Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda

The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda
Motto	"Satyam Shivam Sundaram"
Established	1949
Type	Public
Chancellor	Dr. Mrunalini Devi Puar
Vice-Chancellor	Prof. Yogesh Singh
Undergraduates	28000 (2005)
Postgraduates	2000
Location	Baroda, Gujarat, India
Campus	Urban
Affiliations	UGC
Website	www.msubaroda.ac.in

The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, commonly referred as M. S. University (MSU), is a university in the city of Vadodara, (Baroda) in Gujarat state, India. Originally known as the Baroda College of Science (established 1881), it became a university in 1949 after the independence of the country and later renamed after its benefactor Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III, the former ruler of Baroda State. It is a teaching and residential university. It is the only university in Gujarat whose medium of instruction is English for all courses. India Today has ranked the university at tenth place in their list of India's best universities.^[1]

History

The university has its origins in the Baroda College established in 1881 by Baroda State. The main building which now houses the faculty of Arts was designed by Robert Fellowes Chisholm (1840–1915) in Indo-Saracenic architecture style, in a fusion of Indian and Byzantine arches and domes in brick and polychromed stone. The main dome on the convocation hall was modeled after the great dome of the Gol Gumbaz in Bijapur.^[2]

Pratap Singh Gaekwad of Baroda (1908–1968) (the last Maharaja of the erstwhile Baroda State) founded the university in 1949 on the wishes of his grandfather, Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III (1863–1939), and settled the "Sir Sayajirao Diamond Jubilee and Memorial Trust" which exists to date and caters to the education and other needs of the people of the former Baroda State.^[3] It has its origins in the Baroda College of Science established in 1881.

Chancellor

His Highness the Maharaja of Baroda is the ex-officio chancellor of the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. The present chancellor is Dr. Mrunalini Devi Puar, the sister of the present Maharaja Ranjitsinh Gaekwad.

Faculty of Performing Arts

Faculty of Performing Arts building

Classical music

Maharaja Sayajirao Rao Gaekwad was a patron of Indian classical music. Ustad Moula Bux founded the Academy of Indian Music under the patronage of Sayajirao, on 26 February 1886. This academy later became the Music College and is now the Faculty of Performing Arts of MSU. Apart from Moula Bux, Sayajirao’s Court boasted of artists like Ustad Hazrat Inayat Khan and legendary all-time great of Agra Gharana Aftaab e Mousiqui (Sun of Music) Ustad Faiyyaz Khansaheb.

After legendary educationist Pt. Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande's music curriculum was introduced at the college, Pt. Madhusudan Joshi became the first recipient of a diploma in Music (1932) in the history of music education in India. He later on served this historic faculty as a highly regarded guru for almost 42 years.

Dance

The MSU started the first dance programme in India in 1950.

In 1880 the Maharani Laksmi Bai (Chimnabai I) of Tanjore was married to Baroda’s Maharaja Sayajirao III Gopalrao Gaekwad, an enlightened prince who established the Baroda College as one of his first public acts. It was later absorbed into the university that bears his name. Chimnabai I was knowledgeable in Bharatanatyam and carnatic music and brought a troupe with her: two dancers, two nattuvanars (leaders of Bharatanatyam concerts), and two teachers.^[4] Others followed later: nattuvanar Appaswamy and his dancer wife Kantimati, who had studied with Kannusamy and Vadively, two members of the Tanjore Quartet. After Appaswamy's death in 1939, Kantimati and their son, Kubernath , left to teach in Lucknow and worked in film in South India until Maharaja Pratap Singhrao Gaekwad called the Tanjorkars family back to Baroda in 1949, to teach in the music department in the Palace Kalavan which was later absorbed into MSU.^[5]

Faculty of Fine Arts

Main article: Faculty of Fine Arts

Faculty of Fine Arts at the university was founded in June 1950, today one of most known art schools in India and gave rise to the "Baroda school" of Indian art.

Faculty of Arts

Faculty of Arts Dome, designed by Robert Fellowes Chisholm (1840-1915) in Indo-Saracenic style, modeled on Gol Gumbaz^[2]

The Faculty of Arts is famous for its education procedure. Its faculty building is known for its Gumbaz (The Dome), which is the second largest dome in Asia.^{[citation needed]}

Departments

• Department of Archaeology and Ancient History
• Department of Economics
• Department of English
• Department of Gujarati
• Department of German
• Department of Hindi
• Department of History
• Department of Library & Information Science
• Department of Linguistics
• Department of Marathi
• Department of Persian
• Department of Arabic
• Department of Urdu
• Department of Philosophy
• Department of Political Science
• Department of Russian
• Department of French
• Department of Sanskrit
• Department of Pali
• Department of Prakrit
• Department of Sociology
• Department of Sindhi
• Department of Tranditional Sanskrit Studies
• Department of Canadian Studies

Department of English

The Department of English is one of the oldest in Gujarat.

Department library

The Department of English has a library for its students and teachers. It is housed in a spacious room with facilities for reading and conference. It has a collection of around 1,200 titles of poetry, fiction and drama, literary criticism and theory, and works on individual authors and texts. The richest sections are on literary criticism and theory, and fiction. The library receives gifts from the British Council, the USIS, and individuals including members of the department teaching staff. The library has borrowed important books from the collection of Smt. Hansa Mehta library of the university for its teachers and research scholars.

Department of Economics

The Department of Economics in the Faculty of Arts has given birth to some of the finest economists of the country.

Dr. I.G. Patel, former director of the London School of Economics and later the governor of the Reserve Bank of India, was the first head of the Department of Economics. Professors I.S. Gulati, V.N. Kothari, K.N. Reddy, S.R. Hashim and M.M. Dadi belonged to this department.

The department has a unique^{[citation needed]} strength in finance, sustainable development, gender studies, environmental economics. The department has been supported by several schemes and grants: Department of Special Assistance (DSA), Center for Planning and Development (CPD) and Assistance for Strengthening Infrastructure in Social Sciences and Humanities (ASISSH).

The department runs a professional course: post graduate diploma in Applied Corporate Finance. The department has a library which is accessed by the post-graduate students. In addition, it has a well-equipped computer lab for training and instruction.

Faculty of Journalism and Communication

The only media faculty to be recognized all over Gujarat, once accredited as third at all-India level^{[citation needed]} in March 2001 for its courses offered and the strong alumni networking viz Sony, SAB TV, Zee NEWS, NDTV, AAJ TAK, India Today, ETVNetwork, Sahara Samay, Times Now, Times of India, Indian Express, BBC, 1 TV, Forbes India, Hats OFF productions, NewsX, Star Radio City, Big FM, Radio Mirchi, S FM, My FM and many reputed broadcast companies from the Western world.

Faculty of Education and Psychology

The Department of Psychology at the M. S. University of Baroda is one of the oldest and strongest departments in Western India.^{[citation needed]} Since its inception the department has grown tremendously in the spheres of teaching and research. This department offers specialization in four areas: Clinical Psychology, Counseling Psychology, Educational Psychology, and Industrial Psychology at undergraduate and post graduate level.

Post graduate students are provided placement in corporate and service sector organizations, community guidance centers, mental hospitals, general hospitals, schools, clinics and counseling centers for on-the-job experience to facilitate the practical utility of their theoretical knowledge and give them professional training along with the academic input and training in the department.

The department is associated with number of community outreach programs, such as in the university counseling centre: MARG for counseling of students. From time to time the department organizes workshops and seminars. The department has undertaken teaching as well as research and guidance. A separate guidance and counseling centre catering to the needs of student and well community is attached to the department. The department offers three part time post graduate diplomas: Human Resource Development (H.R.D.), Clinical and Community Psychology (C.C.P.), and Applied Hypnosis (C.A.H.). These courses were first of their kinds in the country at the time of launching.

Faculty of Law

The Faculty of Law has been a premier law institute in Gujarat since 1962. The academic talent of the faculty is capable to tackle the emerging legal trends. It offers various courses like B.A.LL.B. (5 years), LLB (3 years), LLM (Business Law), LLM (Criminal Law), Post Graduate Diploma in Taxation Practice, Post Graduate Diploma in Labour Practice and Ph.D. programme. Over the years, the faculty has expanded quantitatively as well as qualitatively to meet the ever-increasing education needs of Vadodara.

The Faculty of Law has produced several eminent lawyers and judges of the Gujarat High Court. Globalization, liberalization and the information technology revolution has had a profound impact on law and legal institutions worldwide and in India. A rapidly growing global market in legal services and information has changed the structure of the legal profession. To answer this global need, a new and totally innovative legal thinking is required. With this object in mind, faculty of law has given birth to the Baroda School of Legal Studies.

Alumnus

• Hon’ble Justice Kshitij Vyas, Former Chief Justice, Bombay High Court
• Hon’ble Justice Mohit Shah, Chief Justice, Bombay High Court
• Hon’ble Justice A M Kapadia, Former Judge, Gujarat High Court
• Hon’ble Justice Jayant Patel, Judge, Gujarat High Court
• Hon’ble Justice P B Majumdar, Judge, Bombay High Court
• Hon'ble Justice Bela Trivedi, Judge, Rajasthan High Court
• Hon’ble Justice Dhiren Mehta, Former Judge, Gujarat High Court
• Hon’ble Justice Akshay Mehta, Former Judge, Gujarat High Court
• Hon’ble Justice Nikhil Nandi, Former Judge, Gujarat High Court

Besides, the Faculty has produced Judicial Officers and many distinguished members of the Bar, serving at the Supreme Court of India, Gujarat High Court, other High Courts and Lower Courts.^{[citation needed]}

Faculty also has had PGD CyberLaw course of one year duration and has produced The First Breed of Cyberlaw Consultants from MSU from varied fields like Insurance,Personnel,Computer Science,Company Secretaries,even MEDICAL Doctors.

• Dr.Chaitanya S Buch,MBBS,MD(Med),PGD Cyberlaw as The First and ONLY Medical Doctor having this qualifiaction.

Faculty of Family and Community Science

Faculty of Family and Community Science is one of the faculties of the Maharaja Sayaji Rao University. Mostly its a girls' college but boys can get admission. One can earn five majors in the Home Science faculty.

1. Foods and Nutrition
2. Human Development and Family Studies
3. Clothing and Textile
4. Home Management
5. Extension and Communication

Students can do their B.Sc. (home) degree as well as Post Graduation M.Sc. in any of above major or they can do their graduation with General Home Science which cover all five majors. The faculties are highly educated and experienced in their field. The majority of the faculty have doctorates in their field. Graduating students are placed in good industries.

Faculty of Management Studies

Popularly known as FMS Baroda, it started offering a two-year full-time MBA course in 1984. Then, eventually, it started offering three-year MBA evening programs for working executives. Current, the intake of students for MBA regular program is 40. It offers specialization in Marketing, Finance, Human Resources and Information Systems. Its MBA program has been rated in India's top 30 MBA program by Business India 2000 ranking. It has its own dedicated library and computer lab. It offers Ph.D.s in management for research scholars. Current dean of the faculty is Prof. (Dr.) G C Maheshwari. Before him, it was headed by Prof. Mayank Dholakiya.

Faculty of Social Work

Faculty of Social Work at MSU was instituted on 15 March 1949. Though, chronologically, it was the third institution imparting professional social work education in India, it is the very first to have the status of a full-fledged faculty.

Courses offered Master of Social Work (M.S.W.), Master of Human Resource Management (M.H.R.M.), P.G. Diploma in I.R.P.M.; P.G. Diploma in Human Resource Management, P.G. Diploma in Health Management and Interventions; P.G. Diploma in Social Development and Organisation Management; P.G. Diploma in Criminology and Correctional Management and Ph.D. in Social Work.

The student-to-faculty ratio is 1:8/10, a level mostly seen in the U.S., UK and other developed countries. The average class size is 40 students.

The faculty owes its origin to the progressive outlook and vision of the first Vice-Chancellor of M.S. University, Smt. Hansa Mehta. The faculty made a modest beginning as the Baroda School of Social Work (in 1951, elevated to Faculty status) in the White Pavilion building in Sayajibaug; they shortly moved to the seminar building of Baroda College and later to its present premises in 1960. The Faculty had Dr. Perin Vakharia as the founder dean. Some noteworthy names were Prof. Sugata Dasgupta, Prof. S.N. Ranade, Dr. M. Swoboda, Prof, M.C. Nanavatty, Dr. I.D. Malani, Dr. P.T. Thomas, Dr. A. Mazumdar, Shri G.G. Dadlani, Shri V.R. Devlalikar, Prof. S.K. Majumdar, Dr. S.R. Yardi and Prof. Indira Patel, Prof. K.M. Sharma, Shri I.P. Shelat, Dr. H.M. Rajyaguru, Prof. S.B. Saxena, Prof. Varsha Anjaria, Prof. Anil Navale and the present dean, Prof. Aruna Khasgiwala.

Curricular aspects

The Faculty is one of the pioneering post-graduate institutions in social work education with a Master’s degree in Social Work (M.S.W.) as its focal programme. From the early 1970s, a Ph.D. programme in Social Work was instituted. In the mid-70s an evening post-graduate diploma in Industrial Relations and Personnel Management (I.R.P.M. ) was added. In the past 30 years, the faculty has undertaken in-service training programmes for field practitioners, government employees, etc. In 1999, a two-year self-financed degree programme in Master’s in Human Resource Management was launched. Both masters degree programmes are career oriented and, within months of passing, most students are employed.

The diploma course in Industrial Relations and Personnel Management is designed first to enhance competence of personnel executive in the functions currently on hand and to develop potential for assuming responsibility as a future member of the corporate management team.

Teaching-Learning and evaluations

Admission procedure

Admissions to both masters as well as the diploma programme are granted to applicants who are found successful in a battery of selection tests consisting of written examination, group discussion, and personal interview. Secondly, the applicant is required to pass individually in each test and also obtain an aggregate score that secures him/her a place in the merit order of the top forty or ten wait listed candidates.

Research-consultancy & Extension

All Faculty members are actively engaged in research projects in their respective field of interest and providing research guidance to master’s and diploma level students. Three faculty members are recognized guides for doctoral studies. At present four faculty members have submitted their Ph.D. thesis; two faculty members and two outside Ph.D. candidates are engaged in data collection.

Faculty of Social Work is one of the five social work institutions in the country recognized by the university grants commission for award of departmental research support grant for a period of five years. The thrust areas under the UGC-DRS sponsored research projects are poverty alleviation and social development with emphasis on women, the girl child, SC/ST, elderly and child care. Through its ongoing extension programmes, the faculty has made notable contributions in social service. Today, on campus we have five extension agencies viz. Fatehgunj Samaj Kalyan Kendra, Child Guidance Clinic, Seva Sahyog, Adoption Resource Center, CHILDLINE, and NSS-TOC. These agencies employ minimum paid staff and are largely run by technical, man power resources contributed by faculty members and students.

Infrastructure & learning resources

The faculty has a separate building and its own on-campus library too. The library stocks 12,353 books on social work, human resource management and allied subjects and subscribes for 25 journals. At present^[when?] only one computer is available which is mostly used for administrative work. The school needs more computers for student training and academic use, especially since one noncredit computer applications course is on the anvil for all students.

M.S. University provides hostel accommodation to all its eligible students including those from Faculty of Social Work.

Computer Lab

A well-equipped computer lab is established from 2004 having 20 computers with Internet connection. The lab access is available to all students and staff with services of the system administrator.

Student support & progression

There is an alumni association and nearly 150 members live within Vadodara city. Professionally well-placed alumni are invited as panel members during admission interviews every year. Alumni from within and outside the city guide field work students and extend a sound support for job placement services organized by faculty members along with Students Association.

To strengthen the contribution of alumni (and others in field work agencies) to Social Work Education, an Agency Day is organised.

Organization and Management

Faculty of Social Work is a uni-department institution within the M.S. University. The Dean Co-ordinates all academic and administrative activities in the Faculty and is the highest decision making authority at the institution level. However, it is noteworthy that all significant issues are discussed in weekly staff meetings wherein ideas/ suggestions can be given by any member.

Usually, the term of a Faculty dean lasts three years unless it is extended. A senior professor is appointed as Head of the department and the incumbent’s term lasts for five years. Board of Studies in Social Work comprises nine members of which three are outside trained social work experts and the remaining are senior faculty members. Usually, the Head of the Department chairs Board of Studies.

Healthy Practices

Rural camp, study tour, seminar, extra mural lectures by visiting experts, student’s association activities, and term-end review are some of the mandatory but noncredit components of the teaching programme for the major courses run by the Faculty. In different ways, each of these activities contribute towards enhancing social sensitivity, skills for problem solving, situational analysis-reflection-action, understanding of systemic marginalization of vulnerable groups, power dynamics in organization and communities, innovative rural, urban, tribal service/management programmes, participatory research, creative writing, small group assignments, paper presentation, discussions at formal platforms. In short, these programmes promote self-learning by students in a wide range.

To promote university-industry interface the faculty has mobilized resources for sponsoring a corporate award for the best contribution to community by an industry. In collaboration with Centre for Industrial Relations and Social Development, the Faculty has also instituted an award for the best Human Resource professional.

As a part of Golden Jubilee Celebrations, the Faculty collaborated with Centre for Industrial Relations and Social Development to organise Dr. S.R. Yardi and Prof. Indira Patel Memorial Public Lecture delivered by speakers of national eminence.

Awards and scholarships Post Metric Scholarships for SC, ST and SEBC students is available as per the government norms. Besides these Eklavya Awards for Excellence , Gold Medals for meritorious students and another awards are given to the students for their excellent performance in the examinations.

Faculty of Technology and Engineering

Main article: Faculty of Technology and Engineering

Kala Bhavan

The Faculty of Technology and Engineering of the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda is one of the engineering schools in the state of Gujarat. It is housed in Kala Bhavan, the building was supposed to be a temporary palace of the Maharaja of Baroda while his palace was being constructed. Hence is it located exactly opposite to the Laxmi Vilas Palace. The Maharaja donated the palace to open the school of engineering.

Founded by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III of Baroda as the Kalabhavan Technical Institute in 1890 the Faculty of Technology and Engineering is popularly recognised as Techo.

The Kala Bhavan started its activity in 1890 with the modest but novel objective of producing skilled artisans and apprentices by imparting instruction in local language in the following fields:

Civil, Mechanical, and Electrical Engineering, Drawing and Printing, Architecture and Photo engraving, Textile Chemistry including Dyeing, Bleaching, Sizing & Printing, oil and Soap making etc., With the assistance of German experts and foreign trained teacher under the able stewardship of Principal T. K. Gajjar. Other courses on Textile Technology(weaving), Furniture making and Fine Arts were started later. Principal C. H. Vora consolidated these pioneering efforts into a Polytechnic by starting a variety of Diploma and Certificate courses in the above major disciples, with the additional staff, laboratories and buildings. The Polytechnic status with steady development continued until 1949 when the Kalabhavan was converted into the Faculty of Technology and Engineering (with the establishment of The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, following generous donation by the Gaekwads for the University and the New Building of the Institute). From this stage onwards, the Institute developed rapidly recognizing no bounds.

These hectic developments resulting in creation of 15 departments, a workshop, a library and several buildings were possible due to the financial support mainly from UGC and aided by UNDP, USAID and Government agencies and also due to the dedicated efforts by the Institute, Deans and Teachers. Faculty laboratories and departments received massive aid of $1,050,000 for development from the United Nations Development Program(UNDP). The aid was given to develop infrastructure facilities in the area of Fracture mechanics, Water Resources and Environmental Engineering, Turbojet propulsion and Microprocessor Applications. In 1986, Post Graduate courses on (i) Fracture Mechanics (ii) Irrigation Water Management (iii) Turbojet Propulsion and (iv) Microprocessor Applications were introduced.

Under USAID program, faculty received a massive grant of Rs. 4 crore from Water Resources Department and Narmada Department of Government of Gujarat for development of undergraduate and postgraduate program of Irrigation Water Management in March 1991. Constant efforts are made to update curriculum, improve teaching, enhance infrastructure and laboratory facilities, promote research and establish linkages with the Society and Industries and above all, emphasis on excellence.

Under the Quality Improvement Program of Department of Electronics – now called Ministry of Information Technology, Department of electrical Engineering and Department of Computer Science received electronic equipments, computers and software worth Rs. 200 crores. This project was named as IMPACT project and was for the improvement of laboratory facilities for under graduate degree program. MIT later on partly supported the maintenance of equipments and computers under the sustainability support scheme.

Department of Science and Technology agreed to support to the tune of Rs. 112 lacs to the Pharmacy Department under the MISSION REACH. This project is called TIFAC CORE—Center of Relevance and Excellence. Under this project, Industrial Partnership is also expected. UGC, under the SAP Program granted DRS – Phase III and COSIST Program to Metallurgical Engineering Department and DRS – Phase I to Pharmacy Department. Pharmacy Department is also likely to become QIP center for M.Pharm. and Ph.D. under AICTE – QIP.

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical engineering department was established in 1951, which make it one of oldest departments in this faculty.

Key thrust areas for this department are

• Thermal Design
• Alternative Energy Sources
• Unconventional Manufacturing Process
• Turbo Machines and Fluid Power Engineering
• Computer integrated manufacturing
• Computer vision application in mechanical engineering
• Computer aided automation
• Computer aided design of machine elements as major thrust areas for further development

This department also offers advanced laboratory facility. Some of them are:

• Advanced CAD/CAM Software (Pro-E, MDT, HTFS)
• Enhanced Condenser Tube Test Rig
• Electric Discharge Machining, Ultra Sonic Welding
• Equipment used in Turbo Machines Laboratory, e.g. Supersonic Wind Tunnel, suction wind tunnel, etc.

Department of Chemical Engineering

The Chemical Engineering Department established in 1963, is the oldest as well as the most established department, in the state of Gujarat. It was started to meet the growing need for chemical engineers in Gujarat state, which embarked upon a phenomenal growth of the chemical and petrochemical industries since the sixties. The initial phase of the department was emphasized to meet the demand for chemical engineers in the state and development of the department was geared to train undergraduates in chemical engineering.

It has had interaction with the industries and during the second phase of the growth of the department, two postgraduate courses namely M E (Petrochemical Engineering) and M E (Polymer Technology) were started in 1979 and 1981, respectively.

The Department boasts of a healthy industry institution with a large number of its post graduates working out their research projects in various industries. For research work, the department interacts with various industries: IPCL, GSFC, Deepak Nitrite Ltd., CSMRI, KRIBHCO, Lupin Laboratories, NCL, UOP, Cipla, ONGC, Birla Copper, Reliance, HTRI, Essar, IOC, BPCL, HPCL, TCS, INFOSYS, WIPRO, SATYAM COMP, L&T etc. The Department shares a good rapport with these industries. The department has also undertaken sponsored/collaborative research projects in process development, biotechnology, reaction engineering, modeling and simulation, particularly for polymerization reactors/processes, polymer synthesis and characterization, development of polymer composites and their modifications, etc.

Facilities

• Bench Scale Fermentor
• UV Spectrometer Controlled by Microprocessor
• Super Critical Extraction Screening System
• Rotating Disc Contactor
• Fluidized Bed Reactors
• Mercury Porosimeter
• Membrane Osmometer
• BET Surface Analyzer
• GLC with data station Biomicroscope
• Reverse Osmosis System
• Laboratory Autoclave
• Pneumatic Conveyor
• Ion Selective Electrode Analyzer
• Gas Chromatograph (Chemito), (Dual Channel, FID)
• Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (Chemito)

The Department has conducted ISTE winter/summer schools in Petrochemicals (1982), Biotechnology (1983) and Polymer Technology (1985).

The department in association with the Baroda Regional Center of India Institute of Chemical Engineers (IIChE), organized the Indian Chemical Engineering Congress in 1988.

The department has also conducted refresher/condensed courses in chemical engineering for many organizations around Baroda.

The undergraduate and postgraduate students of the department have won many awards and prizes at different national level competitions like paper presentation, technical quiz, problem solving, debates, public speaking, GD's software development, etc. at institutions like IIT-Mumbai, Times of India, MSU Baroda, DDIT-Nadiad, NIT-Ahmedabad, SLIET-Bhatinda, Trivandrum, Hyderabad and other places.

Ref: www.msubaroda.ac.in

Department of Architecture

The Department of Architecture at the Faculty of Technology & Engineering at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda is recognised for quality teaching, the calibre of its staff and the achievements of its graduates. Established in 1949, it is housed in the heart of the campus and is served by studios, workshops, computer lab and library.

The focus of the undergraduate course is the teaching of architectural design through studio-based projects. The projects involve the application and integration of the knowledge and skill acquired from the supporting subjects. The course also includes a one semester (14 weeks minimum) office training programme whereby students are exposed to learning on the field. Currently the Department has a full time enrolment of 200 students. The department has encouraged learning beyond the classroom and regular course work. Students and staff are encouraged to participate in competitions, workshops and conferences. Many teaching faculty have been invited to international conferences and meetings, granted fellowships and invited to teach at the international universities. Various faculty members are involved in regular professional practice and along with practicing professionals, who are visiting faculty at the Department, provide a strong bridge between academics and the professions.

Department of Architecture is a part of Faculty of Technology and Engineering of MSU conducting the B.Arch. course since 1952. The department has a long-standing reputation for imparting architectural education since 1890. This is primarily reflected through the achievements of several architects who graduated from Kalabhavan and later from MSU.

Some faculty members are engaged in research and fieldwork activities. MSU permits the teachers to undertake consultancy works. Senior faculty members are also functioning as visiting professors, expert members of Boards of Studies and on Examination Panels of other institutions, in India and abroad. Research Project/Design Projects done by the Department, Faculty members and students have been useful to Government, Semi-Government, and other Institutions.

Department of Applied Mathematics and Bioinformatics

Department of Applied Mathematics offers courses like Post Graduate Diploma in Compute Applications, M. Sc in Applied Mathematics with specialization in Industrial Mathematics, M.Sc. Bio-Informatics (Self Finance), PG Diploma in Scientific Computing and Industrial Mathematics (Self Finance), PG Diploma in Computer Applications (Self Finance) and Ph. D in Applied Mathematics.

M.Sc. bioinformatics course is multi-disciplinary course started in 2008. Applied mathematics department collaborate with Applied Physics, Applied Chemistry, Microbiology, Biochemistry and Pharmacy Departments to make this course truly inter-disciplinary.^[6] M.Sc. and Ph.D. Applied Mathematics courses are well established.

Facilities at Department of Applied Mathematics and Bioinformatics^[7] has three computer labs with internet connections. Mathematica,Bio-suite 3.1,Accelrys Discovery Studio,PSQ : Protein Sequence Query program, IDAMS : UNESCO's Internationally Developed data Analysis and Management package.

Faculty of Medicine

Includes:

• Baroda Medical College
• Physiotherapy College
• Nursing College

Faculty of Commerce

Faculty of Commerce is the largest in university, with over 18,000 students.

The Faculty of Commerce has been a premier institute of education in business studies since 1949 and it was the first of its kind in India. When it was established in 1942, it was known as the Maharaja Pratapsinh College of Commerce and Economics. The varied academic staff has the experience and qualifications to take up the challenges of education and research in business studies. The faculty offers undergraduate, post-graduate, and doctoral programmes leading to B.Com., M.Com. and Ph.D. degrees. The faculty offers BBA and three Post Graduate diplomas in Business Management, Banking and Co-operation. Over the years, the faculty has expanded, quantitatively as well as qualitatively, to meet with the ever-increasing education needs of Vadodara. The faculty has five departments:

• Department of Accounting and Financial Management
• Department of Banking and Business Finance
• Department of Business Economics
• Department of Commerce including Business Administration
• Department of Co-operation and Rural Studies

The faculty receives the services of colleagues from the following departments of other faculties:

• Department of English, Faculty of Arts
• Department of Statistics, Faculty of Science
• Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science
• Department of Law, Faculty of Law

Faculty of Science

BCA programme

MSU BCA is a three-year graduation programme that is focused on developing software professionals. In BCA students are trained for desktop applications as well as web applications including Microsoft, Java and Open Source platforms. The programming languages taught include C, C++, JAVA, C#, VB.net, etc. The students are trained to use web technologies including HTML, JavaScript, XML, JSP, ASP.net, PHP, AJAX, etc. The BCA curriculum gives detailed coverage to Software Engineering, Computer networking, Database technologies, mathematical skills, distributed computing, computer graphics, artificial intelligence, Communication skills and so on. BCA curriculum is continuously updated to incorporate latest technologies. Students are required to undertake a part time project of three months in 5th semester and a full-time four-month project in their final semester. Students are also involved in international projects with universities like the Penn State University (USA) and East Carolina University. Centennial college.

Department of Biochemistry

The KG Naik Department of Biochemistry was established in 1955, under the Chemistry Department, and was headed by Dr. C.V. Ramakrishnan (father of 2009 Chemistry Nobel Laureate Dr. Venkatraman (Venky) Ramakrishnan). The Department has a glorious history of being the Center for Nutritional Studies, and a long history of international publications and scientific collaborations. This department is recognised worldwide as one of the premier institutes of India and unarguably the best in Western India for education in the emerging field of Biochemistry. The MSU Department of Biochemistry was awarded an Excellent status in 2006 by FIST a Government of India accreditation agency. The Department is known for its teaching and now, is slowly emerging as a center of research as well. It imparts Masters Degree courses in Biochemistry & Medical Biotechnology & boasts of very good research facilities with a force of around 50 research students working round the clock.

The Biochemistry Department offers courses in enzymology, genetics, molecular biology, neuroscience, plant biochemistry, endocrinology, clinical biochemistry among others. The department is also conducting active research in diverse areas including acterial cooperation, polyketide synthase clusture, antibiotic resistance, Apoptosis, phosphate solubilization, nitrogen fixation, probiotics, heavy metal toxicity, diabetes, prostate cancer, female infertility, endophytes, magnetoliposomes, protein folding, and vitiligo.

The alumni of the department have traditionally opted for a PhD and a maximum number of them are doing active research in the best labs of the world, while many do go into the industry and start a professional career early.

The backbone of the department is the intellectual rigor provided by a dedicated faculty and students coming from all across the country. By the year 2003, the department had produced 90 Ph. Ds and a large number of research papers are regularly published in journals of international repute. The alumni of the department now occupy positions of great responsibility in different institutions in India and abroad.

The department was funded under DST-FIST I program under which new equipments have been purchased and other infrastructure facilities are being strengthened. In the past department received support from UGC-DRS, UGC-DSA and COSIST programs.

The Department has a strong base in Microbial technology and the main focus of the program is on Genetics, Molecular Biology, Industrial Microbiology, Immunology and other contemporary areas allied to Microbiology and Biotechnology. Basic training is given in Microbiology, Biochemistry, Genetics, Developmental Biology, Genetic Engineering, Biochemical Engineering and some aspects of Biophysics, Biostatistics, Environmental Biology.

The broad areas of research in which the department is engaged:

• Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering
• Microbiology
• Bioprocess Engineering
• Immunology, Biophysics

The Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology centre

The department of Microbiology started in 1964. It offers M.Sc. Microbiology course of duration 2 years and Ph. D in Microbiology. It started M.Sc. Biotechnology course (duration 2 years) in 1986. It also offers Post M.Sc Diploma in Genetic Engineering, Bioprocess Development and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) (duration 1 year). The department is also very active in research work. The broad areas of research in which the department is engaged are

• Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering
• Microbiology
• Bioprocess Engineering
• Immunology
• Biophysics

The department has good research laboratories. Genome research Center (GRC) established in 1999 is one of the research laboratory of the department. GRC has international research collaboration:

• The Weizmann Institute of Science, partners under the International Centre for Cooperation in Bioinformatics, sponsored by UNESCO and supported by DBT, Govt. of India and Indian industrial partners for activities at Baroda.
• Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Honggerberg, Zurich (Bioprocess Development, Reactor design and bioprocess control and automation: Indo-Swiss Bilateral Collaboration in Biotechnology).
• International Rice Research Institute, Los Banos and Du Pont R & D, Delware (Molecular markers for mapping blast resistance, Rockefeller Foundation, USA.).
• Tel Aviv University, Israel: Indo-Israel S & T Cooperation (Plant SUMO conjugates — its role in biotic stress).

The bioinformatics centre at the department was started in the year 1989 as a Distributed Information Sub Centre (Sub-DIC) under Biotechnology Information System network (BTISnet) of the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology, Govt. of India. The centre was upgraded to a Distributed Information Centre (DIC) in the year 2004.

The department is regularly funded by DBT, DST-FIST, GSFC Science Foundation for development of laboratories and purchase of new equipments. Currently department has high-end equipments like Bioinformatics dedicated server, PCR, NanoPhotometer^TM, HPLC, GC, Electron microscope etc.

Oriental Institute

The Oriental Institute was established in Baroda on September 1, 1927. Initially it operated from the Central Library before it was shifted in a separate building near the palace.^[8] It is known for the seven volumes of critical edition of 'Ramayana' it published between 1951 and 1975, a part of the a 25-year project sponsored by the University Grants Commission (UGC). The text was later the reference source for the popular TV series by Ramanand Sagar, Ramayan in 1987-88.

One of the oldest manuscript preserved at the institute is Ayodhya Mahatmya written by Harishankar in 1656 AD, part of the original collection of over 10,000 manuscripts of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III, who first conceptualized the institute in 1893, inspired by the opening of the Oriental Research Institute Mysore in 1891, established by then Maharaja of Mysore Chamaraja Wodeyar, and a close friend.^[9]

University Library (Shrimati Hansa Mehta Library)

The University Library Shrimati Hansa Mehta Library of M S University of Baroda was established on May 1, 1950. At the time of MSU's establishment, a collection of 25,000 books belonging to two state libraries (Huzur Political Office and Secretariat Library) was handed over to the University Library.

There were several colleges in Baroda — Baroda College (for Arts), Science Institute, Commerce College, and Secondary Teacher’s Training College, etc. These colleges had libraries of their own that continued to remain as Faculty Libraries and were administered independently. Thus the University Library System was established on 5 January 1950 and housed in the central block of Old Residency Office Building.

Status of library holdings are as following

1. Smt. Hansa Mehta Library: 4,56,033
2. Faculty of Law Library: 7,305
3. Sir Sayajirao Memorial Trust (SSMT) Library: 4,56,033 Combine with H M Library
4. Prof. T. K. Gajjar Library, Faculty of Technology & Engineering: 1,12,670
5. Polytechnic Library, Polytechnic College: 41,170
6. Faculty of Fine Arts Library: 11,195
7. Faculty of Management Studies Library: 5,514
8. M K Amin Arts & Science College and College of Commerce, Padra Library: 14,750
9. Faculty of Performing Arts Library: 13,077
10. Faculty of Social Work Library: 13,499
11. Center for Advance Studies in Education (C. A. S. E.) Library: 18,959
12. Oriental Institute Library: 49,347
13. Water Resources Engineering & Management Institute’s (WREMI) Library: 1,983
14. Baroda Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya Library: 5,244
15. Department of Biochemistry Library (Faculty of Science): 789

The Library is haing SOUL Software made by INFLIBNET.

Notable alumni

• Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, biologist and winner of 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
• Haku Shah, Gandhian and painter
• Justice Mohit Shah, Chief Justice, Bombay High Court
• Ajay Bhatt , co-inventor of USB for INTEL
• Tushar Chaudhary, MP from Bardoli
• Sam Pitroda, inventor, entrepreneur and policy-maker

References

1. ^ India Today August 15, 2011.
2. ^ ^{a b} "Baroda College, The Entrance [Vadodara"]. British Library. http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/photocoll/b/019pho000430s24u00048000.html. Retrieved 28 October 2010. 
3. ^ "Founder of MSU". Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda website. http://www.msubaroda.ac.in/founder.php. 
4. ^ Khandwani 2002
5. ^ Gaston 1996: 158-160.
6. ^ http://www.msubioinformatics.org
7. ^ http://www.msubioinformatics.org/other%20pages/software%20resources.html
8. ^ "A bit of Baroda in Mysore: Road in Sayajirao's name main market". The Times of India. Dec 28, 2009. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/vadodara/A-bit-of-Baroda-in-Mysore-Road-in-Sayajiraos-name-main-market/articleshow/5389215.cms. 
9. ^ "Oriental Institute's journey to glory". The Times of India. Oct 6, 2010. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/vadodara/Oriental-Institutes-journey-to-glory/articleshow/6701996.cms. 

• http://www.indianmba.com/gujarat/GU9/gu9.html

External links

Media related to Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda at Wikimedia Commons

• Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda Official Homepage
• Department of Microbiology & Biotechnology
• Baroda Information Hub
• Shrimati Hansa Mehta Library
• MSU Alumni Website by created by MSU Alumni

Coordinates: 22°18′36″N 73°11′10″E / 22.3099°N 73.1860°E / 22.3099; 73.1860