The Royal University of Bhutan (Dzongkha: འབྲུག་རྒྱལ་འཛིན་གཙུག་ལག་སློབ་སྡེ་; Wylie: 'brug rgyal-'dzin gtsug-lag-slob-sde),[1] founded on June 2, 2003 by a royal decree is the national university system of Bhutan.
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The Royal University of Bhutan was established to consolidate the management of tertiary education in Bhutan. It is a decentralized university with eleven constituent colleges[2] spread across the kingdom. The underlying principle which influenced the development of a university system was the government's priority for equitable development. The eleven member colleges are:
The Royal University of Bhutan also maintains a strong connection with other universities which include the University of New Brunswick in Canada, the School for International Training in the United States, the University of Salzburg in Austria, the University of Delhi in India, etc. in the areas of student exchange and internship programs for both students and faculty.
HM Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, the King of Bhutan, is the Chancellor and Dasho Pema Thinley is the Vice Chancellor, and handles the day-to-day administration of the university system.
The Centre for Bhutan Studies (CBS) in Thimphu, originally slated to become a member institution of the university, has retained its autonomous status.
Based on the distributed model with different campuses of the colleges forming the core element of the University, the Office of the Vice-Chancellor at the center is responsible for central coordination while the constituent member colleges look after academic functions of teaching and research within its college. Located at Mothithang, Thimphu, the Office of the Vice Chancellor consists of the departments of Registry, Academic Affairs, Planning and Resources, and Research and External Relations.
The Royal University of Bhutan aspires to be a seat of excellence in learning that advances knowledge, improves quality of life and promotes collective happiness. The twofold objective of the University as stated in the Royal Charter (RUB 2003, p. 3) is to develop and provide programmes of study at tertiary education level, of relevance and good quality which will fulfill the needs of the country for an educated and skilled population; and to promote and conduct research, to contribute to the creation of knowledge in an international context and to promote the transfer of knowledge of relevance to Bhutan.
The Royal University of Bhutan commits to the core values of compassion and fairness, creativity and innovation, community services, love for learning, accountability, responsibility, and professionalism
The Royal University of Bhutan offers programmes across its campuses in eight broad curriculum areas. These include:
Plans are underway to include programmes in arts and design, media and Mass communication, Bhutanese history and culture, Gross National Happiness, counseling and Buddhist studies in the colleges.
Most programmes are full-time, although the two Colleges of Education, Sherubtse College, and the Institute of Language and Culture Studies offer a variety of part time and distance education programmes. Some programmes offered at Sherubtse College also provides students freedom to cross departmental boundaries with double degree programmes.
The University offers diploma, degree, and honours degree courses of study.
The diploma programme consists of 240 credits out of which at least 100 credits are at second year degree level. The programme usually takes over two years of full time study, or more, if it consists of more than 120 credits.
The Diploma may be an interim award in a degree programme, in which case the Programme aims to prepare diploma graduates for employment as well as to prepare them to progress to the award of a degree. The Diploma may also be an award for an entirely free standing programme unrelated to a degree programme, in which case the Programme aims at every specific employment or skills based target.
The Degree programme is intended to provide grounding in some coherent body of knowledge, a broad coverage of the related academic skill, personal development, social skills and literacy. The Degree programme consists of 360 credits, out of which at least 90 shall be at third year level. The degree programme usually takes over three years of full time study, or more, if it consists of more than 360 credits.
The Honours degree will supplement and develop the subject matter learnt from the Degree to a higher level. It includes a significant project, emphasizes students’ self study and prepares the students for postgraduate study. The Honours degree consists of 480 credits, out of which at least 90 credits are at fourth year level. The Honours degree will usually take over four years of full time study, with the inclusion of the Degree programme of 360 credits included.
Values such as creativity and innovation, compassion and fairness, community service, love for learning, accountability, responsibility and professionalism are central to the academic programmes at the University. Students across the colleges have ample opportunities to partake in numerous range of activities, from regular study of their programmes, community service to a range of extracurricular activities.