Jadavpur University pro-VC: Faculty, new curriculum keep its BTech ‘globally relevant’ despite fund crunch

Jadavpur University no longer receives University Grants Commission (UGC) funding, its WBJEE admissions for BTech have been bleeding top-ranked students to NITs, and a five-acre research park in New Town remains a blueprint. Yet its academic reputation holds. Amitava Dutta, professor of power engineering and also JU’s pro vice-chancellor, during a conversation with Careers360 speaks about infrastructure gaps, funding issues, curriculum changes, and the road ahead for one of the best among engineering colleges and state universities. Edited excerpts:

Jadavpur University has a strong reputation in engineering. How are you faring given funding, other challenges state universities are facing?

Jadavpur University continues to maintain a strong position in engineering – not just within India, but globally. In terms of teaching and faculty quality, there is no major concern. Our faculty members are highly qualified, almost all of them hold PhDs, and many have postdoctoral experience abroad. So, academically, the standard remains very strong.

However, we are currently facing challenges in terms of infrastructure, primarily due to financial constraints. While teaching quality is intact, we do lack access to many advanced teaching tools because of limited funds.

What steps is Jadavpur University taking to address these challenges?

We are trying to tackle these issues from multiple directions. One major support system has been the JU alumni . Many departments — such as electrical engineering, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, and chemical engineering — have received significant support from alumni for infrastructure development.

A major concern is that we are no longer receiving funding from the UGC, which used to support us earlier. At present, we are largely dependent on the state government, and the funding we receive is not sufficient for our needs. Despite this, we are making efforts to manage and improve our facilities.

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How do the UGC funding constraints impact research?

The funding constraints certainly impact research. Today’s research, particularly in science and technology, needs high-end equipment. We often do not have the funds to provide them for the researchers. Even when such equipment is procured from any sponsored research project, it becomes difficult to maintain them once the project is over.

Another important issue which impacts quality research is the absence of any institute fellowship for doctoral research , like at the IITs and NITs. Scholars either depend on government schemes, like NET fellowship, AICTE Doctoral fellowship or SVMCM fellowship from the state. These fellowships are sometimes uncertain or low in amount , compared to the fellowships offered by IITs. Thus, it becomes a problem to attract quality researchers.

However, Jadavpur University is always known for its frugal research and despite the constraints, faculty members and research scholars of the university are engaged in high-quality, state of art research and regularly contributing to high-impact journals. This has always been recognised, both nationally and internationally. I sincerely feel that the research contribution from the university could have been much more impactful with the necessary support.

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Jadavpur has revamped its BTech curricula. What changes have been made and what has been their impact?

Yes, we have recently upgraded both our undergraduate and postgraduate engineering curricula. The new postgraduate curriculum was introduced in the last academic session, and the new undergraduate curriculum has been implemented from this academic year.

We have introduced several important changes. For instance, we now have a semester-long internship in the curriculum for the UG students, which aligns with industry practices where companies offer such internships leading to placements. In the case of PG, the internship duration can be even more.

We have also introduced the major-minor concept in the UG, allowing students to pursue interdisciplinary learning. For example, a student majoring in mechanical engineering can take a minor in computer science or electronics.

There has been a better balance of credits among the courses of the discipline and courses from humanities, basic science, engineering science etc. The students will have the opportunity to take elective subjects from other disciplines as the open electives. We have also kept provisions to take courses from the online platforms in some cases.

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Has there been any noticeable change in student performance or failure rates?

If you look at the percentage of students completing their degree within the minimum duration of four years, there has been a slight decline. Earlier, it was above 90%, but now it is around 85-86%. However, this decline has not been abrupt.

There are certain subjects across disciplines, like chemical engineering, civil engineering, and mechanical engineering , where failure rates are relatively higher. This is mainly due to the difficulty level of those subjects. We conducted an internal analysis through our Internal Quality Assurance Cell to identify such trends.

There have been delays in West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination (WBJEE) counselling in recent years. How has that impacted admissions?

That has been a significant issue. Counseling was delayed in the past two years, partly due to OBC-related legal matters and other administrative reasons. Because of these delays, many students who could have joined Jadavpur University opted for institutions outside the state, including National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and private colleges.

We have discussed this internally, and our vice-chancellor has written to the higher education department proposing separate counseling aligned with the entrance results. However, we are still awaiting government approval.

Which engineering disciplines are currently performing the best?

Disciplines such as computer science, information technology , electronics, electrical, and mechanical engineering continue to attract top-ranked students. This is largely due to the current job market, where IT-related roles are in high demand.

How are placement opportunities across different programmes?

Undergraduate placements, especially in computer science, are quite strong, and many students receive good salary packages. Although placements in core engineering sectors have seen a slight decline, top companies still visit the campus regularly.

However, postgraduate placements are an area where improvement is needed. Many postgraduate students do not get suitable opportunities and often choose to pursue PhDs or research. In some cases, they later leave research to take up jobs. While some students are committed to research, others are driven by the availability of opportunities.

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What opportunities exist for students in terms of hands-on learning and innovation?

In the past five to six years, students have established around nine-10 discipline-based clubs, including those focused on mechatronics, motorsports, aerospace, and coding. These clubs bring students from different disciplines together and provide hands-on learning opportunities.

We have also set up the Institute’s Innovation Council, which supports students in developing innovative ideas and entrepreneurial skills, helping them move towards startups.

Are there any expansion plans similar to research parks in the IITs?

We have a five-acre plot in New Town and had plans to develop it into a research park with centers of excellence and other facilities. However, due to lack of funds and administrative delays — particularly the absence of a permanent vice-chancellor for some time — the plan could not be implemented.

Now that the VC is in position, we hope to move forward with these plans.

What is the current status of student union elections?

Student union elections have not been held in recent years because they require government permission, which has not been granted. This creates administrative challenges because elected student representatives play an important role in university bodies.

Without a formal student union, different student groups approach the administration separately, which makes coordination more difficult.

How is Jadavpur university adapting to the growing importance of Artificial Intelligence?

We are actively incorporating AI into our academic structure . We now have a postgraduate programme in AI under computer science . Additionally, AI-related subjects have been introduced across multiple disciplines in the revised curriculum.

We are also setting up AI laboratories in departments such as electrical and mechanical engineering, supported by corporate social responsibility funding and alumni contributions . The approach to teaching AI varies across disciplines depending on their specific applications.

(This interview was conducted before the West Bengal gag order was announced recently.)