The concept of engineering has existed since ancient times. The use of pulleys, levers, and wheels can be dated way back to the past. The ziggurats of Mesopotamia, the pyramids in Egypt, etc show how long the history of engineers is. Engineering education is the activity of teaching knowledge and principles to the professional practice of engineering. It includes an initial education (bachelor’s and/or master’s degree), and any advanced education and specializations that follow. Engineering education is typically accompanied by additional postgraduate examinations and supervised training as the requirements for a professional engineering license.
In Nepal, engineering education was first started in a technical school, now known as the Pulchowk Campus, from Chaitra 12, 1999. Pulchowk Campus is one of the five constituent campuses under the Tribhuwan University Institute of Engineering.
As of now, engineering education in Nepal is provided by the following universities :
- Tribhuwan University
- Kathmandu University
- Pokhara University
- Purbanchal University
- Far Western University
- Mid West University
- Manmohan Technical University
Every year, these universities conduct entrance exams to take in a new batch of students for the undergraduate level in the institutions associated with them. The universities also provide higher degrees in Engineering but here, we are only concerned with the Bachelor’s level.
Every university takes its entrance exams separately and the format is also different. The following table shows an overview of the entrance exams for studying Engineering in some of the above universities:
All of these universities take an objective-based entrance exam for the undergraduate level.
Engineering Education in the Tribhuwan University
The Tribhuwan University has five constituent campuses (Pulchowk Campus, Thapathali Campus, Purwanchal Campus, Paschimanchal Campus, and Chitwan Engineering Campus) and ten other affiliated colleges. To admit new students to the undergraduate level, a two-hour computer-based exam is taken every year. 100 questions are asked for a total of 140 marks. Questions worth 50 marks come from Mathematics, 45 from Physics, 25 from Chemistry, and 20 from English. The entrance exam is taken for a total of approximately 4248 seats.
As of 2020, the constituent campuses have 1944 seats for the undergraduate level. Pulchowk Campus has a capacity of 576 seats (264 Regular and 312 Full-Fee). Similarly, Thapathali Campus and Paschimanchal Campus each take a maximum of 432 students (108 Regular and 324 Full-Fee). The Purwanchal Campus has a capacity of 480 students (120 Regular and 360 Full-Fee). Finally, the newly established Chitwan Engineering Campus holds a capacity of 24 students (6 Regular and 18 Full-Fee).
Similarly, the engineering colleges affiliated to Tribhuwan University have a total capacity of 2304 students.
Engineering Education in the Kathmandu University
The School of Engineering under Kathmandu University has about 400 seats for the undergraduate level. The entrance exam is known as the Kathmandu University Common Admission Test (KUCAT). It is a computer-based test that comprises 120 questions (4o questions each from Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics). The scoring system is a bit different in this test. Questions are of different difficulty levels. Answering a question of difficulty level-1 correctly gets the candidate 11 points. With the increment of difficulty level by one, the points for a correct answer increases by two. Courses in Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, and Geomatics Engineering are offered by Kathmandu University.
Engineering Education in the Pokhara University
Thousands of students are admitted to engineering institutions under Pokhara University every year. Besides the courses offered by other universities, Pokhara University also offers an undergraduate course for Software Engineering. For its constituent campus and other engineering colleges affiliated to it, a collective entrance exam is taken.
Paper-based multiple-choice testing is applied in the entrance exam. 100 questions, for a total of 100 marks, 1 mark coming from each question, are asked. Questions are asked from Mathematics (40), Physics (25), Chemistry (15), and English (20).
Pokhara University’s School of Engineering has allocated approximately 288 seats for the undergraduate level.
The following institutions, affiliated to the Pokhara University, also offer different programs in Engineering:
- Madan Bhandari Memorial Academy
- Nepal Engineering College
- Gandaki College of Engineering and Science
- Pokhara Engineering College
- Lumbini Engineering, Management and Science College
- Rapti Engineering College
- United Technical College
- College of Engineering and Management
- Universal Engineering and Science College
- School of Environmental Science and Management
- Crimson College of Technology
- Oxford College of Engineering and Management
- National Academy of Science and Technology
- Nepal College of Information Technology
- Cosmos College of Management and Technology
- Everest Engineering College
These colleges have varying numbers of seats for different streams.
Engineering Education in the Purbanchal University
Purbanchal University School of Engineering and Technology (PUSET) is the constituent campus under Purbanchal University. Altogether, 216 seats are available in the central campus for different courses in engineering. It offers undergraduate degrees in Civil Engineering (48 seats), Electronics and Communication Engineering (60 seats), Computer Engineering (60 seats), and Electrical Engineering (48 seats).
There are 23 other colleges affiliated to Purbanchal University that provide engineering education in Nepal.
Engineering Education in the Far Western University
The Far Western University has its University Central Campus at Mahendranagar, Kanchanpur. As of 2020, Civil Engineering and Computer Engineering are the courses offered. There are a total of 96 seats with 48 seats allocated to each branch.
Besides merit-based scholarships and inclusive scholarships, the Faculty of Engineering of the Far Western University has also been giving scholarships to students from the districts of the far-western region.
Engineering Education in the Mid West University
Undergraduate Degrees in Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, and Hydropower engineering are available in the Mid West University School of Engineering. The university is state-run and has special scholarships for students from the Karnali province.
Engineering Education in the Manmohan Technical University
Manmohan Technical University is the first technical university in Nepal, founded by Province 1 Government of Nepal. As of now (2021), the university plans to provide undergraduate programs for Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, and Architecture in the MTU School of Engineering.
The demand for engineers has always been on the rise and still is. And, the future seems even better as the opportunities to create and make big impacts have been progressing. And the better part for students in Nepal is that they don’t have to go abroad just to get a good degree in Engineering. The quality of Engineering education in Nepal is as good as we find in foreign countries. Different scholarships and opportunities are available for capable and hard-working students and even students from families with bad economic conditions can become engineers if they work hard enough. After getting an engineering degree, the opportunities for engineers in Nepal are endless. They can contribute their part to the progress of the nation, while earning a good sum of money fairly. Even if they want to pursue a career outside, it is well within their education and capabilities. As a whole, the future of engineering education and engineers in Nepal looks bright.