It is my utmost pleasure and pride to put forth my views as Head of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Kathmandu University. Ever since our establishment in the year 1994, we had the distinction of offering Nepal's first undergraduate program in Computer Science and Engineering. Moving down the years, our department has emerged as a premier component of the School of Engineering, and is regularly churning out excellent graduates working both within the country and abroad.
We offer three vibrant undergraduate programs: the BSc. CS (Bachelor of Science in Computer Science), the BE CE (Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Engineering), and a newly launched one, BIT, which is Bachelor of Information Technology, launched in 2024. The annual intake for our BE CE is 60 students, while that for our BSc. CS is 90 students. The BIT program is our department's latest offering, purposed to help meet the ever-growing demand for professionals in the field of Information Technology. These programs are designed to provide a robust foundation in the theoretical and practical aspects of their respective fields, equipping students with expertise to meet the fast-evolving technology challenges.
Apart from our undergraduate programs, we also offer postgraduate education in the form of master's programs: Master of Engineering in Computer Engineering, Master of Technology in Information Technology, and MS by Research. We admit a maximum of 20 students each year for our ME CE and MTech. IT programs so that our graduate students experience focussed learning. Our department also has a thriving PhD program where scholars are engaged in serious and innovative research and contributing towards the advancement of knowledge in the discipline of computer science and engineering.
Kathmandu University holds teaching and learning through projects at the heart of its approach, to which our department is deeply committed. This trend not only strengthens the theoretical strength of the students but also equips them to find a solution to a host of problems in reality. Our graduates have time and again achieved notable positions in various sectors—academia, industry, government, and others—at home and abroad.
Our faculty includes highly qualified professionals from Nepal and around the world who are committed to providing the best education to our students. Close contact with industries and software houses helps us keep our curriculum updated constantly to the latest development in the field, thereby minimizing the gap between academic learning and industry needs. Our final-year students enjoy industrially oriented practical experience through a three-month internship during their final semester, which prepares them for professional success.
Research and development are major focus areas in our department. Our faculty members have had considerable success in winning grants from local as well as international funding agencies, which has provided them with the wherewithal for carrying out research at the cutting edge of various areas of computer science and engineering. We have three active research laboratories: the Information and Language Processing Research Lab, the Digital Learning Research Lab, and an Active Learning Lab, in which we are exploring state-of-the-art topics in their respective domains.
Excellence in education, research, and innovation will stay with us as we keep forging forward. I would again like to express my sincere gratitude to our students, faculty, and industry partners for their constant support and collaboration.
Pankaj Raj Dawadi, Acting Head (pdawadi@ku.edu.np)