An interdisciplinary environment that stimulates active, engaged learning and innovative research
Education is all about creating the right environment for learning. A place of academic freedom where bright minds can meet, discover, and learn. SRM AP University is such a place – an unparalleled space for living and learning. The history of the SRM group goes back to the year 1969 when SRM first made a foray into the education sector with the Nightingale School. Following the successful beginning, the group then made rapid strides with degree programs in engineering, medicine, health sciences, humanities, management, and law. By 2015, SRM had established three independent universities – in Chennai, Haryana, and Sikkim.
In 2017, SRM established the fourth institute in Amaravati, the capital city of Andhra Pradesh. SRM AP began as an engineering school in 2017 with three engineering disciplines of C.S.E., E.C.E. and Mechanical. Civil and E.E.E. disciplines were added in 2018. Subsequently, the School of Liberal Arts and Basic Sciences (SLABS) was set up to offer BA, BBA, B. Com and BSc programs across 12 disciplines.
At SRM AP, the emphasis is on creating an environment for students to think critically, creatively, communicate clearly, and grow into innovative global citizens and leaders. Students gain cognitive tools to adapt to rapidly changing market realities and seize new opportunities. This is achieved largely by SRM AP’s ‘learning without boundaries’ model, made up of diverse programs and a curriculum that allows students to experiment freely with subject combinations. Many such combinations may appear unrelated at first but for students it is an opportunity to pursue their interests and broaden their horizons. This model is SRM AP’s IDEAL – Inter-disciplinary Experiential Active Learning.
As the second home for thousands of students the university offers all the basic comforts and conveniences within a secure environment. Hostel rooms are well lit, well-furnished and accommodate over 1500 students. Most of all, the university is built on a culture of sensitivity to the diversified needs of everyone.
About the Bachelor Degree
For many undergraduates, active research is the finest form of education and hence, learning and research often go hand in hand. To ensure the same, the university fosters an ecosystem for students to venture beyond the prescribed syllabus. At SLABS, which offers the Bachelor of Commerce (B. Com) degree program, experienced and distinguished professors instruct the 3-year course following an internationally recognized pedagogy and curriculum.
The B.Com curriculum comprises foundation courses from across disciplines, core courses, departmental electives, and general electives. Students have the option to explore industry relevant minors such as price theory, micro/macro, and intermediate economics. Minors give students a broad global perspective and the knowledge base to face a multitude of challenges in the real world. With mandatory foundation courses across disciplines (facilitated by integration with other departments like history, economics, English, journalism, psychology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology, and computer science) SRM AP’s commerce degree adds up to a well-rounded education.
The course deals with the imperative areas such as Financial Accounting, Business and Industrial Law, Corporate Law and Secretarial Practices, Income Tax Law, and Auditing, besides others. However, the program extends beyond traditional focus areas with higher-level subjects such as Accounting Software Packages, Accounting for Managerial Decision Making, Managerial Accounting, Indirect Tax with GST, and Financial Modelling. The program is also designed to develop well rounded and complete business manager skills by covering pertinent and topical areas such as Human Resource Management and E-Commerce besides a wide range of electives.
The university’s highly successful Next Tech Lab offers plenty of opportunities for students in innovation and experimentation. It provides the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) in the second year to enable students to delve into areas of their interest. Students get semester-abroad study opportunities and gain industry exposure through practicals in the third year.
An Erudite Leader
Dr. P. Sathyanarayanan, President of SRM AP played a pivotal role in advancing the academic agenda of SRM Institute of Science and Technology. Under his leadership, SRM IST grew rapidly as a research institution and with international influence. Dr. Sathyanarayanan was instrumental in the expansion of SRM’s footprint in higher education in India. In 2013, he set up SRM University in Sikkim and has now envisioned Andhra Pradesh’s first university SRM AP in Amaravati as not just the engine for education and economic growth in the region but as a global, multi-disciplinary, research-focused institution.
The Ideal Campus
The university has engaged Perkins + Will, the American architecture firm to design and build a holistic space that reflects a philosophy of inclusiveness, independence, and community. The campus design, comprising academic and living sections, complements the university’s goal of developing multi-disciplinary skills in students. It fosters a learning ethos that is multi-dimensional, global, social, experiential, and interactive.
At SRM AP, classrooms and academics are just one aspect of learning in a residential program. There are abundant opportunities for all around development with volleyball, basketball courts, an athletic track, cricket grounds, a gymnasium, yoga room, table tennis, and football facilities. The university encourages students to take part in sports at national and international meets. A diverse set of extra and co-curricular activities help students develop all-around skills. The student run societies & clubs represent an extensive range of interests, both from popular culture and from the topical such as robotics, literature, technology and innovation, cinema, coding, music, gaming, and photography.
The campus has hosted numerous fests, competitions, boot camps, roundtables, hackathons, and international conferences that have helped students and faculty broaden their learning and extend research options.
Bright Future for Students
SRM AP’s department for Corporate Relations along with the CDC (Career Development Centre) facilitates tie-ups and on-going partnerships with industry leaders in Andhra Pradesh and national markets. This paves the way for graduating students to have immediate opportunities in their chosen fields. To provide students market-ready skills every year a batch of students spend a semester at UC Berkeley’s SCET and Jacobs Institute for Entrepreneurship and Design where the engineering discipline meets the entrepreneurial and design mind-set.
The university has planned collaborations and exchange programs at several other universities with the participation of the VC‘s advisory board, a group of distinguished education leaders who represent some of the finest institutions in the U.S. Showing the same vison and drive, students have already made presentations at numerous international venues such as the AI conference (PyCon) WSEN Summit, Student Environmental Network, Cloud Computing Symposiums and Nobel Lectures interactions in Norway. Plans are underway to provide excellent quality co-ops, placements for the first batch of graduating students. One area of focus is where students have consistently excelled, namely machine learning, IoT applications, Hackathons and Gaming. In March/April 2019 in California, SRM AP Next Tech Lab students won top prizes at LA Hacks, America Developer Week, Blockchain Utility Hack and the Minerva Hackathon.
Promoting Liberal Arts Education
Liberal Arts Education is a relatively new concept for India but has a long and established history in Western countries. To establish the same, SRM AP has formed strategic and tactical partnerships with top universities from around the world such as MIT (Massachusetts), Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago), UC Berkley (California), EFREI (France), University of Texas at Arlington, and Minerva Project (San Francisco) with the aim to provide students with the knowledge and skill-set at par with the global standards. These tie-ups facilitate student and faculty exchange programs, curriculum building, and knowledge exchange.
In terms of academics, SRM AP follows an inter-disciplinary curriculum; active forms of learning i.e. based on the science of learning. This method engages students instead of just feeding them information to regurgitate; and excellent research. Active learning classrooms and breakout rooms are designed to maximize the interaction of students with their professors. It is also innovating with technology-enabled and hybrid forms of learning in partnership with Minerva Project.
Source: https://theknowledgereview.com/srm-ap-university-providing-opportunities-for-lifelong-learning/
Digital link: http://magazine.theknowledgereview.com/The-10-Best-Educational-Institutes-of-Commerce-In-India-2019-April2019/#page=1