Shiv Nadar University (SNU)places a lot of emphasis on research and encourages its undergraduate students to engage in research work. University chancellor S.N. Balakrishnan talks about the university and the research-centric courses it offers.
Why do you consider research an intrinsic part of undergraduate education?
Research is creation of knowledge which leads to new and efficient solutions for the society. Shiv Nadar University, therefore, believes in being at the forefront of research. To create new knowledge, one needs to solve open-ended problems which basically make one think on one’s own. This exercise is very useful and important at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. In 2014, we started an ‘Opportunities for Undergraduates’ programme which fosters student research with a faculty mentor outside the class as well. The response has been overwhelming.
What are the research options on offer at SNU?
The university has 13 doctoral programmes across three schools that are actively conducting research across various fields. There are six research centres focused on big data analytics, environmental studies, informatics, mathematical applications and public affairs and critical theory. The university also has a dedicated 'Centre for Advanced Research’ to draw scholars for interdisciplinary research with focus in areas such as medicine, life sciences, technology, rural development, societal evolution, data sciences and art and design.
At the undergraduate level, SNU has a unique ‘Opportunities for Undergraduate Research’ programme. Students are encouraged to undertake research programmes at the undergraduate level and get trained in the interdisciplinary research. A robust research infrastructure and 65 state-of-the-art labs facilitate and encourage the environment of research at the university.
How do you help your undergraduate students to secure direct admission to international PhD programmes?
The programmes at the undergraduate level are designed in such a way that the students can secure direct admission to PhD programmes at institutions of global repute. The intensive and rigorous curriculum ensures direct admission to PhD. In fact, one of the students from our first graduating batch has secured direct PhD in the Department of Computer Science at an Ivy League school — Dartmouth College.
Students are mentored at the undergraduate level to navigate their academic choices through a unique and pioneering system of faculty-led student advising.
Which are the most sought-after courses at SNU?
Shiv Nadar University has five schools with 16 departments offering 14 undergraduate, 10 master’s and 13 doctoral programmes. The demand for engineering courses — computer science, engineering, electronics, communication engineering, mechanical engineering — is slightly on the higher side, compared to other engineering courses. In humanities and social sciences, English and economics are top choices while in natural sciences, the department of life sciences admits more students than the other departments.
We allow students to change their major within the first two years of their studies. There are students who choose engineering because their parents have pushed them into the subject and not because they are interested in it. Such students can change to some other subject within the university or even enter the university as undecided candidates and chose their area of specialisation after fully understanding their aptitude and field of learning.
What is the placement record at SNU?
Shiv Nadar University was established in 2011 and our first batch graduated in 2015. The first batch mostly had engineering courses and a B.Sc. programme in Mathematics. About 96 per cent of our first graduating class was recruited by organisations such as Amazon, PriceWaterhouse Coopers, Cognizant, Tata, L&T, Shapoorji Pallonji, Dell, Schneider and 50 more. A total of 31 students from the first graduating class who opted for further studies have secured a place at the world’s leading universities including Cornell, Columbia, New York University, Dartmouth, RMIT and Georgetown University.
How do you ensure that your students secure course-specific internships?
Shiv Nadar University has a Career Development Centre (CDC) that supports the students in shaping and managing their careers. The intensive student development programme focuses on training students through career counselling, boot camps and talks while the industry connect programme builds a network of partnering organisations focusing on industry leadership talks, mentorship program, internships and eventually placements.
The CDC ensures that the students secure course-specific internships and use the opportunity to determine if they have an interest in a particular career, create a network of contacts, or gain credits for their academic programme and eventually get placed at their choice of organisation. The CDC coordinates with the faculty of the students wishing to apply for the same and coordinates with the partnering organisations for job descriptions and awarding certificates at the end of the internship.
Do you have any tie-ups with foreign universities/ student exchange programmes?
SNU has partnered with Annenberg School of Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Duke University, Fuqua School of Business, Babson College, the HSBC Business School, Peking University and the Carnegie Mellon University. Each of these institutions has a different kind of partnership with SNU.
Preliminary discussions have also been started with Massachusetts Institute of Technology, U.S., for collaborative research.
