University of Kelaniya

University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka

Motto	"Pññāya Parisujjhathi" Pali, (Wisdom Empowers).
Established	1959
Vice Chancellor	Prof. M. J. S. Wijeyaratne
Location	Dalugama, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka
Enrollment	Undergraduate Postgraduate
Staff	771 Academic 637 Non Academic
Campus	Primary - Kelaniya, Sri Lanka Medical - Ragama, Sri Lanka
Website	[http://www.kln.ac.lk/ www.kln.ac.lk]
Contact	[mailto:[e-mail]]

The University of Kelaniya is one of the main State Universities of Sri Lanka. Situated just outside the municipal limits of Colombo, in the ancient and historic city of Kelaniya, the University boasts two major campuses, seven locations, six faculties and four institutions.

History

The University of Kelaniya has its origin in the historic Vidyalankara Pirivena, founded in 1875 as a centre of learning for Buddhist monks. It was one of the two great national centres of traditional higher learning, heralding the first phase of the national movement and national resurgence.

With the establishment of modern Universities in Sri Lanka in the 1940s and 1950s, the Vidyalankara Pirivena became the Vidyalankara University in 1959, later the Vidyalankara Campus of the University of Ceylon in 1972 and, transforming as the University of Kelaniya in 1978.

Affiliated Institutes

* [http://www.kln.ac.lk/Affiliated/index.html Post Graduate institute of Pali and buddhist studies]
*Post Graduate institute of Archaeology
*Gampaha Wikramarachchi Ayurveda Institute

Faculties

Faculty Of Science

The [http://www.science.kln.ac.lk/ Faculty of Science] started functioning in October 1967 with Prof. Charles Dahanayake as the Dean of Science. The intake of the first batch of students was 57. Formal approval for the Faculty was given by the Minister of Education in 1968.

The Faculty was housed in the main building known as the “Science Block”. Due to the continued increase in the student intake from year to year, a new Lecture Theatre Complex and an Auditorium were constructed in 1992, which enabled the intake of students to be increased to 450 in 2003. A new laboratory complex for the Chemistry Department and three buildings for the Departments for Industrial Management, Microbiology and Zoology have now being completed; once they become operational, the annual admissions can be increased further.

The Faculty of Science of the University of Kelaniya was the first among the Sri Lankan Universities to initiate the change over from the traditional three subject (General) degree with end of year examinations to a more flexible Course Unit System, i.e. a modularized credit based system within a two-semester academic year with the end of semester examinations. It offers a variety of course pathways designed to provide maximum possible flexibility in the choice of subjects. Under this system students have the option of reading for a traditional three subject degree or for a degree consisting of two principal subjects and a selection of course units drawn from other subject areas. The B.Sc. (Special) degree courses, begun in1974, have also adopted the course unit system since as of 1986. The course unit system produces graduates who can fit into a wide variety of jobs, as they are equipped with pragmatic skills in addition to academic knowledge.

Mission of the Faculty of Science:

The Mission of the Faculty of Science of the University of Kelaniya is to produce highly motivated graduates and postgraduates capable of making a significant contribution towards national development and the well being of mankind, to conduct research and provide advice and consultancy services invarious scientific discipline to foster a better understanding of the environment for sustainable use and conservation of natural resources.

Presently, the Faculty of Science consists of eight Departments as follows:
* Department of Botany
* Department of Chemistry
* [http://www.kln.ac.lk/science/Industrial/index.html Department of Industrial management]
* Department of Mathematics
* Department of Microbiology
* Department of Physics,
* Department of Statistics and Computer Science,
* Department of Zoology

Faculty Of Medicine

The [http://www.med.kln.ac.lk/ Faculty of Medicine] of the University of Kelaniya is situated in a spacious 35 acre campus at Ragama. It is one of six medical schools in Sri Lanka. The Faculty commenced classes with the admission of 120 students in September 1991. Before that it was called the North colombo medical college (NCMC). The NCMC, the first privately funded medical school in Sri Lanka started in 1980 with the admission of 100 local and 20 foreign students, who started graduating in 1990. Dr. Heenilame was its first Chairman and Dr. W.D. Ratnavelle, its first Director. The first batch of students, under the new name, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya completed their five year course and graduated MBBS in September 1996. Prof. Carlo Fonseka was the first dean in the renamed medical school. From 2004, the Faculty has adopted an organ-system based integrated curriculum.

Today, the faculty has over 1000 students on its roll. This number includes several foreign students, mainly from other South Asian countries, who have been admitted on a fee levying basis. The Faculty also welcomes students for elective appointments and many students from medical schools in Europe, USA and Australia have spent their elective periods with us.

There is a permanent academic staff of over 90 and in addition, there are over 40 temporary academic staff and over 60 visiting staff that includes consultants who are based in the affiliated teaching hospitals.

Faculty Of Humanities

The Faculty of Humanities is a fine blend of the East and the West in that it includes traditional disciplines associated with Buddhist and Asian cultures, such as Pali and Buddhist Studies, Sinhala, Tamil, Sanskrit, Hindi, Japanese and Chinese, while teaching courses in modern European languages such as English, French, German and Russian.

The Department of Western Classical Culture and Christian Culture also adds another dimension to the curricula of the Faculty, providing the students with a multicultural choice in selecting subjects. The English Language Teaching Unit, which is attached to the Faculty of Humanities, provides an inter-Faculty service in that it conducts English courses in all the Faculties of the University. In addition to its strength as the centre of excellence in the teaching of language and culture, the Faculty of Humanities includes the Departments of Fine Arts and Linguistics, which provide theoretical and applied training and analysis in aesthetics and language study.

;Departments in Faculty of Humanities

*Department of Linguistics
*Department of Pali and Buddhist Studies
*Department of Sinhala
*Department of Hindi
*Department of Modern Languages
*Department of Sanskrit
*Department of Grammar and Fine Art
*Department of Western Classical Culture and Christian Culture
*Department of English
*English Language Teaching Unit

Faculty Of Social Sciences

Faculty of Social Sciences consists of seven Departments as follows
*Archaeology
*Economics
*Geography
*History
*Library Science
*Mass Communication
*Philosophy
*Sociology

Faculty Of Commerce and Management

Faculty of Commerce and Management consists of four Departments as follows
* Department of Accountancy
* Department of Marketing Management
* Department of Human Resource Management
* Department of Commerce

Faculty Of Graduate Studies

A total of 23 postgraduate degree programmes and 6 postgraduate diploma programmes are coordinated by the Faculty of Graduates Studies.

Postgraduate Diplomas

*Postgraduate Diploma in Regional Planning
* Postgraduate Diploma in Information Technology
* Postgraduate Diploma in Industrial and Business Management
* Postgraduate Diploma in Environmental Management
* Postgraduate Diploma in Mathematics
* Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resource Management

Postgraduate Degrees
* M.A. in Sinhala
* M.A. in Linguistics
* M.A. in Drama and Theatre
* M. S. Sc. in Mass Communication
* M. S. Sc. in Sociology
* M. S. Sc. in Geography
* M. S. Sc. in Library Science
* M. S. Sc. in Economics
* M. S. Sc. in Political Science
* M. S. Sc. in History
* M. S. Sc. in Philosophy
* M. Sc. in Applied Microbiology
* M. Sc. in Food & Nutrition
* M. Sc. in Aquaculture & Fisheries Management
* M. Sc. in Biodiversity and Integrated Environmental Management
* M. Sc. in Industrial and Environment Chemistry
* M. Sc. in Management and Information Technology
* M. Sc. in Computer Science
* Master of Commerce
* Master of Business Management
* Master of Philosophy

* Doctor of Philosophy
* Doctor of Medicine

Services

* [http://www.kln.ac.lk/ICTC/ ICT Centre]

= Information & Communication Technology Centre (ICT Centre) =

We have started from a small beginning with just nine BBC Microcomputers in 1984. Now we have a fair collection of IBM PC compatibles with Internet & E-mail facilities. The Information & Communication Technology Centre (ICT Centre) continued to provide support services in IT related teaching, Research, Internet Services, Staff Development and Hardware Maintenance for the entire University. It continued to conduct the computer literacy course open for all students and advanced courses in Visual Basic, Web Designing and Hardware Technology for the students who successfully completed the computer literacy course. We conduct regular IT related workshops for those interested among academic and other staff. We provide the opportunity for On-the-job training in the IT arena for the young people who just out of the university who works in the ICT Centre.

Maintenance unit of the ICT Centre provides necessary network, hardware and software support to all the clients within the university. Providing IT solutions for academic departments and administrative branches of the University is also an additional service. Video filming of special events of the university since 2005 is a new approach of our services.
* [http://www.kln.ac.lk/science/Industrial/cemis.htm Centre for Enterprise Management Information Service (CEMIS)]
* [http://www.kln.ac.lk/ELTU/index.htm English Language Teaching Unit]
* [http://www.kln.ac.lk/library/default.htm Library]
* [http://www.kln.ac.lk/sport/index.html Department of Physical Education]
*Staff Development Unit
*Career Guidance Unit

Historically Related Institutions

The Vidyodaya University was also created at the same time as theVidyalankara University. Today Vidyodaya University is known as the University of Sri Jayewardenepura

External links

* [http://www.kln.ac.lk official web of university]
* [http://www.extexams.kln.ac.lk/ External Examination Branch]
* [http://www.kln.ac.lk/main/officers.htm Academic Officers Of the University]
* [http://www.ugc.ac.lk/statistics.html ENROLMENT & GRADUATE OUTPUT 1995 - 2004 for all the universities in Sri Lanka]
* [http://www.ugc.ac.lk/ University grants Commission of Sri Lanka]
*Sri Lanka University Games 2007

References

* [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=University_of_Sri_Jayewardenepura University of Jayewardenepura]

Contact

* [mailto:[e-mail]]