Students pursuing science and arts courses in colleges in Tamil Nadu seem to have bucked the global trend of a lacklustre job market with record placements and impressive pay packages this year.
The gambit to invite companies from across sectors for the placement sessions without relying solely on software firms has paid rich dividends to colleges as the average pay package offered doubled in most colleges and more than 90% of students got placed.
Loyola College, one of Tamil Nadu’s premier arts colleges, has managed to place 945 of 1,048 students who had opted for campus placements this year. Two MSc (chemistry) students from the college have bagged job offers from a pharmaceutical company, ACG World, for its Croatia location with a package of Rs 15 lakh per annum, while an MSc (zoology) student has received Rs 12 lakh per annum offer from an educational organisation based in the UAE.
Similarly, some BSc and MSc (physics) students have been absorbed by the space startup, Angikul Cosmos, while IT companies have hired maths graduates and postgraduates.
“This trend should be an eye-opener for students and parents who are unable to think beyond computer science and AI-related courses. For any research work, there is a need for manpower with strong knowledge in core subjects like maths, physics, and chemistry,” said S Princely Samuel, director, placement cell, Loyola College.
470 students from Presidency College get placements
He added that pharmaceutical and life sciences, and food companies offered better pay package compared to IT companies. “This year, the average annual salary package has increased to Rs 7-Rs 8 lakh against last year’s Rs 3-Rs 4 lakh,” Samuel said.
The Madras Christian College (MCC) has managed to place 98% of their students, almost 5% higher than last year. This year a Master of Social Work (HR) student has received the highest pay package of Rs 12.61 lakh per annum, while last year the highest package was Rs 10 lakh annually.
“This year our students got multiple offers. Last year, a few IT companies kept extending the joining dates after giving offer letters to our students. This year we have restricted mass hiring by IT companies,” said Paul Wilson, principal of MCC. Benita Alex, placement officer at MCC, said that along with data science and computer science courses, commerce graduates were also in demand.
They were picked by finance companies, while physics and chemistry graduates were the first choices of pharmaceutical companies. In government colleges too, the trend was positive. In Chennai’s Presidency College, at least 350 UG and 120 PG students got placed this year. “For the last two years, the demand for basic science graduates, especially chemistry, has been increasing. This year, we have received over 20,000 applications for just 200 seats in BSc chemistry,” said principal of Presidency College R Raman.
“Basic science is the backbone of innovation. Industries today don’t just need AI experts – they need professionals grounded in basic sciences for research and development wing. However, there is a shortage of physics, chemistry and maths graduates in the job market due to the misconception that there is no career opportunity for them,” said Jayprakash Gandhi, career counsellor.