A varsity with a difference

Updated on: Monday, September 13, 2010

One amongst five in India to receive ‘University with potential for Excellence’ status from the University Grants Commission, the University of Madras is among three universities started in the country by the British. Fashioned on the lines of London University, about 15 universities branched out of Madras University in the past: Mysore University (1916), Osmania University (1918), Andhra University (1926), Annamalai University (1929) and Travancore University (1937) to name a few.

The varsity currently has 68 departments that offer various PG courses and has 115 arts, science, management and education colleges affiliated to it. The varsity’s four campuses at Chepauk, Marina, Guindy and Taramani have been grouped under 18 schools and each school functions with a Chairperson.

According to Dr G. Thiruvasa-gam, Vice Chancellor of the university, the varsity has been offering several job-oriented courses, moulding students to industry requirements. He attributed the lack of these programmes to the main reason for students going jobless. And so the university will be providing a diploma course free to its UG students in the university’s affiliated colleges and a PGD course free to UG and PG students studying in the varsity and its Institute of Distance Education.

The varsity has a well-recognised campus with its historic Senate House building constructed over 100 years ago in which the first meeting of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly was convened.

With about 1.5 lakh students on the rolls studying over 17 UG courses and 10 PG programmes in English and Tamil, the varsity also runs its personal contact programmes in over 10 cities in India and abroad in Dubai, Singapore, Malaysia and London.

A varsity with a difference

More Education news