COMSATS Institute of Information Technology

COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (or CIIT) is an institution for higher education in Pakistan. It comes under the umbrella of Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (Asia) or COMSATS, an international organization.

CIIT imparts education to over 10000 students nationwide. CIIT attained the status of degree awarding institute vide the Presidential Ordinance No. XXXVIII issued on 12th August, 2000.

 

CIIT national ranking

CIIT is ranked at 7th  in the Engineering discipline according to the HEC ranking issued in 2008 and it is ranked 1st in BCS according to HEC.In terms of research output, CIIT has been ranked at number four among institutions of higher education numbering more than 114 in the country during 2005-07. In terms of research citations, the research produced at CIIT has been ranked at number two in Pakistan, as verified by web of Sciences.

COMSATS University

The Federal Cabinet of Pakistan charter for COMSATS University on Thursday, October 5, 2006 , upgraded COMSATS Institute of Information Technology into a university. The charter for COMSATS university is in line with the Model University Ordinance 2002.

Campuses of CIIT

CIIT is a world-class institution of higher learning with multi-campuses across the country. It aims to benefit youth of various regions and to give a chance to the students to opt for location of their preference.The CIIT, besides its principal campus at Islamabad, has six other fully functional campuses at Lahore, Abbottabad, Wah, Attock, Sahiwal and Vehari, while few more campuses are in different planning stages. On the advice of the Federal Government, efforts are also under way for opening an overseas campus in the Gulf region.  The following Campuses are currently functional:

• Islamabad
• Abbottabad
• Lahore
• Wah
• Attock
• Sahiwal – started in 2007
• Vehari – started in August 2008

The following campuses have been approved by the federal government:

• Gujrat (Punjab) (land acquired)
• Larkana (Sindh)
• Quetta (Baluchistan)

The following campuses are envisaged by the CIIT:

• Karachi
• Two campuses in Rural Sindh

Departments,Faculties & Degrees offered

The CIIT at present comprises of five Faculties and 16 Departments. Presently, 23 under graduate degree programs and 32 graduate programs are on offer in which more than 18,000 students are enrolled. There are more than 1,745 faculty members working in CIIT. More than320 faculty members and academic managers holding PhD qualification are currently serving the CIIT. The remaining have MS / MPhil in relevant fields. CIIT has proudly produced more than 12,000 graduates since its inception in 2000. So far, 33 convocations have been organized in its campuses. More than 420 faculty members are under going advanced education leading to MS and PhD degrees and post doctoral research in USA, UK, China, France, etc. The funding for advanced education has come from CIIT Scholarships, HEC Scholarships and Ministry of Science and Technology Scholarships. Presently, the Institute in different campuses currently offers the following 55 degree programs

Bachelors degrees in:

Bioinformatics

Bio Sciences

Business Administration

Chemical Engineering

Computer Science

Earth Sciences

Economics

Electronics

Electrical (Computer) Engineering

Electrical (Electronics) Engineering

Electrical (Power) Engineering

Electrical (Telecommunication) Engineering

Environmental Sciences

Mathematics

Mechanical Engineering

Physics

Telecommunication & Networking

Architecture

Business Studies

Design

Masters Degrees in:

Business Administration

Computer Science

Development Studies

Banking and Finance

Bioinformatics

Biosciences

Biotechnology

Business Administration

Chemistry

Computer Engineering

Computer Science

Development Studies

Electrical Engineering

Energy Management

Environmental Sciences

Health Informatics

Management Sciences

Mathematics

Meteorology

Nanosciences & Technology

Physics

Project Management

Remote Sensing & Geographic Information System

Sustainable Water Sanitation Health and Development

Telecommunication Engineering

Doctorate degrees in:

Biosciences

Biotechnology

Chemistry

Computer Science

Electrical Engineering

Environmental Sciences

Management Sciences

Mathematics

Physics

Pharmacy (Pharm-D)

Accreditation of degree programs

Undergraduate degree programs of the CIIT have been accredited by:

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

Research Output

The total number of research articles published by faculty during 2007 is 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 advance training of its faculty and students in cutting edge technologies, joint research projects, faculty exchanges, and for organizing professional meetings, seminars and workshops. CIIT has signed almost four dozen Memoranda of Understandings (MOUs) with institutions throughout the globe.

Linkages are with:

• University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign(UIUC), USA.
• The University of Sussex, UK: exchange of information, faculty development.
• University of Leicester, 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 CIIT 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 CIIT.
• 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 CIIT faculty, research and linguistic cooperation
• University of Bologna, Italy: joint Doctoral Degree Program
• Alliance Francaise, Islamabad (French Based): launching of French online programme at CIIT
• 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 CIIT’s young faculty
• Graduate University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (GUCAS), China: collaborative research, academic exchanges, PhD level training for CIIT’s young faculty.
• Tongji University, China: advanced level training of CIIT’s faculty, joint research projects, faculty exchanges.
• Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), China: PhD/MS level training of CIIT’s faculty, joint research projects, faculty exchanges.

Dual Degree Program

A Dual Degree Programme (DDP) is now becoming a popular phenomenon with its worldwide recognition in higher education systems. Students successfully completing the DDP earn two degrees in a cost-effective manner by paying only a fraction of cost involved in obtaining both the degrees separately. DDP provides better choices of jobs and careers for their recipients, especially when the two degrees are earned from institutions of two different continents/countries. CIIT started Dual Degree Program in Lahore in 2010,with collaboration with Lancaster University UK. fresh FA/FSc/A-level pass students for future challenges. It is meant to create confidence among the students so that they can get worldwide recognition and acceptance for opting for careers or for pursuing higher education. The Programme has been launched in Pakistan by the two top-ranked institutions: COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, ranked among the top 6 institutions of higher education in Pakistan, and Lancaster University, which is ranked in the top ten of all the major UK league tables 6th in Guardian, 10th in Times and 8th in Independent.

Throughout this programme, students interact with the best minds in academia. Once in the loop, they become part of one of the largest learning fraternities coupled with the campus facilities and learning environment of the Lancaster University and the CIIT . Initially, the DDP has been launched from Fall 2010 in the disciplines of Management Sciences, Computer Science, Electrical (Computer) Engineering and Electrical (Telecom) Engineering. However, plans are underway to include other disciplines also. International Education Standards in Pakistan The COMSATS – Lancaster Dual Degree Programme is the first of its kind in Pakistan in which the curriculum of a Pakistani university has been validated by a well reputed British University. The students entering into the DDP will receive education at CIIT but will be evaluated and examined at the standard of Lancaster University. Thus DDP brings the International Education System to Pakistan. Implementation of international standards regarding the quality of teaching and evaluation process for the students of Dual Degree. The Dual Degree scheme has been approved by the Senate of Lancaster University in its meeting held on 7th October 2009 while the Academic Council of the CIIT approved the academic framework of the Dual Degree Programme. Currently following degrees are being offered in Dual Degree Programme:

B.Sc. (Hons) Computing (Lancaster University) + BS Computer Science (CIIT)

B.Sc. (Hons) Business Studies (Lancaster University) + BS. Business Administration (CIIT)

B.Eng. Communication Systems with Electronics (Lancaster University) + BS. Electrical (Telecom) Engineering (CIIT)

B Eng (Hons) Computer Systems Engineering (Lancaster University) + BS Electrical (Computer) Engineering (CIIT)

Salient Features of the Programme:

Lancaster University, UK validates, evaluates and monitors the educational

Programmes at CIIT to make them compatible with their standards.

Students registered in the Programme at CIIT are considered ‘external students’ of Lancaster University, while undertaking their studies at CIIT’s Lahore Campus, with joint monitoring and support of Lancaster University.

On successful completion of the four year Programme, students are awarded two degree, one by Lancaster University and other by CIIT.

The students are the alumni of both Lancaster University and CIIT.

The students have full access to online resources of Lancaster University.

Top class foreign qualified faculty, library, specialized labs like Electronics, Communications, Microprocessor/VLSI, Networking, Machine, Computing etc. and other allied facilities are at par with Lancaster University standards.

Quality assurance of the Programme is jointly ensured by Lancaster University and CIIT.

C-L DDP is highly cost effective, compared to what it would normally cost, if the students actually go and study at Lancaster University, U K.