Maurice Nagar
• Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College - New Delhi
• Women's Christian College - Chennai
• Banaras Hindu University - Varanasi
• Acharya Narendra Dev College, University Of Delhi - New Delhi
• Indian Institute of Technology Bombay - Mumbai
• Sophia College - Mumbai
• Mount Carmel College - Bengaluru
• Indian Institute Of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) - New Delhi
• Fergusson College - Pune
• Birla Institute of Technology And Science - Pilani
• KC College - Mumbai
• Vellore Institute of Technology - Vellore
• Jamia Millia Islamia - New Delhi
• Maharaja Agrasen College - East Delhi
• University of Mumbai - Mumbai
• Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur - Kharagpur
• Ramanujan College - Delhi
• St. Xavier's College - Ahmedabad 
• Maitreyi College University Of Delhi - New Delhi
• St. Joseph's College - Tiruchirappalli
• Sacred Heart College, Thevara - Kochi
• Ethiraj College For Women - Chennai
• B.K. Birla College of Arts, Science & Commerce - Kalyan
• Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai - Mumbai
• Deshbandhu College, University of Delhi - New Delhi
• Kristu Jayanti - Bengaluru
• PSG College of Arts and Science - Coimbatore
• University of Madras - Chennai
• Indian Institute Of Technology Madras (IIT - Madras)- Chennai

Those students who were looking for an answer to How to become a scientist, should definitely read about some of the female scientists who are counted amongst the 2 per cent of scientists in the world, like Dr Tessy Thomas, Ritu Kridhal, Dr Sadhana Rayalu, Dr Sanghamitra Pati, and Dr S Kalaiselvi and more. After reading about these scientists, one of you will definitely be inspired to pursue the dream of becoming a scientist. 

Read More: 

• How to Become a Scientist in ISRO: Know Your Road Map Here