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Sale of admission forms: Nov. 23 to 30 Price tag: Rs 250 for general candidates; Rs 125 for SC/ST students Last date to submit forms: Dec. 4 List of chosen candidates by: Dec. 7 Last date for admissions: Dec. 11 Introductory classes from: Dec. 15 Regular classes: May 2 First semester exam: May 15

Ranchi, Nov. 3: The range of options on the platter of the state?s students is all set to get meatier with Ranchi University lining up a series of new courses from this session.

The courses include a two-year postgraduate degree in law, Master of Law, (LLM), a postgraduate degree in social welfare (Master of Social Welfare) and two undergraduate degrees in electronics and library and information science.

Keeping pace with trends on campuses across the country, the university has also introduced a diploma in biotechnology, the first postgraduate course on the subject. All the courses will be self-financed.

University sources said the LLM course will be started at Ranchi College with 30 seats.

Principal of Chhotanagpur Law College R.K. Walia and college official Mohammad Gul have been authorised by the university to hold discussions with Ranchi College authorities to start the course.

The two-year course has been divided into four semesters. Students will be selected on the basis of their marks in the earlier examination, an official said.

?We might raise the number of seats later if the response from students is good,? he said.

The postgraduate degree in social welfare will be taught at the PG sociology department. University sources said the postgraduate botany department has been asked to run the diploma in biotechnology. Head of the department Radha Sahu has been authorised to oversee the details of the course.

The B.Sc (electronics) course will be offered at Ranchi Women?s College.

The degree in library and information science, on the other hand, will be started at Ranchi College. Librarian of the university?s central library, Basanti Jain, has been authorised to supervise the opening of the course.

The sale of admission forms will start on November 23 while the admissions will close by December 11 (see box). What is intriguing is that regular classes in all the courses will begin only in May though ?introductory? classes will start in December.

University officials, however, failed to explain the time lag between the two sessions of classes.

The university is also lobbying hard for a PG diploma in biotechnology at Ranchi Women?s College and Marwari College. The proposal will be sent to the University Grants Commission and the state government soon.

Vice-chancellor S.S. Kushwaha said, ?I will urge principals of the colleges concerned to organise the schedule of the courses, which we are starting now, in such a way that they do not clash with regular courses.?

The university today also notified the beginning of degree-diploma add-on courses for St Xavier?s College, Ranchi and Graduate School College for Women, Jamshedpur yesterday.

Students at St Xavier?s Colleg can opt for information technology, biotechnology and English with their main undergraduate course, while at Graduate School College, students may choose from advertisement, sales promotion, retailing and sales management and computer applications.