Royal University of Bhutan
Encyclopedia
The Royal University of Bhutan (Dzongkha: འབྲུག་རྒྱལ་འཛིན་གཙུག་ལག་སློབ་སྡེ་; Wylie
: 'brug rgyal-'dzin gtsug-lag-slob-sde), founded on June 2, 2003 by a royal decree is the national university
system of Bhutan
.
The Royal University of Bhutan also maintains a strong connection with other universities which include the University of New Brunswick
in Canada, the School for International Training
in the United States, the University of Salzburg
in Austria, the University of Delhi
in India, etc. in the areas of student exchange and internship programs for both students and faculty.
HM
Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, the King of Bhutan, is the Chancellor and Dasho Pema Thinley is the Vice Chancellor, and handles the day-to-day administration of the university system.
The Centre for Bhutan Studies
(CBS) in Thimphu
, originally slated to become a member institution of the university, has retained its autonomous status.
The Royal University of Bhutan aspires to be a seat of excellence in learning that advances knowledge, improves quality of life and promotes collective happiness. The twofold objective of the University as stated in the Royal Charter (RUB 2003, p. 3) is to develop and provide programmes of study at tertiary education level, of relevance and good quality which will fulfill the needs of the country for an educated and skilled population; and to promote and conduct research
, to contribute to the creation of knowledge in an international context and to promote the transfer of knowledge of relevance to Bhutan.
The Royal University of Bhutan commits to the core values of compassion and fairness, creativity
and innovation
, community services, love for learning, accountability, responsibility, and professionalism
areas. These include:
Plans are underway to include programmes in arts and design, media and Mass communication, Bhutanese history and culture, Gross National Happiness
, counseling and Buddhist studies in the colleges.
Most programmes are full-time, although the two Colleges of Education, Sherubtse College
, and the Institute of Language and Culture Studies offer a variety of part time and distance education
programmes. Some programmes offered at Sherubtse College also provides students freedom to cross departmental boundaries with double degree programmes.
The University offers diploma, degree, and honours degree courses of study.
The Diploma may be an interim award in a degree programme, in which case the Programme aims to prepare diploma graduates for employment as well as to prepare them to progress to the award of a degree. The Diploma may also be an award for an entirely free standing programme unrelated to a degree programme, in which case the Programme aims at every specific employment or skills based target.
, social skills
and literacy
. The Degree programme consists of 360 credits, out of which at least 90 shall be at third year level. The degree programme usually takes over three years of full time study, or more, if it consists of more than 360 credits.
Values such as creativity and innovation, compassion and fairness, community service, love for learning, accountability, responsibility and professionalism are central to the academic programmes at the University. Students across the colleges have ample opportunities to partake in numerous range of activities, from regular study of their programmes, community service
to a range of extracurricular activities.
Wylie transliteration
The Wylie transliteration scheme is a method for transliterating Tibetan script using only the letters available on a typical English language typewriter. It bears the name of Turrell V. Wylie, who described the scheme in an article, A Standard System of Tibetan Transcription, published in 1959...
: 'brug rgyal-'dzin gtsug-lag-slob-sde), founded on June 2, 2003 by a royal decree is the national university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
system of Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
.
Colleges within the Royal University of Bhutan
The Royal University of Bhutan was established to consolidate the management of tertiary education in Bhutan. It is a decentralized university with eleven constituent colleges spread across the kingdom. The underlying principle which influenced the development of a university system was the government's priority for equitable development. The eleven member colleges are:- The College of Science and Technology (CST) in Rinchhending, Phuntsholing
- The Gaeddu College of Business Studies (GCBS) in Gedu, Chukha
- The National Institute of Traditional Medicine (NITM) in Thimphu
- The Institute of Language and Culture StudiesInstitute of Language and Culture Studies (Bhutan)The Institute of Language and Culture Studies or ILCS, is part of the Royal University of Bhutan. Presently ILCS is located at Semtokha near Thimphu. It is slated to expand to 500+ students and move to Taktse in Trongsa dzongkhag...
(ILCS) in Semtokha, Thimphu The Institute of Language and Culture Studies, presently in Semtokha near Thimphu, is slated to expand to 500+ students and move to Taktsi in TrongsaTrongsaTrongsa, previously Tongsa , is a town and capital of Trongsa District in central Bhutan. The name means "new village" in Dzongkha. The first temple was built in 1543 by the Drukpa Kagyu lama, Ngagi Wangchuk, who was the great-grandfather of Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel, the person who unified...
dzongkhagDzongkhagA dzongkhag is an administrative and judicial district of Bhutan. The twenty dzongkhags of Bhutan are further divided into 205 gewogs. Some larger dzongkhags have one or more of an intermediate judicial division, known as dungkhags , which themselves comprise two or more gewogs...
. A primary task of ILCS is to preserve and promote Dzongkha, the national language of Bhutan. - Sherubtse CollegeSherubtse CollegeSherubtse College was the first accredited college in Bhutan, founded in 1966. As of 2003 it became part of the newly created Royal University of Bhutan system that comprises all public post-secondary schools in Bhutan....
in Kanglung, Trashigang - The Paro College of Education (PCE) in Paro
- The Samtse College of Education (SCE) in Samtse
- The Royal Institute of Health SciencesRoyal Institute of Health Sciences (Bhutan)The Royal Institute of Health Sciences is one of two main medical education centers in Bhutan, the other being the Institute of Traditional Medicine Services. The RIHS was established in Thimphu in 1974 as a member college of the Royal University of Bhutan, and is associated with the National...
(RIHS) in Thimphu - The College of Natural Resources (CNR) in Lobesa, Thimphu
- The Jigme Namgyel Polytechnic (JNP) in Dewathang, Samdrup Jongkhar
- The Royal Institute of Management (RIM) in Simtokha, Thimphu
The Royal University of Bhutan also maintains a strong connection with other universities which include the University of New Brunswick
University of New Brunswick
The University of New Brunswick is a Canadian university located in the province of New Brunswick. UNB is the oldest English language university in Canada and among the first public universities in North America. The university has two main campuses: the original campus founded in 1785 in...
in Canada, the School for International Training
School for International Training
SIT Graduate Institute is the accredited college program of World Learning in Brattleboro, Vermont. The president and CEO is Adam Weinberg.History=SIT Graduate Institute began as the Experiment for International Living...
in the United States, the University of Salzburg
University of Salzburg
The University of Salzburg, or Paris Lodron University after its founder, the Prince Archbishop Paris Lodron, is located in the Austrian city of Salzburg, Salzburgerland, home of Mozart. It is divided into 4 faculties: catholic theology, law, humanities and natural science.Founded in 1622, it...
in Austria, the University of Delhi
University of Delhi
The University of Delhi is a central university situated in Delhi, India and is funded by Government of India. Established in 1922, it offers courses at the undergraduate and post-graduate level. Vice-President of India Mohammad Hamid Ansari is the Chancellor of the university...
in India, etc. in the areas of student exchange and internship programs for both students and faculty.
HM
Majesty
Majesty is an English word derived ultimately from the Latin maiestas, meaning "greatness".- Origin :Originally, during the Roman republic, the word maiestas was the legal term for the supreme status and dignity of the state, to be respected above everything else...
Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, the King of Bhutan, is the Chancellor and Dasho Pema Thinley is the Vice Chancellor, and handles the day-to-day administration of the university system.
The Centre for Bhutan Studies
Centre for Bhutan Studies
The Centre for Bhutan Studies is a research institute located in Thimphu, Bhutan established in 1999 with the purpose of promoting research and scholarship on Bhutan.The President of the Centre is Dasho Karma Ura.-Periodical:...
(CBS) in Thimphu
Thimphu
Thimphu also spelt Thimpu, is the capital and largest city of Bhutan. It is situated in the western central part of Bhutan and the surrounding valley is one of Bhutan's dzongkhags, the Thimphu District. The city became the capital of Bhutan in 1961...
, originally slated to become a member institution of the university, has retained its autonomous status.
University system and administration
Based on the distributed model with different campuses of the colleges forming the core element of the University, the Office of the Vice-Chancellor at the center is responsible for central coordination while the constituent member colleges look after academic functions of teaching and research within its college. Located at Mothithang, Thimphu, the Office of the Vice Chancellor consists of the departments of Registry, Academic Affairs, Planning and Resources, and Research and External Relations.The Royal University of Bhutan aspires to be a seat of excellence in learning that advances knowledge, improves quality of life and promotes collective happiness. The twofold objective of the University as stated in the Royal Charter (RUB 2003, p. 3) is to develop and provide programmes of study at tertiary education level, of relevance and good quality which will fulfill the needs of the country for an educated and skilled population; and to promote and conduct research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
, to contribute to the creation of knowledge in an international context and to promote the transfer of knowledge of relevance to Bhutan.
The Royal University of Bhutan commits to the core values of compassion and fairness, creativity
Creativity
Creativity refers to the phenomenon whereby a person creates something new that has some kind of value. What counts as "new" may be in reference to the individual creator, or to the society or domain within which the novelty occurs...
and innovation
Innovation
Innovation is the creation of better or more effective products, processes, technologies, or ideas that are accepted by markets, governments, and society...
, community services, love for learning, accountability, responsibility, and professionalism
Programmes of study
The Royal University of Bhutan offers programmes across its campuses in eight broad curriculumCurriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
areas. These include:
- teacher education
- business and management
- engineering and physical sciences
- computing and information science
- biological sciences and agriculture
- health sciences
- humanities and social sciences
- Dzongkha language and literature
Plans are underway to include programmes in arts and design, media and Mass communication, Bhutanese history and culture, Gross National Happiness
Gross national happiness
The assessment of gross national happiness was designed in an attempt to define an indicator that measures quality of life or social progress in more holistic and psychological terms than only the economic indicator of gross domestic product .-Origins and meaning:The term...
, counseling and Buddhist studies in the colleges.
Most programmes are full-time, although the two Colleges of Education, Sherubtse College
Sherubtse College
Sherubtse College was the first accredited college in Bhutan, founded in 1966. As of 2003 it became part of the newly created Royal University of Bhutan system that comprises all public post-secondary schools in Bhutan....
, and the Institute of Language and Culture Studies offer a variety of part time and distance education
Distance education
Distance education or distance learning is a field of education that focuses on teaching methods and technology with the aim of delivering teaching, often on an individual basis, to students who are not physically present in a traditional educational setting such as a classroom...
programmes. Some programmes offered at Sherubtse College also provides students freedom to cross departmental boundaries with double degree programmes.
The University offers diploma, degree, and honours degree courses of study.
Diploma
The diploma programme consists of 240 credits out of which at least 100 credits are at second year degree level. The programme usually takes over two years of full time study, or more, if it consists of more than 120 credits.The Diploma may be an interim award in a degree programme, in which case the Programme aims to prepare diploma graduates for employment as well as to prepare them to progress to the award of a degree. The Diploma may also be an award for an entirely free standing programme unrelated to a degree programme, in which case the Programme aims at every specific employment or skills based target.
Degree
The Degree programme is intended to provide grounding in some coherent body of knowledge, a broad coverage of the related academic skill, personal developmentPersonal development
Personal development includes activities that improve awareness and identity, develop talents and potential, build human capital and facilitates employability, enhance quality of life and contribute to the realization of dreams and aspirations...
, social skills
Social skills
A social skill is any skill facilitating interaction and communication with others. Social rules and relations are created, communicated, and changed in verbal and nonverbal ways. The process of learning such skills is called socialization...
and literacy
Literacy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
. The Degree programme consists of 360 credits, out of which at least 90 shall be at third year level. The degree programme usually takes over three years of full time study, or more, if it consists of more than 360 credits.
Honours Degree
The Honours degree will supplement and develop the subject matter learnt from the Degree to a higher level. It includes a significant project, emphasizes students’ self study and prepares the students for postgraduate study. The Honours degree consists of 480 credits, out of which at least 90 credits are at fourth year level. The Honours degree will usually take over four years of full time study, with the inclusion of the Degree programme of 360 credits included.Values such as creativity and innovation, compassion and fairness, community service, love for learning, accountability, responsibility and professionalism are central to the academic programmes at the University. Students across the colleges have ample opportunities to partake in numerous range of activities, from regular study of their programmes, community service
Community service
Community service is donated service or activity that is performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or its institutions....
to a range of extracurricular activities.