Rajarata University of Sri Lanka

Faculty of Agriculture (FA) offers B.Sc. Agriculture(Special) four-year degree in Agriculture[3] On the recommendation of the committee on affiliated University colleges (1994), nine Affiliated University colleges spread out in various provinces of the country were merged to form two National Universities, the Rajarata and the Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka in 1996. The Affiliated University college of the North Western province which consisted of two academic sections namely; Home science and Nutrition and the Agriculture, originally affiliated with the University of Kelaniya and Peradeniya respectively, were merged to form the Wayamba Campus of the Rajarata University in terms of the provisions of the section 18 and 47(1) of the University act. No 16 of 1978 and campus board ordinance NO: 3 of 1995. Two faculties were set up to form the Wayamba Campus namely, the faculty of Agricultural Science and the faculty of Applied Sciences, each with three departments of study. The Faculty of Agricultural Sciences constituted the Department of plantation Management, Horticultural Sciences and Food Technology and Agricultural Engineering. A three-year general degree in Agricultural Science was offered. Later in 1999, a committee was appointed to make recommendations to upgrade the Wayamba Campus to a fully-fledged university. Based on the recommendations of this committee the Wayamba University was established in August 1999. With that faculty of Agricultural Sciences taken over to the Wayamba University in 1999 and Rajarata University loses its Agriculture Faculty. In the year 2001, a new Agriculture Faculty of the Rajarata University has incepted at Puliyankulama closes to ancient Anuradhapura and about ten kilometers away from Mihintale where administration building complex and other sister faculties were located. It was started at a renovated paddy store complex where the faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities was located earlier. From the beginning, there were three departments namely,

• Department of Agricultural Systems
• Department of Plant Sciences.
• Department of Agricultural Engineering and Soil Science
• Department of Animal and food science.

A new curricular was designed with the objective of uplifting dry zone agriculture and awarded a B.Sc degree in Agriculture which is a four-year special degree. The first batch of 17 students was recruited on 21 April 2001 under the patronage of the first dean of the Faculty of Agriculture at Puliyankulama Prof. S.H. Upasena. From that two comprehensive curriculum revisions were carried out in 2003 and 2006. The total annual intake is 100 students today.

FASc main hall

The following degree programs are offered by the FASc.

• B.Sc. (General) three-year degree in Applied Sciences
• B.Sc. four-year degree in Applied Sciences
• B.Sc. four-year degree in Industrial Mathematics
• B.Sc. (Special) four-year degree in Applied Biology
• B.Sc. four-year degree in Health Promotion
• B.Sc. four-year degree in Information & Communication Technology(ICT)
• B.Sc. (Joint Major) four-year degree in Biology & Physics

The FASc, Mihintale consists of three departments: Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences and Computing. The Department of Biological Sciences offers courses in the fields of Botany/Zoology/Biology while the Department of Physical Sciences offers courses in the fields of Chemistry, Physics, Pure Mathematics, Applied Mathematics and Computer Science and Information and Communication Technology.

All the courses are offered in English.

Faculty of Management Studies offers first-level and postgraduate degrees. It consists of four departments that offer B.Sc. degrees in

• B.Sc. (Special) in Accountancy & Finance
• B.Sc. (Special) in Business Management
• B.Sc. (Special) in Tourism & Hospitality Management
• B.Sc. (Special) in Business Information Technology

These degree programmes are conducted in English. The Faculty of Management Studies, Rajarata University is the only faculty that offers B.Sc. Degrees in Tourism & Hospitality Management and Business Information Technology in Sri Lanka.[4]

Postgraduate studies involves postgraduate diplomas, MBA and Msc (Management).

This faculty was started in 2005 as a concept of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The first acting dean was Prof. Malkanthi Chandrasekara followed by Prof. Malani Udupihille. In 2013 first dean from the permanent staff was appointed. The faculty was originally for 120 students and due to the problems prevailing in the country in 2007, 60 students from an eastern university was also sent to FMAS. After that each year nearly 180 students enters the faculty and three batches of students have already graduated (2014). Prof. Sisira Siribaddana, founding professor in Clinical Medicine in FMAS works as the present dean. Amidst notable problems related to inadequate staff, students performances are par with all other faculties in Sri Lanka.

Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities continues to function from the inception of the university in 1995. The Faculty of Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities is the oldest in the Rajarata University and located in great historical Mihinthale premises. Three departments were assigned with Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities. in 2015 another two department were assigned to the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities and there are five departments by now.

• Department of Social Sciences
• Department of Humanities
• Archaeology and Heritage Management
• Department of Environmental Management
• Department of Languages

The Technology Programme inaugurated at the FASc in January 2017. Despite the commencement of these programmers under FASc, a separate Faculty of Technology is to be established in due course which includes five departments and accommodating an estimated intake of 245 students annually.

The FASc at Mihintale consists of two Departments: Biological Sciences and Physical Sciences. The Department of Biological Sciences offers courses in the fields of study/subjects/disciplines of Botany, Zoology, Biology and Health Pro-motion while the Department of Physical Sciences offers Chemistry, Physics, Pure Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science and Information & Communication Technology.

The Technology Programme under FASc consist of five Departments leading to their respective degree programmes:

• Department of Materials Technology - ENT
• Department of Electrical & Electronic Technology- ENT
• Department of Bio Process Technology- BST
• Department of Food Technology- BST
• Department of Information & Communication Technology- ITT

The curricula under these degrees follow a hands-on approach with more applied course contents than fundamentals, thereby fulfilling the needs and voids of the respective industries of the country for which the degree programmes are meant to cater. All courses under the Technology Programme are offered in English medium. As such, the students are required to follow an intensive English Language course for the purpose of following the lecture material, as well as in preparation for their future endeavours upon successful completion of the degree programmes.