Promise of quality learning

Divya Sharma

Established on November 24, 1969, Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) has been catering to the educational needs of students from the region. In 2018, the state university became the only government institute in Punjab to be granted category-I status by the University Grants Commission.

Spread over an area of 500 acres towards the west of the city, the institute has 38 teaching departments, 161 affiliated and constituent colleges and 68 associate institutes, many of which are located in the rural areas. More than 20,000 students, an overwhelming majority of them being women, are studying in various departments at the university campus and constituent colleges.

The state-run university is helmed by the former UGC Secretary Jaspal Singh, who is presently the vice-chancellor. He said, “At GNDU, education standards are at par with the industry levels. Under certain arrangements, we invite industry personnel to impart training to our students. Apart from this, we are the only university in India to have a MYAS-GNDU Department of Sports Sciences & Medicine under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.”

The category-I status gives autonomy to the university authorities to open new departments, courses, schools, off-campus facilities and open distance learning programmes, besides the freedom to hire foreign faculty without the UGC’s approval. This year, for all the courses, a university entrance examination has been made compulsory.

Reaching out

The university has also established regional centres at Jalandhar, Gurdaspur, Fattu Dhinga village and Sathiala village to provide quality education to the students of the area.

It is also working towards promoting research in multiple streams like humanities, learned professions, sciences, especially in applied sciences and technology.

The UGC has also conferred on it the status of “University with Potential for Excellence” in 2012. A variety of courses are being offered here, but science education, management studies, law, life sciences are the more popular courses among students.

Coveted projects, worth crores of rupees, have been assigned by apex bodies like the DST, CSIR, BARC…to the institute. One of the four nodal calibration centres, established by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, is set up at the campus.

Dean Academic Kamaljit Singh said, “We are known for our science curriculum, especially for that of Department of Physics and Chemistry.”

Karanjeet Singh Kahlon, registrar, Guru Nanak Dev University, said, “The Centre of Emerging Life Sciences is equipped with the state-of-the-art scientific instruments.”

1 BSc (Hons) botany at Department of Botanical And Environmental Sciences 

Duration: Three years | Seats:  60

Eligibility: Students who have passed Class XII in medical with at least 50 per cent marks from GNDU or any other examination recognised by the university can apply. 

2 BSc (Hons) at Department of Human Genetics

Duration: Three years | Seats: 50

Eligibility: Students who have passed Class XII in medical stream with at least 50 per cent marks in aggregate. Any other examination recognised by the university.

3 BSc (Hons) Chemistry 

Duration: Three years | Seats: 100

Eligibility: The admission is on the basis of admission test conducted by the university. Students who have passed Class XII in science subjects with at least 50 per cent marks in aggregate. Any other examination recognised by the university.

4 BSc (Hons. School) at the Department of Physics

Duration: Three years | Seats:  75

Eligibility: Students who have passed Class XII in science subjects with at least 50 per cent marks in aggregate. Any other examination recognised by the university.

5 BA LLB from Department of Law

Duration: Five years | Seats: 120

Eligibility: The candidate should have passed Class XII from PSEB or any other equivalent examination from a recognised university of India or outside or from a Senior Secondary Board or equivalent institution from a foreign country securing not less than 50 per cent marks in case of general category applicants.

6 Management Studies, UBS 

Duration: Five years | Seats: 100

Eligibility: Graduation 

7 Engineering: BTech Computer Science 

Duration: Four years | Seats: 240 

Eligibility: Class XII with physics, chemistry, mathematics and English with at least 50 per cent marks.