Our History
With the establishment of the University of Dhaka in 1921, the Faculty of Arts was also established. This faculty started with eight Departments: (i) Sanskrit and Bengali, (ii) English, (iii) Philosophy, (iv) History, (v) Education, (vi) Economics and Politics, (vii) Arabic and Islamic Studies, and (viii) Persian and Urdu. Presently, this faculty, one of the largest faculties of the university, consists of seventeen Departments: Department of Bengali, Department of English, Department of History, Department of Islamic History and Culture, Department of Philosophy, Department of Information Science and Library Management, Department of Arabic, Department of Islamic Studies, Department of Sanskrit, Department of Pali and Buddhist Studies, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Department of Urdu, Department of Linguistics, Department of Theater and Performance Studies, Department of Music, Department of World Religions, and Department of Dance. The academic activities of these departments are conducted by the Faculty of Arts.
The faculty office is located on the first and second floors of the Arts Building. The Faculty of Arts offers full-time and part-time courses leading to B.A.(Hons), M.A., M.Phil and Ph.D., as well as a number of certificate and diploma level courses. The Faculty’s taught programmes are a balance of compulsory study-units and elective ones, creating space for students to pursue their individual interests and preferences. The Faculty does its best to be flexible in order to promote such student experiences.
The Faculty of Arts and its committees are increasingly concerned with the quality assurance of academic programmes. At all degree levels, external examiners are involved in the final assessment of students, after a long tradition that has secured international recognition to all the degree programmes of the Faculty of Arts.
Besides offering its own degree programmes, the Faculty of Arts services a number of faculties, institutes and centres within the University, often supplying a substantial proportion of the content of their programmes.
Academic Strategic Plan
This plan sets out Arts faculty’s goals and strategies, and identifies new opportunities for research excellence, transformative learning, local and global engagement, and collaboration.
Commitment
The faculty is dedicated to making itself the top Arts faculty in Bangladesh and within the top 200 in the world over the next 10 years. To accomplish this, it must support current practices while enhancing the programs and research, especially in four core areas: Research Excellence, Transformative Learning, Local and Global Engagement, and People and Places. Arts faculty can facilitate interdisciplinary research and teaching, and provide the students with the resources needed to achieve success and effect change in the world.
Responsibility
The faculty recognizes the responsibility to the students and the people of Bangladesh to provide high-quality, high-impact, and accessible education as well as leading-edge research, knowledge mobilization, public scholarship, and opportunities for lifelong learning.
Impact
As the leading Arts faculty in Bangladesh, its global reach, intercultural expertise, and international connections can bring innumerable economic, cultural, and social advantages to the country, including the training of subsequent generations to engage globally and contribute to a diverse environment. An Arts degree remains the best passport to career flexibility and is a powerful tool in the life-readiness of our students.
Research Excellence
DU Arts are internationally renowned for research in the humanities, professional schools, and creative and performing arts. As a research-intensive faculty, Arts is a leader in the creation and advancement of knowledge and understanding.
