The Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya
Introduction
The Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture (PGIA) of the University of Peradeniya is the oldest postgraduate institute in Sri Lanka, being established in 1975 with the main objective of producing trained manpower in agriculture- related advanced disciplines. Since its inception, the PGIA has awarded over 3368 postgraduate degrees with 179 PhDs, 388 MPhils, 2111 MScs and 690 MBAs. Programmes available at the PGIA
The academic programmes of the PGIA are designed and implemented by 11 Boards of Study, which cover the whole range of agriculture-related study areas and disciplines. The Boards of Study are Agricultural Biology, Agricultural Economics, Agr i c u l t u r a l E n g i n e e r i n g , Agricultural Extension, Animal Science, Bio- Statistics, Business Administration, Crop Science, Food Science and Technology, Plant Protection and Soil Science.
All Boards of Study offer postgrad- uate research degrees at the Doctoral ( PhD, DBA) and Master’s ( MPhil) level and also MBA and MSc for postgraduate studies. Depending on the requirement to follow course work, two categories of research degrees are awarded, namely PhD/MPhil by research and PhD/MPhil by course work plus research. PhD and MPhil degrees by course work include a course work requirement of 30 credit units in addition to the research component.
A significant portion of research by postgraduate students of the PGIA is conducted within the facilities available at the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Peradeniya, which is inextricably linked, both officially and operationally, to the PGIA and at variety of public- sector research institutions such as the research institutes and stations of the Department of Agriculture, Plantation Crops ( i. e. tea, rubber, coconut, sugarcane) Research Institutes, Department of Export Agriculture, Veterinary Research Institute, Department of Animal Production & Health, Industrial Technology Institute, Institute of Postharvest Technology, Irrigation Department, Institute of Fundamental Studies, Bandaranayake Institute for Ayurvedic Research etc.. In addition, an appreciable amount of collaborative postgraduate research has been initiated with Foreign Universities. Postgraduate Student Profile and their Employability
The PGIA allows student to follow programmes on part time/ fulltime basis. A high proportion of PhD and MPhil graduates of the PGIA during the last decade have found employment in the public-sector research institutions ( e. g. Department of Agriculture, Plantation Crops Research Institutes, etc..) or executive and management grades in the private sector. A significant proportion has found employment overseas as well.
Human and Physical Resources available in the PGIA for undertaking Good Quality Research
The teaching panels of the eleven Boards of Study of the PGIA contain over 300 academic staff members qualified at the postgraduate level. Out of this around 275 (83% of the total) are qualified at the PhD level and are eligible to undertake and supervise good quality postgraduate research.
The expertise in these academic staff members covers the whole gamut of Agriculture-related disciplines ranging from Natural and Physical Sciences to Social Sciences and Management and from Fundamental Sciences to Applied Sciences. No other postgraduate institute has such a wealth of expertise to undertake and supervise postgraduate research.
The ratio of postgraduate supervisory staff : research students at the PGIA is 1:2, which is highly conducive for ensuring high quality postgraduate research. Visit us at our premises, or at www.pgia.ac.lk or contact us for additional information.