Established in 2010, the Department of Economics is one of the largest departments in the University. It offers five-year integrated Master’s Programme and two-year MA degree in Economics. It also offers Ph.D Programme. The Department encourages research-based teaching and learning activities in an interactive environment with a focus on ‘quality’ and ‘relevance’. The academic programmes of the Department focus on imparting holistic knowledge by providing an exposure to critical understanding of contemporary socio-economic issues. The emphasis is on developing analytical skills and their applications in different fields of economics with the help of quantitative methods and hands on practice on different statistical software. Students are encouraged to engage in a variety of extension activities both within and outside the University. The Department proactively encourages students’ internships for honing their skills for real-world situations. The Department periodically organises brainstorming discussions and debates on contemporary social and economic issues through seminars, workshops and panel discussions. The programme of the Department trains students for a career in the corporate, academic, public policy or analytics sectors depending on their interest. The Department has a dedicated computer lab to learn applied economics.
In brief, the Department is already in sync with the National Educational Policy 2020, and is dedicated to achieve excellence.
The Department offers Ph.D. and post-doctoral programme under the supervision of experienced and well-known senior faculty. The programme offers rigorous course work, data collection, data analysis, scientific writing and dissemination through publication in per reviewed journals. The research scholars are encouraged to undertake research topics on contemporary issues of their choice with dedicated supervision by faculty. Our endeavor is to provide research scholars best exposure periodically through encouraging their interaction with eminent academicians, policy makers, social activists and participation in field visits and other learning opportunities.
The University follows a credit system of study, which allows a continuous evaluation of performance and the flexibility to allow a student to select a number of courses of his/her choice at a pace suited to his/her ability, subject to fulfillment of the minimum requirements for continuation in the programme. The course structure of the Department is being aligned with the framework of National Educational Policy 2020.
Students with Economics degrees have been always better placed in job market as compared to other disciplines. Apart from a prestigious career in teaching and research in universities in India and abroad, there are number of opportunities for the students of economics in Indian Economic Services, states’ Directorates of Economics & Statistics, Reserve Bank of India, National Stock Exchange, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, Banking and Financial sector, Rating Agencies, Research and Analytics firms, Budget Analyst, Print and Electronic Media as Business News Journalist, Data Analytics, etc. Students have bright chances to pursue their higher education in reputed institutions in India and overseas. Due to their intensive learning of economic issues with the application of quantitative techniques and software applications, our students find it much easier to compete in the labour market for the graduates of Economics and other disciplines.
Our alumni were successfully placed in reputed organizations. Many among them went abroad for their higher studies in economics and management.
The Department has established links with prominent intuitions like Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU); IIT Roorkee; B.R. Ambedkar School of Economics University, Bangalore; Burdwan University, West Bengal; Delhi University, Delhi; Ahmedabad University, Ahmedabad; Giri Institute of Development Studies, Lucknow; National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Hyderabad; Chanakya University, Bangalore; Indian Institute of Human Development, New Delhi; Indian Institute of Dalit Studies, New Delhi; Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability, New Delhi; Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Government of Uttarakhand; Centre for Public Policy and Good Governance, Government of Uttarakhand; Directorate of Industries, Government of Uttarakhand; Uttarakhand Electricity Regulatory Commission, Dehradun; Doon Library & Research Centre, Dehradun; Uttarakhand Industries Association; PHD Chambers of Commerce & Industry; National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, Regional Office-Uttarakhand; and The Himalayan Trust, Dehradun for improved learning, teaching and research activities.
The Department is steered in its academic endeavours by Prof. Rajendra P. Mamgain, a well-known development economist with over 35 years of research and teaching experience in reputed national level institutions. Prof. Mamgain has extensively published in reputed journals and newspapers. He has been a member of various policy advisory bodies of reputed institutions in India and foreign countries. He is also Editor and member of editorial board of reputed journals. Prof. Mamgain is bestowed with honorary title of Fellow by Global Labour Organisation, Maastricht, The Netherlands in recognition of his contributions in the field of labour economics.
The Department is guided by Academic Advisory Committee consisting of following renowned academicians and practitioners from reputed organizations:
The Department has specialization in undertaking policy oriented research studies on the development issues of Uttarakhand and other Himalayan states in India. It offers elective courses on this theme both in Undergraduate and Postgraduate programme.
The faculty of the Department is proactively engaged in evidenced-based policy advocacy with various departments of central and state governments. The Department of Economics encourages research pertaining to Uttarakhand which has special geographical location, distinct development requirements and scarcity of knowledge repository for policy making and implementation. The Department is associated with number of state government organizations viz. Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Centre for Public Policy and Good Governance, Directorate of Industries, Department of Rural Development, Department of Education, etc., to provide policy oriented inputs through evidence-based research.
Students of the Department of Economics enthusiastically participate in academic as well as extracurricular activities. They not only participated in Inter/Intra school debates, presentations, group assignments, cultural fest, sports, etc., but have also secured meritorious positions. Apart from the campus involvement, students represent University in Association of Indian Universities’ North Zone Cultural Fest almost every year.
They also participate in inter-university visits to gather knowledge and information through attending conferences and seminars. In the past, our students have been selected for Youth Parliament conducted by Dainik Jagran in Uttaranchal University and Entrepreneurs Conclave organized by Uttarakhand Industries Association. They have also been selected as a member delegation visiting the 7th Bhartiya Chatra Sansad held at MIT School of Govt, Pune conducted by Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and supported by UNESCO, and India International Science Festival organized by IIT Madras. Students also attended a discussion program Yuva Samvad organized by HNN news channel at their office in Dehradun.
Internship is an integral part of teaching and learning. Students are encouraged to opt for internships and field survey work with reputed organisations. The Village Survey Programme of the Department offers opportunity to learn applied economics. The Department is in the process of signing MoUs with reputed organizations, both in public and private sector for encouraging academia-industry interactions in teaching and research.
The Department has introduced the ‘Students Seminar Series’ with an objective to inculcate critical debate on the contemporary issues and improve communication skills of students. This activity is entirely managed by students of the Department from planning to completion stage under the guidance of faculty.
The Department regularly invites eminent academicians to deliver special lectures on the contemporary issues of economic development. This helps students and faculty to mainstream their teaching and learning with the real world issues of economic development.
The Department aims to encourage brainstorming discussions and debates on contemporary social and economic issues through seminars, workshops, and panel discussions. It has an exclusive ‘Students Seminar Series”, which is organized entirely by students under the overall guidance of faculty of the Department.
