Defence Studies or Military Studies or Defence and StrategicStudies are also be known as Military Science, as it encompasses war, national security studies, military science and other aspects related to military and international relations of the nation.
It has an interdisciplinary approach to it with a focus on aspects like conflict resolution, conflict management, defence economics, strategic thought and more other subjects that help to contribute to various organizations likeArmy, Navy, Air Force, etc.
Defence Studies in India-
Where Indian has always kept military defence as a priority still there are only a few colleges and institutions in India that have Defence Studies as a course. Some Top universities in India that offer Defence Studies course include the University of Madras, University of Pune, Lucknow University, Allahabad University, PunjabUniversity, Manipur University, Jawaharlal University, Osmania University, University of Calcutta, Tripura University, Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Awadh University, Purvanchal University, and MD University.
There are other institutions like University College Rohtak, Guru Nanak College Chennai, Khalsa College AnandpurSahib, Shri Varshney College Aligarh, Khalsa College in Patiala, SrinivasCollege of Education Mangalore, etc. that offer defence studies but the placement of candidates from these Universities is the highest.
Eligibility
If the candidates have passed10+2 examinations in any combination of subjects they are eligible to apply for defence services in the Undergraduate program.
If the candidates have passed bachelor’s degree examination in any set of subjects of Science, Economics, History, Geography can apply for the same. Many universities keep Defence Studies as a subject as eligibility criteria for Post Graduation.
Candidates can apply for National Defence Academy after completing 10+2. Candidates with graduate degrees can appear for Combined Defence Services Examination. Both exams are conducted twice a year.
Career Options for Candidates
Candidates after completing their Bachelor’s Degree in Defence Studies can go for Master’s Degree in DefenceStudies like M.Sc., M.A, M.Phil. And moving to Ph.D. or postgraduate diploma in defence studies.
Many of the candidates applying for Defence Studies in India prefer going in the national duty in various sectors of defence like Army, Air Force, and Navy, etc. There are many career options for candidates doing defence studies
National Defence career:
Defence studies are made for military jobs with various fields to consider from Army to Navy. These fields have many roles to offer like Indian Defence Officer, Research Officer, Military Intelligence Specialist, In-service Officer, Ground Duty Officer, and many more. These jobs are of great pride and should be done with patriotism. Such defence jobs come with a chance of injury or death. There are exams conducted annually or twice a year for candidates applying for such jobs and the maximum age limit for the candidate to apply is 27 years.
Journalism:
War and other military activities have always been headline-grabbing news whether in magazines, newspapers orvideo news. So as a journalist with defence studies you will have a pretty prosperous career like writing about various sectors of defence and their importance. This is not a high paying job at the start, thus this avenue of career may not seem so enticing but this could be the best job for the travel enthusiasts,who will love to get the chance to travel various locations for collecting the news they will need.
Teacher:
This is one of the most chosen careers among the Defence Studies candidate. Candidates are required to have at least a bachelor’s degree and have to pass the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET/CTET). The starting pay can be around 10-15 thousand rupees per month, which increases with the experience. If a candidate wants to become a professor, he can opt for that.
Research
Research is another very promising career option for Defence Studies students. Candidates interested in research can apply for positions of Research Fellow, Research Associate, and Research Officers to the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses in NewDelhi, Indian Institute of Advanced Studies in Shimla, Jamia Millia Islamia inNew Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi and other research organizations. These are some of the well-known career options for defence studies students in India.