Bangladesh Agricultural University

Bangladesh Agricultural University

বাকৃবি
Courtyard of College of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science
Motto	Knowledge, Efficiency, Moral Character
Type	Public university
Established	18 August 1961
Endowment	Tk. 1.394 billion for 2013–14
Chancellor	President Abdul Hamid
Vice-Chancellor	Ali Akbar
Students	~5400
Undergraduates	~4300
Postgraduates	~1150
Doctoral students	~50
Location	Mymensingh , Bangladesh
Campus	Rural, 1261 acre active area
Colours	Blue and gold
Nickname	BAU
Website	bau.edu.bd

Bangladesh Agricultural University (Bengali: বাংলাদেশ কৃষি বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় Bangladesh Krishi Bishshobiddalôe) or BAU was established as the only university of its kind in Bangladesh in 1961. The scheme for BAU was finalised on 8 June 1961 and its ordinance was promulgated on 18 August 1961. It started functioning with the College of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science at Mymensingh as its nucleus. The university has six faculties and 43 departments covering all aspects of agricultural education and research.

BAU was the second highest budgeted public university in Bangladesh for the year 2013–2014. It is ranked number one university of Bangladesh according to the webomrtrix university ranking 2017. BAU's unparalleled research in agriculture has made it well recognised across Asia. Having a very low teacher-student ratio, the quality of education at BAU is remarkable.

Location

The campus, with an area of 4.85 square kilometres (1.87 sq mi), is in scenic rural surroundings on the western bank of the old Brahmaputra River, 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of the district town of Mymensingh and 120 kilometres (75 mi) north of Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. The campus is made up of academic, administrative and residential buildings and experimental farms, gardens and other related facilities.

Two national research institutes, Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA) and Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI) are housed in this campus.

War of liberation

During the days of the war of liberation in 1971, the teachers, students, officers and employees of the university responded to the call of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to join the war of liberation. The vice-chancellor Q.M.F. Rahim declared: "From now on this university will be named as 'Swadhin Bangladesh Krishi Bishwabidyalaya' [Independent Bangladesh Agricultural University]." Teachers, students, officers and employees of BAU joined the war, and the university lost 18 members – one teacher, eleven students and six employees.

Three halls of student residence have been named after fighters who lost their lives in the war of liberation: Shahid Shamsul Huq Hall, Shahid Nazmul Ahsan Hall and Shahid Jamal Hossain Hall.

Administration

Partial list of the vice-chancellors of the university:

• (1st) M Osman Ghani (2 September 1961 – 1963)
• S.D. Chaudhuri (1963 – 1973)
• Quazi Mohammad Fazlur Rahim (January 1971 – July 1971 and January 1972 – November 1973)
• Mosleh Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury (24 November 1973 – October 1980)
• Kamaluddin Ahmad
• Mohammad Hossain (14 November 1996 – 5 February 2000)
• (18th) M Musharraf Hossain Mian (2006 – )
• Md. Akhtar Hossain ( – October 2008)
• MA Sattar Mandal (15 November 2008 –)
• (22nd) Rafiqul Haque (11 August 2011 – 8 April 2015)
• Ali Akbar (24 May 2015 – present)

Gallery

BAU Campus

Bangladesh Agricultural University

A mosque in the BAU residential area

Monument depicting the list of the martyrs of the Liberation War of Bangladesh

Faculty building

Agricultural university college

Faculty and departments

Faculty of Veterinary Science

• Department of Anatomy and Histology
• Department of Physiology
• Department of Microbiology and Hygiene
• Department of Pharmacology
• Department of Parasitology
• Department of Pathology
• Department of Medicine
• Department of Surgery and Obstetrics

Faculty of Agriculture

• Department of Agronomy
• Department of Soil Science
• Department of Entomology
• Department of Horticulture
• Department of Plant Pathology
• Department of Crop Botany
• Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding
• Department of Agricultural Extension Education
• Department of Agricultural Chemistry
• Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Department of Physics
• Department of Chemistry
• Department of Languages
• Department of Agroforestry
• Department of Biotechnology
• Department of Environmental Science
• Department of Seed Science and Technology

Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology

• Department of Farm Structure and Environmental Engineering
• Department of Farm Power and Machinery
• Department of Irrigation and Water Management
• Department of Food Technology and Rural Industries
• Department of Computer Science and Mathematics

Faculty of Animal Husbandry

• Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics
• Department of Animal Science
• Department of Animal Nutrition
• Department of Poultry Science
• Department of Dairy Science

Faculty of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology

• Department of Agricultural Economics
• Department of Agricultural Finance
• Department of Agricultural Statistics
• Department of Agribusiness and Marketing
• Department of Rural Sociology

Faculty of Fisheries

• Department of Fisheries, Biology and Genetics
• Department of Aquaculture
• Department of Fisheries Management
• Department of Fisheries Technology

Institutes

Graduate Training Institute (GTI)

The Graduate Training Institute is the first institute of BAU, established in 1976. GTI was established with the financial assistance of FAO/UNDP to train officers working in agriculture and rural development Sector in the country. The GTI performs the third function of the university: extension and community service. The motive behind establishing GTI in BAU campus was to make links between teaching, research and extension. Through GTI, the BAU teachers get an opportunity to interact with field-level officers working throughout the country. More than 500 teachers working in BAU are the trainers of GTI.

The institute has a 74-bed dormitory, suitable for running two residential training courses simultaneously. It offers non-residential training to postgraduate students, officers, employees and teachers of BAU. GTI has two modern PC labs for organizing IT-related training courses. The institute runs about 50–60 short training courses per year.

GTI was awarded the President Gold Medal in 1981.

In 2007 the institute introduced Foundation Training for Public University Teachers with the University Grants Commission providing financial support. The 17th course on Foundation Training for University Teachers ended on 22 May 2017; 393 young teachers from 29 public universities have attended in these courses. The course includes modules like (1) Teaching Methods & Techniques, Learning Assessment, Curriculum & Syllabus, (2) Research Methods & Project Management, (3) Scientific Report Writing, (4) Statistical Methods for Research, (5) Office Management, (6) Global and Local Development issues, (7) IT skills, and co-curricular activities.

GTI organizes Foundation Training course for newly recruited officers of public universities in Bangladesh. The institute conducted 07 such courses, each with 25-30 participants since 2010.

Library

BAU central library has a collection of over 192,978 volumes and 2,000 periodicals. The number of journals is 151. The library has copies of MS and PhD theses. Besides the central library, the Faculty of Agricultural Economics & Rural Sociology has its own library which contains reference books and journals in the field of Agricultural Economics.

Admissions

Undergraduate program

Undergraduate admissions in BAU are competitive. After completion of HSC (Higher Secondary School Certificate) education, a student can submit his/her application for undergraduate admission if they fulfill the minimum requirements. A candidate is eligible to apply for admission into Level 1, Semester 1 of undergraduate studies as offered by six faculties of BAU for the year 2017 must have passed SSC (Science group) or equivalent examination in 2013 or 2014 and HSC (Science group) or equivalent examination in 2015 or 2016 with a total of 9.0 GPA.

As of 2016–2017 session, the general distribution of seats for admission into Level 1, Semester 1 of the undergraduate courses as offered by six faculties BAU will be as follows:

• Faculty of Veterinary Science: 191
• Faculty of Agriculture: 402
• Faculty of Animal Husbandry: 191
• Faculty of Agricultural Economics & Rural Sociology: 133
• Faculty of Agricultural Engineering & Technology (B.Sc. Agri. Engg. 100 + B.Sc. Food Engg. 50): 150
• Faculty of Fisheries: 133

This is including all Freedom fighters quota and other quotas.

Total enrolment per year = 1200

MS/PhD program

M.S. and PhD programs are available as follows:

• Faculty of Veterinary Science: Anatomy & Histology, Microbiology & Hygiene, Parasitology, Medicine, Pathology, Physiology, Pharmacology, and Surgery & Obstetrics.
• Faculty of Agriculture: Agronomy, Soil Science, Crop Botany, Plant Pathology, Horticulture, Entomology, Agricultural Extension Education, Agricultural Chemistry, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Genetics & Plant Breeding, Physics, Chemistry, Languages, Agroforestry, Biotechnology and Environmental Science.
• Faculty of Animal Husbandry: Animal Breeding & Genetics, Animal Nutrition, Animal Science, Poultry Science, and Dairy Science.
• Faculty of Agricultural Economics & Rural Sociology: Agricultural Economics, Cooperation & Marketing, Agricultural Finance, Agricultural Statistics, and Rural Sociology.
• Faculty of Agricultural Engineering & Technology: Irrigation & Water Management, Farm Power & Machinery, Farm Structure, Food Technology & Rural Industries and Computer Science & Mathematics.
• Faculty of Fisheries: Fisheries Biology & Genetics, Aquaculture, Fisheries Management, and Fisheries Technology.

Admission of foreign students

In the case of foreign nationals, applicants must have completed 12 years of schooling and passed courses equivalent to HSC (science group) of Bangladesh with Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology and obtained equivalent GPA. An applicant has to produce certified academic transcript showing that he/she has studied and passed courses equivalent to HSC (science group) of Bangladesh having Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology and English in his/her curricula.

Training

• BAU runs a course on Information and Communication Technology at the postgraduate level. The Ministry of Science and Information & Communication Technology of Bangladesh sponsors the programme. A one-year course with a total 36 credits has to be completed to obtain a certificate of postgraduate diploma in Information and Communication Technology (PGD-in-ICT). Any graduate having no third class/division at any academic level can apply to this course.
• A course, "Foundation Training for University Teachers," is operated by BAU to train newly recruited teachers (lecturers and assistant professors) of public universities of the country. The course spans eight weeks of intensive training and is approved by the UGC (University Grants Commission). In its fifth batch, 19 teachers from Dhaka University, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Islamic University, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Sylhet Agricultural University, Noakhali Science & Technology University, and Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University have attended the program.
• GTI started "Foundation Training for University Officers." The first course spanned one month, starting in 2009. Twenty-six participants came from 10 public universities of Bangladesh. University Grants Commission sponsors the course.
• Bangladesh Agricultural University Extension Centre (BAUEC) operates agricultural extension and village development activities in 22 villages of Mymensingh Sadar through 45 cooperatives. Vegetable cultivation schemes are running in 40 primary schools, high schools, madrasas and orphanages under Mymensingh Sadar, Trishal, Gouripur and Phulpur upazilla. Over 8,000 farmers have attended the programs of BAUEC.

Research

BAU conducts two main streams of research — degree research and project research — the former being supervised by the teachers for postgraduate students at M.S. and PhD levels while the problem-solving research projects are conducted with sponsorship accorded either by the university or external funding agencies. The Committee for Advanced Studies and Research (C.A.S.R.) is responsible for co-ordinating both streams.

For co-ordination and management of research projects, BAU Research System (BAURES) was established in 1984. Since its establishment, BAURES has completed 322 research projects and has 112 ongoing projects. The ongoing research projects are funded by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Department for International Development (DfID) of UK, Norwegian Agency for International Development (NORAD), International Foundation for Science (IFS), etc.

Publications

The Journal of the Bangladesh Agricultural University (ISSN 1810-3030) is published in June and December on behalf of the Bangladesh Agricultural University Research System (BAURES). Original research papers, review articles and short communications are published.

Infrastructure

• 2 administrative buildings
• 6 faculty complexes
• 12 halls for students
• three-storied central library
• modern auditorium (Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin Auditorium, 2,000 seats)
• conference hall
• central laboratory
• Research field
• gymnasium
• stadium
• sports complex
• healthcare centre (free care service for students, university staff and their families)
• project complex
• 657 units of residential facilities for teachers, officers and employees
• TSC
• Botanical garden
• Fish museum & Biodiversity centre
• Agriculture museum
• GTI complex
• Computer lab & wifi zone
• Horticulture farm
• Agriculture university school &college
• Farmer auditorium
• Community centre
• Guest house
• Central mosque
• Bank & ATM booth
• KR market

Halls of residence (student dormitories)

Boys' halls

• Isha Khan Hall
• Shahjalal Hall
• Shaheed Shamsul Haque Hall
• Shaheed Nazmul Ahsan Hall
• Ashraful Haque Hall
• Shaheed Jamal Hossain Hall
• Hossain Shaheed Shuhrawardy Hall
• Fazlul Haque Hall
• Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Hall

Girls' halls

• Sultana Razia Hall
• Taposhi Rabeya Hall
• Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib hall
• Begum Rokeya Hall

Transportation

The university is three hours by bus from Dhaka, the capital. Inter-city trains take around four hours. The bus terminal and the train station are 2 and 3 kilometres (1.2 and 1.9 mi), respectively, from BAU campus.

The university has its own buses which operate in the morning and evening for the students who live off campus. The buses cover the major roads and areas, especially the town hall, Zilla School corner, Notun Bazar, rail station, Patgodam, Shombhugunj bridge, and Keotkhali. Sometimes, they cover Jubli Ghat and Kali Bari road.

Bilateral collaborations

USAID, through a contract with the Texas A&M University, provides to the university support in the form of advisory services, fellowships and equipment. Development support was made available through two IDA credit agreements signed between the government and the World Bank in 1964 and 1966. Over the years the university has received research support from international sources including USAID, International Development Association, International Development Research Centre, UNICEF, Ford Foundation, International Labour Organization, DANIDA, Canadian International Development Agency, and IAEA.

The university receives funding support from DFID, FAO, IRRI, CIRDAP, IMI, European Union, United States Department of Agriculture, Global Environment Facility and the Ghent University through bi- and multilateral research projects.

The university signed five memoranda of understanding (MOU) with the Texas A&M University, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, Florida A&M, Brooklyn College and Research Foundation of the City University of New York, and Ghent University of Belgium.

The university has linkage programs with national organisations like Rural Development Academy (RDA), Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre (BPATC), and NARS organisations in the fields of research, training and extension.

References

• BAU latest news
• List of publications on the official BAU website
• BAU Admission test information

External links

• Official BAU website
• Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture
• Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute
• University Grants Commission of Bangladesh
• Hussain, Muhammed (2012). "Bangladesh Agricultural University". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.