University of Kelaniya
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| University of Kelaniya | |
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| Established | 1959 |
| Type | Public |
| Vice-Chancellor | Prof. Sarath Amunugama, JP |
| Staff | 771 academic, 637 non-academic |
| Location | Kelaniya, Sri Lanka |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Website | http://www.kln.ac.lk |
The University of Kelaniya[1] is a state university of Sri Lanka. Situated just outside the municipal limits of Colombo, in the ancient and historic city of Kelaniya, the University has two major campuses, seven locations, six faculties and four institutions.
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[edit] History
The University of Kelaniya has its origin in the historic Vidyalankara Pirivena, founded in 1875 as a centre of learning for Buddhist monks. It was one of the two great national centres of traditional higher learning.
With the establishment of modern Universities in Sri Lanka in the 1940s and 1950s, the Vidyalankara Pirivena became the Vidyalankara University in 1959, later the Vidyalankara Campus of the University of Ceylon in 1972 and, transforming as the University of Kelaniya in 1978.
[edit] Affiliated institutes
- Post Graduate Institute of Pali and Buddhist Studies
- Post Graduate Institute of Archaeology
- Gampaha Wikramarachchi Ayurveda Institute
[edit] Faculties
[edit] Faculty Of Science
The Faculty of Science started functioning in October 1967 with Prof. Charles Dahanayake as the Dean of Science. The intake of the first batch of students was 57. Formal approval for the Faculty was given by the Minister of Education in 1968.
The faculty was housed in the main building known as the “Science Block”. Due to the continued increase in the student intake from year to year, a new Lecture Theatre Complex and an Auditorium were constructed in 1992, which enabled the intake of students to be increased to 450 in 2003. A new laboratory complex for the Chemistry Department and three buildings for the Departments for Industrial Management, Microbiology and Zoology have now been completed.
The faculty was the first among the Sri Lankan Universities to initiate the change over from the traditional three subject (General) degree with end of year examinations to a more flexible Course Unit System, i.e. a modularized credit based system within a two-semester academic year with the end of semester examinations. It offers a variety of course pathways designed to provide flexibility in the choice of subjects. Under this system students have the option of reading for a traditional three subject degree or for a degree consisting of two principal subjects and a selection of course units drawn from other subject areas. The B.Sc. (Special) degree courses, begun in 1974, adopted the course unit system in 1986.
The faculty consists of eight departments:
- Department of Botany
- Department of Chemistry
- Department of Industrial management
- Department of Mathematics
- Department of Microbiology
- Department of Physics,
- Department of Statistics and Computer Science
- Department of Zoology
[edit] Department of Industrial Management
It focuses on a degree of MIT which gives knowledge of Management and Information Technology. Also the department is offering masters degrees which focuses on the same area.
You can find more information at: http://www.mit.kln.ac.lk/Industrial/
[edit] Faculty Of Medicine
The Faculty of Medicine of the University of Kelaniya is situated in a 35-acre (140,000 m2) campus at Ragama. It is one of six medical schools in Sri Lanka. The faculty began classes with the admission of 120 students in September 1991. Before that it was called the North colombo medical college (NCMC). The NCMC, the first privately funded medical school in Sri Lanka started in 1980 with the admission of 100 local and 20 foreign students, who started graduating in 1990. Dr. Heenilame was its first Chairman and Dr. W.D. Ratnavelle, its first Director. The first batch of students, under the new name, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya completed their five year course and graduated MBBS in September 1996. Prof. Carlo Fonseka was the first dean in the renamed medical school.
The faculty has over 1000 students on its roll. This number includes foreign students, mainly from other South Asian countries, who have been admitted on a fee levying basis. The faculty also welcomes students for elective appointments. Students from medical schools in Europe, USA and Australia have spent their elective periods with the university.
There is a permanent academic staff of over 90 and in addition 40 temporary academic staff and over 60 visiting staff that includes consultants who are based in the affiliated teaching hospitals.
[edit] Faculty Of Humanities
The faculty includes disciplines associated with Buddhist and Asian cultures, such as Pali and Buddhist Studies, Sinhala, Tamil, Sanskrit, Hindi, Japanese and Chinese, while teaching courses in modern European languages such as English, French, German and Russian.
- Departments in the Faculty of Humanities
- Department of Linguistics
- Department of Pali and Buddhist Studies
- Department of Sinhala
- Department of Hindi
- Department of Modern Languages
- Department of Sanskrit
- Department of Grammar and Fine Art
- Department of Western Classical Culture and Christian Culture
- Department of English
- English Language Teaching Unit
[edit] Faculty Of Social Sciences
The faculty consists of seven departments:
- Archaeology
- Economics
- Geography
- History
- Library Science
- Mass Communication
- Philosophy
- Sociology
[edit] Faculty Of Commerce and Management
The faculty consists of four departments:
- Department of Accountancy
- Department of Marketing Management
- Department of Human Resource Management
- Department of Commerce
[edit] Faculty Of Graduate Studies
Twenty three postgraduate degree programmes and six postgraduate diploma programmes are coordinated by the Faculty of Graduates Studies.
Postgraduate Diplomas
- Postgraduate Diploma in Regional Planning
- Postgraduate Diploma in Information Technology
- Postgraduate Diploma in Industrial and Business Management
- Postgraduate Diploma in Environmental Management
- Postgraduate Diploma in Mathematics
- Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resource Management
Postgraduate Degrees
- M.A. in Sinhala
- M.A. in Linguistics
- M.A. in Drama and Theatre
- M. S. Sc. in Mass Communication
- M. S. Sc. in Sociology
- M. S. Sc. in Geography
- M. S. Sc. in Library Science
- M. S. Sc. in Economics
- M. S. Sc. in Political Science
- M. S. Sc. in History
- M. S. Sc. in Philosophy
- M. Sc. in Applied Microbiology
- M. Sc. in Food and Nutrition
- M. Sc. in Aquaculture and Fisheries Management
- M. Sc. in Biodiversity and Integrated Environmental Management
- M. Sc. in Industrial and Environment Chemistry
- M. Sc. in Management and Information Technology
- M. Sc. in Computer Science
- Master of Commerce
- Master of Business Management
- Master of Philosophy
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Doctor of Medicine
[edit] Services
[edit] Information and Communication Technology Centre
The ICT Centre provides support services in IT related teaching, research, internet services, staff development and hardware maintenance for the entire university. It conducts computer literacy course open for all students and advanced courses in Visual Basic, web designing and hardware technology for the students who have successfully completed the computer literacy course. On-the-job training in the IT arena is provided for the young people just out of the university who work in the ICT Centre.
The maintenance unit provides network, hardware and software support to the clients within the university, and IT solutions for academic departments and administrative branches of the university. Video filming of special events of the university since 2005 is an additional service.
- Centre for Enterprise Management Information Service
- English Language Teaching Unit
- Library
- Department of Physical Education
- Staff Development Unit
- Career Guidance Unit
[edit] Historically Related Institutions
The Vidyodaya University was created at the same time as the Vidyalankara University. Today Vidyodaya University is known as the University of Sri Jayewardenepura
[edit] External links
- Official website
- External Examination Branch
- Academic Officers of the university
- Enrolment and graduate output 1995 - 2004 for all the universities in Sri Lanka
- University grants Commission of Sri Lanka
- Sri Lanka University Games 2007
[edit] References
