The University of Rajshahi (), also known as Rajshahi University (RU), is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are "the key sites of Knowledge production modes, knowledge production", along with "intergenerational ...

located in

Rajshahi Rajshahi (, ) is a metropolis, metropolitan city and a major Urban area, urban, administrative, commercial and educational centre of Bangladesh. It is also the administrative seat of the eponymous Rajshahi Division, division and Rajshahi Distr ...

, Bangladesh. It is the second oldest and third largest university in Bangladesh. The university's 59

departments Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military * Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

are organized into 12 faculties. It is one of the four autonomous university by the act (1973) of

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

History

The first proposal to establish a university came in 1917, when

Calcutta University The University of Calcutta, informally known as Calcutta University (), is a Public university, public State university (India), state university located in Kolkata, Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal, India. It has 151 affiliated undergraduate c ...

created the Sadler Commission to assess the university system in

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

. However, the recommendations of the report had no immediate consequences. The

University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (), also known as Dhaka University (DU), is a public university, public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country. The University of Dhaka w ...

was established in 1921. Demand for a university in the northern part of East Bengal gained momentum when two universities were set up quickly in

West Pakistan West Pakistan was the western province of Pakistan between One Unit, 1955 and Legal Framework Order, 1970, 1970, covering the territory of present-day Pakistan. Its land borders were with Afghanistan, India and Iran, with a maritime border wit ...

, using funding diverted from East Bengal, without the establishment of any in the east. Students of

Rajshahi College Rajshahi College (Bengali language, Bengali: রাজশাহী কলেজ) is a public college, public educational institution in Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Established in 1873, it is the third oldest college in Bangladesh after Dhaka College a ...

were at the forefront of the movement demanding a new university. Finally,

was selected as the home for the second university in East Bengal, and the Rajshahi University Act of 1953 (East Bengal Act XV of 1953) was passed by the East Pakistan Provincial Assembly on 31 March 1953. Itrat Hossain Zuberi, the principal of Rajshahi College, was appointed its first vice-chancellor. Initially, the university was housed in temporary locations, such as the local Circuit House and

Boro Kuthi Boro Kuthi () is a historic building in Rajshahi, Bangladesh built by Dutch traders in eighteenth century. The building was also used as the first administrative center for Rajshahi University. The building is now under the Ministry of Cultural a ...

, an 18th-century Dutch establishment. B B Hindu Academy, a local school, housed the library, teachers' lounge, and the medical center. The university started out with 20 professors, 161 students (of whom 5 were females) and six departments — Bengali, English, history, law, philosophy and economics. In 1964, the offices moved to the permanent campus. The 1960s were a turbulent period in

East Pakistan East Pakistan was the eastern province of Pakistan between 1955 and 1971, restructured and renamed from the province of East Bengal and covering the territory of the modern country of Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Burma, wit ...

, when demands for East Pakistani autonomy became stronger. The students and staff of the university started playing an increasing role in politics. On 18 February 1969, Shamsuzzoha, a professor, was killed by the police when he tried to prevent them from shooting at student demonstrators. This date is now commemorated as Zoha Day. During the

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalism, Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which res ...

of 1971, the campus was used as a base by the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

. A number of professors, students and officers of the university were killed by the

. After

independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

, a new Act regarding the administration of the university came into being — the Rajshahi University Act, 1973. The post-independence years saw the university grow steadily in student enrolment and the size of the academic staff. However, the 1980s were turbulent for the university, as the students agitated with other institutions of the country against the military rule of Hossain Muhammad Ershad. Since the early 1990s, the university has seen relative calm and a lowering of session backlogs, though active student politics remains a contentious issue.

Emblem

The circle of the emblem represents the world. An open book is shown in red and gold: red represents one of the colors of the national flag and gold the value of education. The body of the book is blue, the color of the sky, and at the center is a ''shapla'' flower (

Nymphaeaceae Nymphaeaceae () is a family of flowering plants, commonly called water lilies. They live as rhizomatous aquatic herbs in temperate climate, temperate and tropical climates around the world. The family contains five genera with about 70 know ...

), the national flower of Bangladesh.

Campus

The university's main campus is in Motihar, on the eastern side of the city of

and a mile from the Bangladeshi coast of the river Padma. The campus area is nearly . Access to the walled-off campus is controlled through three security gates. It houses eleven large academic buildings — five for the arts, business studies and

social science Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among members within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the ...

s, four for the natural and applied sciences, and two for agricultural studies. RU is considered to have one of the most beautiful campus in Bangladesh.

Rail line and University Station

The Dhaka-Rajshahi rail line passes through the campus, and it has a dedicated station named the University Station. It is near the Shaheed Shohrawardy Hall on the southern border of the campus. There is an internal bazaar nearby for the students only, called the station bazaar.

Gates

There are six gates of the university, three being upon the Dhaka - Rajshahi Highway. The westernmost gate is the Kazla gate, which provides access to the western part of the campus mainly playgrounds and residential areas. The easternmost gate is the Binodpur gate, which provides access to the eastern part of the campus, and the Main gate in between these two provides access to the main administrative and academic portion of the campus. The fourth gate is on the other side of the campus and provides access to the campus from the other side of the city. The main gate is used to create an architectural optical illusion while entering or exiting the campus through it, as it seemed to the visitor that the more he tries to go nearer the more the Administrative Building goes far away.

Forests

There is an artificial forest on the campus. Called "Matihar Udyan", it is situated on the easternmost side of the campus. The university fire station is situated near its southern side. It provides a serene environment and refreshments for the students and campus joggers.

Parks, lakes and sanctuaries

There is a central part of the university near the Shaheed Minar Complex. It is a small park providing a very good environment and a place for spending leisure for the students and residents of the campus. Rajshahi University Botanical Garden is also a park inside the campus, home to some very rare species of trees and plants. There used to be a mini park-like plantation near the main gate, but it was cut down during the mid-2020s. There are two big lakes inside the campus. One is behind the Shaheed Shamsuzzoha Hall, popularly known as the Shorobor and another is behind the female hostels known as a part of the Jungle Genome Project. Apart from these, there are nearly fifty ponds around the campus. There is a large bird sanctuary inside the campus called the Jungle Genome Project. It is an ecological project of the Zoology Department, and it has natural plantations and lakes inside it.

Paris Road

Paris Road is a street on the campus that is often considered the signature of the Rajshahi University Campus. It starts from the adjoining point of Kazla Gate Road, Paschimpara Road and Paris Road near the Juberi Guest House and runs straight East from this. Then it keeps going past the mango plantations, Kazla Pond and VC's residence and reaches Shamsuzzoha Square. Then, from Shamsuzzoha Square, it goes East past the University Bank, Second Administrative Building, University Central Bus Station, Central Mosque, university park and Shahid Minar Complex and Shahid Smriti Sangrahashala Museum and ends at the gate of the Sher e Bangla Hall.

Murals, sculptures and monuments

Rajshahi university kendriya shaheed minar 02

There are a considerable number of murals on the campus. The Shaheed Minar Complex holds two murals, one on the background wall of the Open Theatre Stage and another on the background wall of the Shaheed Minar's platform. A mural near the

Golden Jubilee A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations. Bangladesh In Bangladesh, golden jubilee refers the 50th anniversary year of the separation from Pakistan and is called in Bengali language, ...

Tower is a masterpiece artifact made of steel depicting the struggle of men and women. Besides these, the obelisk of martyred professor Mohammad Shamsuzzoha has a mural depicting him and his famous quote. The Bangabandhu Hall, Sher-e-Bangla Hall and Syed Ameer Ali Hall have murals of

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (17 March 1920 – 15 August 1975), also known by the honorific Bangabandhu, was a Bangladeshi politician, revolutionary, statesman and activist who was the founding president of Bangladesh. As the leader of Bangl ...

, AK Fazlul Haque and Syed Ameer Ali, respectively.

Monuments around the campus are the Shaheed Minar, Mass-Graveyard monument and the Shabash Bangladesh. The sculptures are the martyred intellectual memorial monument near the central library, Sfulingo in the Shaheed Samsuzzoha Hall premises, and martyred professor Habibur Rahman's sculpture on Shaheed Habibur Rahman Hall's entrance. There are several memorial monuments and murals around the campus.

Facilities

Museums

The university is the site of the two oldest museums in Bangladesh. They are - the Varendra Research Museum, which is the oldest museum in Bangladesh, and the Shahid Smriti Sangrahasala, which is the oldest liberation war museum in Bangladesh. A few miles from the main campus is the Varendra Research Museum. It is one of the richest repertory of Bengal sculptures in the world. Established in 1910 by Ramaprasad Chanda, the museum became a part of the university in the 1960s when a financial crisis threatened its existence. Under the university, the museum has thrived, adding a

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

gallery to its impressive collection from ancient and medieval Bengal.

Zuberi Bhaban Guest House

Juberi Guest House is one of the earliest structures on the campus. It is actually a complex of guest houses, a lounge and a café. Zuberi House is the home of Rajshahi University Club, and it is the center of the political activities of the teachers and fellows. There are four buildings providing caravansary facilities for the guests of the university. It provides gymnasium facilities for the teachers, and it has a well-maintained lone tennis court.

Sport and other facilities for cultural activities

Rajshahi University Stadium seats 30,000. There is a swimming pool with stands for spectators and a gymnasium and indoor stadium situated near the stadium.

Architecture

The University of Rajshahi is home to many architectural and artistic landmarks. To the east inside the main gate is the colonial era Motihar Kuthi building, now used by the university's unit of the Bangladesh National Cadet Corps. Most of the university's academic, cultural, residential and administrative buildings are of modern architectural style. The Shaheed Minar is an important example, complete with a

mural A mural is any piece of Graphic arts, graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' ...

designed by Murtaza Bashir. The Senate House is a modern mini-parliament house, has 206 rooms and is fully air-conditioned. It is usually used for meetings of the senate of the university, but it accommodates national and international conferences, seminars and symposia. In front of the Senate House is Shabash Bangladesh, one of the largest

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

memorial sculptures, designed and constructed by Nitun Kundu. The name comes from a poem by Sukanta Bhattacharya of the same name, the last four lines of which are engraved under the structure. Golden Jubilee Tower, a 2003 addition to the university's array of sculptures, commemorates its 50th anniversary. It is right beside the main gate. It also has an open theatre and two beautiful murals. Other well-known buildings include the library and the university mosque. The Department of Fine Arts hosts a sizeable collection of contemporary art, while Varendra Museum has a large collection of ancient and medieval art.

Organization and administration

The university is run according to the Rajshahi University Act, 1973. This Act, passed on 25 September 1973, allows the university considerably more autonomy than most other peer institutions. The president of Bangladesh is the de facto

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

, but the role is mainly ceremonial. The highest official after the chancellor is the vice-chancellor, selected by the

senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

of the university every four years. The vice-chancellor, as of June 2017, is M. Abdus Sobhan. Other important officers include the pro vice-chancellor, the registrar, the controller of examinations, and the proctor. The proctor is in direct charge of student activities and is the official with the most direct contact with the students. The most important statutory bodies of the university are the senate, the academic council and the syndicate. Most of Rajshahi University's funding comes from the government. The Bangladesh University Grants Commission is the body responsible for allocating funds to all

public universities A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whether a national university is considered public varies from o ...

. The tuition fees are relatively low; nevertheless, a hike in admission fees, during the 2006–07 session, drew criticism from student bodies. In 2007, the university awarded a total of 340 scholarships, whose annual value is around 1.1 million taka. In addition, there are merit awards given by residential halls, departments and the university itself. Students are eligible for the

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

's Gold Medal award. All colleges of the northern and southern regions of the country used to be affiliated with the University of Rajshahi. However, the administration of colleges across the country was taken over by the National University when it was established in 1992.

List of vice-chancellors

# Itrat Husain Zuberi (6 July 1953 – 30 September 1957) # Momtazuddin Ahmed (1 October 1957 – 30 August 1965) # Muhammad Shamsul Huq (31 August 1965 – 4 August 1969) # Syed Sajjad Hussain (5 August 1969 – 18 July 1971) #

Muhammad Abdul Bari Muhammad Abdul Bari (; born October 1953), is a Bangladeshi-born British physicist, writer, teacher, and community leader. He is a former secretary of Muslim Aid, a former chairman of the East London Mosque, and a former secretary general o ...

(19 July 1971 – 8 January 1972) # Khan Sarwar Murshid (1 February 1972 – 3 August 1974) # Mazharul Islam (4 August 1974 – 18 September 1975) # Syed Ali Ahsan (27 September 1975 – 22 June 1977) #

(7 July 1977 – 17 February 1981) # Makbular Rahman Sarkar (26 February 1981 – 22 February 1982) # Moslem Huda (22 February 1982 – 20 September 1982) # Abdul Rakib (4 October 1982 – 19 March 1988) # Amanullah Ahmed (20 March 1988 – 22 July 1992) # M. Anisur Rahman (22 July 1992 – 22 August 1994) # M. Yusuf Ali (22 August 1994 – 16 February 1997) # Abdul Khaleque (17 February 1997 – 3 August 1999) #

M. Sayeedur Rahman Khan M. Sayeedur Rahman Khan () (born October 6, 1946) is a prominent academic and diplomat from Bangladesh. He is the former High Commissioner of Bangladesh to the UK. and the vice-chancellor of University of Rajshahi Birth and family Khan was born ...

(4 August 1999 – 13 November 2001) # Faisul Islam Farouqui (13 November 2001 – 5 June 2005) # Md. Altaf Hossain (5 June 2005 – 15 May 2008) # Mumnunul Keramat (acting) (16 May 2008 – 28 February 2009) # M Abdus Sobhan (26 February 2009 – 25 February 2013) #

Muhammad Mizanuddin Muhammad Mizanuddin (born 26 September 1953) is a Bangladeshi academic. He served as the 22nd Vice-chancellor of Rajshahi University since March 20, 2013. Early life and family Mizanuddin was born on 26 September 1953 to a Bengali Muslim famil ...

(19 March 2013 – 20 March 2017) # M Abdus Sobhan (7 May 2017 – 6 May 2021) # Golam Shabbir Sattar (29 August 2021 – 8 August 2024) # Saleh Hasan Naqib (September 2024 – present)

Faculties and departments

The university's 59 departments are organized into 12 faculties: Arts, Engineering, Fine Arts, Law, Science, Business Studies, Social Sciences, Life Sciences, Earth Sciences, Agriculture, Fisheries, Veterinary & Animal Sciences. The Arts and the Law faculties are the oldest, both established in 1953, closely followed by the Faculty of Science (1956) and the Faculty of Engineering (est. 2009). The university's departments represent the traditional studies in arts, commerce, sciences and engineering through programs such as English, history,

languages Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing. Human language is ch ...

and

linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...

, economics,

business studies Business studies, often simply called business, is a field of study that deals with the principles of business, management, and economics. It combines elements of accountancy, finance, marketing, organizational studies, human resource manageme ...

, mathematics,

applied mathematics Applied mathematics is the application of mathematics, mathematical methods by different fields such as physics, engineering, medicine, biology, finance, business, computer science, and Industrial sector, industry. Thus, applied mathematics is a ...

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

computer science & engineering Computer science and engineering (CSE) is an academic subject comprising approaches of computer science and computer engineering. There is no clear division in computing between science and engineering, just like in the field of materials science ...

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

, statistics, geology & mining,

geography Geography (from Ancient Greek ; combining 'Earth' and 'write', literally 'Earth writing') is the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. Geography is an all-encompassing discipline that seeks an understanding o ...

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

zoology Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the anatomy, structure, embryology, Biological classification, classification, Ethology, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinction, extinct, and ...

botany Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

, etc. The university is increasingly emphasizing more specialized programs such as

pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medication, medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it ...

biochemistry Biochemistry, or biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology, a ...

Information Information is an Abstraction, abstract concept that refers to something which has the power Communication, to inform. At the most fundamental level, it pertains to the Interpretation (philosophy), interpretation (perhaps Interpretation (log ...

and

Communication engineering Telecommunications engineering is a subfield of electronics engineering which seeks to design and devise systems of communication at a distance. The work ranges from basic circuit design to strategic mass developments. A telecommunication engi ...

(ICE),

genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinians, Augustinian ...

and

breeding Breeding is sexual reproduction that produces offspring, usually animals or plants. It can only occur between a male and a female animal or plant. Breeding may refer to: * Animal husbandry, through selected specimens such as dogs, horses, and rab ...

Faculty of Life Sciences

Botany Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

Zoology Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the anatomy, structure, embryology, Biological classification, classification, Ethology, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinction, extinct, and ...

# Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology # Microbiology #

Clinical Psychology Clinical psychology is an integration of human science, behavioral science, theory, and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well ...

Psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

Faculty of Arts

Prominent departments in the faculty of Arts are # Department of Philosophy # Department of History # Department of English # Department of Bengali # Department of Islamic History and Culture # Department of Arabic # Department of Islamic Studies # Department of Music # Department of Theatre # Department of Persian Language and Literature # Department of Urdu # Department of Sanskrit

Faculty of Fine Arts

The Faculty of Fine Arts has 3 departments;

Faculty of Law

The Faculty of Law has two departments: # Department of Law # Department of Law and Land Administration The Department of Law is one of the pioneer institutes for graduate-level legal education in Bangladesh as well as in South Asia. It was the first institution in South Asia that offered B.Jur. Honours (Bachelor of Jurisprudence) from the year 1970. Now it offers LLB (Honors), LLM, Evening LLM, MPhil and Ph.D. in the field of Law. It has a great number of alumni and former members of the faculty around the world including former

Chief Justice of Bangladesh The chief justice of Bangladesh ( – ) is the highest-ranking judge of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh and the head of the country's judiciary, overseeing both the Supreme Court and all subordinate courts. The chief justice is appointed by the ...

, former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, current and former ministers and many former and current judges of the apex courts of Bangladesh and many more formidable legal and political minds of the country. Abul Hasnat Muhammad Qamaruzzaman was a student of this department. The Department of Law and Land Administration was established in the session of 2015–16. It is the pioneer department in Bangladesh in the field of education on Laws relating to land administration, land management and land survey. All core courses of Law are taught here. Graduates of this discipline can apply for all jobs which are for Law graduates, including the positions of Assistant Judge and Judicial Magistrate. They are able to practice as both civil and criminal lawyers and also as Income Tax lawyers. In addition, they are able to apply for jobs in the field of land administration/management. It is currently under consideration that a separate BCS Cadre (Land) may be created and graduates from this discipline will only be able to apply for those jobs. The programs offered by this Department include LLB (Honours), LLM, MPhil and Ph.D. Initiatives are under process to establish a new department in the field of corporate law under this faculty which is going to be the first institution for graduate-level education in this field within Bangladesh.

Faculty of Engineering

The Faculty of Engineering includes the following departments: #

and

Communication Engineering Telecommunications engineering is a subfield of electronics engineering which seeks to design and devise systems of communication at a distance. The work ranges from basic circuit design to strategic mass developments. A telecommunication engi ...

(abbreviation ICE) (est. 2000), a specialized program deals with telecommunication, networking and

data processing Data processing is the collection and manipulation of digital data to produce meaningful information. Data processing is a form of ''information processing'', which is the modification (processing) of information in any manner detectable by an o ...

. # Computer Science & Engineering # Applied Chemistry &

Chemical Engineering Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of the operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials ...

# Materials Science and Engineering # Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) (est. 2015) In the late 1990 and 2000s, programs in computer science & engineering and Information & Communication Engineering were introduced. The newest addition to the Faculty of Engineering in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering in 2015. The university used to have a separate engineering program through the Bangladesh Institute of Technology Rajshahi, which became an independent university: Rajshahi University of Engineering & Technology in 2002. University authorities have decided to merge the Applied physics and electronic engineering department with the Electrical and electronic engineering department on 5 December 2018.

Faculty of Social Science

The Social Science Faculty has the following departments: # Economics # Political Science # Social Work # Sociology # Mass Communication and Journalism # Information Science & Library Management # Public Administration # Anthropology # Folklore # International Relations

Faculty of Business Studies

The Faculty of Business Studies has the following departments: # Finance # Accounting & Information Systems # Marketing #

Management Studies Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administr ...

# Banking & Insurance # Tourism & Hospitality Management All of these departments are in the Rabindra Building.

Faculty of Science

Faculty of Science has the following departments: # Mathematics # Physics # Chemistry # Statistics # Biochemistry & Molecular Biology # Pharmacy # Population Science and Human Resource Development (websit
POPSRU
# Applied Mathematics # Physical Education and Sports Sciences Most of these departments are in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th science buildings.

Faculty of Agriculture

The faculty of Agriculture has the following departments: # Agronomy and Agricultural Extension # Crop Science and Technology Crop Science was established in 2005. It offers a 4-year B.Sc.Ag.(Hons) degree and 18 months MS degree.

MPhil A Master of Philosophy (MPhil or PhM; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. The name of the degree is most often abbreviated MPhil (or, at times, as PhM in other countries). MPhil are awarded to postgraduate students after completing at least ...

and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees are also offered. About 250 students are studying in the department. All of these departments are in the Agricultural Faculty Building. Only 'practical work' is performed in Narikelbaria Campus. Founded in 2000, the Faculty of

Agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

was formed when a local agricultural college was absorbed into the university.

Faculty of Earth Sciences

# Geography & Environmental Studies # Geology & Mining

Faculty of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

# Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Faculty of Fisheries

# Fisheries

Institutes

There are six institutes at University of Rajshahi. # Institute of Bangladesh Studies # Institute of Biological Science # Institute of Business Administration # Institute of Education and Research # Institute of English and Other Languages # Institute of Environmental Science

Student life

Housing

The university has 18 residential halls for students, six for women and eleven for men and one International Dormitory. The halls are named after prominent Bangladeshi historical and cultural figures, some of them from Rajshahi. The largest men's hall is Shaheed Habibur Rahman Hall, named after a mathematics professor killed on campus during the 1971 war by the Pakistani Army. The largest women's hall is Monnujan Hall, followed by Begum Rokeya Hall, named after Rokeya Sakhawat Hussain, a leading figure in women's rights activism in Bengal. The housing system can accommodate more than 10,000 students, which has created a deepening accommodation crisis as the student body has risen to 25,000. Apart from the seat limitations, the amenities of these halls do not always meet decent accommodation standards. This has led to the establishment of many privately owned off-campus "

mess The mess (also called a mess deck aboard ships) is a designated area where military personnel socialize, eat and (in some cases) live. The term is also used to indicate the groups of military personnel who belong to separate messes, such as the o ...

es". The residential halls provide meals, which are subsidised by the university authorities.

Names of halls

Activities

The physical education department of the university has 27 instructors and is equipped with a 25,000-seat stadium, two gymnasiums, one swimming pool, four

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

grounds, one hockey ground, four tennis courts, two basketball courts and a squash court. The Teacher Students Center was designed to be the center of cultural activities of the university. The reception of fresh students, the celebration of national holidays, and the annual cultural competition are key cultural events at the campus. The university is home to recitation groups like ''Shwanan'', and drama groups like ''Anushilon'' and the Rajshahi University Drama Association. A vibrant fine arts scene thrives around the Department of Fine Arts, and the campus hosts exhibitions each year. The university has branches of all major national cultural groups, including Udichi and ''Gono Natto Shongstha''. During the three major national days —

Language Movement Day The Language Movement Day (), officially called Language Martyrs' Day (), is a national holiday of Bangladesh taking place on 21 February each year and commemorating the Bengali language movement and its martyrs. On this day, people visit Shahee ...

(21 February),

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...

(26 March) and Victory Day (16 December) — the university hosts public meetings, cultural programs and political activities. On these days, students and teachers, going barefoot, congregate around the Shaheed Minar and pay their respect. During the major Muslim religious occasions of Eid, the university is usually deserted as students go home to be with their families. Other religiously important days like Shabe-barat are observed through discussions and religious activities. The major Hindu festival celebrated in the university is Saraswati Puja—

Saraswati Saraswati (, ), also spelled as Sarasvati, is one of the principal Devi, goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of knowledge, education, learning, arts, speech, poetry, music, purification, language and culture. Together with the godde ...

, the

goddess A goddess is a female deity. In some faiths, a sacred female figure holds a central place in religious prayer and worship. For example, Shaktism (one of the three major Hinduism, Hindu sects), holds that the ultimate deity, the source of all re ...

of knowledge, is worshiped in a central location as well as individually in many residential halls. The Bengali new year, '' Pohela Baisakh'' is also observed with much pomp.

Notable alumni

Incidents and controversies

During the 1980s, the four-year honors course took as long as eight years due to the session backlogs, resulting mainly from conflicts between factions of political groups. Since the early 1990s, student politics has been calmer, with student body elections not being held for more than a decade. The student groups have been demanding elections whereas others feel student politics should be banned. In late 2004 and early 2005, two professors of Rajshahi University were assassinated within three months: Yunus from the Economics department in December 2004 and Taher from the Geology and Mining department in February 2005. Both murders were suspected to be driven by political motivations. In 2006, the commander of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh admitted to the

Rapid Action Battalion Rapid Action Battalion (; abbreviated as RAB) is an anti-crime and anti-terrorism unit of the Bangladesh Police. This elite force consists of members of the Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Air Force, Bangladesh Police, Border Guard ...

interrogators that his operatives carried out the attack on Yunus, as well as the 2004 attack on writer Humayun Azad, the murder of another writer, bomb blasts, and attacks on cinemas. Around the same time, a controversy over the hiring of over 500 new employees broke; detractors suggested that they were hired illegally, either in return for money or for political reasons. In 2005, Muhammad Asadullah Al-Ghalib, a professor of the Department of Arabic, was arrested on suspicion of militant activities but was acquitted of all charges in 2008. In August 2007, six detained professors of the university were temporarily suspended for their involvement in organizing protests that violated Emergency Power Rules, though they were discharged later from allegations and returned to the university. In November 2017, a woman student was abducted from the university campus, sparking protests by students demanding her rescue and improved security on the campus. In July 2018 protests and counter-violence erupted at various universities over the " quota reform movement," which sought to change the quota system that allocated 56% of Bangladesh government jobs to specific "entitled" classes. Vice-chancellor M. Abdus Sobhan dismissed the quota-reform movement as an "antigovernmental movement with a motive to carry out sabotage.""Rajshahi police saw nothing!"
9 July 2018 '' Daily Star'', Bangladesh The student and quota-reform movement leader Toriqul Islam, and 15 others, were attacked during their protest march, on 2 July 2018, by opposing students. The '' Daily Star,'' which filmed the incident, identified 10 of the attackers as leaders and activists of the

Bangladesh Chhatra League Bangladesh Chhatra League, simply Chhatra League (), is the student wing of the political party, Bangladesh Awami League, founded by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 4 January 1948. The organisation is banned and listed as a terrorist organisation in B ...

, a pro-

Awami League The Awami League, officially known as Bangladesh Awami League, is a major List of political parties in Bangladesh, political party in Bangladesh. The oldest existing political party in the country, the party played the leading role in achievin ...

(Bangladesh's ruling party) student organization. Video footage and photos published in Bangladeshi media showed BCL men with sticks, bamboo poles, a dagger and a hammer beating Toriqul, who suffered a broken leg and severe head injury. Several police officers standing nearby (unaware the incident was being filmed) did not intervene until the attack was finished, then took the victim to a hospital without arresting any of the attackers, publicly denying it was anything more than a "scuffle." University authorities declined to investigate, for lack of a filed complaint. Images of the attack, distributed on social media, sparked widespread criticism over police and university administration inaction."Injured quota protester Tariqul moved to Dhaka,"
8 July 2018, ''

Dhaka Tribune The ''Dhaka Tribune'' is a major Bangladeshi English-language daily newspaper based in Dhaka, the country's capital and largest city. It also operates an online portal ( Bengali version) known as the '' Bangla Tribune''. The newspaper has a stron ...

''"Quota reform activist Toriqul denied treatment in govt hospital,"
6 July 2018, ''

Prothom Alo ''Prothom Alo'' () is a Bengali language, Bengali-language daily newspaper in Bangladesh, published from Dhaka. It is one of the largest circulated newspaper in Bangladesh. According to the National Media Survey of 2018, conducted by Kantar MRB ...

''"Injured RU quota reformist Toriqul being brought to Dhaka,"
8 July 2018, ''

'' Despite student Toriqul's unresolved major injuries, the university's Rajshahi Medical College Hospital discharged him 5 July 2018, forcing his doctor to arrange for immediate surgery elsewhere."Injured quota reform leader Toriqul Islam being brought to Dhaka,"
8 July 2018 '' Daily Star'', Bangladesh

Gallery

File:Main gate of university of rajshahi.jpg, Main Gate File:Paris road rajshahi.JPG, Paris Road File:Medical Center, University of Rajshahi (1).jpg, Medical Center File:Rajshahi University Stadium.jpg, Stadium File:Website Mural RU.jpg, alt=Website Mural, Website Mural File:Swiming phool, rajshahi university.jpg, Swimming Pool File:TSCC, University of Rajshahi (1).jpg, TSCC File:Railline, inside of rajshahi university.jpg, Rail Line

Affliated institutions

Affiliating national professional academies

# Bangladesh Police Academy.

Affiliating non-government engineering tech colleges

# Abul Hossain College of Engineering, Rangpur # Advanced Engineering College, Rajshahi # Ashrai Engineering College, Rajshahi # BCMC College of Engineering and Technology, Jessore # Epsilon Engineering College, Rajshahi # Global Institute of Science and Technology, Rajshahi # Imperial College of Engineering, Khulna # KSFL Engineering College, Dinajpur # Pabna Engineering College, Pabna # Rajshahi Engineering Science & Technology college, Rajshahi # Rangpur Engineering College # South East Engineering College, Khulna # TMSS Engineering College, Thengamara (Rangpur Road), Bogra # United B.Sc. Engineering College

Affiliating non-government agriculture colleges

# Shaheed Shamsuzzoha Institute of Biosciences, Rajshahi # International Institute of Applied Science & Technology, Rangpur # Henry Institute of Bioscience and Technology, Sirajganj # Anowara College of Bioscience, Dinajpur # Rajshahi Institute of Biosciences, Rajshahi # Varendra Institute of Biosciences # Udayan College of Bioscience & Technology, Rajshahi(UCBT) # Bhashasoinik Gaziul Haque Institute of Bioscience, Bogura # Tamaltala Agriculture and Technical College, Natore

Rajshahi University School

Rajshahi University School and College () is a co-educational Bangladeshi school and college located within the southwestern part of the university. It was established in 1966. The school has 2,200 students and employs 43 teaching staff. The school was started in February 1966 on an experimental basis, operating out of Rajshahi University's Mannujan Hall. It began as a primary school up to class II. Each year it was extended by one or two classes until it became a high school. To accommodate the rising number of pupils, it was moved to the Juberi Building. The university's psychology department took over the school for their research. It was shifted again, this time to the department's former location, the tin-shed. By the mid-1970s, it was called The Experimental School. The higher secondary section was added in 1983. The school was moved into a concrete building. In 2000, the university's Institute of Educational Research took over the school, which was renamed Rajshahi University School. By 2024, it had become a school and college under its current name. It has 43 teachers and 2,200 students.

Notes

References

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External links

*
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rajshahi (University) Universities and colleges established in 1953 Public universities in Bangladesh 1953 establishments in East Bengal Organisations based in Rajshahi