A new course in sports medicine

What new things are happening at the Manipal University?
We do start new courses every year. With a superb sports complex coming up, we have plans to start a course in sports medicine and sports management. A new hostel is coming up for women. We plan to expand our intake in engineering from the present 1600-1700 to 2000. The new building for MIT can house many more classes.

What programmes does the university offer?
We have strong medical and engineering streams. Those are two of our flagship courses. Our Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration is strong and has been rated best in the country for the last three years. Our (course on) allied health sciences is the first of its kind in the country. Apart from this, we have a jewellery management course, which unlike other institutions offers a degree and not a diploma. Our students have been placed in Tanishq, Gitanjali Group, Shri Krishna Chetty and Sons, Chennai.

What are the key features of this university?
We have a health science library which is considered the best in Asia, open 365 days a year from 8.30 am to 11.30 pm. Our simulation centre has mannequins for students to practice on before they actually get patients; an anatomy and pathology museum, again considered to be one-of-a-kind in the country, air-conditioned dissection lab with 60 tables. We also have a skills lab where health science students get hands-on experience.
We have very strong research programmes, mainly in Manipal Life Sciences Centre and Manipal College of Pharmacy. We are a teaching and research university.

What about this year’s placements?
We have had close to hundred per cent placements in engineering last year despite the meltdown. And this year a hundred per cent is expected (18 companies have already come and gone, says Vittaleshwar, coordinator of the placement cell MIT). TCS was the biggest recruiter, taking 301 students. Infosys took 170, Accenture 41 and IBM 30. There were others like Maruti, Ashok Leyland, Hero Honda, Deloitte, Microsoft, Cisco, Philips etc.

The likes of Accor, Taj, Leela, ITC, Park, WestIn and others are in the process of making their pick. Hotels like Marriot, Hyatt and Seasons Group too have said they would come for placements.

Manipal Institute of Management is another institute which draws a good number of companies for its placements. Global Data, Reliance Capital, Kotak Securities, Kotak Bank, Manipal Health Systems, IDBI Fortis, India skills have already come and made a pick.