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.

The Department of Biological Sciences

General Degrees (3 Year)

• B.Sc. in Applied Sciences

Honors Degrees (4 Year)

• B.Sc. Honors in Applied Sciences
• B.Sc. Joint Major in Biology & Physics
• B.Sc. Honors in Applied Biology (Specialization area Biodiversity & Conservation)
• B.Sc. Honors in Applied Biology (Specialization area Fisheries & Aquaculture Management)
• B.Sc. Honors in Applied Biology (Specialization area Microbiology)

Department of Chemical Ciences

• Bachelor of Science in Applied Sciences
• Bachelor of Science Honours in Applied Sciences
• Bachelor of Science Honours in Chemistry
• Bachelor of Science Honours in Chemistry and Physics

Department of Computing

• Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (B.Sc. in IT)

Department of Health Promotion

• Bachelor’s degree in the region dedicated for Health Promotion

Department of Physical Sciences

General Degrees

• B.Sc. (General) 3 year degree in Applied Sciences

4 Year Degrees

• B.Sc. 4 year degree in Applied Sciences
• B.Sc. 4 year degree in Industrial Mathematics
• B.Sc. (Joint Major) 4 year degree in Chemistry & physics
• B.Sc. 4 year degree in Computer Science
• B.Sc. (Special) degree in Chemistry

The FASc, Mihintale consists of five departments: Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Health Promotion 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 established in response to a critical situation arising from an error in the grading of the advanced level (A/L) examination chemistry paper. This error led to an additional 120 students becoming eligible for enrollment in Sri Lankan public medical schools. The inaugural acting dean was Professor Malkanthi Chandrasekara, succeeded by Professor Malani Udupihille. In 2013, a significant milestone was achieved as the first permanent staff member assumed the role of dean.

Originally conceived for a cohort of 120 students, unforeseen circumstances in the nation in 2006 prompted the inclusion of an additional 60 students from an eastern university into FMAS. Subsequently, the annual intake steadily grew to accommodate nearly 180 students each year until 2020. Presently, the faculty welcomes approximately 210 students.

Over the years, distinguished individuals have served as deans, including Professor Sisira Siribaddana (2013-19), Dr. Senaka Pilapitiya (2020-21), Professor Suneth Agampodi (2022), and Dr. Janaka Pushpakumara (2022-), each contributing to the ongoing legacy of this esteemed institution.

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
• Department of Archaeology and Heritage Management
• Department of Environmental Management
• Department of Languages
• Department of English Language Teaching
• Department of Economics

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 Technology Faculty 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.