Academic Structure

South Asian University

A SAARC Institution

IRCs, Institutes

PG / Research Faculties

Faculty of Under- Direct recruitment of

graduate Studies students

Prepared by the Academic Task Force of SAU

For consideration by the SAARC Member States
July 30, 2009. Finalized March 2010 after the 6th Steering Committee
Meeting
 Finalized March 2010

Proposed Academic Programs in South Asian University

Phase I
20010-2014

Novel Concepts

Institute of South Asian Studies

Interdisciplinary research centers

Building Blocks

Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology

Faculty of Earth System Sciences
Faculty of Physical and Chemical Sciences
Faculty of Mathematical Sciences and Information & Communication
Technology
Faculty of Arts and Design
Faculty of Social Sciences
Faculty of Humanities
Faculty of Economics
Faculty of Management
Faculty of legal Studies*
Faculty of Undergraduate Studies

Future Expansion

Faculty of Engineering & Technology

Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences**

* Moved from its original position under Future Expansion to Phase I as a consequence of the
decisions of the 6th Steering Committee meeting (9-13 March 2010). Names modified from
Faculty of Law to Faculty of Legal Studies

** Name changed from Faculty of Medicine to the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences

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Academic Objectives of the SAU

The mandate of the South Asian University, as set out in the Agreement of the SAARC
member states under which the University is being set up envisages that the choice of the
programs of studies to be offered at this University should:

• enhance learning in the South Asian community that promotes an understanding

of each others perspectives and strengthen regional consciousness;

• provide liberal and humane education to the brightest and the most dedicated
students of South Asia so that a new class of quality leadership is nurtured; and

• enhance capacity building of the South Asian Nations in science, technology and
other areas of higher learning vital for improving their quality of life such as
information technology, bio-technology and management sciences, etc.

These three elements i.e. building a culture of understanding and regional consciousness;
nurturing a new class of liberal, bright and quality leadership and building the capacity of
the region in science, technology and other disciplines considered vital for improving the
quality of life of the people, therefore, form the core objectives of the South Asian
University.

The SAU would strive to provide world class education in keeping with the most recent
international trends in University education, in terms of choice of subjects across various
disciplines and pedagogical approaches to meet these objectives. Relevance will be
ensured through alignment of the academic program with the University’s core objectives.
Quality will be ensured through collecting the very best academics available in the world
for teaching, research and peer review. In order to ensure that the SAU becomes the
leading center of excellence for learning in the region, the SAU aims to draw upon the
very best SAARC academics working in the region, the very best SAARC academics

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working outside the region; and, non–SAARC academics whose thoughts and research
work are at the cutting edge of knowledge and of direct relevance to the SAU mandate.
The SAU would ensure this through a set of world class incentives and facilities to attract
the very best.

Besides preparing students for a career and profession, a very important function of
education is to transfer the accumulated human knowledge in all fields from one
generation to another. If this link of knowledge transfer ever breaks, the human culture,
as we know, itself would vanish. A university should therefore aim not only at training
the students for specific careers, but also consider itself as a sacred site where human
knowledge is transferred from generation to generation and indeed new knowledge is
generated constantly. Capability to impart knowledge throughout its wide spectrum and
active research for generating new knowledge should therefore be the very basic twin
aspirations of all universities, especially among highly diverse societies such as those
witnessed in South Asia.

Knowledge is the most powerful means for promoting meaningful understanding of

diversity, building cohesion and promoting tolerance. By providing a common forum
where such knowledge is accumulated, generated and disseminated, the South Asian
University aims to become the focal point for the search for common ground and socio-
economic development of the region.

The South Asian University, therefore, aims to provide for programs of studies which:

• have the potential to promote regional understanding, peace and security which
ultimately enhances the wellbeing of the people of the region;
• reach newer, common and challenging frontiers in various disciplines, and inter-
disciplinary outfits, usually not available in individual countries.

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• lead to creation and sharing of knowledge that has the potential of creating a
South Asian Community of intellectuals, endowed with expanding mutual trust
and appreciation of one another’s problems

It is extremely important for the South Asian University to focus on achieving these aims
because, individually, the SAARC member countries may find it difficult to provide for
the transfer of all shades of knowledge for their own students. Access to a university that,
due to joint efforts, ownership and common stakes of all member countries, is able to
present a truly wholesome capability in all spheres of knowledge is a crucial asset for all
SAARC countries. Establishment of the SAU that encompasses the diversity of the
region and focuses on addressing the common academic needs to build cohesion and
understanding through the generation and transfer of knowledge by building a cohort of
highly educated leaders in various fields of life will have enormous long term multiplier
effects for the region.

Making provision for in-house expertise in most areas of knowledge through

establishment of various seemingly conventional Faculties, as described in this document,
has another important purpose. In today’s world, whether it is for pursuing very basic
research inquiries or for seeking solutions to emerging problems, research efforts have to
be multidisciplinary. Thus, the provision of expertise in multiple basic areas ensures that
an interdisciplinary effort can be initiated rapidly. These interdisciplinary efforts, focused
on the current and emerging needs of the region vis-a-vis the rest of the world, will
promote the niche capability of the SAU. These efforts will be organized around the three
main objectives of the SAU. To reiterate, the interdisciplinary activities will be designed
to meet the needs for 1) building a culture of understanding and regional consciousness; 2)
nurturing a new class of liberal, bright and quality leadership and 3) building the capacity
of the region in science, technology and other disciplines considered vital for improving
the quality of life of the people. Objectives 2) and 3) for which the SAU has been set up
also ensure that the graduates from this University will have the most marketable and

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relevant skills needed for the region as also for the international job market.
Specialization in these niche areas will ensure that the SAU brand name for particular
skills would be established and that, in turn, would bestow substantial employment
benefits on the youth of the region.

Specific mechanisms for initiating interdisciplinary research and teaching efforts in the
form of Interdisciplinary Research Centers (IRCs) and through adjunct faculty
appointments are explained in greater detail below. Keeping these basic aims in view, the
following academic structure is proposed for the SAU:

Post-Graduate Teaching and Research

The SAU will have academic units in the form of Faculties that would mainly be seats of
postgraduate teaching and research. Each Faculty will be headed by a Dean. The
following Faculties are proposed to be introduced during phase – I, 2010-2014:

1. Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology

2. Faculty of Earth System Sciences
3. Faculty of Physical and Chemical Sciences
4. Faculty of Mathematical Sciences and ICT
5. Faculty of Arts and Design
6. Faculty of Social Sciences
7. Faculty of Humanities
8. Faculty of Economics
9. Faculty of Management
10. Faculty of Legal Studies*
*Moved from Phase II to Phase I as per the decision of the
6th Steering Committee meeting March 9-13, 2010.

It is proposed to add Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences and Faculty of

Engineering in phase – II, of the University (after the year 2014).

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Adjunct Faculty appointments: It is proposed that while the faculty members joining
the University would specifically and primarily join a given Faculty, they may have an
option of joining another Faculty as an adjunct faculty member. This system of joint
appointment could be encouraged through salary incentives and will promote hiring of
faculty members with expertise in interdisciplinary / overlapping areas. It is felt that such
joint appointments will promote organic links among different Faculties, on the one hand,
and prevent the isolation of university departments that usually plagues most universities
in developing world, on the other. That it will have its own beneficial effects of
promoting greater faculty cohesion and open-ended analytical inquiries among teachers
from different disciplines, and perhaps different SAARC countries, needs hardly to be
emphasized.

Undergraduate Program:
A Faculty of Undergraduate Studies, headed by a Dean, is also conceived at a later stage
that would conduct a 4-year BA / BS program in Humanities, social sciences, humanities
and Physical and Natural sciences. This Faculty will have its own core strength of
teachers, but would heavily depend upon the faculty members working in different
Faculties to run its teaching program with a wide spectrum of core and optional courses.

Research Strategy and Directions: Besides graduate schools and the undergraduate
college, the SAU would aim at promoting high quality research among the faculty and
research scholars. The plan is to have well-articulated interdisciplinary research centers
(IRCs) that carry out research in areas that hold common stakes to SAARC countries. A
flagship research program is to establish an Institute of South Asian Studies that will
pursue collective research towards finding solutions to multiple problems commonly
faced by countries of the region.

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Rationale for the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS)

SAARC countries share a land mass that has the Himalayan Mountain ranges on the
North and Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea towards the South. This land
mass has a common weather system dominated by the South-Western Monsoon, common
river system with shared rivers that flow from one country to the other, a long common
coast line and indeed a shared cultural heritage. As a result, SAARC countries also have
many shared problems can be solved admirably well, through the available human capital
stock of the region. There are, for example, issues of water resources with a plenty in
monsoon season and deficiency in other months. The intra-SAARC ecosystems are such
that disasters like floods, landslides, earth quakes and epidemics in one part of the region
can, and do, immensely affect other regions. SAARC countries may also complement
each other in supply and demand of crucial resources. Hydro-electric / geo-thermal and
oil/gas potential of some countries may meet the energy needs of the rest. Similarly, there
are issues of migration of manpower, public policies, terrorism and general governance
itself that are shared concerns in the region. It will be immensely useful that the South
Asian University has a competent and rigorous think tank to mull over such shared issues
from a regional perspective and attempt to evolve shared approaches for solving such
problems. Such an institute may also focus on sharing of experiences of different South
Asian countries in public policy and governance issues. The list of shared concerns can
go on, and so can the strategic academic approaches to address them.

Structure: The institute may have core faculty from different SAARC countries as well
as a flux of visiting faculty from different countries. The University may provide the
required infrastructure, administrative support as well as core funds for establishing such
an institute on SAU campus. The Institute may have a Director and about 10 core
researchers in different fields of interest, who would coordinate research activities in
various areas of interest. Besides the core faculty, the institute can also draw heavily from
different Faculties within the SAU. Some illustrative focus areas in the institute can be:

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• Natural Resource Conservation

• Energy studies
• Biodiversity Conservation
• Study of Environmental Issues
• Weather patterns
• Monitoring of regional Epidemics
• Public policies and governance
• Preservation of cultural heritage
• Regional natural disaster management
• Terrorism and Conflict Resolution
• Globalization and regional trade
• Psychology including contemplative Psychology
• Spirituality and religious studies
• Ethics and Values Studies, Philosophy
• Public Health and Alternative Medicine
• Search for Common Ground and Peace Studies

The faculty in the ISAS would be recognized research guides in relevant Faculties of the
University and will be able to register PhD students under their supervision at the ISAS.

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Interdisciplinary Research Centers (IRCs)

In this day and age, interdisciplinary research is crucial for participating in the cutting
edge research efforts of any academic area. Interdisciplinary research would therefore be
the hallmark of the research effort of the South Asian University. However,
interdisciplinary research is possible only if expertise in all the relevant disciplines is
available on the campus. This objective is proposed to be met by having nine faculties
described in this document. Presently, the proposed nine separate faculties along with the
Faculties of Medical & Health Sciences and Engineering to be added in Phase-II, would
ensure that experts throughout the spectrum of human knowledge would be available on
the University campus. It is proposed that interdisciplinary research efforts in area of
contemporary interest would take the shape of Interdisciplinary Research Centers (IRCs)
in which faculty members from different Faculties will join hands to pursue highly
relevant interdisciplinary research. Some illustrative research areas to come under the
preview of IRCs could be:

Nanotechnology
Artificial intelligence
E-governance
Global warming
Wild life preservation

Faculty members from different Faculties of the University, interested in jointly pursuing
a particular interdisciplinary research theme, would be encouraged to move a joint
proposal for an IRC wherein they justify the proposed research and ask for funds for
additional research facilities and personnel. Each proposal for an IRC will be critically
examined by the Academic Council (AC) of the University and if found meritorious and
relevant, will be approved for a specified time period. The AC will constantly monitor
and assess the progress and productivity of the IRC and at the end of the approved
duration, may further extend the IRC in some cases, modify it in others and shut it down.

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Since an IRC will not have faculty of its own, it would be like a virtual research center
with infrastructure needed for its office alone. Constituent faculty members will use their
own research facilities. Additionally, requirements of specific research facilities will be
met through funds allocated for the IRC. It is hoped that this mechanism will provide a
tool for rapid creation of research groups to meet emerging challenges.

Some salary incentives will be provided to encourage faculty members participating in

IRCs.

Regional Research Centers and Campuses: Wherever a need is felt, the University will
consider establishing academic bodies in the form of Regional Centers and Regional
Campuses outside the Main Campus headquartered in New Delhi. Proposals for such
academic bodies will be considered by the University’s Academic and Executive
Councils and if recommended, taken to the Governing Board of the University for
approval. Such Centers/Campuses, being essentially the Regional Specialist Outfits, will
heavily draw upon local facilities and expertise to promote research and training in areas
that can be best handled by them.

In sum, the SAU is intended to be a perfectly autonomous entity. With the in-built
freedom to be bold and innovative in its research policies and priorities, the SAU is sure
to emerge as a nursery of new ideas, cross-section of contrasting viewpoints, competitive
propensities, and readiness to learn and adjust, all of which should catapult academic
pursuits to higher and mutually accommodative regimes. That, all these virtues would
strengthen democratic traditions, a sense of regional togetherness, and cooperative living,
need hardly to be emphasized.

The SAU is to enjoy flexibility in setting its own courses and curricula, on the one hand,
and its own governance structure and rules, on the other, which, in turn should facilitate
the SAU to adopt bold vision and innovative thinking to capitalize on its unique status
and to realize its mission of creating a world-class institution that South Asia requires.
Understandably, as a new institution, it will have to create its own distinct standing

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among the comity of strong and well-respected international educational institutions,

while, at the same time, it will have to grapple with, and absorb, traditional mindsets
that abound the region. A balanced mingle of the newest of the new, and the time-tested,
region-specific traditional, academic disciplines and practices, is what will endurably
sustain SAU, and make it a respectable seat of learning.

The unique character of the SAU should manifest itself in terms of three distinct
academic practices that it is choosing for itself. First, a de facto inter-disciplinary
approach, both in teaching and research, will be the hall-mark of SAU academic life. On
the teaching side, the University will offer a highly diversified curriculum, based on
cafeteria approach to provide flexibility to individual students. Students registered with
any Faculty would have an option to take courses offered by other Faculties. Thus, a
student pursuing a Master’s program in Biotechnology would be free to take a course in
computer modeling in the Faculty of Mathematics and Information Technology, a course
in Agricultural Economics in the School of Economics and a course in Philosophy of
Science in the Faculty of Humanities. Students would thus be encouraged to credit a
certain fraction of their required course work in Faculties to which they do not formally
belong. A university-wide timetable of courses being offered in various Faculties will be
made available to students so that they, in consultation with their faculty advisors, would
be able to pick and choose courses most suited for the academic direction they wish to
pursue. Inter-disciplinary approach is equally persuasively built into the cob-web of
research activities, both for students and faculty. The manner in which research in
individual Faculties is visualized, the rationale for setting up Inter-disciplinary Research
Centers is built, and the heightened significance attached to the Institute of South Asian
Studies, are all reflective of a true inter-disciplinary approach that would differentiate the
SAU from most other universities in the region, and beyond. Undoubtedly, this will help
unshackle their creativity, and broaden their intellectual horizon, beyond the rigid
conventional boundaries of individual disciplines. The in-built spirit of intellectual
innovation is what should make the SAU distinct from other universities in the region. It
should produce not only good physicists or botanists but also more enlightened scientists;

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it should throw up not only just economists or socialists but also more envisioned social
scientists.
Second, under the chosen continuing monitoring, mentoring and evaluation
system, the University will adopt a system of two academic semesters per year. Each
semester would have self contained credit courses and a system of constant monitoring
and evaluation would be adopted to ensure that the students remain fully engaged
throughout the semester and not only at the time of examinations. Thus, the evaluation of
the academic performance will be a continuing process comprising occasional class tests,
term papers, mid semester and end semester examinations. Teacher-student academic
committees, regularly constituted semester after semester, would be the hallmark of
collective thinking, course corrections, confidence and trust building, and progressive
harmonization of what is taught and what needs to be taught; the South Asian Region can
ill-afford to carry on with its historical burden of academic mis-matches.

Third, remedial courses, on a continuing basis, would lend their own uniqueness,
given the highly disparate mingle of students from individual SAARC countries, with
differences in educational systems, and varying evaluation yardsticks. Individual
deficiencies may exist in their communication skills, computer proficiency and in specific
areas of their basic training. Special attention will be devoted to ensure that each student
makes up for the deficiency in her/his past training. An advisory mechanism will be put
in place to assess students at the time of their entry to the SAU and to advise specific
remedial/bridge courses they may require in order to remain up-to-date in their
respective academic pursuits.

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 Estimation of numbers of Faculty and Student in different Faculties at the end of Phase I
S.No. Faculties / Colleges Faculty* Students* Degrees
Strength
1. Facultyof Life Sciences and Biotechnology 30 300 MSc, MTech, PhD
2. Faculty of Physical and Chemical Sciences 30 300 MSc, PhD
3. Faculty of Mathematics and Information Technology 30 300 MSc, PhD, MCA
4. Faculty of Earth System Sciences 30 300 MSc, PhD
5. Faculty of Arts and Design 25 250 MA, PhD, MVA
6. Faculty of Social Sciences 35 350 MA, PhD
7. Faculty of Economics 25 250 MA, PhD
8. Faculty of Humanities 50 500 MA, PhD
9. Faculty of Management 18 200 MBA, PhD
10. Faculty of Legal Studies (Details to be worked out) **
11. Faculty of Undergraduate Studies*** 10 200 BA, BS
12. Institute of South Asian Studies 14 50 Ph.D.
13. Total 297 3000

*Figures represent estimates. Other academic personnel include post-doctoral research fellows, visiting researchers and research /
technical staff in research projects.

** Moved from Phase II to Phase I as a consequence of the decision of the 6th Steering Committee (9-13 March 2010)

*** Since the teaching at the undergraduate level will require active participation of teachers from Faculties, initiation of the Faculty
of Undergraduate studies will take place at a later stage only when sufficient teachers in various Faculties have been recruited.
 President
Academic
Council
Senior Vice-President
(Academics)

PG / Research Faculty of Research Institutes

Faculties Headed by Undergraduate Studies and IRCs headed by
Deans headed by a Dean Directors

Life Sciences & Biotechnology Department

of Physics
Physical and Chemical Sciences
Department
Earth System Sciences of Chemistry

Mathematics and Information Technology

Department of
Humanities Mathematics

Social Sciences Department of

Computer Sciences
Department
Economics of Sociology

Arts and Design

Department of
Arts and Design
Political Studies
Management

Department of Human
Legal Studies Development Studies

Future faculties: Department of Public

Policy and Governance
Medical and
Health Sciences /
Engineering Department of
International Studies
 Finalized March 2010

Scope and Structure of Academic Programs

As outlined above, the academic programs of the University will be spread over nine
Faculties, Institute of South Asian Studies, Interdisciplinary Research Centers and a
college of science and arts. In what follows, a brief note is given on the rationale, scope,
and range of teaching/research activities for each of them. In deference to the decision of
the 6th Steering Committee, the Faculty of Legal Studies was shifted from Phase II to
Phase I of SAU. Details about this Faculty are being evolved.

Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology (FLSB)

Scope: The current millennium is the age of biological sciences. Today, we have the
conceptual, experimental and mathematical tools to understand the complexity of inputs
that go into the integrated study of the Science of Life. Also, with changing modes of
production and climate change, the role of Life Sciences is increasing rapidly to the
extent that our long term wellbeing would be highly dependent on our understanding of
the biological processes. The distinction between basic knowledge and its application
towards the betterment of human existence has mostly ceased to exist. The Faculty would
have a broad sweep, so as to offer a well planned selection of courses that enable
flexibility and lateral integration while maintaining the coherence and rigor of specific
disciplines. The options would include basic areas of study as well as those geared
towards our practical needs in agriculture, health and industry. In research, the Faculty
would encourage complete academic freedom and collaboration with other Faculties
including those of the Physical and Social Sciences. It would strive for originality and
innovation that give it a prominent place in the web of science as also lend it international
visibility and connectivity. Its faculty would also participate in the teaching programs of
the College of Sciences, and professional teaching programs likely to come up
subsequently at SAU.

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The Faculty will train postgraduate students in the wide spectrum of Life Sciences. The
endeavor of the Faculty would be to teach the latest concepts and research technologies
and prepare the students for careers in research and teaching in modern biology and
biotechnology. The areas covered would include Molecular and Cellular Biology;
Biotechnology; Microbiology and Immunology; Molecular Medicine; Genomics,
Genetics and Evolutionary Biology; Agricultural Biology and Plant Sciences;
Neurosciences, Ecology and Biodiversity, Stem cell Biology and Biomedical engineering;
Structural Biology; System Biology. Students will also be offered training in the
intellectual property rights and entrepreneurship so that they may also explore starting
their own enterprises as creative entrepreneurs.

Degrees to be awarded:

• Direct PhD program for students who possess M.Sc. / M.Tech degrees.

• MS/ PhD program for students who have come through a 4-year BS stream. These
students will be admitted to MS/PhD program leading to a PhD degree. Students
will have the option of leaving after 1 year with a MS degree.

• M.Sc. (Life Sciences / Biotechnology) 2-year program for students who would
come from 3-year BSc stream.

• M.Tech (Biotechnology) 2-year program: for students who have already

completed M.Sc. program or a B.Tech program in relevant areas.

Besides these academic programs, the faculty will actively participate in teaching
Biology courses at the undergraduate (BS) level.

Faculty and teaching load: The final faculty strength of the Faculty will be 50, that will
represent a wide spectrum of research fields in biological sciences. All faculty members

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irrespective of their positions, will be expected to actively participate in the teaching

programs of the Faculty as well as in undergraduate teaching in College of Science. Each
faculty member will offer some fundamental / core courses as well as specialized courses
in their respective areas of teaching and research interest.

Interactions with industry: The Faculty will have earmarked laboratories that could be
leased out to private R&D companies / biotechnology under mutually beneficial
arrangements. The research carried out in PPP laboratories will be in collaboration with
one or more faculty members of the Faculty. These laboratories may use the student
manpower as interns and trainee workers.

Manpower: Besides faculty strength of 50, the number of research students in the
Faculty may be around 250 at a given time. Additionally, about 200 M.Sc. / M.Tech.
students and 100 research fellows / post-doctoral workers / visiting scientists may be
expected.

Research Facilities: The Faculty will provide some seed funds to faculty members for
running their research programs but all faculty members will be encouraged to bring their
own research money in the form of research grants from government, national and
international funding agencies and the industry. A Central Instrumentation Facility (CIF)
will be established in the Faculty that will house major research equipment for use by all
faculty members, students and researchers. Besides, the Faculty will maintain state of the
art animal house facilities to house research animals and green house facilities for
research in plant / agricultural sciences. Common bio-safe containment facilities will also
be provided for.

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Faculty of Physical and Chemical Sciences (FPCS)

Scope: The Faculty will train postgraduate and research students in a wide spectrum of
Physics and Chemistry, with adequate emphasis on basic concepts, with the objective of
nurturing research that (a) pushes the frontier of fundamental Physics and Chemistry, and
(b) propels applied science into new technological domains. The structure will be flexible
and encouraging for the incorporation of the latest concepts and research technologies at
any given time so that the students are best prepared for challenges in careers in research,
development and teaching in Physical and Chemical Sciences.

The Faculty will have two Departments, namely:

• Department of Physics
• Department of Chemistry.

While postgraduate teaching in the FPCS will attempt a comprehensive coverage of the
disciplines of Physics and Chemistry, faculty will be recruited so as to enable the Faculty
to conduct research in modern and upcoming research areas. Thus, the prominent
research areas covered under the Department of Physics will include condensed matter
physics, quantum optics and information processing, nuclear and particle physics,
astrophysics and astronomy, plasma physics, material sciences, electronics, mathematical
physics and biophysics. Likewise, the major research areas in the Department of
Chemistry will include natural product chemistry, analytical chemistry, process
development, chemical thermodynamics, polymers and biomolecules, computational
chemistry, drug discovery, synthetic chemistry, electro chemistry and photochemistry.
Students will also be offered training in the intellectual property rights and
entrepreneurship so that they may also explore starting their own companies as creative
entrepreneurs.

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Degrees to be awarded:

• Direct PhD program for students who possess M.Sc. or equivalent degrees.

• MS/ PhD program for students who have come through a 4-year BS stream. These
students will be admitted to MS/PhD program leading to a PhD degree. Students
will have the option of leaving after 1 year with a MS degree.

• M.Sc. (Physics) and M.Sc. (Chemistry) 2-year programs for students who would
come from 3-year B.Sc. stream.

Besides these academic programs, the faculty will actively participate in teaching Physics
and Chemistry courses at the undergraduate (BS) level.

Faculty and teaching load: Final faculty strength of the Faculty is expected to be about
50 (25 each in Physics and Chemistry Departments). All faculty members irrespective of
their positions will be expected to actively participate in the teaching programs of the
Faculty as well as in undergraduate teaching in College of Sciences. Each faculty
member will offer some fundamental / core courses as well as specialized courses in their
respective areas of research.

Interactions with industry: Faculty will have earmarked laboratories that can be leased
out to companies who would like to conduct R&D activities in collaboration with the
faculty at SAU. These laboratories may use the student manpower as interns and trainee
workers.

Manpower: FPCS will aim at a faculty strength of 50. Once the faculty strength reaches
that level, research students in the Faculty may reach 250. Additionally, about 200 M.Sc.
students and 100 research fellows / post-doctoral workers / visiting scientists may be
expected.

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Research Facilities: the Faculty will provide initial seed funds as well as some nominal
research grants to individual faculty members for running their research programs but all
faculty members will be encouraged to bring their own research money in the form of
research grants from government and private funding agencies. A Central
Instrumentation Facility (CIF) will be established in the Faculty that will house major
research equipment for use by all faculty members, students and researchers in the
Faculty.

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Faculty of Mathematical Sciences and Information and

Communication Technology (FMSICT)

Scope: Mathematics is the mother discipline from which all computational sciences have
emerged. In the Faculty of Mathematics and Information Technology, it is proposed to
assemble a wide spectrum of expertise in mathematics as well as its applications in what
we see in today’s world as the wide ambit of information technology. The Faculty will
train postgraduate and research students in the areas of Mathematics and the general area
of computer and information technology. Latest concepts and research techniques will be
taught in order to prepare the students for careers in research, teaching, and diverse other
fields emerging in the growing economy of the region.

The Faculty will have two departments, namely:

• Department of Mathematics
• Department of Computer Sciences

While postgraduate teaching in the FMIT will attempt a comprehensive coverage of the
disciplines of mathematics as well as computer sciences, faculty will be recruited so as to
enable the Faculty to conduct research in modern and upcoming research areas in these
disciplines. Thus the research areas covered under the department of mathematics will
include areas like operational research and optimization theory, probability and statistics,
numerical analysis and scientific computing and combinatorics. Areas covered under the
department of computer sciences will include computer architect, algorithms, networking,
data bases, embedded systems, soft computing and software engineering. Students will
also be offered training in the intellectual property rights and entrepreneurship so that
they may also explore starting their own enterprises.

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Degrees to be awarded:

• Direct PhD program for students who possess M.Sc. / M.Tech degrees.
• MCA Program (3 years) for students with a bachelor’s degree in science with
mathematics as a subject
• M.Tech. (Computer Sciences) program (2 years) for students with B.Tech or
MCA degrees. Students with M.Sc. degrees in Physics / Mathematics may also be
admitted to this program.
• M.Sc. (Mathematics) (2 years) for students who would come from 3 years BSc
Mathematics stream.
• M.Sc. (Information Technology) (2 years) for students who would come from 3
years BSc with Mathematics stream.

Besides these academic programs, the faculty will actively participate in teaching
mathematics and computer sciences courses at the undergraduate (BS) level.

Faculty and teaching load: The final faculty strength of the Faculty is expected to be
about 50 (25 each in mathematics and computer sciences departments). All faculty
members, irrespective of their positions, will be expected to actively participate in the
teaching programs of the Faculty as well as in undergraduate teaching in College of
Science. Each faculty member will offer some fundamental / core courses as well as
specialized courses in their respective areas of research.

Manpower: Once the FMIT faculty strength reaches 50, research students in the Faculty
may be about 250. Additionally, about 100 M.Sc. (Mathematics), 100 M.Tech
(Computer Sciences) students and 100 research fellows / post-doctoral workers / visiting
scientists may be expected.

Research Facilities: Faculty will have state of the art computational facilities and
computer science laboratories.

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 Finalized March 2010

Faculty of Earth System Sciences (FESS)

Scope: The Faculty of Earth System Sciences will cover all aspects of the study of earth,
its composition and constituents, environment, climate, oceans, mountains, natural
resources, atmosphere and the influence of humans. It is hoped that the students trained
in the Faculty will acquire a perspective of the earth as an interdependent and finely
balanced system that can be perturbed by over exploitation by humans.
The teaching and research areas covered in the Faculty would include:

• Geology
• Geography and geo-informatics
• Hydrology and River Studies
• Natural Resources and Natural Hazards
• Environmental Studies
• Oceanography
• Energy Studies
• Glaciology
• Conservation and Sustainable Development
• Paleobiology and Biodiversity
• Climate Changes and Atmospheric Sciences
• Mathematical Modeling and Simulation.

Students will also be offered training in the intellectual property rights and
entrepreneurship so that they may also explore starting their own ventures.

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 Finalized March 2010

Degrees to be awarded:
• Direct PhD program for students who possess M.Sc. degrees.

• MS/ PhD program for students who have come through a 4-year BS stream. These
students will be admitted to MS/PhD program leading to a PhD degree. Students
will have the option of leaving after 1 year with a MS degree.

• M.Sc. (Earth System Sciences) 2-year program for students who come from 3-
year BSc stream or BA programs with strong components of mathematics /
geography and/or economics. A small research project will be a component of the
M.Sc. program. Based upon the project as well as the specialized topics covered
as per the credit requirements, some specialization may be mentioned in the M.Sc.
degree.

Besides these academic programs, the faculty will actively participate in teaching
Biology courses at the undergraduate (BS) level.

Faculty and teaching load: The final faculty strength of around 50 will represent a wide
spectrum of research fields in biological sciences. All faculty members irrespective of
their positions will be expected to actively participate in the teaching programs of the
Faculty as well as in undergraduate teaching in College of Science. Each faculty member
will offer some fundamental / core courses as well as specialized courses in their
respective areas of research.

Interactions with industry: As a general policy of the university towards promotion of

university-industry interface, FESS will have earmarked laboratories that can be leased to
private R&D companies. The research carried out in PPP laboratories will be in
collaboration with one or more faculty members of the Faculty. These laboratories may
use the student manpower as interns and trainee workers.

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 Finalized March 2010

Manpower: Against a faculty strength of 50, research students in the Faculty may be
about 250 at a given time. Additionally, about 200 M.Sc. students and 100 research
fellows / post-doctoral workers / visiting scientists may be expected.

Research Facilities: Faculty will provide some seed funds to faculty members for
running their research programs but all faculty members will be encouraged to bring their
own research money in the form of research grants from government and private funding
agencies. A Central Instrumentation Facility (CIF) will be established in the Faculty that
will house major research equipment for use by all faculty members, students and
researchers in the Faculty. Central computing facilities will be designed to meet the
research requirements of all categories of faculty and research students.

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 Finalized March 2010

Faculty of Arts and Design (FAD)

Scope: The Faculty of Arts and Design will focus on theory and practice of all forms of
arts. The endeavor of the Faculty would be to teach the latest concepts and art techniques
to students and prepare them for careers in research and teaching as also as professional
artists. The spectrum of academic activities in the Faculty will cover the following areas:

• Visual art
• Digital art and animation
• Films and communication
• Cinema and popular culture
• Media studies
• Theatre
• Applied arts and design
• Art history and criticism
• Photography
• Musicology
• Documentation and archiving
• Music
• Dance

Degrees to be awarded:

• Direct PhD program for students who possess MA / MFA / MVA or other degrees
equivalent to a master’s degree.

• MVA 2-year program (specialization in visual arts, digital art, cinema and design)
for students who come through a 4-year BVA, BFA or BA, BSc stream. Students
belonging to 3-year undergraduate degree programs may be admitted to the MVA
program but will be prescribed necessary bridge courses of one year duration
before they are admitted to MVA program.

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 Finalized March 2010

• MA 2-year program in performance studies (music, dance, theatre) or in areas of

art history and criticism, musicology, documentation and archiving etc, for
students who come from BA / BFA/ BSc streams.

Besides these academic programs, the faculty will actively participate in teaching art
subjects at the undergraduate (BA / BFA) level.

Faculty and teaching load: The final faculty strength of the Faculty will be about 40 that
will represent a wide spectrum of art fields. All faculty members irrespective of their
positions will be expected to actively participate in the teaching programs of the Faculty
as well as in undergraduate teaching in the undergraduate College of Arts. Each faculty
member will offer some fundamental / core courses as well as specialized courses in their
respective areas of research.

Interactions with industry: As a general policy of the university towards promotion of

university-industry interface, art students will also be encouraged to interact with the
industry, especially in the field of product and package designing.

Manpower: FAD aims at reach a core faculty strength of around 40. There will also be
provision for visiting artists and artisans for training the students in their respective areas.
Research students in the Faculty may be about 100 at a given time. Additionally, about
300 MA/MVA students and about 60 visiting artists / gurus/ustads would be expected in
the Faculty at any given time.

Infrastructure: The faculty will require special facilities in the form of studios, art
galleries, computer facility, etc. The Faculty may be integrated with an open air theatre
and the proposed convention center of the SAU to allow students and faculty to showcase
their works.

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 Finalized March 2010

Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS)

Scope: The Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS) will focus on all aspects of the study of
human society and of individual relationships in and to society with special emphasis on
societies in the South Asian countries. The endeavor of the Faculty would be to teach the
latest concepts and research techniques to students and prepare them for careers in
research and teaching as also in the wide spectrum of national and international social
organizations and institutions.

The FSS is visualized consist of the following four departments:

1. Department of Sociology
2. Department of Political Studies
3. Department of Human Development Studies (Education Studies, Population
Studies, Community Health*)
4. Department of Public Policy and Governance
5. Department of International Relations

Degrees to be awarded:

• Direct PhD program for students who possess MA or other degrees equivalent to
a master’s degree.

• MA 2-year program (specialization in Sociology, Political Studies, Education

Studies, Population Studies, Public Policy and Governance, etc) for students who
come through a 3 or 4-year BA program or equivalent. Students from 3-year
undergraduate degree programs may be admitted to the MA program but will be
prescribed necessary bridge courses before they are confirmed to MA program.

• MPH 2-year program for students with MBBS / MSc Nursing or Life Sciences
degrees
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 Finalized March 2010

Besides these academic programs, the Faculty will actively participate in teaching art
subjects at the undergraduate (BA) level.

Faculty and teaching load: The final faculty strength will be around 60 with expertise in
the broad areas of the departments mentioned above. All faculty members irrespective of
their positions will be expected to actively participate in the teaching programs of the
Faculty as well as in undergraduate teaching in College of Liberal Arts. Each faculty
member will offer some fundamental / core courses as well as specialized courses in their
respective areas of research.

Manpower: The FSS with its core faculty strength of around 60, may admit about 300
PhD research students, at a given time. Additionally, about 300 MA students and about
150 post-doctoral researchers, research associates and visiting faculty members would be
expected in the Faculty at any given time.

Infrastructure: Faculty will require state of the art computer facility as well as a
progressively updated documentation center, especially in terms of government policy
vision, documents, intra-SAARC developments and future initiatives.

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 Finalized March 2010

Faculty of Economics (FE)

Scope: The Faculty of Economics (FE) will focus on research and teaching in all aspects
of economics ranging from the evolution of the economic thought to the study of
economics and trade in the modern world. The endeavor of the Faculty would be to teach
the latest concepts and research techniques to students and prepare them for careers in
research, teaching, development administration, international and national agencies, and
many other economic sectors that are opening up fast within and outside SAARC region.
The spectrum of teaching and research activities would broadly encompass Economic
Theory (Micro and Macro Analysis), Development Theories and their Application, Public
Policy, Law and Economics, Quantitative Economics and Econometric Modeling,
History of Economic Development of South Asia, Foundations of Empirical Analysis,
Agricultural Economics International Trade and Development Institutions, etc

The FE would be a boundary-less Faculty with no departments.

Degrees to be awarded:

• Direct PhD program for students who possess MA or other degrees equivalent to
a master’s degree.

• MA (Economics) 2-year program for students who have come through a 3 or 4-

year BA program or equivalent. Students from 3 years undergraduate degree
programs may be admitted to the MA program but will be prescribed necessary
bridge courses before they are confirmed to MA program. A short project will be
carried out by all MA students. The Faculty will have an active program of
working field trips for MA students to bring them face to face with ground
economic realities in India or any other SAARC country of their choice.

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 Finalized March 2010

Besides these academic programs, the Faculty will actively participate in teaching
economics and related subjects at the undergraduate (BA) level.

Faculty and teaching load: The final faculty strength of the Faculty is anticipated to be
40 with expertise in the broad spectrum of economics to ensure that no important area is
missed and the Faculty has a well rounded expertise in economics. All faculty members
irrespective of their positions will be expected to actively participate in the teaching
programs of the Faculty as well as in undergraduate teaching in undergraduate College of
Arts. Each faculty member will offer some fundamental / core courses as well as
specialized courses in their respective areas of research.

Manpower: Against its final faculty strength of around 40, close to 200 scholars are
proposed to be enrolled for Ph. D studies. Additionally, about 200 MA students and a
varying number of visiting faculty members would be expected in the Faculty at any
given time.

Infrastructure: Faculty will require state of the art computer facilities as well as a well-
stocked and progressively updated documentation center. The Faculty will maintain a
reference center with database of economic studies conducted in the SAARC region.

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 Finalized March 2010

Faculty of Humanities (FH)

Scope: The Faculty of Humanities will focus on attributes specific to humans that have
contributed to their ascendance as a contemplating life form with analytical mind.
Language is a primary attribute of humans and refinement in thought has paralleled the
refinement of language. Study of languages of special relevance to South Asian Region
would constitute one of the prime areas of teaching and research in the FH. Study of
human history, philosophy and religion would be other major areas to be pursued. Human
culture and traditions, races and the artifacts of human history would constitute other foci
of interest in the Faculty. Both classical and modern languages of South Asia as well as
some foreign languages will we taught. A suggested list of languages to be covered is:

Classical Languages Modern Languages of Foreign Languages

of South Asia South Asia
Sanskrit Hindi Chinese
Pali Urdu Japanese
Tamil English French
Persian Bangla German
Arabic Nepali Spanish
Tibetan Sinhala
Panjabi
Sindhi
Pashto
Dzongkha
Dhivehi

Linguistics will constitute another important area of teaching and research in the Faculty.
Besides languages, there will be teaching courses available in the areas of Speech therapy
and language skills, Comparative Culture, Religion and Philosophy, History,

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 Finalized March 2010

Anthropology and Archeology. Active research activities in all these areas will be a
prominent feature of the Faculty.

Degrees to be awarded:

• PhD program for students who possess MA or equivalent degrees. PhD program
will be available in all languages taught in the Faculty. Besides individual
languages, students will be able to register for PhD in Comparative Culture,
Religion and Philosophy, History, Anthropology and Archeology

• MA 2-year program for students who come through a 3 or 4-year BA stream.

While it may not be possible to start an MA program in all languages, such a
program may be initiated in a phased manner in Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic, Tamil
and Pali (Classical languages) and in Hindi, Urdu, English, Bangla, Panjabi, and
Sindhi (modern languages). Students will be able to learn other South Asian
languages such as Nepali, Sinhala, Dzongkha, Tibetan and Dhivahi and some
selected foreign languages such as French, German, Spanish, Chinese and
Japanese. MA degree will also be offered in Linguistics.

Faculty and teaching load: The final faculty strength is expected to be around 75 that
will represent a fairly wide spectrum of research fields in biological sciences. All faculty
members, irrespective of their positions, will be expected to actively participate in the
teaching programs of the Faculty as well as in undergraduate teaching in the College of
Arts.

Manpower: The FH will aim at a faculty strength of 75. Research students in the Faculty
may be around 150 at a given time. The Faculty is expected to run about 10 different MA
programs in different languages and in Linguistics. Considering 40 to 50 student intake
per year in each of the MA program, postgraduate student strength is likely to be 700-800,
once the Faculty attains full strength.

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 Finalized March 2010

Research Facilities: State of the art language laboratories will form an integral part of
the Faculty. Some laboratory space will be expressly earmarked for the fields of
Anthropology and Archeology.

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 Finalized March 2010

Faculty of Management (FM)

Scope: While the South Asian region is rich in human and natural resources, citizens do
not get optimal benefits of such endowments, largely because of poor management
policies and practices. A strong Faculty of Management focusing on research and
teaching in conventional and non-conventional areas of human endeavor would greatly
benefit the South Asian region. The Faculty would therefore focus on post-graduate
training in various areas of management of specific relevance to SAARC region.
Research in theory and practice of management will also be carried out. The endeavor of
the Faculty would be to train managers who, upon returning to their countries, can make
a difference in their respective areas. The spectrum of management training in the
Faculty will include management at micro as well as macro levels. Some important areas
to be covered include

• Business and financial management

• Risk management
• Infrastructure management
• Management and logistics of transportation systems
• NGO / project management
• Public Health management
• Management of MSME (Micro, Small and Medium Entrepreneurship)
• Disaster management
• Wealth and retirement management
• Retail management
• Management of shared resources

The FM would be a boundary-less Faculty with no departments.

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 Finalized March 2010

Degrees to be awarded:

Direct PhD program for students who possess MBA, MA or other degrees equivalent to
master’s degrees.

• MBA 2-year program for students who come through a 3 or 4-year BA /

BSc/BTech/BE/ BCom programs or equivalent. Deficient students will be
prescribed necessary bridge / remedial courses to bring them up to a common
standard. The MBA teaching program will comprise 1 year common foundation
course followed by one year course work in specialized areas. Faculty will have
an active program of internships in relevant companies / institutions to give them
practical exposure to ground realities of management issues.

• Executive MBA 1-year program for students with considerable professional

experience. Such students will undergo one semester of foundation courses
followed by another semester of specialization in the professional field.

Besides these academic programs, the faculty will actively participate in teaching of
management related subjects at the undergraduate (BA) level.

Faculty and teaching load: The final faculty strength of the Faculty will be about 30
with expertise in the broad spectrum of management fields. All faculty members
irrespective of their positions will be expected to actively participate in the teaching
programs of the Faculty as well as in undergraduate teaching in College of Liberal Arts.
Each faculty member will offer some fundamental / core courses as well as specialized
courses in their respective areas of expertise.

Manpower: The FM aims at a core faculty strength of around 30. PhD research students
in the Faculty may be about 50 at a given time. Additionally, about 350 MBA students
and a varying number of visiting faculty members would be expected in the Faculty at
any given time.

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 Finalized March 2010

Faculty of Undergraduate Studies (FUS)

Scope and Rationale: It is felt by the SAU academic consultation teams that there is
a need to introduce strong undergraduate programs that would be valuable feeder
channels for sustaining post graduate teaching and research programs at SAU. Academic
standards of undergraduate programs in various parts of the South Asian Region vary
considerably in form and content. The Faculty of Undergraduate Studies would provide
an opportunity to the chosen students of the region to get a high standard undergraduate
training in the areas of their choice. In order to meet the international standards, it is
proposed to have a 4-year BA / BS program to which students with 12 years of schooling
may be admitted. Initial part of the course duration will be utilized to hone the basic
language and computing skills of the students. Basic courses in humanities, arts, social
sciences and science subjects will be offered. Students will be allowed to specialize in
two subjects: one major and other minor. Thus, a Chemistry major student may opt for
Biology as a minor specialization, or even courses in humanities, arts and social sciences.
A great deal of freedom will be allowed to students for choosing their fields of study. It is
hoped that this open and boundary-less approach will considerably widen the mental
horizons of the students of these two colleges.

Degrees to be awarded: The Faculty will award a 4-year BA or BS degree with

which students will be able to register for an MA/MS/ PhD program of the SAU.

Faculty and teaching load: The FUS will have a Dean and some core teaching
faculty but faculty members of various Faculties of Study would actively participate in
undergraduate teaching.

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 Finalized March 2010

Number of Students: The FUS may begin with an annual intake of 50 students but
the intake may gradually be increased to 150 students per year. Once fully functional,
student strength of the FUS may be about 600 (including all four years). Since the
teaching in the FUS will require active participation of teachers from various Faculties,
starting the undergraduate FUS will only be possible after sufficient teachers have been
recruited in various Faculties.

Facilities: All required training facilities and science laboratories for conducting the
required laboratory exercises.

38