Independent University, Bangladesh: A Comprehensive Overview

Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB), known locally as ইন্ডিপেন্ডেন্ট বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়, is a private research university located in Bashundhara, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1993, IUB has grown to become one of the leading private universities in the country, offering a diverse range of undergraduate and graduate programs.

Academic Structure and Programs

IUB follows the North American Liberal Arts Model, with English as the medium of instruction. The university consists of several schools and departments, each offering specialized programs:

School of Business and Entrepreneurship (SBE)

The School of Business and Entrepreneurship (SBE) at IUB offers undergraduate and master's degrees, providing students with a variety of study, job, and intellectual development possibilities. The MBA program allows students up to five years to complete the degree requirements, with options to finish within five semesters by taking the maximum course load, or within three semesters with waivers or transfer courses.

Undergraduate Programs

IUB offers nine undergraduate majors and various minors:

Anthropology
Sociology
Global Studies and Governance (a unique program in Bangladesh)
Media and Communication (Advertising, Film Studies, Journalism, and Development Communication)
English Literature
English Language Teaching
Law
Pharmacy

Graduate Programs

IUB offers four graduate majors, including M.Sc. programs in various fields.

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Research Centers and Initiatives

IUB hosts several research centers that contribute to knowledge creation and address critical issues:

Centre for Atmospheric Sciences (CASSA)

CASSA, founded by astronomer Khan Asad, operates independently to coordinate educational activities and engage in public outreach.

International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD)

ICCCAD is a premier research and capacity-building organization in Bangladesh, focusing on climate change and development.

Center for Computational and Data Sciences (CCDS)

The Center for Computational and Data Sciences at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) has over 240 publications, 8 research assistants, and two foreign collaborations. It actively collaborates with international academic institutions to improve research quality and worldwide effect. With more than 20 alumni in Ph.D. and MS programs overseas, the center prepares students for higher study and research professions.

Smart Systems and Biomedical Engineering Lab

A multidisciplinary academic laboratory focusing on Smart System Design, Artificial Intelligence Driven Medical Imaging, Cyber Security, Internet of Things (IoT), Process Automation, and Robotics.

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Centre for Social Science Research (CSSR)

The Centre for Social Science Research (CSSR) at Independent University, Bangladesh is a hub for social science research and analysis. It desires to promote critical thinking, innovative research, and involvement in important social concerns.

Fab Lab IUB

Fab Lab IUB is a sub-project of HEQEP under the University Grants Commission of Bangladesh that aims to democratize fabrication technology while also enabling learning, training, and access to fabrication tools. The purpose is to cultivate and support the local maker community while encouraging broad thinking. The team is committed to good administration, mentoring, and innovation, and includes a devoted group of students and faculty members. The lab changes into a community makerspace that provides training, workshops, conferences, and make-a-thons to help the community thrive.

Green Energy Research Center (GERC)

The Green Energy Research Center (GERC) at Independent University, Bangladesh, established in 2014, is a research facility focused on renewable energy technologies and sustainable solutions. It uses advanced equipment like solar panels and inverters for experiments and data analysis.

Institutional Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC)

IUB's Institutional Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) reports directly to the Vice Chancellor. The cell also receives direction and advice from the Quality Assurance Unit (QAU) of Bangladesh's University Grants Commission (UGC).

Kazi Nazrul Islam and Abbasuddin Ahmed Research Center (KNIAARSC)

KNIAARSC, founded by IUB in 2012, honors national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam and folk singer Abbasuddin Ahmed. It encourages liberal principles such as equality, freedom, pluralism, and tolerance. The Centre offers events and conducts research to promote patriotism and humanism. It focuses on liberal arts, incorporating literature, music, and cultural heritage into schooling.

Center for Multilingual Excellence (CME)

The Center for Multilingual Excellence is for developing a linguistically varied academic culture that creates globally competent graduates while also promoting language and cultural diversity, both locally and internationally.

King Sejong Institute (KSI)

The King Sejong Institute (KSI) at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) is a language school that teaches the Korean language.

Campus Facilities

The IUB campus spans across 3.2 acres, featuring an amphitheater and laboratories dedicated to life, environmental, and social sciences, as well as engineering. The infrastructure includes 95 multimedia classrooms, equipped for both physical and online classes.

Library

Established in 1992 with an initial donation of 160 books from A. Majeed Khan, the founder president and president emeritus of IUB, the IUB Library now spans over 22360 square feet. Its collections include books, periodicals, university catalogs, newspapers, audiocassettes, video cassettes, DVDs/CDs, and data disks. Users can access around 30,000 printed books and 2617 audio-visual materials, as well as 25,000 online journals, 250,000 e-books, and 13 national daily newspapers in Bangla and English. The library has utilized the latest information technology to improve services and operational efficiency, automating catalog searches and returns.

Swimming Pool

The swimming pool at IUB is an overflow-type pool measuring 32 feet by 56 feet with a depth ranging from 3.5 feet to 5.5 feet. It features filtration and heating systems for cleanliness and warmth. The pool area includes changing rooms and showers for swimmers. The pool is part of the IUB squash court and fitness center, which offers cardio and strength training equipment. The pool is open to all IUB students, faculty, and staff, as well as the public, with membership options available. The pool offers swimming classes and programs for all ages and skill levels, including lessons for beginners and advanced swimmers, as well as water aerobics classes.

Dormitory

IUB provides a secure dormitory to accommodate female students arriving from locations outside Dhaka, as well as foreign students.

Faculty and Students

More than 4500 students attend the school, with most courses having a student-to-teacher ratio around 30:1. IUB SB has a good mix of well qualified and highly experienced faculty. Majority of the full-time faculty members have North American, Western European or Australian higher degrees. Most faculty members have a business degree background.

Live-in-Field Experience (LFE)

IUB's pioneering program, Live-in-Field Experience, a 3-credit program required of all undergraduate students, provides a unique opportunity to learn about rural living. A unique and mandatory 3-4 credit bearing program called Live-in-Field Experience (LFE) allows IUB students to develop an understanding of socioeconomic realities of rural Bangladesh with 20 communities in eight districts. IUB students are placed with local NGO projects and programs. This program has been termed as an eye opening life changing high impact experience by the students and parents in light of the urban background of most (almost 90%) IUB students.

Accreditation and Rankings

IUB has received accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). Independent University Bangladesh, ranked 3076 globally with a score of 59.29, is located in Bangladesh and is known for its focus on liberal arts and business education. Independent University, Bangladesh is ranked 1401 in QS World University Rankings by TopUniversities and has an overall score of 3.9 stars, according to student reviews on Studyportals, the best place to find out how students rate their study and living experience at universities from all over the world.

Strengths of the School of Business

The School of Business and Entrepreneurship (SBE) at IUB has several notable strengths:

Leadership Support: There is a strong sense among students, faculty, alumni, and other stakeholders that the top leadership of the institution is very supportive of institution’s advancement and has led the faculty, staff and students to take pride of their affiliation with the institution. They are extremely loyal to the leadership of the institution and they are willing to give back to the institution in many ways.
Business Advisory Board: An active Business Advisory Board has also been launched in October, 2016. The Board consists of CEOs of a wide spectrum of companies, alumni and parents and provides relevant inputs related to market and industry. These inputs are used for improvements in curriculum or pedagogy
Strategic Planning: IUB SB has a well defined strategic planning process. The Business Unit has gone through the first cycle of strategic planning - with the Strategic Plan covering the period from 2016-21 described in details in the Self Study Report.
Student Selection: The primary targeted undergraduate student segments of IUB are the traditional Bengali medium 12th graders and English medium "A" Level enrollees. These students are selected through a competitive written admission tests on English and Mathematics. The acceptance rate from the applicant pool is approximately 50% and almost half of these incoming class matriculate into the School of Business programs.
Program Learning Goals: The IUB School of Business has developed program learning goals for each of its degree programs, student learning outcomes for each program goals,mapped course designation, and identified associated measurement artifact or activity through a collaborative process that engaged the assessment committee along with senior faculty members. The course map confirmed the scope of assessment activities at both formative and summative levels.
Assessment Results: The IUB School of Business has presented three consecutive sets of assessment results which established both formative and summative student learning trends. A designated coordinator coordinates the assessment activities across multiple sections of the same course.
Faculty Qualifications: IUB SB has a good mix of well qualified and highly experienced faculty. Majority of the full-time faculty members have North American, Western European or Australian higher degrees. Most faculty members have a business degree background.

Opportunities for Improvement

Despite its strengths, IUB also has areas for improvement, as identified by the ACBSP:

Student Course Evaluation: Developing an effective and efficient student course evaluation procedure along with implementation of an exit survey of graduating seniors may provide valuable student programmatic and support services satisfaction data that can be systematically used to improve educational experience of students.
External Student Learning Outcomes: Establishing a systematic process for collecting and using external student learning outcomes assessment information and data could strengthen the quality of teaching and learning in the IUB School of Business.
Benchmarking: Developing a systematic process for the programmatic selection, management, and use of benchmarking (comparing to best practices) or comparison (comparing with other business schools or programs) information could facilitate fact based continuous student learning outcomes quality improvement.
HR Plan Development: The HR Plan of IUB SB is in early stage of development. A detailed linkage between the Human Resource Plan and Strategic Plan could provide an alignment with its strategic goals. IUB SB has the opportunity to develop a systematic process for a HR Plan, aligned with its strategic plan, covering both faculty and staff in all functional areas.
Faculty Qualifications: An opportunity exists to review the current percentage of academically qualified faculty (20 % of PhD holders as full time faculty and 30% PhD holders as adjunct faculty) to determine if the intellectual leadership and the required depth and breadth of theory for its students is sufficient.
Adjunct Faculty Ratio: IUB SB has 41 full time faculty members and 71 adjunct faculty members engaged on a part-time basis. The ratio of adjunct faculty members is high and an opportunity exists for IUB SB to review these rations to consider if an increase the number of full time faculty members is needed.
Student Credit Hours Taught by AQ Faculty: Opportunity exists to increase the student credit hours taught by AQ faculty at the undergraduate level. IUB SB provides study leave and financial assistance to help its faculty to complete their PhD (Faculty Manual).
Adjunct Faculty Participation: IUB SB has a large number of adjunct or part-time faculty members (71). These faculty members focus more on teaching activities rather than other university activities. Although they may participate in activities such as student counselling and some other university activities, there is an opportunity for IUB SB to develop a systematic and documented process to distribute faculty teaching load for its adjunct faculty and to increase their participation in the nine given functions as described in criterion 5.5.1.

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