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 26th 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 26th 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, Microbiology and Zoology departments research scholars are employed in Ph.D programs 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 University under the (I+I+I) system the program now takes place in December.

Administrative Head: The Principal, Professor Siuli Sarkar, M.A., 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

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

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 Computer Science department which only offer general course 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.

B.Ed Course in not taught at Lady Brabourne College.
 

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 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.

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 27 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.
The Department is well equipped with surveying, water and soil testing and mapping instruments. Aerial photograph interpretation is taught with sufficient number of stereoscopes. The Department has satellite imageries available to the students for visual interpretation and is planning to introduce image processing classes as well. The new syllabus being formulated has included classes on the use of GPS for map making. The Department possesses sufficient number of GPS handsets for training 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 number of seats for this course is 15. The department arranges short courses on Genetic Engineering and Microbial Biotechnology conducted by reputed organisation. Students of this department participate in a one and a half month long project work in the department itself during their third semester.

In 2006, Dept. of Mathematics started a specially designed  2-year MSc. course affiliated to Calcutta University with an availability of 20 seats. 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. Condensed Matter Physics is offered as a special paper. During the fourth semester, each student has to carry out project work on theoretical/experimental area. 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.

Arts

• Post Graduate Course in English

The Department of English offers a two-year PG course (autonomous) approved by the University of Calcutta. There are 8 papers comprising:

Core courses
Optional courses
Term paper
Dissertation
Viva voce

The syllabus focuses on the English literary tradition from medieval to modern times. It opens up at the same time various new areas such as Indian Writing in English, Literature and Gender, Post- Colonial Theory and Culture Studies, Literature and Visual Arts etc. The number of seats for this course is 15.
 

• 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 two years.
  (see 'Computer Centre' under 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 specialization 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.
   

• A self-financing career-oriented certificate course in Public Relations and Advertising will begin from the academic year 2010. The duration of this course is for three years. Completion of this three-year course will equip the students to acquire those skills, which will place them better in the Public Relations and Advertising world. Personal grooming, soft and interactive skills are an integral part of the course. Helping the students to develop such skills, with excellent faculty and infrastructure to boast of, is the objective of this course.
   

• The College will start a self-financing career-oriented certificate course in Multimedia and Animation from the academic year 2010. The course will run for three years. India has now come to possess an ever-expansive animation industry with an increasing demand for trained talent for the growth of the industry. Therefore, the course on Multimedia and Animation with up-to-date international level syllabus and distinguished faculty has been designed in such a way that the students acquire the required expertise essential for the Multimedia and Animation industry.

   

4. Remedial Course for S.C./S.T. and Minority Communities:

UGC sponsored remedial classes are being held in the college for S.C./S.T. and minority community students since 2008. Such students are urged to take full advantage of these classes so that the exercise is rendered worthwhile.

Research Activities

The faculty members of various departments are engaged in extensive research work. Twelve minor projects are being pursued currently by the faculty members of various departments.
A major project is progressing in the Physics department Moreover faculty members of the department are also engaged in collaborative major research projects with Saha Institiute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata while the Zoology Department is collaborating with Calcutta University on a major project.
Several Junior teachers and new recruits are in the process of completing their Ph. D programs in various renowned institutes of Kolkata.


Ph. D. Programs

Candidates can register under faculty members for research guidance towards Ph.D. degrees in the Physics, Microbiology, Geography and Zoology departments. In such cases the degree is awarded by Calcutta University.

• In the Microbiology department one research scholar is nearing completion of her Ph. D. programme under the guidance of Dr. Aditi Nag Choudhury.

• In the Physics department two research scholars have enrolled for their Ph. D. degrees under the guidance of Dr. Barnali Chakraborty.

• In the Geography department two research scholars are pursuing their Ph. D. programs under Professor Saswati Mookherjee.

LADY BRABOURNE COLLEGE

P-1/2, Suhrawardy Avenue, Kolkata – 700017. Phone - (033) 22897720