Jahangirnagar University (, abbreviated as JU; initially started as Jahangirnagar Muslim University; ) is a fully residential public research university located in Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh. As one of the five autonomous universities in the country, it is the fourth-oldest generalized public university and the fourth-largest university in Bangladesh.
Jahangirnagar University was established in East Pakistan by The Jahangirnagar Muslim University Ordinance, 1970 of the Government of Pakistan, which was amended by The Jahangirnagar Muslim University Act, 1973 of the government of independent Bangladesh to form the modern university.
Jahangirnagar University offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs in various disciplines, including arts, humanities, social science, natural science, biological science, business studies, law and engineering. It has produced several notable alumni who have contributed to the development of research, literature, education, culture and sports in Bangladesh. Jahangirnagar University is the sole fully residential university in Bangladesh, and is also renowned for the varied wildlife inhabiting its vast campus, hosting 126 species of native birds alongside 69 species of migratory birds.
The university has 36 departments under 6 faculties including the faculty of mathematical and physical sciences, faculty of social sciences, faculty of arts and humanities, faculty of biological sciences, and faculty of business administration and faculty of law and justice. It has several academic and research institutes including institute of Information technology, institute of Remote sensing and GIS, institute of Business administration, institute of Comparative literature and culture, Wazed Miah science research center, Wildlife conservation and research center, and Butterfly park and research center.
History Jahangirnagar was the former name of Dhaka. The Mughal city of Dhaka was named Jahangirnagar (City of Jahangir) in honour of the erstwhile ruling Mughal Emperor Jahangir by Islam Khan in 1610.
Jahangirnagar University was established on 20 August 1970, but formally launched on 12 January 1971 under the Jahangirnagar Muslim University Ordinance, 1970 and this day is observed as University Day. Initially, it was named Jahangirnagar Muslim University, and the plan was to operate the university like Aligarh Muslim University. But after the independence of Bangladesh, its name changed to Jahangirnagar University under the Jahangirnagar University Act' 1973.
Its first vice-chancellor, Mafizuddin Ahmed (PhD in chemistry, Penn State) took up office on 24 September 1970. The 150 students in the first batch were enrolled in four departments: Economics, Geography, Mathematics, and Statistics. Its formal inauguration was delayed until 12 January 1971, when the university was launched by Rear Admiral S. M. Ahsan, the chancellor.
Its first project Director was Surat Ali Khan, Chemistry PhD/DIC from the Imperial College of London. He was a champion of women's education, as he himself had four daughters who led successful careers. He envisioned dormitories for women allowing them the same facilities as their male classmates. Khan went on to serve as the Educational and Cultural Attaché from the Bangladeshi/ East Pakistani Government to the United States Government in Washington DC.
Jahangirnagar University Act of 1973 ACT NO. XXXIV OF 1973, an act to repeal the Jahangirnagar Muslim University Ordinance, 1970 and to provide for reconstitution and reorganisation of the Jahangirnagar Muslim University.
Campus
The university stands on the west side of the Asian Highway, popularly known as the Dhaka–Aricha highway, and is 32 kilometres away from the capital. Spread over an area of 697.56 acres (2.8 km2), the campus is surrounded by the Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre (BPATC) on the south, and the Savar Cantonment on the northeast, on the north of which is the National Monument (Jatiyo Smriti Soudho) and a large dairy farm on the east. JU is considered to have one of the most beautiful campus in Bangladesh. The topography of the land with its gentle rise and plains is pleasing to the eyes. The water features sprawled around the campus make an excellent habitat for the winter birds that flock in every year in the thousands and consequently, it is a site frequented by many bird watchers. On 19 January 2017, the university arranged a bird fair in its Zahir Rayhan auditorium. The Shahid Minar (martyrs' monument) of JU is the tallest in Bangladesh, 71 feet high and made of ceramic bricks on a base 52 feet in circumference. The height signifies the war of independence fought in 1971 and the circumference refers to the language movement of 1952. It is designed by architect Robiul Hossain.
Administration The university is an autonomous body managed by an executive council known as 'The Syndicate'. Its statutes need ratification by the university senate, which meets at least once a year to do the same. The Senate passes the university's annual budget, reviews its academic matters, and elects a panel of three nominees for the position of its vice-chancellor once every four years. The selection and appointment are made by the president of Bangladesh, who is the chancellor of the university. The chancellor also appoints the pro-vice-chancellor and the treasurer of the university.
List of vice-chancellors The first vice chancellor, Mafizuddin Ahmed, was appointed in 1970. Name Duration Mafizuddin Ahmed (1970–1972) Syed Ali Ahsan (1972–1975) Muhammad Enamul Haq (1975–1976) Zillur Rahman Siddiqui (1976–1984) Kamal Uddin Ahmed [educationist] (1984 - 1988) Mohammad Noman (1988) Kazi Saleh Ahmed (1988–1993) Amirul Islam Chowdhury (1993–1994) Alauddin Ahammad (1998–1999) Abdul Bayes (1999–2001) Jasim Uddin Ahmed (2001–2004) Khondokar Mustahidur Rahman (d. 2021) (2004–2007) Muhammad Muniruzzaman (2009) Shariff Enamul Kabir (2010–2012) M. Anwar Hossain (2012–2014) M A Matin (23 January 2014 – 2 March 2014) Farzana Islam (2014–2022) Md Nurul Alam (13 September 2022 – 7 August 2024)Mohammad Kamrul Ahsan(8 September 2024 – 26 September 2026)Md. Nurul Islam(26 September 2026 - Present)
Academics Jahangirnagar University is the only university in Bangladesh that preserves about 50% of the total seats for female students.
Faculties There are 36 departments under six faculties.
Faculty of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
Source:
Dean: Farid Ahmed Department of Chemistry Department of Computer Science and Engineering Department of Environmental Sciences Department of Geological Sciences Department of Mathematics Department of Physics Department of Statistics and Data Science
Faculty of Social Sciences Source:
Dean: Bashir Ahmed Department of Anthropology Department of Economics Department of Geography and Environment Department of Government and Politics Department of Public Administration Department of Urban and Regional Planning
Faculty of Arts and Humanities Source:
Dean: Md. Mozammel Hoque
Department of Archaeology Department of Bangla Department of English Department of Drama and Dramatics Department of Fine Arts Department of History Department of International Relations Department of Journalism and Media Studies Department of Philosophy
Faculty of Biological Sciences Source:
Dean: Mafruhi Sattar Department of Botany Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering Department of Microbiology Department of Pharmacy Department of Public Health and Informatics Department of Zoology
Faculty of Business Studies Dean: Abu Sayef Md Muntaquimul Bari Chowdhuri Department of Accounting and Information Systems Department of Finance and Banking Department of Marketing Department of Management Studies
Faculty of Law Dean: MD. Robiul Islam PhD
Department of Law and Justice
Institutes There are four institutes for specialised research and training: Institute of Business Administration (E Unit) Jahangirnagar University (IBA-JU) started as the university's Department of Business Administration (DBA) in 1991. This institute is the first in Bangladesh to offer an undergraduate degree in business. It offers a four-year course of study leading to a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree, and an eighteen-month post-graduate Master of Business Administration (MBA) program. Since May 2012, there is a Master of Business Administration program for the professionals in weekdays. As of October 2015, the institute admits 50 students every year to its undergraduate programme. IBA-JU offers : Banking and Finance, Marketing, Human Resource Management, Accounting and Information Systems, Management Information Systems, Quantitative Business Analysis, Development Management, International Business as major IBA-JU has seven student organisations such as Infusion-The Cultural Club of IBA-JU, Communic, IBA-JU Business Club, IBA-JU Social Welfare Club, Envision:IBA-JU Photography Club, IBA-JU Sports Club and IBA-JU Debating Club. Institute of Information Technology(A Unit) was established in 2009. Institute of Comparative Literature and Culture(C Unit) Institute of Remote Sensing and GIS provides postgraduate degrees.
Research Jahangirnagar University is illustrating a notable growth in scientific progression over the years. In 2022, 722 Scopus-indexed publications were recorded by the JU teachers and students which is almost 3.6 folds compared to what it was in 2017. According to SCOPUS database, almost 6.7 thousand articles are recorded from this institution (till October, 2025), where the most contributing fields of research were Physics, Computer science, Medicine, Engineering, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Material Science, Biochemistry, Genetics, and Molecular Biology consists of almost 65% of the total research took place in JU till 2024.https://www.scopus.com/pages/organization/60029276 JU Scopus Profile, retrieved April 2024. Academically, JU also provides graduate degrees like Mphil and PhD in most of the departments. The Wazed Miah Science Research centre consists of numerous modern equipments for scientific research including spectroscopes, microscopes, HPLC, water sample analyser and so on. The butterfly park is the home of almost 110 species of butterflies which is established with a vision to research on biodiversity, breeding, and role of butterflies on environment. The university also arranges butterfly fair to spread awareness among children and mass people, and also showcases the diverse species present in JU. The Wari-Bateshwar historical archaeological site was one of the most notable findings from the archaeology department of Jahangirnagar University. The traces of human presence and man-made materials dating back some 1,000-1,200 years have been found in the world's largest coastal mangrove forest Sundarbans is also one of the prominent hypothesis made by the archaeological research group led by Sufi Mostafizur Rahman.
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