Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda

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The Maharaja Sayajirao University, named after Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III, the visionary ruler of Baroda (Vadodara) , is one of the premier universities of India and the largest university in the city of Baroda in Gujarat, India. It is known throughout Asia for The Faculty of Fine Arts^{[citation needed]}. The Faculty of Technology and Engineering and The Faculty of Science are the best in Gujarat. Originally known as the Baroda College of Science (Est. 1881), it became a university in 1949 after the independence of the country. It is both teaching and residential university in the sense that it offers all its courses under a single roof. It is the only university in Gujarat whose medium of instruction is English for all its courses. The illustrious alumni of this university include people like Dr IG Patel, the former Governer of the Reserve Bank of India, Chimanbhai Patel, the former Chief Minister of Gujarat, the cricketers like Kiran More and so on.

Faculties Within The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda:

Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Commerce, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Faculty of Fine Arts, Faculty of Home Science, Faculty of Journalism and Communication, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Management Studies, Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Performing Arts, Faculty of Science, Faculty of Social Work, Faculty of Technology and Engineering.

Other Centres and Institutions include:

Oriental Institute, Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology Centre, Centre for Genome Research, Resource Centre for ILT Solutions in Gujarati (RCILTG,) Gujarat State Eligibility Test (Gujarat SET).

Faculty of Arts

The Faculty of Arts established in 1881 by H. H. Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III of the erstwhile Baroda State, developed into a full-fledged degree institution in 1889.

The idea of establishing a Separate University’ for Baroda was mooted first as early as 1927 by Sir Sayajirao himself. It came into existence on April 30, 1949, at the time of the merger of the Baroda State with the State of Bombay. Necessary changes were incorporated into the constitution of the Baroda College with a view to establishing separate Faculties in the University. Thus, the Baroda College, one of the oldest Centres of learning in Western India, came to be known as The Faculty of Arts.

The Faculty of Arts is sanctified by the name of the seer and philosopher, Shri Aurobindo Ghosh, who had been appointed by Sir Sayajirao to teach English and also as the Vice-Principal of The Baroda College.

Various Departments in The University:

Department of English

The Department of English at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda is as old as the University (Est. 1949), though the Department owes its genesis to the Baroda College .Eminent scholars and thinkers over the years, including Sri Aurobindo, V.Y. Kantak, A.K. Ramanujan, J. Birje-Patil and G.N. Devy among others have made seminal contributions to molding and promoting the Departments objectives of language teaching and the teaching of literary appreciation and research. Besides being the largest department in the Faculty of Arts, it is also responsible for imparting instruction in various Faculties such as the Faculties of Commerce, Technology & Engg., Fine Arts, Performing Arts, Home Science and at Colleges at Padra, Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya and the Polytechnic.

The department is proud to be at the forefront of innovative and challenging courses in English studies and its association with inter-disciplinary intellectual activities with various Faculties. For instance, the UGC Area Study Centre for Canadian Studies, housed in the Faculty of Arts, conducts national and international seminars, conferences and workshops and has contributed substantially to the growth of Canadian Studies in India.

Shakespeare Society of the Department, a theatre group has been producing English plays for the last fifty years and has been chiefly responsible for the growth theatre activities in Baroda.

Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology Centre

The Department of Microbiology was started in 1964 and offers the degree of 'Master of Science' in Microbiology in addition to the PhD. degree. Since 1985-86, it also offers the M.Sc. and Ph.D. degree in Biotechnology. Biotechnology training programme was started with support from Department of Biotechnology, Governent of India and University Grants Commission and continues to be very popular, attracting students from all over the country.

The department has a strong base in Genetics, Molecular Biology, Bioprocess technology, Immunology, Microbial Genetics and many other contemporary areas allied to Microbiology and Biotechnology.

The Centre for Genome Research, associated with the department has been recognised as Centre of Excellence in Microbial Genomics by the state government. Bioinformatics Centre at the department supports teaching and research. The department has an active research programme and receives research grants from various national and international agencies and from the industry. The alumni of the department now occupy senior positions in many reputed institutions in India and abroad.

Biochemistry

The KG Naik Department of Biochemistry was established in 1955, under the Chemistry Department, and was headed by Dr. Ramakrishnan. The Department has a glorious history of being the Center for Nutritional Studies, and a long history of international publications and scientific collaborations. The MSU Department of Biochemistry was awarded an Excellent status in 2006 by FIST a Government of India accreditation agency. The Department is well known for its teaching and now, is slowly emerging as a center of research as well. The Biochemistry Department offers courses in Enzymology, Genetics, Molecular Biology, Neuroscience, Plant Biochemistry, Endocrinology, Clinical Biochemistry among others. The Department is also conducting active research in many diverse areas like: Cellulose degradation, Bacterial cooperation, Polyketide antibiotics, phosphate solubilization, nitrogen fixation, heavy metal toxicity, magnetoliposomes, protein folding, vitiligo etc.

The alumni of the department have traditionally opted for a PhD while many do go into the industry and start a professional career early.

The Department of Economics

The Department of Economics in the Arts Faculty has given birth to some of the finest Economists of the Country like Dr. Ravindra Dholakia, Dr. Bakul Dholakia. Upon entering the Department there is the whole list of the PhD holders and most of them are at the top postions academically.

The Geography Department is the biggest department in Gujarat. It has all the facilites and have a museum too. The Department of Archeology has some of the oldest historic objects and have a very big museum.