LALMONIRHAT: Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Aviation and Aerospace University (BSMRAAU), now running in the Dhaka city, may move to its own campus in Lalmonirhat in June this year, said its officials.
Group Captain Md Zahidul Islam Khan, chief of the university's public relations, information and publications department, told The Financial Express that the institution's academic session would begin in June on its permanent campus.
The permanent campus has been designed following world-class standards. It is located on more than 600 acres of land, he added.
"There will be an academic building, teacher-student centre, cafeteria, dormitories, research centres, laboratories and more," Zahidul said.
The BSMRAAU, Bangladesh's first institution for aviation and aerospace studies, however, has been operating its academic and administrative activities in its temporary office in Dhaka since 2019.
More than 150 students are now studying (undergraduate and post graduate courses) on the Dhaka campus. The under-graduation courses include BSc in Aeronautical Engineering (Aerospace), BSc in Aeronautical Engineering (Avionics). The graduate courses of the university are MBA in Aviation Management, MSc in Aviation Safety and Accident Investigation, and LLM in International and Space Law.
According to the university officials, there is high demand for skilled manpower in the aviation sector throughout the world. Considering this, the university has programmed its courses on aviation management, aviation engineering, pilots training, aircrafts maintenance, aviation laws, and computer science to the students, they added.
Contacted, Air Vice Marshal Muhammad Nazrul Islam, Vice Chancellor (VC) of the university, said, "This university offers world class education in various fields of aviation and aerospace."
According to the BSMRAAU officials, reputed and highly qualified teachers and experts from home and aboard are now teaching the university students.
They will be able to study flight engineering, manufacturing of helicopter, aircraft, flights maintenance, flight operations safety and security management soon, they added.
The VC said, "As a specialised university, we have short and long term priorities."
"We want to build our own pro-type single engine light aircraft. We also want to build our capacity in drone technology and develop an echo system in space science-technology research and innovation in Bangladesh", he added.
On January 17 of 2020, the then the air chief Mashihujjaman Serniabat laid down the stone of the academic building of the campus of the university in Lalmonirhat.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina especially gave her attention to the university, said the officials.
She had chosen Lalmonirhat for the university's location four year ago, they added.
The upcoming post-graduate courses of the university include MSc in Aeronautical Engineering (aerospace), MSc in Aeronautical Engineering (Avionics), MSC in Space system Engineering, MSC in Satellite Communication Engineering.
