Introduction

Lady Brabourne College, with its lush green lawns and gardens opposite the Park Circus Maidan is one of the premier Institutions for women's education in India. Established by the Government of Bengal in July 1939 and named after the wife of Lord Brabourne, the Governor of Bengal till February 1939, the college made a humble beginning with 35 Muslim students and 9 faculty members in a rented house in Park Circus. The foundation stone of the building in which it is presently housed was laid on 26^th August 1939 by Sir J. Woodhead the then Governor of Bengal. Ever since the college has expanded structurally and academically earning the reputation of having an excellent academic environment and has  celebrated it’s Diamond Jubilee on the 26^th August, 1999.

The college has a dedicated and sincere faculty for whom the academic interests of the students are of utmost importance and can boast of consistently excellent results in the University examinations, far surpassing the University average. So while no compromises are made in so far as teaching is concerned the teachers are always ready to support and encourage the students in other activities as well. A cordial yet informal teacher – student relationship exists creating an atmosphere conducive to all-round progress while also laying emphasis on overall personality development. Seminars and Workshops are an integral part of the departmental activities and renowned academicians and statesmen have found it pleasurable to associate themselves with the proceedings of this college.

Most of the teachers are engaged in research work at the doctoral and post- doctoral levels furthering their own education simultaneously. At present several U.G.C. sponsored research projects are underway in different departments. In the Geography and Microbiology departments research scholars are employed in Ph.D programmes under the guidance of faculty members.

Old students of the college are welcome to join the Alumni Association of the college to be able to enjoy regular interaction on the college campus in various activities. Old students' day was traditionally celebrated on the 25th August but owing to the schedule of examinations of Calcutta Unoversity under the (I+I+I) system the programme now takes place in December.

Administration

Administrative Head: - Dr. Sanghamitra Mukherjee, M.Sc., (G.U.), Ph.D. (C.U.).

She is assisted by the office staff while various committees formed by the Teachers' Council aid and concur with her on all administrative matters

Accreditation

The college has been accredited by the National Assessment & Accreditation Council (NAAC) in February 2006 and has been awarded an 'A - grade' certification. Lady Brabourne College aspires to continue as a centre of excellence.

Academic Programmes.

The departments are run by about 87 full time teachers 22 part-timers and several guests lecturers. All courses are affiliated to the University of Calcutta.

Courses Offered

1. Undergraduate courses.

The college consists of 20 departments in various disciplines in the Arts and Science streams, all of which conduct both honours and general courses excepting the Hindi and Computer Science departments which only offer general courses and Geography and Microbiology which only offer honours courses.  Computer Science was introduced in 2007 and provides another attractive combination option for the honours students of Physics, Mathematics and Statistics .

Students are admitted only to honours courses and are required to select a major subject as honours along with two subsidiary subjects. In addition, two languages also have to be studied. While any of the twenty  subjects listed under 'Departments' may be taken as honours excepting for Hindi and Computer Science, the choice of subsidiary subjects is restricted to certain combinations. From 2006 the college follows the new (1+1+1) system of examination as stipulated by Calcutta University (Click Admission)

The academic session is reckoned from June to May of every year, and all academic programmes including examinations are listed date-wise in an academic college calendar published annually.

Students are accepted from all Indian boards as well as from abroad.   Admission to the Degree courses usually begin after the results of the Higher Secondary Examinations conducted by the Council for the Higher Secondary Education, West Bengal are published. Admission is conducted strictly on the basis of merit. In some cases candidates may be required to sit for written tests in their intended honours subject.

2.Post Graduate courses (Autonomous)

Science

• Geography

• Microbiology

• Mathematics

• Physics

A M.Sc. course in Geography was introduced in November 2003 under the affiliation of Calcutta University. The   total  student strength is 30 per batch.  The department offers  special papers on Regional Planning and Population Geography and Welfare study in second year. A well equipped GIS laboratory is available to the students.

A post graduate course following syllabus of Calcutta University (semester system) in Microbiology (affiliated to the University of Calcutta for M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biochemistry) is offered since 2005. The department arranges short courses on Genetic Engineering and Microbial Biotechnology conducted by reputed organisation.

In 2006, Dept. of Mathematics started a specially designed  2-year MSc. course affiliated to Calcutta University. The course has been designed with a focus on applications to Computer Science and Mathematical Modeling in various fields. Special papers on Operations Research and Mathematical methods in soft computing are being offered in second year.

The College was granted permission by the Higher Education Department, Governmenrt of West Bengal and the University of Calcutta to open its PG programme in Physics. Initially 15 seats have been approved for the course which admitted its first batch of students in November 2007.The syllabus being taught is that prescribed by Calcutta University. The College is indebted to S.N.Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Kolkata for offering support by way of grants for equipments. Faculty support may also be forthcoming.

3.Ph.D programmes 

Ph.D. programmes are in progress in both the Geography and the Microbiology departments for research scholars. 

4.Self-financing courses

The college has been running a computer certificate course in collaboration with WEBEL informatics  for the  benefit of the students since 1996. The course has been subjected to regular review to suit the  requirements of the students. Since 2005,  separate syllabi for the humanities, the bio-science and the pure science disciplines have been framed, each to be taught over a period of three years. (see 'Computer Centre' clicking Facilities)

A Spanish Language training programme began in November 2007 in collaboration with WTCC School of Trade and Communication, Kolkata.The immediate goal of this collaboration is to develop and run a self-financing course in Spanish of two years duration on the college campus.The specially designed course, consisting of two levels each to be taught over a period of a year, covering 50 hours of teaching time, will also offer a choice of specialisation either in business communication or in literature in the second year. At the conclusion of the course each successful student will be awarded  a certificate of proficiency in the language , issued jointly by the college and WSTC. An MOU to this effect was signed on 23.11.07.