Resources

BRAC University has significant faculty and human resources, physical and financial resources. BRAC University has managed to create an ideal environment for students to acquire knowledge.

Faculty
BRACU faculty comprises of a unique blend of teachers, researchers and practitioners. The faculty consists of a distinguished body of scholars with proven teaching and research excellence. Many have doctoral degrees from universities abroad. Many others are postgraduate degree holders and professionals with varied experience. Visiting faculty members from USA, Canada, UK, Australia and other countries bring diversity and richness in the learning environment.

Campus
The present campus of the University located at 66, Mohakhali in Dhaka City has excellent communication links to all parts of the city as well as outside the city. Taxis, baby taxis, rickshaws, and buses are readily available. Moreover, the campus is situated five minutes away from Mohakhali's Premium and Volvo bus stand. The five-storied University Building accommodates a lounge, an information desk, a student counseling office, classrooms, seminar rooms, computer laboratories, a language laboratory, the Registrar's office, administrative office, accounts office, the Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) Department, Executive floor, a cafeteria, a student's common room and a semi outdoor sitting plaza (Prangan). BRACU occupies eighteen floors of Aarong House (AH), a twenty-storied building situated adjacent to the University building. The BU library extends over two floors of this structure. BRAC Business School (BBS), English and Humanities (ENH) department, classrooms, computer labs and internet facilities for students are also located there. The University also occupies six floors of Civil Engineers Bhaban (CB), a building located a block away from the main University building. These floors house the Departments of Architecture, Economics and Social Sciences and Mathematics and Natural Sciences and the Schools of Law and Public Health. The Institute of Governance Studies (IGS) is located in Gulshan, while the Institute of Educational Development (IED) is in Niketan.

The University plans to shift its activities to the new campus in 4 to 5 years. The process of acquiring land in Badda, Gulshan and constructing the permanent building is under process.

Residential Semester
All students are required to attend a Residential Semester within first year of admission. The first semester will be held in Mohakhali campus and one of the following two semesters will be a residential semester in Savar Campus. The Residential semester aims at enhancing the communication skills of the students, especially in English. It will also emphasize, through various exercises and activities, the development of leadership qualities as well as the ability to live and function together as a group. 

Facilities for Learning

Classrooms
BU has classrooms of various sizes, ranging from regular ones that can hold 30-50 seats, to large ones with a capacity of 60-80 seats. Each classroom is fully air-conditioned and equipped with multimedia projectors, overhead projectors and computers with access to the Internet. Some classrooms have, in addition to these, televisions, VCR and equipment that can be used for teleconferencing. Furthermore, BU has access to facilities at BRAC Centre Inn and BRAC support facilities all over Bangladesh for the use of teachers and students during field visits.

Computer Labs
Currently there are three labs at the University Building (UB), six at Aarong House (AH), including the library, one at Standard Tower, Four in the Savar campus, including a SPSS lab that is used exclusively by MPH students, and one in the Institute of Governance Studies (IGS) at Gulshan. These computer labs have a total of 345 computers, of which 80 are in the Savar campus and 26 are in the Rajendrapur campus. These are all latest model personal computers with built-in multi-media connected to IBM xSeries 226 and 236 Servers by a Windows NT local area network (LAN). For all lab work, there is one computer for each student. Computers are connected to a host of other peripheral devices such as scanners, printers, digital cameras, etc. Suitable UPS units back up electric power supply to all computers and peripheral devices. Furthermore, stand-by generators back up other electric equipment. All these facilities are continually being upgraded to keep pace with changing technology. Furthermore, all servers have been upgraded with new configurations, as have the student, staff and faculty main servers.

Digital Lab
The purpose of establishing a separate digital lab was to enhance students' understanding of microprocessors, circuits and electronics. This lab contains a wide variety of equipment, including oscilloscopes, trainer boards, microprocessors, digital multimeters, ammeters, wattmeters, rheostats, generators, inductors and other such equipment.

Electronic Systems Laboratory
This laboratory provides support for instruction and research in the areas of basic analog and digital logic design, discrete component testing, fundamental circuit design, microprocessing interfacing, assembly language programming and communication theory. The laboratory is equipped with digital systems development including FPGA/VHDL for advanced course work and thesis research, CAD facilities capable of schematic capture, circuit simulation and fault detection. The lab utilizes various test equipment to include but not limited to oscilloscopes, signal generators, spectrum analyzer, DSO & logic analyzer, multimeters and high-speed data acquisition equipment.

Telecommunication Laboratory
The telecommunications laboratory, a state-of-the-art facility, is fully equipped with hardware and software to support a multitude of instructional and thesis/project activities on the broad area of digital communications, wireless and mobile communications, multimedia communications and network simulation. Lab facilities also include PCM analyzer/Frame analyzer, PCM performance analyzer and trainer for modulation and keying (e.g., PSK, FSK, ASK, QPSK etc).

Signal Processing Laboratory
This laboratory supports instruction and thesis/research in the area of Digital Signal Processing. Research and thesis work include data modeling and processing, image analysis and modeling, signal detection and classification, multi-rate processing and other areas. Lab facilities include several PCs equipped with the latest MIDAS Engineering hardware and standard software package.

Electromagnetics Laboratory
This laboratory supports instruction and project/thesis in the area of microwave systems and technology. This is accomplished with a mix of hardware, instruments and test systems. The Lab facilities include Microwave communications teaching set (scanTEK 2000) with CT60 and CT60IS.

Control Systems Laboratory
This laboratory emphasizes problem based learning and research using pilot plant. Lab facilities include servo control stations (CA06, LJ Group) and associated computers (equipped with A/D and D/A data acquisition cards, Matlab/SIMULINK software and RT-Linux for RTS) that are used to conduct simulations and physical experiments, modeling, analysis, and design of control systems.

Optical Electronics Laboratory
The Optical Electronics Laboratory provides educational and project/thesis support in the areas of fiber optics, integrated optics and electro-optics. The Lab facilities include fiber optics instrumentation (optical fibres DL 3155M63, De Lorenzo Group) set. This laboratory supports ECE340 and ECE410 courses.

Cisco Networking Laboratory
The Cisco Laboratory of BRACU has the Cisco Premium Bundle 1.6, which includes 2600 routing products, switching products and other support products. Students will learn how to install and configure Cisco switches and routers in multiprotocol networks using local-and wide-area networks (LANs and WANs), provide Level 1 and 2 troubleshooting services, and improve network performance and security. Additionally, instruction and training are provided in the proper care, maintenance, and use of networking software tools and equipment. The laboratory caters for the networking courses into which the CCNA certification Program has been integrated. Along with that this lab is also used for some introductory and intermediate Computer Science and Engineering courses' laboratories. 

Linux Laboratory
BRACU has a dedicated Linux Laboratory using the Fedora Core 6 distribution at the time of this writing. The Linux Laboratory is used for all the advanced Computer Science and Engineering laboratory courses, as well as for some of the introductory and intermediate ones. It is also heavily used for undergraduate thesis projects. The Linux Laboratory is set up so that the software on the client computers can be installed, or upgraded, and managed using a solution that does not require any operator intervention.

Laboratory Facilities of the Mathematics and Natural Sciences Department 
For its undergraduate program in physics laboratory experiments on different topics of physics have been set up. These labs supplement the theory courses and strengthen students' theoretical concepts. Students of other departments taking physics courses also carryout experiments using the physics lab facilities in addition to their theory classes.

MNS Department also has a mathematics lab where students solve mathematical problems on calculus, numerical analysis, matrices, ordinary & partial differential equations etc. using the athematica software.

A unique feature of the MS. in biotechnology course run by the MNS Department is to give emphasis to lab exercises. This is facilitated by having MOU'S with BRAC ARDC at Gazipur, ICDDR,B and the University of Dhaka. These agreements will make it possible for the students to use these lab facilities whereby they can acquire the very necessary hands on experience. It is also envisaged to set up the different biotechnology labs at BRACU gradually.

Language Laboratory
The language lab in BRACU is one of the first of its kind in the country. It is meant to help students improve their language and communication skills. The lab is divided into individual cubicles, each equipped with headphones, recording and playback devices. 

Video Conferencing Centre
BU is the only university that has its own Video Conferencing Centre. This is located on the 18th floor of Aarong House and is used to conduct live meetings, corporate affairs, seminars and presentations among people who are geographically apart. Furthermore, it enables virtual tours and participation in global events. Around 20 people can participate at a time.

IT Network
The IT Network of BU enables all members, students and faculty alike, to maintain personal user accounts with an email account and a home folder. In addition to this, all members can access certain common folders. This makes sharing and distribution of class lectures, assignments and other such information a mouse click away. BU now has 620 workstations linked together through Local Area Network (LAN) and Wide Area Network (WAN).

Architecture Studios
There are eight architecture studios at BU, each equipped with large drawing tables, worktables, equipment such as rulers, lockers and plenty of space in which to display the final outcomes. Each of these studios can hold up to 20 students at a time.

Ayesha Abed Library
Spread over two floors of Aarong House, the library of BU covers an area of 9,000 square feet. The library currently has over 17,000 textbooks, journals, magazines, research papers and other digital resources. In addition, BU has a subscription to the journal archive, JSTOR (www.jstor.org). Six professional librarians staff the reference/circulation desk, perform literature searches, offer training, referral and bibliographic services. E-mail facilities for individual students and photocopying are available. Agora and Hinari full text journal databases provide web access to over 4,000 serial titles covering medicine, development, appropriate technology and social sciences. The library online book catalog is available through the Internet.
The library on the third floor of Aarong House has workstations, a newspaper corner, a CD corner, silent study rooms, discussion rooms as well as a general study area. BRAC employees also have access to the library. Inter library loans and cooperative information exchange with other major libraries supports reference and research responses.

Library hours
Over sixty computers are located on the 2nd floor of Aarong House, which provide on-line access to Internet. The library is open from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on all working days and from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturdays.

BRACU Cafeteria
The Cafeteria of the university is a spacious and well-lit area that can hold up to 150 students at any given time. It serves a variety of snacks, meals and Drinks. Adjacent to the cafeteria is the Indoor Games Room, with provisions for playing table tennis, carom and chess.

Prangan
Prangan, located on the first floor of the University Building, is an open-air garden with a capacity of 100 students. This area includes a snack bar that serves tea, coffee and snacks, a provision for indoor games such as carom and chess and plenty of seats where students can lounge around and enjoy the fresh air.

Career Services Office (CSO)
The chief mission of the Career Services Office (CSO) at BRACU is to prepare students for the job market in Bangladesh. CSO will provide a knowledge base in career planning skills & tools. The activities at CSO are partnership-effort oriented; it will make a match between the individual student and the employing organization. CSO provides a variety of programs, workshops, and individual counseling opportunities to help students to develop themselves professionally. The services provided to students is consistent with the institution's mission.

Ways to develop skills:

• Internships

• Through BU Clubs, Organizations, Extracurricular Activities

• Professional Skills Development Program (PSDP)

• Workshops

Services that we offer from the office are:

• Career counseling

• CV referrals for jobs

• CV critiquing

• Arranging internships

• Arranging networking sessions

Services we offer to assist in the job search process:

• Job postings

• Job search materials

• Professional Skills Development Program

• Networking opportunities

Teaching Learning Centre (TLC)
The Teaching Learning Centre (TLC) at BRACU works both with faculty and students to examine attitudes towards teaching and learning. TLC was introduced in the year 2006 with the mission to build awareness among students, encourage and facilitate a student centered learning environment across the departments of the University. TLC currently organizes:

• Retreat two-day workshops for teachers

• Two-day orientation workshops for students that introduce as well as implement the concept of self-rules at the Residential Semester

• Study skill workshops for Residential Semester students

• Individual counseling for students with study problems

In addition, TLC offers support in developing student centered learning courses. Recently, it has helped restructure the Ethics and Culture course that is conducted at the Residential Semester of BRACU. The course now includes self-reflection essays, discovery of self, Ethics Committees and dramas. Evaluation has shown that students now enjoy, participate and learn much more in the course.

Center for Languages (CfL)
Center for Languages (CfL) is devoted exclusively to teaching, training, improving and supporting the English language skills of students and professionals of all stages. All faculty members are English language specialists with extensive experience in teaching at all levels. The facilities provided by CfL are varied and customized and focused on the maximum output in terms of teaching delivery, assessment, course design and logistics. CfL believes that language learning has a parameter beyond the scope of classrooms. Hence, it involves students in extra-curricular activities in its residential campus in Savar to bring out students' latent potential and talent.

Centre for Research on Bangla Language Processing (CRBLP)
The Centre for Research on Bangla Language Processing is the only research centre in Bangladesh that is dedicated to software localization. It was established in 2005 with seed funding from the International Development Research Corporation (IDRC) of Canada through its PAN Localization Network (PanL10n) program, and has since secured additional support from the Microsoft Corporation of USA. CRBLP has a 3-fold mission: (i) to develop multilingual ICT solutions to aid national development, (ii) to build human resource capacity in the field of Computational Linguistics to develop these technologies, and (iii) to advance policy to bring sustainability and focus to this effort in Bangladesh. For more information on CRBLP, please visit its website at http://www.bracu.ac.bd/research/crblp/.

Economics and Social Sciences Research Cell (ESSRC)
The Department of Economics and Social Sciences (ESS) has established a research cell to facilitate research by its faculty and graduate students. The objective of this cell is to create a supporting environment for research by providing services ranging from basic research and data collection, to the broader issues of problem identification and mentoring by senior faculty. The cell organizes regular seminars and workshops as a means to disseminate research results, and to foster collaboration among the researchers within and beyond the university. The ESS research cell is planning to bring out a journal annually to disseminate original research findings, and to create a database of primary and secondary data.

BRACU Journal
Six issues of BRACU journal were published. The journals contained articles relevant to the departments of BRACU. The contributions came from both within and outside BRACU.

Student Activities 
BRACU's mission is to achieve excellence in all round education. The components of all round education, i.e., learning, development and identity formation are interactive and add to each other. The students can experience all of these through participating in co curricular activities along with regular studies. University's Student Affairs Office (SAO) provides full support in this respect.

Clubs and Forum
The co curricular arena of the university is quite vibrant and student-oriented. There are a total of 28 student clubs and forums in categories of:

• Arts/Culture

• Social Welfare/Community service

• International

• Entrepreneurial

• Subject related

• Sports

• Science

These clubs and forums provide opportunities for developing leadership, confidence, goal setting, sense of ownership, time management, collaboration and teamwork. The clubs and forums are:

• AIESEC BU (International Club)

• Football Club FCBU

• Art Society BU

• Global Affairs Forum GAFBU

• Business Club Biz Bee

• Indoor Games Club BUIGC

• BU Student Newsletter

• MBA Forum (for MBA Students)

• Computer Club BUCC

• MIS Club

• Cricket Club BU Cricket Club

• OIKOS Dhaka (International Club)

• Cultural Club BUCuC

• National Heritage Forum BUNHF

• Debating Club BUDC

• Photography Club BUPC

• Drama and Theater Forum BUDTF

• Natural Sciences Club BUNSC

• ECE Club

• Social Development Forum SDF

• Economics Club BUEC

• Social Entrepreneurship Forum BUSEF

• Entrepreneurship Development Forum EDF

• BRACU MIS Forum

• Environment Awareness Forum BUEAF

• Rotaract Club of BRACU

• Film Club BUFC

• Rural Development Club BURDC

The composition of each club or forum includes teacher/staff advisors, a coordinator and student representatives. Enrolment of members is done during the club fair held each semester. The Director of the Student Affairs supervises the activities with the help of an assistant director and a department coordination officer. 
A multiuse hall, two eighty-seat lecture halls, cafeteria and a planted semi-outdoor space with technical support are used for seminars, workshops, exhibitions, indoor games, competitions, fairs and cultural activities. The residential campus in Savar provides a play field for games. The facilities of BRAC throughout the country such as training centers with dormitories, transport and guides to places are available for tours and other events.
A yearly award system has been introduced for the students with major contributions as well as for the most active club. The SAO has currently adopted the 'Ambassador Program', where students good in leadership, time management, collaboration and teamwork are selected from clubs and forums and trained to represent the university. 
Annual assessment of the co curricular activities has been conducted since 2006. University rules have been introduced for participating in the activities without hindering academic performance.

Major activities of clubs and forums include:

• Club Fair

• Film Show

• Cricket, Football and Indoor Games

• Trade Fair

• Tournament

• Voluntary Blood Donation Campaign

• Community Volunteer Work

• Art, Photography and Hobby Exhibition

• Seminar and Workshop

• Competitions in Art, Debate, Music

• Celebration of national and international Photography, Computer programming & events such as Pohela Boishakh, Business plan International Mother Language Day, Independence Day, Victory Day

• Publishing Newsletter

• Study Tour

• Annual Drama

• Archives

• Annual Cultural Program

• Research

• Concert

• Help group/Help sessions

The Student Affairs Office emphasizes on the wholeness of university experience through synchronized development of body, mind and spirit. It aims at integrating co curricular with academic learning, and stresses on service learning through community volunteer work.

BRACU Alumni Association
Objective of this association is to promote the interests of BRACU Alumni network, guide and mentor students and alumni and ensure that BRACU stays dynamic and constantly updated in response to the changing needs of society. 
Our mission is to connect alumni to BRACU and, provide each other valuable benefits, services and resources and support to the University's mission of teaching, research and service.
The association provides professional and personal enrichment opportunities for alumni and friends through educational, informational and social events. Working closely with the University, the Association informs alumni of the University's events and news provides a forum for continued dialogue with the University. 
The association is intended to provide services such as helping students finding jobs, career advice for freshers, sharing job experiences, building fund-raising support, providing suggestions to change the BRACU curriculum which will meet the current demands of the market and strengthen BRACU's outreach. 
Any graduate of BRACU, who has obtained an honorary or regular degree (undergraduate or postgraduate), certificate or diploma from BRACU; or was formally enrolled at BRACU as a full-time or part-time student for a period of not less than two semesters or equivalent; as well as all alumni of BRACU, is considered to be members of the BRACU Alumni Association. An executive committee consisting of six members carries out the operations of the association. Each executive committee stays in office for one year. To assist the executive committee in their duties, there are several subcommittees, each in charge of different aspects of the organization.