The Department of Chemistry, Shivaji University, Kolhapur was established in 1964 with an initial intake of 20 students and has grown tremendously over the past five decades. Today, it offers six postgraduate programmes, including M.Sc. courses in Inorganic, Organic, Physical, and Analytical Chemistry, alongside self-financing programmes in Applied and Industrial Chemistry, with a total intake of approximately 200 students annually. In addition, the Department conducts Ph.D. programmes, fostering advanced research and scholarship. Over the years, it has produced more than 8,000 alumni who have excelled in academia, research organizations, industry, and public service, including several who have served as Vice-Chancellors of various universities.

The Department’s current focus is on outcome-based education, skill development, and research aligned with NEP-2020. Faculty members are actively engaged in frontier and interdisciplinary research areas such as Co-ordination chemistry, Organometallics, materials chemistry, nanoscience, green and sustainable chemistry, analytical and industrial chemistry, and functional molecular materials. The Department enjoys national and international recognition through high-impact publications, sponsored research projects, collaborative initiatives, patents, and prestigious awards, positioning it as a center of excellence in teaching, research, and innovation in chemical sciences.