University Grants Commission. The National Centre for Aquatic Animal Health (NCAAH), attached to the School of Environmental Studies conducts a two-year MTech programme sponsored by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India under its network programme in human resource development in biotechnology. The MSc in Environmental Technology is offered with specializations in two disciplines: Stream I: Environmental engineering Stream 2: Environmental biotechnology. Doctoral programmes are offered in the areas of: environmental biology, environmental chemistry, environmental photocatalysis & sonophotocatalysis, environmental microbiology, Environmental Management, environmental toxicology, environmental biotechnology, environmental engineering and remote sensing. The School conducts UGC sponsored refresher Courses for university and college teachers, and offers consultancy services in climate resilience, environmental surveys, pollution monitoring, water quality management, water treatment, disease diagnosis and management of aquaculture systems, and environmental impact assessment. The School participated in the environmental impact assessment for the Metro Rail Project of Kochi city. Faculty of Humanities Department of Hindi The Department of Hindi, established in 1963, is one of the oldest departments of the university. It was originally part of Kerala University but moved to the University of Cochin in 1971. It is the only department in South India with Department Research Support (DRS) and Department Special Assistance (DSA) programmes in Hindi supported by UGC. The department's research includes areas such as ancient and modern poetry, fiction, drama and theatre studies, criticism, grammar, linguistics, comparative studies of languages and literature, folk literature, translation, and computer aided language teaching. Programmes of study and research: M.A. Hindi Language and Literature M.Phil. P.G. Diploma in Translational and Functional Hindi PhD Short Term Course in Computer-based Training and Teaching in Hindi Department of English and Foreign Languages The Department of English and Foreign Languages was initially established as the Department of Foreign Languages in 1976. The department's main focus is the teaching of languages including English, French, German, Italian, Japanese and Russian. In 2012 the department was named the Department of English and Foreign Languages, to signal the special importance of English language teaching. Faculty of Law School of Legal Studies The School of Legal Studies was initially established as the Postgraduate Department of Law of Kerala University in 1962. The first Chair of the department was the late Dr. A.T. Markose, an internationally reputed jurist who was the founding Director of the Indian Law Institute and Deputy Judge at the International Administrative Tribunal. The school maintains an Intellectual Property Rights