History

The original idea of a PG level Electronics Science course emanated as a specific recommendation of the UGC sponsored National Workshop organized by the Department of Physics and Astrophysics of Delhi University at the National Science Academy held from October 14-16, 1982. The genesis of the programme started with the argument that the gap between Science and Technology in Electronics Education system in India has gradually widened over a period of time with the consequent slowing down in the development of indigenous technology. To bridge this gap, a two year MSc Electronics Science programme was launched with the approval of Electronics Commission in the year 1984-85 in three Universities viz. University of Delhi, Pune and Calcutta.

The broad criteria for selection of Universities for MSc (Electronics Science) are-

• A strong nucleus should exist for promoting effective research activities in the areas of Electronics.
• Sufficient industries and organizations should exist in order to absorb the products of the MSc Electronics course.
• There are certain regions in the country where there has not been much industrial developments and perhaps in such regions Electronics Industries may be the cheapest and the easiest to setup. Hilly regions in this context like J&K, Himachal Pradesh, and North Eastern Region may be relevant.

On the basis of the aforesaid criteria, the MSc Electronics Science course was initiated in the Gauhati University (GU) by the Department of Electronics (DOE), Government of India in collaboration with the UGC in the year 1992. This is the only university in the North Eastern region to initiate and continue this course since then. Initially the department was started in the building of the department of Physics and it was subsequently shifted to its present location in the early part of 1996. The department has received financial assistance under FIST programme of the Department of Science and Technology, Govt of India in 2001 and has been benefited considerably while setting up of an Advanced Computational lab and partial modernization of its existing infrastructure.

The Gauhati University has recently recognized the M. Sc. (Electronics Science) course to be equivalent to the B. E. (Electronics Engineering and Telecommunication) course offered by it for technical jobs.