With the counselling for admissions for the 2021-22 academic year all set to begin this week, Dr. YSR Architecture and Fine Arts University (YSRAFU) is expecting to cover the ground it had lost to COVID-19 last year, which sadly was its very first academic year.
The university that had come into being in 2020 was in for a big disappointment when the pandemic struck its first academic year, gobbling up precious time and resources.
“In spite of offering remunerative and industry-relevant courses, there were not many takers last year, as the COVID-19 eclipsed our presence,” says Vice-Chancellor D. Vijay Kishore.
In an interview toThe Hindu , Prof. Vijay Kishore called architecture the preferred engineering stream, with the MNCs ready to rope in graduates with attractive packages.
Dealing with design of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), electrical and plumbing design, lifts, fire safety and green energy, it offers scope for research on energy management, building science engineering, renewable energy, automation engineering and so on.
The four-year B.Tech (Town Planning), said to be the most sought-after in the government sector, helps the students gain expertise in civil engineering, urban design, sociology, geography and address the community-level issues.
Digital Techniques for Design and Planning (DTD) is a course that brings together four disciplines such as IT, design, Geographical Information System (GIS) and multimedia, which includes programming languages such as Python, C, Java, Unix, and Shell, and IT subjects such as cyber laws, web technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Similarly, Game Design and Technologies (GDT) looks beyond entertainment to amplify one’s creativity and IQ. Students learning Blender, Unity, Photoshop, VFX, Character Rigging, Maya, Augmented Reality / Virtual Reality (AR / VR) are in great demand in IT, gaming, animation and film industry, where they draw pay on hourly basis.
With organised construction still in a nascent stage, the Construction Technology Management (CTM) course teaches a student the industry’s burgeoning needs such as contracting, risk analysis, project management and Six Sigma.
Besides, modern innovations such as sensors and drone technology are taught for design optimisation, risk assessment and predictive logistics.
The university chipped in only during the second counselling last year and got 40% admissions.
“We are in an advantageous position now and hope to get all our seats filled,” Prof. Kishore exudes confidence.