Periyar University

Periyar University was established in 1997 by an act of the Government of Tamilnadu. The University is named after a renowned social reformer popularly known as “Thanthai Periyar”. The University is located 10kms from the Salem City, India. The University campus extends to about 100 acres of land, accommodating administrative and departmental buildings. The University was originally established with the three departments; Commerce, Geology and Mathematics. The University was set up to run as a Postgraduate Affiliate of Madras University. It was administered under the certification of Madras University before finally being upgraded to the status of a university by the University Grants Commission.

The vision of Periyar University states “Wisdom maketh world” which is well embedded on the University logo. It is based on the philosophy of the founder. The vision of the University is aimed at spreading knowledge and quality education far and wide to all qualified persons seeking high level learning. The mission of the University is to spread knowledge and skill in general. It particularly focused on providing knowledge to the youth who are economically, educationally and socially challenged. This mission is also emphasized on all the Departments of study based in the University and its affiliated Colleges.
The University Consists of 12 departments; Chemistry, Commerce, Economics, Geology, Mathematics, Physics, Tamil, Economics, Education, Management Studies, Biochemistry, Food Science and Computer Science. The Chemistry department consists of the following units; Green Organic Synthesis, Nano technology, Environmental analysis, Pollution control, Corrosion and metal Synthesis,characterization and applications of conducting polymer films, Plasma electrolytic oxidation, Coordination chemistry,Organometallic chemistry, Organic photochemistry, Kinetics and Catalysis.

The Geology Department has the following units; Remote Sensing & GIS, Applied Geomorphology, Hydrogeology, Micropaleontology, Stratigraphy, Sedimentology, Coastal zone management, Natural disaster management and mitigation, Mineral Exploration, Geochemistry and Petrology, etc. Presently the department offers M.Sc., Mechanical Technology in Mineral and Spatial Information. Subjects in the department of Economics include; Bicultural Economics, Environmental Economics, Econometrics, Third Sector Development and Welfare Economics.

The Education department offers a number of options; Education, Special Education, Adult Education, and Educational Technology and Language Education. The Department of Management Studies has the following sections; Marketing, Finance, HR, Production and Systems with Choice based on Credit System. Biochemistry department has the following options; Genetic Engineering, Molecular Biology and Immunology with choice also based on credit system. Food Science Department has the following sections; Nutrition, Biotechnology, Microbiology and Nutrition and health education. The University also offer Master degree programs and ph.D program on for most of the courses. All departments are focused on areas that serve modern interest.