FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Learners will be assessed based on the assignments submitted throughout the programme.

Penn GSE, a top Graduate School of Education in the United States, is reputed in innovation and education entrepreneurship and is recognized worldwide. The programme will help learners gather an in-depth understanding of the global education landscape, foster an entrepreneurial mindset, and build a support network with like-minded individuals.

Penn GSE’s education entrepreneurship certificate programme is the world’s first online programme custom designed for professionals interested in making impactful changes through innovation. Applicants will get the opportunity to learn from the faculty of UPenn’s top-ranked Graduate School of Education, the Wharton School, and the School of Engineering.

AICTE’s approval is not required for private universities and hence their provisions do not apply to us.

AnantU has tailored its design pedagogy from the perspective of offering solutions to challenges of the world. It focuses on design, architecture, built environment and climate as tools for problem-solving. It offers a host of options in terms of Majors and Minors that allow students to choose a specialisation and design their experience at the University. All first-year AnantU students undergo a common foundation programme to instil in them an understanding of the fundamentals of design and architecture, develop skills to comprehend, interpret design elements and sensitise them to the real-world issues. AnantU has academicians and domain experts as faculty members who bring to the table, the most cutting edge know-how to the table. Our international partners give the university a cosmopolitan character and encourage diversity of thoughts and experiences.

We have close to 720 students on campus enrolled in programmes such as BDes, BArch, MDes and Anant Fellowship

Yes. Anant National University is established as a State Private University under Gujarat Private Universities (Amendment) Act 2016 and is authorised to award degrees as specified by University Grants Commission (UGC) under Section 22 of the UGC Act. This list includes B.Des., B.Arch. and M.Des. degrees, which are offered by us.

We have close to 40 full-time faculty members and nearly 50 adjunct and visiting faculty members teaching various courses at AnantU.

For AY 2020 -21 :

Rs. 2,45,000/- per annum is the Tuition Fee for B.Des.
Rs. 88,000/- per annum is the Tuition fee for B.Arch.
Rs. 2,50,000/- per annum is the Tuition fee for M.Des.
Rs. 1,75,000/- per annum is the Hostel Fee which includes food expenses.

Tuition Fee & Hostel Charges are subject to revision

The University has close ties with many foreign universities and present opportunities for exchange programmes. Additionally, students go on study tours, after which they present their findings in an exhibition format. The University also organises day trips and overnight tours to industrial areas, design villages and small-scale entrepreneurial workshops as part of the learning process.

The University helps students from drafting resumes to connecting them with the right company. It maintains a database of all the recruiter companies.

AnantU Placement model is a four-stage process involving 

• Pre-placement activities

• Career Guidance

• Executing Placement 

• Post-placement reviews

Some of our graduates and Fellows have been placed in the following companies:

• Lodha Group
• Piramal Group
• QCI
• Common Ground practice
• INI Design Studio
• HCP Design, Planning & Management Pvt. Ltd.
• Earth Foundation
• Blocher Blocher India pvt. Ltd.
• Open Spaces Design Studio
• Biome Environmental Solutions
• Shriram Properties
• WRI
• Anthill Creations
• Homes in the City
• Intach
• Apoorva Amin Architects
• UX Reactor

Within the B.Des. programme, AnantU offers several specialisations such as Product Design, Interaction Design, Space Design, Communication Design, Transdisciplinary Design and Fashion & Textile Design (Sustainable Innovation).

AnantU offers a range of minor and elective courses to make learning multidisciplinary. These courses offer students an opportunity to try various possibilities, pursue co-curricular interests, discover new passions and change their way of thinking and processing things. Visit our website to know more about these courses.

We are not insisting on student compulsorily buying a laptop. However, it is desirable that a student has one, given the COVID-19 scenario. Ideally, your laptop should be capable of running Adobe Creative Cloud software. The other basic requirements are listed below.

Recommended Laptop Configuration.

• 16 G B RAM 
• Intel Core 7
• 256  GB Hard disk
• Graphics accelerator recommended

It is recommended, though not compulsory,that all students, purchase an external hard drive for additional portable storage and file back-up (1TB is is the ideal capacity).

• Campus – AnantU is a modern campus, set in a lush green setting at Godhavi on the outskirts of Ahmedabad city. Equipped with all amenities and infrastructure required for a Design University, the campus was reimagined to incorporate ideas of adaptive multi-use and student-friendly spaces. This effort is recognised with prestigious awards like the ‘Excellence in Architecture for Building Additions, Renovation and Adaptive Reuse’ by the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP). We are proud to be amongst the few international universities who are currently working towards a sustainable future.
• Classrooms – We have air-conditioned classrooms with varying seating capacities. Our classrooms are equipped with audio and video projection and presentation facilities for the faculty and students to use in their lectures and presentations.
• Studio – Many classrooms are in studio format to facilitate hands-on learning.
• Computer lab – We have a computer lab equipped with 40 computers with the latest hardware and all necessary design software.
• Makerspace – the Design Lab – Makerspace, our in-house design lab, has a carpentry and pottery workshop, digital manufacturing facility with equipment for laser etching and cutting, CNC router and 3D printers along with an electronics workbench. There is also a provision for fabrication of models and mock-ups using hand and power tools.
• Learning Commons– the Library – It is a modern library with physical and online books, journals and reading materials on Design,Architecture and other related disciplines.
• Canteen– AnantU campus building has a beautiful green atrium which doubles up as a canteen and student’s hangout spot. It offers full meals and snacks, breakfast, lunch and an all-day menu. It also offers healthy options such as fruit juices, platters, hot and cold beverages.
  

Holding strong academic credentials and vast teaching experience, faculty members at AnantU form the backbone of the University’s vision to nurture solutionaries of tomorrow. faculty members function as ‘facilitators’ in the process of learning and strive to create a safe space for students to interact and engage. They are well equipped to integrate the use of technology in the classroom environment and use it effectively to plan lessons and prepare assessment reports. Our current community of faculty members are leaders in their respective fields who conduct disciplinary and interdisciplinary research pushing further the frontiers of knowledge. AnantU’s recruitment policy aims to ensure that:

• We select the best through a fair selection process formally laid down and articulated by the guidelines of the University Grants Commission (UGC). Our job specifications and remuneration conform to or exceed the norms laid down by appropriate regulatory bodies like UGC & Council of Architecture (COA).
• In addition to the academic credentials, we assign appropriate weightage to the experience the individual has in the industry and their research background. We aim to strike a good balance between academicians and practitioners to help achieve a holistic learning environment.

 

To know more about our faculty profile please visit our website.

• Interaction Design focuses on the interaction between the users and products. These products range from software like apps, games, websites et al. The goal of an Interaction Designer is to create products that enable the user to achieve their objective(s) in the best possible manner and create the best user experience for consumers
• An Interaction Designer works closely with the product development department and acts as an advocate for the users. One can explore job opportunities with software giants such as Google, Apple, Microsoft, among many others.

UX and UI design are part of interaction design. In fact, Interaction design graduates are employed by the ever-growing digital industry as UX / UI designers in large numbers. Interaction design largely concerns itself with the design of digital products, environments, systems and services, and often extends itself to the non-digital realm like extrapolating on how people might interact with the physical environment, systems, spaces, objects, other people, society, organisations, etc.

Space design includes Interior Design, Landscape Design, Exhibition Design, Set Design, Retail Design among many others.

• An Interior Designer undertakes projects that include arranging the layout of spaces within a building as well as projects that require an understanding of technical issues such as window and door positioning, acoustics and lighting.

• Interior Designers work on a variety of projects. They analyse client needs, create plans and specifications, and make sure that a project is finished in accordance with the timeline and budget. Interior Designers mainly work at design firms, architecture firms, corporates, government organisations, start-ups or start their own design studio/practice.

Interior design predominantly deals with enhancing the interior spaces and adding value by creating an efficient and aesthetically pleasing environment to the user occupying the space in the personal or professional domain.

Space design enlarges the scope to include open, semi-covered and covered spaces. It looks at enhancing transitional spaces too by integrating performance-based design and blurring the boundaries by creating an interactive dialogue between the built environment and its context.

• Product Designers are responsible for managing the end-to-end processes of product creation, including an understanding of product requirements, brainstorming for ideas, creating prototypes and developing the final product after thorough market research
• Product Designers innovate with an eye on the cost, aesthetics, prestige value, product functionality, assembling and disassembling of the product along with the maintenance process and costing
• Product design careers cover a broad spectrum of industries from manufacturing, information technology, start-ups, NGOs, et al. Product designers could work in corporate or independent design or as freelance designers. A Product Designer will typically work as part of a team, often comprising junior, middle and senior positions. Eventually, the Product Designer rises to the position of Design Manager or Creative Lead overseeing the design as well as administrative and managerial aspects while contributing towards the overall growth of the business

• Communication design specialisation prepares students to conceptualise and execute visual side of printed materials and electronic media output.
• Careers are built in advertising and entertainment industry as Art director, Animator, Creative Director, Graphic designer, Illustrator, Printmaker, Production designer etc.

• Transdisciplinary Design specialisation is created for designers who are passionate about devising solution to complex multidiscplinary problems. Students are introduced to tools and working methods to address pressing issues at both local and global levels. Transdisciplinary designers receive training in all fields of design and choose courses from other design disciplines.
• Transdisciplinary designers pursue entrepreneurial opportunities or work as independent consultants. They also work in reputed design consultancies.
• They find work as designers in the development sector too, catering to fields of their interest such as education, livelihood, agriculture, health care and public services.

Fashion and Textile Design, at AnantU is one of a kind programme offered in the country. Named as Fashion and Textile Design (Sustainable Innovation), it is a four-year programme that offers a curriculum drawn from the fields of fashion, textile, technology and sustainability to impart a comprehensive understanding of fashion and textiles. This programme enables students to explore form, silhouette, material and processes based on social and environmental imperatives. This program focuses on the problem of extensive resource depletion coupled with landfill overburdening caused by the textiles and fashion sector alone. Students are expected to create innovative and responsible fashion designs by focusing on sustainability.

The topics that are generally included in AnantU’s Design Entrance test are general knowledge, creative thinking and logical reasoning.

Students of undergraduate programmes at AnantU choose their preferred courses for each specialisation. While some courses are mandatory, there are various elective courses offered to students where they can choose the subject according to their preference. The class size is determined based on these choices made by the students and hence has no limitation. Generally, for studio courses, the class size is around 20 and for seminar courses, it is around 40.

Master of Design in Urban Design at AnantU is an interface of architecture, urban planning and strategic management. Poised to prepare urban solutionaries, the programme is designed to prepare professionals who can work on the project cycle from conceptualisation to implementation. The scale of projects is focussed on the neighbourhood and local area, within the context of larger urban systems.

This programme is curated on the premise that the present and future of urban transformations is focused on appropriate design intervention, after adequate public consultation and followed by robust implementation mechanism.

The programme encourages students to collate inferences in a multidisciplinary manner to find solutions to various urban problems. This is done across four verticals: Society & People; Environment & Ecology; Technology & Networks; and Management & Governance. The distinct but interrelated modules are carefully curated and designed, as a convergence of two or more verticals, which gives students the knowledge of the complexities in urban areas and introduces them to varied perspectives.

This programme is offered in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania. It combines the disciplines of engineering, management and design to help students develop the ability to analyse real-world challenges from multiple perspectives and solve them holistically using appropriate design methodologies.

The programme is built around a learning-by-doing model offering traditional and modular courses that draw from design, engineering, and business disciplines. It emphasises both independent and collaborative work. The programme prepares students for future roles as entrepreneurs, designers, design researchers, product engineers and leaders of front-end innovation teams.

The University offers bridge courses as part of the M.Des. programme. It has designed these courses to enable students from different educational backgrounds to acquire skill sets required to pursue the programme successfully. These bridge courses impart a fundamental understanding of design to create a strong foundation for students.

Students of M.Des. programme at AnantU undertakes a capstone project, an integral component of the programme, designed to allow the students to be a part of a real-life project and work with potential stakeholders, funding agencies and implementing agencies. AnantU brings in professionals from all walks of life, thus facilitating industry linkage.

Our first batch of M:IPD students will graduate in 2020 and nearly 70% of class strength received placement with an average CTC of Rs. 6.5 lacs per annum.

Yes. Please refer to the campus job on the website.

The internship offer ranges from  Rs.5000/- to Rs.20000/- per month. It varies on the candidate’s knowledge, duration and exposure.

The University has the provision for an on-campus infirmary. A nurse is always present during working hours of the University on weekdays, and a physician visits the campus every Thursday. Additionally, the University hosts the Centre for Wellbeing which provides regular support to the student community through various programmes. Mental health professionals are available to students for counselling support at all hours.

The programme is a one-year full-time residential programme that starts in September and continues till the end of August in the following year.

No specific eligibility criteria is required for the Fellowship. The programme is open to candidates who have an undergraduate or a postgraduate degree in any discipline. However, the programme team is keen to include students and working professionals who have a demonstrated commitment towards the built environment, leadership aptitude, good communications skills and the ability to work in a collaborative learning environment.

You can apply to the Fellowship through the application portal on our website. To apply, please follow the steps given below:

• Register on the website – here
• Sign in and complete the application form
• The programme team will send a confirmation email when we receive the application

You can also submit your application via post. To apply, please follow the steps given below:

1. Download and print the application form from the website
2. Fill the form manually and mail it to Anant Fellowship, Anant National University, Sanskardham Campus, Bopal-Ghuma-Sanand Road, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 382115
3. The programme team will send a confirmation email when we receive the application.

No. Candidates have the provision to register on our portal and complete the form as per their convenience. You also have the option to save parts of the form and complete it at a later date, as per your convenience.

Applications are currently in process the for the 2022-23 cohort. Interested candidates can apply for the programme here.

The selection process is split into three rounds:

Round 1: Application Review

Round 2: Telephonic Interview

Round 3: Personal interview

In the first round, the programme team will review your application. If you are shortlisted, you will be invited to the second round, where you will be interviewed over the phone. In the final round, you will be interviewed in person or over an online platform by a team of experts including AnantU faculty.

In round 1, candidates will be expected to submit their application form along with a SoP. The SoP should:

• Present a clear idea of your journey

• Demonstrate your knowledge of the programme

• Showcase your ability to think and write critically

• Include your goals and how the Fellowship will help you achieve them

If shortlisted, the programme team will contact you for round 2. In round 2, candidates will be interviewed over the phone by a programme team member. The interview will be a 20-30 minute conversation regarding the information given by the candidate on their application form. It may also include a discussion of their goals and interests.

If shortlisted for round 3, the programme team will schedule a personal interview on AnantU campus or an online platform. Candidates will be interviewed by a panel of experts including AnantU faculty who will assess the candidate’s knowledge about the programme along with their critical thinking skills. If selected, candidates will receive an offer from the programme team within 3-5 days after the final round.

No, there is no such option. However, the candidate may reapply in the next admission cycle.

Yes, you can reapply but not for the current academic year. You can submit a fresh application for the next admission cycle.

Anant Fellowship curriculum is designed by experts from design, architecture, liberal arts, management and technology fields. The programme is curated to include multiple perspectives from disciplines such as art history, sociology, economics and gender studies so that the Fellows are trained to build a nuanced perspective in their problem-solving approach.

Anant Fellows can explore three kinds of opportunities upon completion of the programme:

• Entrepreneurial: The Fellowship trains you to develop core entrepreneurial skills and thinking under the mentorship of Mr Srikant Shastri. In addition, Fellows get regular opportunities to interact with budding entrepreneurs and experts who can help them incubate their ideas.

• Job opportunities: The career services committee at AnantU works closely with the Fellows to build their profiles. They host workshops and career weeks which prepare Fellows to work with diverse sectors.

• Higher Education: Many of our Fellows have opted for pursuing higher education in international universities. Our Fellows have been selected for prestigious scholarships and programmes after the Fellowship.

The Fellowship is a platform that encourages performing arts, poetry, music, cinema, and sports. There are a fully equipped sports complex, multipurpose hall, exhibition spaces, amphitheatre and other facilities at the university campus to explore your interests. In addition, the Office of Student Services has various clubs on campus for Fellows to explore their talents. For more information, please visit the website.

No, we do not encourage seeking employment whilst you are enrolled in the Fellowship programme. It will be difficult to manage work and study at the Fellowship since the programme is delivered over 8 packed terms.

Faculty at Anant Fellowship are leading academics, experts and pioneers who have taught at international institutions and created organisations that champion cutting-edge research and impact policymaking. To see the complete list of faculty, please visit the faculty page.

The LAP track is an opportunity for Fellows to implement their classroom learnings, work on the ground and propose innovative solutions. The objective is to:

• Identify and understand a built environment problem

• Collaborate with peers, community stakeholders, institutions and organisations from diverse sectors

• Implement classroom learnings and propose equitable and sustainable solutions

The Anant Fellowship for Climate Action is a one-year multidisciplinary programme. As a Fellow, you have the option to choose between full-time in the year-off track, and part-time in the Advanced Professional track.

After launching in 2019, our programme received over 1578 applications from 36 countries for 20 seats. Each year, 20-25 Fellows are accepted into the programme. Our founding cohort comprises of Fellows from 10 countries.

The Fellowship for Climate Action tackles the unprecedented level of climate anxiety by offering you ways to be part of big solutions to mitigate climate change. You will work directly with mentors to power up sustainable, successful solutions to adequately negate the impact of climate change.

The Fellowship presents and facilitates for you a different, unique, and rounded discourse on climate change. The program curriculum is designed such that your growth is maximised, not hampered, due to online learning thanks to our partnerships with online learning platforms such as terra.do. You can register from anywhere in the world and learn remotely while collaborating with our growing community of Fellows and Mentors.

The Fellowship is based on a hybrid model of teaching and learning suited best for the current work-from-home climate.

We offer a powerful combination of in-depth knowledge and mentorship. Our curriculum covers three pedagogical pillars – technical knowledge, change-maker skills, and personal development. You will encounter these pillars over six terms.

You will also be continuously mentored by experts while keeping in schedule with the established curriculum

• You will learn advanced-level technical skills from leading international academicians and practitioners across topics such as carbon accounting, energy efficiency, resource efficiency, and climate policy

• You will learn from a distinguished set of faculty ways of learning, working, and living together to catalyse change for the good of society

• You will embark on an exciting journey with the most influential global climate leaders as your mentors, and collaborate with like-minded individuals from across the world

• You will make the most of your coaching and negotiation sessions, and receive customised attention to enhance your leadership skills

• Finally, you will shape India’s discourse on climate change and relay it forth to the world

We offer you the chance to take on leadership positions in the USD 3 trillion Climate Change industry while also remaining an active member of the Fellowship for Climate Action community.

You are well suited to apply if you have a record of your accomplishments in mitigating climate change or if you have equivalent advanced transferable skills. You must also be ready to be propelled into working with climate pioneers in their fields. Though there are no age, degree, background criteria to apply for the fellowship, you should show a demonstrated strong commitment to working towards solutions for climate change.

Here is how the selection process goes:

• Online Application: Your application will help us understand your experiences and motivations to join the Anant Fellowship for Climate Action. This information will help us understand what makes you a suitable fit for the Fellowship

• Interview: After we have reviewed your application form, you will be invited to attend two thirty-minute online interviews. The first interview will assess your technical knowledge and the work you have done so far. The second interview will evaluate your compatibility with our programme’s ethos

Next, we will get in touch with your referee to gather further information that will be useful for our evaluation.

• Mentor vote: Your profile and performance in the previous rounds will be shared with the Anant Fellowship for Climate Action mentor panel for a final vote. Please note, your presence will not be required in this round

Yes. All applicants are treated as first-timers in every admission period. Your last application results will not affect new application submissions.

The Anant Fellowship for Climate Action is open to those who want to lead the biggest solutions for mitigating climate change. There are no age, degree, background criteria to apply for the fellowship, but you will have an advantage if you have some prior expertise in the climate sector.

You can apply regardless of your age. There are no age, degree, background criteria to apply for the fellowship.

The referees mentioned in your application form could be from any sector as long as they have known you in a professional capacity.

• Track 1 – Full-time – 5, 00, 000 INR

• Track 2 – Advanced Professional – Part-time – 7, 00, 000 INR

If you are quite advanced in your career and would like to attend the programme while working, you will be assisted with a flexible curriculum, customised to suit your availability.

The Fellowship offers you a need-based scholarship through a work-study format. The scholarship is awarded on two criteria:

• If your family annual income is less than or equal to 5,00,000 INR

• In the case of merit-based scholarship, the Scholarship Committee evaluates your applications based on strong climate sector commitment, leadership potential, relevant work experience, outstanding academic results and reference reports.

Please indicate your requirement for financial aid in your online application. The Admission Committee will make the final decision on this upon evaluating your eligibility.

You will find out the status of your financial aid appeal when you receive the admission offer.

If you have any query about the programme, write to us at climateaction.anu.edu.in

The test will be scheduled for mid-June 2021. The exact dates will be announced here and communicated to all candidates who submit an EOI.

Applicants are required to submit an application including a (1) CV, (2) work sample as “evidence of research preparation” (up to 5000 words), (3) UGC-NET certification (if available), (4) names and contacts of three referees and (5) a research proposal of up to 1200 words in the specified format.

The selection process will be carried out in following stages:

• Research Aptitude Assessment (mandated by the UGC; if applicable)

• Research proposal assessment (for direct PhD applicants only. Applicant may be recommended to enrol for integrated PhD with exit option after 2 years)

• Research proposal presentation (with viva, for direct PhD applicants only. Applicant may be recommended to enrol for integrated PhD with exit option after 2 years)

• Personal/Online Interview

The applicant must be:

• An M.Phil. or Masters by Research degree from an Indian or international university

• Or, a recognised postgraduate degree in any discipline

• Or, a four- or five-year undergraduate degree with a substantive research or thesis component (Candidate may be recommended to enrol for integrated PhD with exit option after 2 years)

• Or, an undergraduate degree and substantial research or professional experience (Candidate may be recommended to enrol for integrated PhD with exit option after 2 years)

For detailed information, click here

Figure 1: Admissions eligibility, based on qualifications and experience (From Anant National University “Research Masters-PhD Programme: Draft Procedures and Guidelines”)

Figure 2: Eligibility for the Direct Part-time PhD Programme (From Anant National University “Research Masters-PhD Programme: Draft Procedures and Guidelines”)

Figure 3: Admissions Process for Direct PhD and Integrated Research Master’s-PhD Programme (Check Figure 1 and Figure 2 for eligibility) (From Anant National University “Research Masters-PhD Programme:

For details related to the admission requirements, the eligibility conditions and the programme, send an expression of interest, consisting of a CV and cover letter with a statement of purpose to research@anu.edu.in
Please indicate whether you would be interested in a part-time or full-time programme and which specialization would interest you most.

Applicants will be evaluated on how well they demonstrate “evidence of research preparation” in the form of one or more of the following, which they must submit:

• Research skills coursework and/or a supervised research project that includes an independently completed written report, as part of the programme of study at the Bachelor’s and/or Master’s programmes.
• Scholarly papers involving a substantial contribution as an author, published in recognized academic journals or edited volumes from recognized academic publishers.
• Research or technical reports contributed by the candidate for industry, government, or business, which adhere to the broad conventions of academic publishing.
• “A scholarly approach to creative work as research investigation” shown through a critical discussion of creative work, the candidates’ own or others.
• Industry or work experience independently planning and executing a project.

The students will be required to submit a Statement of Purpose (SOP) and a portfolio of academic and /or practice work. The final selection shall be based on a personal interview.

Graduates with bachelor degree in Architecture from COA recognised Institutions and Minimum of 55% marks and 50% in case of SC/ST candidates are eligible.

https://anu.edu.in/admissions/fees-financial-aid/

The students may be offered campus jobs as research assistants, teaching assistants or with the university newsletters.

The programme encourages applicants from all disciplines who aspire to work in the field of the built environment and have an inclination towards reading and writing. The programme believes all disciplines play a role in creating the built environment and their point of view is crucial.

A recognised undergraduate degree in any discipline with a minimum of 50% marks.

(10+2+4 year graduate programme)

(10+2+3 year graduate programme +1 year of experience)

Graduates with a B.Arch degree who have secured a minimum of 50% in his/her graduation exams are eligible to apply.

Candidates with this degree will have the opportunity to work in both the public and private sectors, as well as academia. This degree will prepare you for a career as a lead climate engineer or in research and development.

Climate technologies are the technologies that are used to mitigate or adapt to the effects of climate change. Climatic technologies aid in the measurement, prediction, and simulation of various climate scenarios. Climate technologies also help to minimize greenhouse gas emissions and promote renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and hydropower.