Dharmsinh Desai University, Nadiad

About College:

The Dharmsinh Desai University (DDU) is located in the town of Nadia, which lies within the Kheda district of Gujarat. It was founded in the year 1968, when it was initially known as the Dharmsinh Desai Institute of Technology (DDIT). The university is named after Shri Dharmsinh Desai, who was a Mmeber of Parliament (MP) from this region. The DDU was initially affiliated to the Gujarat University, before getting the status of a Deemed University from the UGC (University Grants Commission), back in the year 2000. Full university status was achieved in 2005, with the introduction of newer courses in dental surgery and later on pharmacy as well. The university has also been accredited by the NAAC (National Assessments and Accreditation Council) with a B++ rating. A separate IQAC (Internal Quality Assurance Cell) has been created to this end, to ensure that all the terms of the NAAC are complied with. The campus stretches over forty- two acres of land. 

The university is divided into four constituent faculty areas. These are the faculty areas for the fields of- Technology, Dental Science, Pharmacy and for Management & Information Science. The Faculty of Technology provides the B.E. degree for seven engineering areas. These are in- Civil, Chemical, Mechanical, Computer, Information & Technology, Electronics & Communication and for Instrumentation & Control. At the master’s level, the M. Tech courses get more technical and specialized. Some doctoral programmes are also held from across the departmental areas. The Faculty of Management and Information Science (FMIS) likewise, runs programmes from the UG till doctoral levels. At the undergrad level, a BBA may be pursued with specialization in Hotel Management. At master’s, MBA and MCA programmes may be undertaken here. 

The Faculty of Pharmacy occupies a special role, due to Gujarat’s place as the hub for the pharmaceutical and chemical industries in India. At the DDU, only the four- year B. Pharm. programme is run. This course can be pursued across four specializations, which are in- Pharmacology, Pharmacognosy, Pharmaceutical Chemistry & Pharmaceutical Analysis and in Pharmaceutics & Pharmaceutical Technology. It is ISO (International Organization for Standardization) certified and approved by the PCI (Pharmacy Council of India) and the AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education). 

The Faculty of Dental Science (FDS), is another of the most reputed ones here. Its courses are recognized by the Dental Council of India (DCI). The flagship course here is the Bachelor or Dental Surgery (BDS). There are nine departments within. Students may specialize in any of those nine areas. The Journal of Dental Science is published by the FDS. The DDU has also curated a School of Thought within campus to encourage intellectual discussions. There exist several constitutent colleges externa to the central DDU where these courses are further taken on. A medical hospital has been erected next to the DDU to provide students with practical exposure, as well as for treating patients. 

Research is another important area here at the DDU. That is why several Centres of Excellence (CoE) have been set up here. There are CoEs here for the areas of- Structural Design, Research & Development and for Chemicals & Petrochemicals. The Centre of Excellence in Automation Technologies has been curated with the German engineering firm- Bosch Rexroth AG. The one for Surface Science and Nanotechnology has been named as the Shah- Schulman Centre. The Environment Audit Cell was established in 1996, to coordinate such audits for industries within Gujarat.  

A lot of externally funded major and minor research projects have been dealt with by the DDU. Some of these funding agencies have been the likes of – DST (Department of Science and Technology), GUJCOST (Gujarat Council on Science and Technology), Vasu Health Care, UGC, BIRAC (), Government of Gujarat, Kutch Chemical Laboratories Limited, Transpeck Industry, GCST (Gujarat Council on Science & Technology), Ambernath Organics, McDonald’s, Vinayak Innovative, MHRD (Ministry of Human Resource Development), DEIT (Department of Electronics and Information Technology), ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation), YA Software, Asian Paints, GSFC Science Foundation, DAE (Department of Atomic Energy) and few others.  

The Dharmsinh Desai University has always believed in providing benefits to the broader society. The students here have likewise been instilled with such value. And that is why the students of the DDU have been active participants in government schemes such as the NSS (National Service Scheme). A college magazine is also published. It is known as the DDU Connect. All this has led to healthy rankings for the university. It has been placed within the 151-200 band within the category for universities in the NIRF (National Institutional Rankings Framework). The Careers 360 magazine has also placed the DDU within the AAA rating within the same category, but an improved AAA+ for the engineering faculty. 

The placements on campus have likewise been healthy. Some of the key recruiters in recent seasons have been the likes of- IDBI Bank, ICICI Prudential, IGATE, Streebo, Synoverge, Ishi System, ICICI Securities, GSFC, Mint, Apollo Tyres, Amul, Asian Motor Works, Business Standard, SBI, SPIPA, TCS, SNL Finance, UGVCL, Dena Bank, Sanofi, Cadila, Veeda, Ranbaxy, Zydus, and the Allahabad Bank besides others.