One of the mandate of the university is to provide teaching facilities in horticulture, forestry and allied sciences under mountain perspective of Himachal Pradesh. Similar to other State Agricultural Universities (SAUs), based upon Land Grant System, the university also follows course credit system of students education under bifurcation of annual academic session into two semesters. Each semester is spread over a duration of 19 weeks along with short duration semester breaks of six weeks each. During semester breaks educational tours and field trainings are organised to expose students to different farming situations.
The entire teaching spectrum is broadly divided into a number of courses offered by departments under college of horticulture, college of forestry and college of Horticulture & Forestry. These departments are staffed by a sufficient number of scientists and technical staff. Under faculty improvement program the teaching/scientific/ technical staff are free to interact with centres of national and international repute. Each department is a primary unit of education and administration and is entrusted to carry on programs of teaching, research and extension education.
In accordance with the National Education Policy an admission to the under-graduate degree programs viz: B.Sc. Honours (Horticulture) or B.Sc. Honours (Forestry) or B. Sc. Honours (Biotechnology) are based upon entrance test. The test is open for all successful students of 10+2 examination. An important feature of the admission policy is that a minimum of 15 per cent seats at under-graduate level are reserved for students of other States who are nominated by the ICAR on the basis of all India entrance examination and 25 per cent seats at post-graduate level also are reserved for candidates from other states.
The curricula are based on the recommendations of the Dean's Committee Reports of the ICAR and Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE). The university has adopted the examination system in which subject specific evaluation is done on 50 per cent evaluation basis each by external and internal examinations at under-graduate level. The university has adopted course credit system of evaluation where marks earned by each student are scaled to ten point grading system.
University offers UG (.B.Sc.) and PG (M.Sc. and Ph.D.) courses in the fields of Horticulture, Forestry & its allied sciences including M.B.A. and M.B.A. (Agri-Business).
