Stella Maris College, Chennai

About Stella Maris College, Chennai

The College is under the Management of the Institute of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary. It was founded on August 15, 1947 with an enrolment of 32 students in the Intermediate Class.

Stella Maris was granted permanent recognition in 1951. To the college belongs the unique credit of starting the Bachelor's degree in Western Music and History of Fine Arts as well as the Master's Degree in Social Work of the University of Madras. The College has also the distinction of being the first to introduce the M.A Degree course in Indian Music, and the first women's college in Madras to offer M.A English, Economics and Fine Arts.

In 1960 the college moved from Santhome to a more spacious campus, `The Cloisters', on Cathedral Road, Chennai. The following few decades saw tremendous growth and development in the college with several firsts and distinctions. The college was also one of the few chosen to start the pilot project of the National Service Scheme in 1968. A spacious library was erected on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee of the college in 1972 and occupies pride of place on the campus as well as in Chennai.

From 1978 onwards there was a shift in the admission policy keeping in mind the thrust of the college towards social justice. Conscious of the growing need for academic freedom, the college launched into autonomy in 1987 and the 1990's saw the college offering several new job oriented courses as well as additional sections for the departments of B.Com and Mathematics classes.

On the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of the College, the St. Clare's Centre , a four-storied building which houses the administrative offices, an audio-visual room, computer laboratories and several classrooms was erected.

With ten years of experiential learning processes behind it, the college has restructured its system of education by introducing the Credit Based System in 1997.

The dynamism of the institution is displayed in all its aspects particularly in the manner in which Stella Maris has evolved in response to societal needs and aspirations.