The University of Moratuwa (also referred as Moratuwa University) ( Moraṭuva Viśvavidyālaya, ) is a public university in Sri Lanka. It is located on the bank of the Bolgoda Lake in Katubedda, Moratuwa.
Apart from academics including undergraduate and postgraduate studies, the University of Moratuwa presents social and cultural activities, student services, societies, and sports and recreational activities. The institution was known as Ceylon College of Technology, Katubedda (Katubedda Tech) before gaining university status. Its roots go back to the Institute of Practical Technology founded in 1960 to provide technical education.
History
The University of Moratuwa is an independent state university in Katubedda, Moratuwa, Sri Lanka overlooking Bolgoda Lake. It was established as the University of Moratuwa (UoM), Sri Lanka on 22 December 1978 under the Universities Act No. 16 of 1978 and operates under the general direction of the University Grants Commission. Its origin can be traced to the Government Technical College (GTC) which was established in Maradana, Colombo in 1893.
The GTC was one of the first institutions for formal technical education in Sri Lanka (the Ceylon Medical School was established in 1870, followed by Colombo Law College (1875), School of Agriculture (1884) and the Government Technical College (1893)). It became the pioneering institution for science education in Sri Lanka and its name was changed to the Ceylon Technical College (CTC) in 1906. The CTC provided technical education in civil, electrical and mechanical engineering fields even before the establishment of the University College Colombo, affiliated to the University of London, in 1921.
The Ceylon Technical College, Katubedda was established in 1966 offering the Diploma in Technology, it gained University status, as the Katubedda Campus of the single University of Ceylon, on 15 February 1972. The Department of Architecture, then at Colombo, was transferred to Katubedda in the formation of this new campus. The Katubedda Campus thus began with one faculty, that of Engineering and Architecture. The first president was Dr. LH Sumanadasa who steered the progress of the institution and was the principal of the IPT before it became the Katubedda Campus. When Ceylon became a Republic on 22 May 1972, the corporate name of the university was changed to the University of Sri Lanka.
In 1978 it gained the Independent University Status under Universities Act No. 16 of 1978.
Students from the University of Moratuwa have participated in Google Summer of Code in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011, Imagine Cup Sri Lanka, and IEEEXtreme Competition. In the Google Summer of Code, University of Moratuwa was ranked as the top university worldwide in the number of awards received by students for the five-year period from its inception in 2005.
The University of Moratuwa won the Microsoft Imagine Cup Sri Lankan Software Design Finals in five out of eight occasions, including 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2012. In addition to this, the university maintains a stellar record in the world stage in competitions such as the CFA Institute Research Challenge and the CIMA Global Business Challenge.
Organisation and administration
Academic entities
Faculty of Architecture
The Faculty of Architecture offers six Honours Degrees such as Bachelor of Architecture, Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, Bachelor of Design, Bachelor of Science in Quantity Surveying, Bachelor of Science in Facilities Management, Bachelor of Science in Town & Country Planning. In addition, the Faculty of Architecture offers eight Postgraduate degrees such as MSc/PG Diploma in Interior Design, MSc in Landscape Design, MSc in Architectural Conservation of Monuments and Sites (ACOMAS), Master of Urban Design, MSc in Project Management, MSc/PG Diploma in Construction Law and Dispute Resolution, MSc in Occupational Safety and Health Management, MSc in Spatial Planning, Management and Design. The Faculty of Architecture is the only seat of education in Sri Lanka offering undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Architecture, Town and Country Planning, Facilities Management and Quantity Surveying.
The departments at the Faculty of Architecture are
Department of Architecture
Department of Building Economics
Department of Integrated Design
Department of Town & Country Planning
The divisions and units at the Faculty of Architecture are
Undergraduate Studies Division
Postgraduate Studies Division
Faculty of Architecture Research Unit (FARU) Faculty of Architecture Quality Assurance Cell