National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences

قومی جامعہِ کمپیوٹر و ابھرتی ہوئی سائنس
Other name	NU, FAST, FAST-NUCES
Former name	FAST Institute of Computer Science
Motto	الذی علم بالقلم۔ علم الانسان ما لم يعلم۔
Motto in English	[He] who has taught by the pen--has taught man that which he knew not. (Quran 96:4-5)
Type	Private (non-profit)
Established	2000; 24 years ago (2000)
Parent institution	Foundation for Advancement of Science and Technology (Established in 1980)
Accreditation	Higher Education Commission Pakistan Engineering Council Washington Accord
Chancellor	Wasim Sajjad
Rector	Aftab Ahmed
Academic staff	532
Students	11,000
Location	Islamabad , Pakistan
Campus	Faisalabad, Multan, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Islamabad
Colours	Bleu de France, amber
Website	www.nu.edu.pk

The National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences (NUCES) (Urdu: قومی جامعہِ کمپیوٹر و ابھرتی ہوئی سائنس), commonly known as Foundation for Advancement of Science and Technology (FAST), is a private research university with multiple campuses in different cities of Pakistan.^[1][2]

The university is the first multi-campus university in Pakistan, having five modern campuses based in different cities.^[3] These campuses are located in Chiniot-Faisalabad, Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, and Peshawar, providing a standard educational environment and recreational facilities to 11,000 students, out of which 500 are faculty members and a quarter is covered by female students. Founded as Federally Chartered University, it was inaugurated by President Pervez Musharraf in July 2000. It is consistently ranked among the leading institutions of higher education in the country and ranked top in computer sciences and information technology by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan in 2020.^[4] Its engineering programs are accredited with the Pakistan Engineering Council.^[5] FAST is a not-for-profit educational institution charging subsidized fees from its students. Besides this, FAST offers different financial assistance programs for deserving students in the form of loans.

The Foundation of Advancement of Science and Technology was founded and established by the Bank of Credit and Commerce International financier. Hasan Abidi, founder of BCCI, provided a large financial capital for the university to promote research in computer sciences and emerging technologies during the 1980s.^[3] Later this foundation established the National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences which was inaugurated by Former President and Chief of Army Staff General Pervez Musharraf in 2000.^[3] It is privileged to be the first private sector university, having multiple campuses set up under the Federal Charter granted by Ordinance No.XXIII of 2000, dated 1 July 2000.

Established in 1980, the sponsoring body of FAST university was registered by the Government of Pakistan as a charitable institution. FAST was a pioneer in Pakistan's IT sector development by offering the country's first undergraduate computer science curriculum, with its headquarters in Islamabad. FAST is considered to be one of the top IT programs in Pakistan, along side LUMS, GIKI and NUST. Many alumni of FAST have risen to senior positions in companies like Alphabet, Meta and Amazon.

National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences is a university in Pakistan, with a multi-campus setup and its central administration based in Islamabad. The university operates five campuses in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Multan and Faisalabad.

The FAST National University Islamabad campus is situated at A.K Brohi Road, H-11/4 and serves as the university's main hub.

The FAST National University Karachi campus has two branches: the main campus, located on the National Highway, and the city campus, located in Block-6 PECHS.

The FAST National University Lahore campus is situated in Faisal Town and spans 12.5 acres of land.

At the Lahore campus, students have access to only studies. Now,there are multiple societies that students can join.

The Peshawar campus of the FAST National University is for students seeking an education in technical fields. It is located in the Hayatabad suburb of Peshawar.

Students can pursue degree programs in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, and Business Administration.

The Faisalabad campus of the FAST National University is the fifth and newest addition to the university's network of campuses. It is located on 22 acres of land on the Faisalabad-Chiniot Road, approximately nine kilometers from the Faisalabad Motorway interchange.

The Faisalabad campus offers degree programs in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, and Business Administration.

FAST National University, Multan Campus is located in the city of Multan, in the province of Punjab, Pakistan. The campus provides easy access to students from all over the region.

FAST university offers undergraduate, post-graduate and doctoral programs in business and sciences, at their campuses. The availability of bachelor programs depends on the campuses.

The undergraduate courses are offered by university in different disciplines for bachelor's in sciences and business, leading to a bachelor's degree.

In Pakistan, a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from FAST is highly regarded in the field of technology and is often considered equivalent in prestige to a MBBS degree from a reputable medical university in their respective fields.

Dean: Jawwad Shamsi

Degrees offered:

• BS (Artificial Intelligence)
• BS (Computer Science)
• BS (Cyber Security)
• BS (Data Science)
• BS (Financial Technologies)
• BS (Software Engineering)
• BS (Computer Engineering) *NEW*

Dean: Dr Saima Zafar

Degrees offered:

• BS (Civil Engineering)
• BS (Electrical Engineering)

Dean: Dr. Sadia Nadeem

Degrees offered:

• BBA
• BS (Accounting and Finance)
• BS (Business Analytics)

The university offers post graduate studies for different disciplines for master's in sciences and business, leading to a master's degree.

Dean: Jawwad Shamsi

Degrees offered:

• MS (Artificial intelligence}
• MS (Computer Networks & Security)
• MS (Computer Science)
• MS (Data Science)
• MS (Software Engineering)
• MS (Software Project Management)

Dean: S.M Sajid

Degrees offered:

• MS (Civil Engineering)
• MS (Electrical Engineering)

Dean: M. Ayub Siddiqui

Degrees offered:

• MBA ^[6]
• MS (Accounting and Finance)
• MS (Business Analytics)
• MS (Management Sciences)

Dean: Dr.Summaira Sarfraz

Degrees offered:

• MS (Applied in linguistics)
• MS (Mathematics)

Degrees offered:

• PhD (Civil Engineering)
• PhD (Computer Science)
• PhD (Electrical Engineering)
• PhD (Management Sciences)
• PhD (Mathematics)
• PhD (Software Engineering)

• Farhan Saeed^[7] - singer, actor
• Fawad Khan – singer, actor
• Mir Zafar Ali – visual effects artist who won an Academy Award for the animated film Frozen (2013)^[8]
• Osman Khalid Butt – actor
• Xulfi – musician, singer, music producer, song composer
• Hania Amir — Actress

FAST-National university encourages the growth of research in university. It has its research labs in four campuses, Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar and Karachi. It is further accredited as one of the leading research institutions of computer science in the country.