COMSATS University of Science and Technology

COMSATS University of Science and Technology

Motto	"Learn to excel"
Established	April 1998
Type	Public
Chancellor	Minister of Science and Technology
Rector	Dr. S. M. Junaid Zaidi (S.I.)
Students	18000+ (undergraduate and postgraduate)
Location	Islamabad (Headquarters), Pakistan
Campus	Islamabad, Lahore, Abbottabad, Wah, Attock, Sahiwal, Vehari
Affiliations	Pakistan Engineering Council Higher Education Commission
Website	www.comsats.edu.pk

COMSATS University of Science and Technology or CUST is a public sector university ^[1] in Pakistan. It comes under the umbrella of Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (Asia) or COMSATS, an international inter-governmental organization.

COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT) started its journey in 1998, and established its first campus at Islamabad in April 1998. In August 2000, in recognition of CIIT's achievements, the Federal Government granted it the status of a Degree Awarding Institute (DAI) through promulgation of its charter vide the Presidential Ordinance No. XXXVIII issued on 12th August, 2000. CUST imparts education to over 18000 students nationwide.

1 CUST National Ranking
2 COMSATS University
3 Campuses of CUST
4 Departments, faculties and degrees
5 Accreditation of degree programs
6 Research and Development
7 International linkages
8 Accusation of religious discrimination
9 See also
10 References
11 External links

CUST National Ranking

CUST is ranked at 6th position in Pakistan, while in world rankings it lies among the top 1000 universities.^[2] in the Engineering discipline according to the HEC ranking issued in 2008. It is ranked 1st in the Computer Science discipline, according to HEC. In terms of research output during 2011, CUST has been ranked at No:2 among all Engineering/IT universities in Pakistan.^[3]

COMSATS University

The Federal Cabinet of Pakistan charter for COMSATS University^[4] on Thursday, October 5, 2011 , upgraded COMSATS Institute of Information Technology into a university. The charter for COMSATS university is in lines with the Model University Ordinance 2002.

Campuses of CUST

CUST is an institution of higher learning with multi-campuses across the country. The CUST, besides its principal campus at Islamabad, has six other campuses at Lahore, Abbottabad, Wah, Attock, Sahiwal and Vehari, while more campuses are in the planning stage. On the advice of the Federal Government, efforts are under way to open an overseas campus in the Gulf region. ^[5] Functional campuses:

Campuses approved by the federal government:

Gujrat (Punjab) (land acquired)
Larkana (Sindh)
Quetta (Balochistan)

Campuses envisaged by the CUST:

Karachi
Two campuses in Rural Sindh

Departments, faculties and degrees

The institute offers the following degree programs:

Bachelors degrees in:^[6]

Bioinformatics
Bio Sciences
Business Administration
Chemical Engineering
Computer Science
Earth Sciences
Economics
Electronics
Electrical (Computer) Engineering
Electrical (Power) Engineering
Electrical (Electronics)Engineering
Electrical (Telecommunication) Engineering
Mathematics
Mechanical Engineering
Physics
Pharmacy
Architecture
Business Studies
Design

Masters Degrees in:^[6]

Business Administration
Computer Science
Chemical Engineering
Development Studies
Banking and Finance
Bioinformatics
Biosciences
Biotechnology
Business Administration
Chemistry
Computer Engineering
Computer Science
Development Studies
Electrical Engineering
Energy Management
Entrepreneurship & Innovation
Environmental Sciences
Health Informatics
Management Sciences
Mathematics
Meteorology
Nanosciences and Technology
Physics
Pharmacy
Project Management
Quality Management
Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System
Strategic Marketing
Statistics
Sustainable Water Sanitation Health and Development
Telecommunication Engineering

Doctorate degrees in:^[6]

Biosciences
Biotechnology
Chemistry
Chemical Engineering
Computer Science
Computer Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Environmental Sciences
Meteorology
Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System
Management Sciences
Mathematics
Physics
Pharmacy

Accreditation of degree programs

Undergraduate degree programs of the CUST have been accredited by:

Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC)
National Computing Education Accreditation Council (NCEAC)
National Business Education Accreditation Council (NBEAC)
Pharmacy Council of Pakistan
Pakistan Council of Architects and Town Planning (PCATP).

Research and Development

Realizing the acute shortage of highly qualified researchers and scientists and to enhance research culture among the CUST Faculty, the Research and Development (R&D) Division was established in January, 2005. From its very inception, the R&D Division under the dynamic and visionary leadership of the Rector, is playing an active and vital role to enhance and encourage the CUST Faulty to contribute and share in promoting the research activities by submitting their research proposals in all the disciplines.

The research articles published by faculty during 2007 are as follows:

Faculty of Sciences: 172
Faculty of Engineering: 22
Faculty of Business Administration: 26
Faculty of Information Technology: 10

International linkages

Linkages are targeted at training of its faculty and students in technology, joint research projects, faculty exchanges, and for organizing professional meetings, seminars and workshops. CUST has signed almost four dozen Memoranda of Understandings (MOUs) with institutions around the globe.

Linkages are with:

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign(UIUC), USA.
The University of Sussex, UK: exchange of information, faculty development.
The University of Lancaster, UK: faculty in charge, joint research projects, provision of higher degree training to teaching staff, joint conferences, exchange of students.
Tampere University of Technology, Finland: faculty development, curriculum development, exchange of experts, technical information and services.
Joint Institute of Nuclear Research, Dubna, Russia
Helsinki University of Technology, Finland: encourage direct contact, academic mobility and cooperation between faculty and staff members, department of research institutes and students.
The University of Glasgow, UK: joint research, lectures, symposia and exchange of faculty and students; cooperation relating technology transfer issues; exchange of information and materials.
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA: cooperative professional linkages. Exchange of faculty, research scientists, and institutional managers. Faculty Development.
University of Nebraska, USA: collaborative research, training, curriculum, institutional development, Exchange of faculty and students.
Joint Institute of Nuclear Research, Dubna, Russia: research in nuclear physics through exchange of researchers, joint research, joint organized symposia
University of Bradford, UK: establish mechanical and manufacturing engineering program
Population and Development Research Institute, Nankai University, China: joint research projects. Exchange of faculty and students. Collaborative training activities.
School of Management, University of Surrey, U.K: joint research projects. Exchange of faculty and students. Collaborative training activities.
The University of Hull, UK: collaborative research, faculty development.
The University of Essex, UK: development of High Speed Optical Communication Lab
The University of Leeds, UK: collaborative academic research and development activities.
Michigan Technological University, Houghton, USA: collaborative academic research and development activities.
Merseburg University of Applied Sciences, IBK, Germany: MS/PhD level training of CUST faculty, collaborative research, student exchange and training programs.
Center for Capacity Building, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder CO, USA: jointly establish an Institute for Climate and Society Affairs at CUST.
Norwegian Seismic Array, NORSAR, Kjeller, Norway: seismology and earthquake risk evaluation
Queen Mary, University of London, U.K: collaborative academic research and development activities.
Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU), Uganda: MS/PhD level training of CUST faculty, research and linguistic cooperation
University of Bologna, Italy: joint Doctoral Degree Program
Alliance Francaise, Islamabad (French Based): launching of French online programme at CUST
The Embassy of France: introduction of French on-line program
Beijing Language and Culture University, China: study areas of collaborative research involving staff and research students…
Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT), China: collaborative research, academic exchanges, PhD level training for CUST’s young faculty
Graduate University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (GUCAS), China: collaborative research, academic exchanges, PhD level training for CUST’s young faculty.
Tongji University, China: advanced level training of CUST’s faculty, joint research projects, faculty exchanges.
Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), China: PhD/MS level training of CUST’s faculty, joint research projects, faculty exchanges.

Accusation of religious discrimination

In November 2011, an Ahmadi Muslim student Rabia Saleem was expelled from the university after she ripped off an anti-Ahmadi poster and students affiliated with Islamic fundamentalist group Tahaffuz-e-Khatam-e-Nabuwwat (TKN) accused her of blasphemy. The university had denied any link between the student’s expulsion and her faith. Instead, Rashid Ahmad Khan additional registrar at the university said that she was expelled for “breaking university rules” since she “did not provide a document” required to register. However, TKN-affiliated students announced that “Ahmadi students would not be allowed” on campus and that anybody who tried to resist them would be killed.^[7]^[8]

The Masihi Foundation and Life for All, two NGOs involved in helping victims of discrimination and violence, condemned the expulsion of the Ahmadi student.