Adikavi Nannaya University, Rajamahendravaram, was established on 22nd April 2006, by an act of the AP State Legislative Assembly to meet the needs of higher education in East and West Godavari districts. It is an affiliating residential University with its territorial jurisdiction spread over East and West Godavari districts of AP. The University was established to fulfil the long standing cherished dream of the people of this region.

AKNU has four colleges on main campus i.e., University College of Arts & Commerce, University College of Engineering, University College of Education and University College of Science & Technology which are catering to the needs of the students on the campus. AKNU has two campuses at Kakinada in East Godavari district and at Tadepalligudem in West Godavari district. The University has a unique status in Andhra Pradesh, being the only university in the state with the maximum number of affiliated colleges, ie 444 colleges. The list of affiliated colleges includes 44 NAAC accredited colleges, 42 women's colleges, 20 autonomous colleges, 45 government colleges and 63 colleges with UGC 2(f)& 12(B) status.

A dynamic semester-based course is created by integrating the traditional syllabus with the latest trends across disciplines to suit the current industry, employability, professional requirements and over all development of the students. The University offers UG, PG, MBA, MCA, LAW, B.Ed, M.PEd, B.PEd and D.PEd. programs with more than one lakh students. East and West Godavari districts are rich in natural resources like oil and gas, aquaculture biodiversity, agriculture, horticulture etc. The University offers courses to train the students as per the requirement of the sectors mentioned above. Geology, Petroleum Exploration, Geophysics, Aquaculture, Zoology, Botany, Horticulture are some of them.

Strength of the University are:

• Flagship programs. Incorporating mandatory project work into the curriculum.
• Faculty-Diverse fields of focus areas of expertise – lab, field, extension activities.
• Research centres of the University.
• E- Consortium of the University extended to all affiliated colleges.
• MOUs with national and international organizations to promote quality research, training, specialized guidance, facilities
• EMR, UGC NSQF and executive Quota Research Programs.
• The University shares the e-resources Inflibnet, DELNET, JSTOR and J-GATE for facilitating students, research scholars and faculty.

Inland and offshore tracts of East and West Godavari districts are naturally bestowed with a good amount of hydrocarbon reserves. Various petroleum corporations both in public and private sector like Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Govt. of India and other oil companies have been conducting exploration activities in both the districts. The industry has huge potential and attracts professionals from Geoscience background especially Geologists and Geophysicists who are engaged with exploration activities. In order to cater to the requirements, the Department of Geosciences was initiated to nurture and groom the human capital in the faculties of Geosciences specifically in the districts of East and West Godavari. The structures of the Geology and Geophysics programs are designed on par with the requirements of various industries engaged in hydrocarbon and mineral exploration activities in both public and private sectors.

The University has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the ONGC for collaboratively disseminating knowledge in the disciplines which eventually aim at benefitting the student community. In 2006, ONGC has funded the department with Rs.80 lakh for the purpose of establishing Geoscience laboratories. In addition to that, a state-of-the-art Geological Museum was also established in the department. The Geological Museum has been transformed into one of its kinds in the region and demonstrates a good record of rock and mineral collections.

The students graduated from the department are employed and have been serving various government and private organizations in India and elsewhere especially in the sectors related to mining, oil and gas, minerals, water resource management etc. The students are employed in various roles and capacities in various engineering and consulting firms, government agencies, mining companies, groundwater agencies, petroleum companies, museums etc. Taking the advantage of Geosciences as one of the scoring optional a good number of students have also joined Civil Service.

Fisheries and Aquaculture has been identified as one of the growing industries in Andhra Pradesh the department of Aquaculture was established in 2016 in AKNU, to nurture and groom the students in the faculties of aquaculture. Aquaculture is one of the flourishing sectors in the country. It forms an identifying promise for expanding exports and for adding to foreign exchange, food security, livelihoods and economic growth. Two districts named after the river Godavari has scope for aquaculture. The subject provides good employment and research opportunities for the students. The curriculum of Aquaculture is designed to impart knowledge on fundamentals, new approaches of various aspects of Fin fish and Shell fish Hatchery, farming, processing, water quality analysis and fish pathology studies. It also addresses the sustainable aquaculture practices to make an appreciable contribution to human well-being, food security and poverty alleviation. Apart from the curriculum, students are continuously in touch with industry by visiting various aquaculture industries as field trips and also attending training programs. In addition, considering the importance of Aquaculture, the Department of Aquaculture has also initiated UGC-NSQF Certificate six (6) months Course on Aquaculture Feed preparation: Analysis and Management in 2020 and entering into an MoU with CPF India Private Ltd. The employment opportunities of the student are as Village Fisheries Assistant in Department of Fisheries, under the Government of Andhra Pradesh, and in private enterprises such as fish and shrimp farms, hatcheries, processing plants, aquaculture labs etc. together with establishment of consultancy services in fisheries management, hatchery, nursery, aquaculture techniques as well as fish processing.

AKNU is offering quality and globally oriented education to prepare and inspire students to become better citizens of the globe, with emphasis on strong fundamentals of Indian culture and its diverse ideas. By establishing strong collaboration with the industry and dynamic interaction with society and developing state of art infrastructure and well-endowed faculty.

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