The institution is run by the Congregation of Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI) which is a Catholic Christian religious institute for men. The institution is established on the basis of the right of the minorities in our country to have educational institutions of their own for fostering their religious and cultural identity. The aim is the formation of young men and women according to the ideal
s of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Although the institution is open to all students, irrespective of caste or creed and while all students and teachers are equally accepted and encouraged to grow in their own cultural, social and religious traditions, there is a special concern for the formation of the Christian youth according to their religious and cultural heritage. Sacred Heart College, Thevara is a constituent first grade college of Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam and accredited with FIVE STAR status by the NAAC. It was established in 1944 by the Sacred Heart Monastery, Thevara, Cochin, a unit of the CMI (Carmelites of Mary Immaculate) Congregation, which is a Catholic religious order for men. At present the college has 11 undergraduate and 10 postgraduate courses. It has undergraduate courses in English, Economics, Sociology, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Industrial Chemistry, Botany, Zoology, Commerce and Computer Applications and postgraduate courses in English, Economics, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Applied Chemistry, Botany, Zoology, Aquaculture and Fish Processing, and Commerce. The department of Economics, Zoology, Botany, Chemistry, Physics and Commerce are recognized research centres for PhD under Mahatma Gandhi University. At present the college has 102 teachers and 56 members on the non-teaching staff. The total student strength of the college is 1683. The Sacred Heart College, Thevara, enjoys the privilege of being one of the best colleges under the Mahatma Gandhi University with a consistently outstanding performance record. It is distinct in more ways than one. The college has won the coveted R Sankar Award instituted by the Govt. of Kerala twice (1996-97, 1998-1999) for overall excellence. College organizes `The Semester Around the World Programme' for the students of St. Mary's College and Notre Dame University, Indiana, U.S.A. Five courses are offered in the programme. They are Indian History & Literature, Indian Society, Indian Religion & Philosophy, Indian Government & Developmental Economics, and Arts of India - Art, Music, Theatre and Film. The college is a recognized study centre for conducting MBA, MCA and BCA under Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and BCA under the distance education programme of Mahatma Gandhi University. Also it is a recognized study center for conducting MBA, MCA, M.Sc. Computer Science and Applied Psychology under Bharathiyar University. Students seeking admission to the Central University of Pondicherry can take admission, have their contact programmes and appear for examination in the College, a status which few colleges enjoys in Kerala. Every year about 1000 students benefit directly from these courses.
