Osmania University
Template:Short description Template:Redirect Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use Indian English Template:Infobox university Osmania University is a collegiate public state university located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Mir Osman Ali Khan, the 7th Nizam of Hyderabad, issued a firman calling for its creation on 29 August 1917.<ref name="R.L.Geiger">Template:Cite book</ref> It is the third oldest university in southern India, and the first to be established in the erstwhile Kingdom of Hyderabad.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>History Template:Webarchive oucde.ac.in</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It was the first Indian university to use Urdu as a language of instruction,<ref name="R.L.Geiger" /> although with English as a compulsory subject.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> As of 2012, the university hosts 3,700 international students from more than 80 nations.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Osmania is one of the largest university systems in the world with over 300,000 students on its campuses and affiliated colleges. The Osmania Medical College was once a part of the Osmania University System.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> However, it is now under the supervision of Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
History
[edit]In 1917, Sir Akbar Hydari, in a memorandum to the Education Minister, emphasised the need to establish a university in Hyderabad with Urdu as the medium of instruction, "as it is the language of the widest currency in the state".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 26 April 1917, the Nizam of Hyderabad Mir Osman Ali Khan issued a firman to establish the Osmania University.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref>
The university began functioning in 1918 in a building adjacent to the Nizam College at Basheerbagh.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Arts and theology were the only two faculties offered, and the first batch consisted of 225 students and 25 faculty members.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The government invited Patrick Geddes and Edwin Jasper to set up a permanent campus of the university.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Geddes surveyed prospective locations and presented his report in 1923.<ref name=":0" /> Jasper drew up the building plans and the Nizam laid the foundation stone for the campus on 5 July 1934.<ref name=":0" /> After Jasper left Hyderabad, the state architect Zain Yar Jung supervised the construction of the campus.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Post-Independence (1947-present)
[edit]After independence and the accession of Hyderabad State in 1948, the university fell under the purview of the state government. After the election of the first state government, the central government announced plans to convert Osmania University into a central university with Hindi as the medium of instructions. However, this led to protests and with pressure from the Mulki agitation, the plan was dropped.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Eventually, English replaced Urdu as the medium of instruction, and the Nizam's crown was also removed from the university seal.
Seal
[edit]The original seal featured the Nizam's crown as the crest, along with the phrase Noorun Ala Noor. It also contained the hadith, "I am the city of knowledge and Ali is its gate".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The present emblem contains inscriptions in Telugu and Sanskrit. The new logo has the Urdu letter Ain in between.
Campus
[edit]The Main campus is a chief intellectual centre in Hyderabad, and its alumni and faculty members include many distinguished individuals, including former Prime Minister of India P. V. Narasimha Rao. Admission to Main campus departments of Genetics, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Chemistry, Engineering, Management, and Law is highly competitive.<ref name="PV Narasimha Rao">Template:Cite web</ref> The state government has appointed Prof S.Ramachandram as vice chancellor of the university. The university is accredited by the NAAC with an 'A+' Grade and conferred with the status of 'University with Potential for Excellence' by the UGC, New Delhi.<ref name="Ranking of OU">Template:Cite news</ref>
The University Colleges are located in begumpet university. There are ten such colleges: the University College of Arts and Social Sciences, University College of Commerce & Business Management, University College of Technology, University College of Engineering, University College of Law, University College of Science, Institute of Advance Study in Education, and PG College of Physical Education. The university offers courses in Humanities, Arts, Sciences, Social Sciences, Law, Engineering, Medicine, Technology, Commerce and Business Management, Information Technology and Oriental Languages. In 2001, Osmania was awarded five-star status by the National Accreditation and Assessment Council (NAAC) of the University Grants Commission, part of the Government of India.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The university has a campus of nearly 1600 acres (6 km2) with 300,000 students (counting all the campuses, constituent affiliated colleges and district centres) making it one of the largest higher education systems in India. Nearly 5000 faculty and staff are employed at Osmania.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It attracts students from across the nation as well as from other countries.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Organisation and administration
[edit]Constituent colleges
[edit]Osmania University is a confederation of university colleges, constituent colleges, and affiliated colleges. The constituent colleges of the university include:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Nizam College
- Post Graduate College of Law, Basheerbhagh
- University College for Women, Koti
- University College of Science, Saifabad
- University Post Graduate College, Secunderabad
- University College of Arts and Social Sciences, Osmania University (estd. 1918).
- University College of Engineering, Osmania University (estd. 1929)
Other Autonomous Centers
[edit]- Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers, Hyderabad
- Indian Council of Social Science Research, Hyderabad
- National Institute of Nutrition
- Government City College, Hyderabad
- Centre For Plant Molecular Biology
- Centre For Indian Ocean Studies
- Japal-Rangapur Observatory
- Research and Training Unit in Navigational Electronics
- Regional Centre For Urban and Environmental Studies
- Centre For Stem Cell Science, Hyderabad
- Anwar Ul Uloom College, Hyderabad
- PGRR center for distance education
Affiliated Engineering Colleges
[edit]The affiliated engineering colleges of the university are mostly scattered throughout the GHMC area and offer various undergraduate and post-graduate engineering courses.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The affiliated engineering colleges include (in no particular order):
- Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology
- Vasavi College of Engineering
- Muffakham Jah College of Engineering and Technology
- Deccan College of Engineering and Technology
- Maturi Venkata Subba Rao Engineering College
- Matrusri Engineering College
- Methodist College of Engineering and Technology
- Stanley College of Engineering and Technology for Women
- Islamia Engineering College
- Neil Gogte Institute of Technology
- Keshav Memorial Engineering College
- Gokaraju Lailavati Engineering College for Women
Academics
[edit]Admissions
[edit]Osmania is a non-profit university which is funded and managed by the government. Admissions into the Bachelor of Engineering, Masters and Doctoral programs in main campus is on a merit basis, evaluated by national entrance examinations (EAMCET, GATE, BCFSBTGMES-N&D, TSLAWCET, O.U. PhD Entrance Exam, DOST etc.) for each of the courses offered. Template:Further
Library
[edit]The University Library is the main library of the university and it was founded in 1918 along with the university. It has close to 500,000 books and more than 6000 manuscripts, which includes rare palm leave manuscripts. It also has various journals, government documents, etc. The main library coordinates a library system, which connects the libraries in the entire campus and other constituent college libraries.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Parasa">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Ramu">Template:Cite news</ref>
Rankings
[edit]Template:Infobox India university ranking Osmania University has ranked 1201–1400 in the world and 401–450 among universities in Asia category by the QS World University Rankings of 2023.<ref name="Rankings_QS_W_2023" /><ref name="Rankings_QS_A_2023" /> The Times Higher Education World University Rankings ranked it 1201–1500 globally in the 2023 ranking<ref name=Rankings_THE_W_2023/> 301–350 in Asia in 2022<ref name=Rankings_THES_A_2022/> and 301–350 among Emerging Economies University Rankings 2021.<ref name=Rankings_THES_E_2022/>
In India, the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) ranked Osmania University 43rd among Indian universities and 70th overall in 2024.<ref name=Rankings_NIRF_U_2024/><ref name=Rankings_NIRF_O_2024/>
Research
[edit]The research activities are funded by various autonomous agencies of the government of India. Foreign students are also admitted to the university via UFRO (University Foreign Relations Office) that allots admissions with minimum criteria. Indian students living overseas Non-resident Indian are also admitted through UFRO that are usually ineligible to get admissions via the entrance exams quota.
Notable alumni and faculty
[edit]Template:Main Notable alumni of Osmania University include 9th Prime Minister of India P. V. Narasimha Rao,<ref name="PV Narasimha Rao"/> Jaipal Reddy, cabinet minister, 16th and last Chief Minister of united Andhra Pradesh with Telangana Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy, CEO Adobe systems Shantanu Narayen and senior advocate Subodh Markandeya.
Other alumni include spiritual guide and founder of Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur, Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> pro chancellor of khaja bandanawaz university Syed Muhammad Ali Al Hussaini, former Indian Cricket team captain Mohammed Azharuddin, cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle, novelist Venkatesh Kulkarni, author and poet Sneha Narayanan, PDSU founder George Reddy, former Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, former governor of the Reserve Bank of India Yaga Venugopal Reddy, chemist Garikapati Narahari Sastry, Metallurgist and former Vice Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University Patcha Ramachandra Rao and physicist Raziuddin Siddiqui. Rakesh Sharma, cosmonaut and the first Indian to travel in space, was a graduate of Osmania.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Karan Bilimoria, founder of Cobra Beer, Member of the House of Lords, and the seventh Chancellor of the University of Birmingham earned his Bachelor of Commerce degree from Osmania in 1981.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Rafi Ahmed, a well-known virologist and immunologist graduated from Osmania University in 1968.
Notable former faculty members of the university include Bhadriraju Krishnamurti, Dravidianist and linguist, and founder of linguistics department at the university, physicist Suri Bhagavantam, and linguist Masud Husain Khan.Template:Citation needed
References
[edit]External links
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