About Department
Established in 1969, the PG Department of Botany, Utkal University, is recognized for excellence in teaching and research in major areas of Plant Science in general. The Department offers Post-Graduate Course (M. Sc.) for two years duration for which admission is made through All India Entrance test in addition to 50% weightage on career. There is semester system of examination along with regular internal evaluation.The Department offers four specializations (Biotechnology and Plant Genetic Manipulation, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Environmental Biotechnology and Microbial technology) to the students of the Final Semester. In addition the Department offers M. Phil and Ph.D. programme. The M. Phil programme is for one year containing one General and one Elective paper. The students also submit a dissertation on their elective subject because besides giving presentation.The Department provides space for Self Financing Coursers in M.Sc. & Ph.D in Applied Microbiology and in Environmental Science. The Department has received funds from UGC [under DRS Programme in three phases] and DST [FIST Prgogramme in two phases]. In addition the faculty members receive funds individually or in groups, from various extramural funding agencies (DBT/ICAR/DST, Govt. of Odisha, Central Silk Board, , Indian Medicinal Plant Board, Indian Bureau of Mines and National Remote Sensing Agency etc.). in addition to class room teaching, guest lectures, seminars, elocution completions and quiz tests are conducted regularly for training and overall skill development of the students.The students, staff and invited guests deliver lectures in the weekly seminars. The students visit CSIR-IMMT (Institute of Mineral and Material Technology), DBT-ILS (Institute of Life Sciences), ICMR-RMRC ( Regional Medical Research Centre) Located at Bhubaneswar and Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur for advance practical training. Several students of the Department have qualified NET and GATE, have joined various research Institute like IIT Kharagpur, IIT Mumbai, JNU, Delhi University, Institute of Life Science, Bhubaneswar and ICAR-NRRI (National Rice Research Institute), Cuttack. A few of our students have proceeded to USA for doctoral and post-doctoral research. Most of the faculty members have availed foreign fellowships and worked in advanced laboratories in India abroad.The Department hosted 7th Orissa Bigyan Congress once and also organized the Annual Conference of Orissa Botanical Society Several times. Besides several national seminars, symposia and workshops are regularly being held.