Dept of Philosophy

The University of Chittagong is one of the major  universities of Bangladesh which offers undergraduate and graduate programs in various disciplines of arts, commerce, science, social science, and law.

The university is only 22 kilometers to the north of the beautiful port city of Chittagong and is located on 1265 acres of attractive hilly land. There are regular bus and train services between the campus and the city. The university has about 14,000 students, well over five hundred teachers, six faculties, twenty eight departments, three institutes, two research centres, and nine residential halls of which three are for female and six for male students.

The department of Philosophy at Chittagong University is one of the most prestigious departments in Bangladesh. It is housed in the Arts Building of the University and consists of two office rooms, seven teachers’ rooms, four classrooms and a seminar cum departmental library. The Philosophy Department office is normally open from 8.00 a.m. until 2.00 p.m.. The academic year starts in July and ends in June of the following year.

At present the department has a teaching staff of 21 members, a nonteaching staff of six members, and about 420 undergraduate and graduate students. This teacher-student ratio permits close and frequent contacts between teachers and students.

The academic year starts in July and ends in June of the following year. Though all the universities in Bangladesh have been plagued with the problem of session-jam, the philosophy department has been greatly appreciated for its success in reducing the loss of academic years especially after the different departments have been entrusted with the overall responsibility of holding all the examinations of the concerned departments which used to be traditionally done by the office of the controller of examinations.

Degree Programs and Admission:

Students who pass the Secondary School Certificate Examination (or its equivalent) and the Higher Secondary Certificate Examination (or its equivalent) with at least Second Division in each are eligible to apply for admission to the 1st year B.A. (Hons.) class. Students are selected for admission on the basis of the results of a highly competitive admission test conducted by the Faculty of Arts. All students who will successfully complete the four-year B.A. (Hons.) course of the department are accepted for admission to the M.A. program. Students having at least a second class in both B.A and M.A. and a viable research project are normally eligible to enter the M.Phil. or the Ph.D. program of the department.

The B.A. Honours degree is conferred on successful completion of 28 courses within a period of four to six years. Besides these students must obtain a minimum of 40% marks in class tests and viva voce in each year. The M.A. degree is offered on successful completion of 4 advanced level courses plus class tests and viva voce in one academic year. There is also a provision for completing the M.A. degree as external candidate.

The requirements for the M Phil degree consist of the completion of two full courses beyond the M.A. plus a thesis. The Ph.D. students may be required to complete a certain number of courses to be determined by the departmental academic committee on the basis of the academic background of the candidates. Teachers of the University who hold the position of an Associate Professor or Professor, completed a period of at least ten years service, and have at least two publications in recognized foreign journals can register for the Ph.D. program without any supervisor and can submit a dissertation after a minimum period of one year from the date of registration.

Scholarships / Free Studentship / Prizes:

The Department is presently able to offer two scholarships to two graduate students – one on the basis of the results in the B.A. Honours and the other on M.A. Final Examinations. The M.U. Ahmad Scholarship is offered to the student / students obtaining First Class First position in the M.A. Final Examinations, and the Anjalika Chakma Scholarship is offered to the student / students obtaining First Class First position in the B.A. Hons. Examination. In addition, each year a few M.A. Final year students of the department qualify for and obtain government scholarship on the basis of the marks obtained and positions secured in the B.A. Hons. Examinations. The University also has a scholarship program for the first year undergraduate students under which 1(one) scholarship, 3 (three) stipends are offered and 20% of the students are granted tuition fee waiver on the basis of their previous academic records. The M. Phil. and Ph.D. students can obtain attractive scholarships to cover living allowances on the basis of a University-wise merit competition. Besides, a number of other scholarships are also offered from external sources, such as the Elite Paint Group of Industries, Agrani Bank, Islami Bank, District Council, Sena Kalyan and Government Employees Welfare Association, various other organizations.