The origin goes back to the year 1989 when the Institute of Applied Health Sciences (IAHS) was established in Chittagong with the sponorship of a private charity, the Janasheba Foundation. Initially set up as a private medical college under Chittagong University, it subsequently turned into a full fledged university after the promulgation of the Private University Act,1992. Thus the University of Science and Technology Chittagong (USTC) came into being as the first ever private university in Chittagong. The man behind IAHS and USTC is National Professor and internationally reputed physician Dr. Nurul Islam who is the Founder Vice-Chancellor of the USTC.

Located at the picturesque site near Foy's Lake, the USTC has opened up a new horizon for the quality medical, pharmaceutical, business education and modern technology in the country. The primary objectives of establishing USTC are to improve the quality and standard of education in science and technology with spacial emphasis on medical, pharmaceutical and social sciences. It also aims at developing human resources at home and in the developing countries with special emphasis on the South-East Asia.

The USTC is operating through four faculties which are (1) the Faculty of Medicine (2) the Faculty of Basic Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences (3) the Faculty of Business Administration and (4) the Faculty of Modern Science & Technology. The number of students of the USTC is more then 1200 of which more then 300 are from abroad including nationals of India, Jordan, Nepal, Malaysia, Pakistan, Palestine, KSA and UAE. The teacher-student ratio is 1:8 on average.

The courses offered in the USTC are MBBS, B.Pharm.,Computer Science & Engineering and BBA. After passing the final MBBS examination, the doctors get provisional registation with the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC) to take part in one year internee training, they get permanent registration with the BMDC.

Having had the privilege of establishing the university with IAHS as its first institute, the USTC did not have mutch difficulty in expanding its infrastructure. USTC is the first among private universities which has its own infrastructure facilities including academic building, 250-bed hospital, large and modern central library with a modern auditorium and two residential halls of which one is for female and the other for male students. Female students reside in Gulmeher Hall and foreign students are accommodated in Sayedur Rahman International Hall. The hospital titled Bangabandhu Memorial Hospital is going to be extended into a 500-bed medical complex. Arrangements have been completed to start a second campus of USTC in Dhaka shortly.

The academic plan of USTC is based on UGC approved course and curriculum in which lectures are supplemented by tutorials, demonstration and practical laboratory assignments. Sufficient lecture halls, tutorial rooms and laboratory facilities are available for all the departments. The hospital is recognized by the Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons to offer postgradute training in Medicine, Surgery, Paediatrics and Pathology. Existing laboratory facilities are as per requirement of the BMDC and are now being expanded for OPD and indoor patients. USTC has academic partnership programmes with several foreign institutions.

The USTC central library is going to be the largest medical library in Bangladesh with more than five thousand books, four thousand journals, and other resource materials. A newsletter is published from the library containing news about the university activities and useful information for the general practitioners in easily understandable way for health education.

The focus of USTC education is its MBBS degree which lays emphasis on community exposure from the very beginning. The purpose is to produce physicians capable of working in a rural setup with limited facilities in different social environments. This helps in growth of leadership among the trainees. The MBBS degree is recognized by the Government of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council, World Health Organization, General Medical Council of Great Britain and Ireland Medical Council. USTC is a member of the International Network of Community Oriented Health Science, Maastricht, the Netherlands. And the B. Pharm. Degree is recognised by the Bangladesh Pharmacy Council.

Students in USTC are encouraged to participate in extra-curricular activities like sports and games, seminars, cultural activities and debates. In a politics-free campus, faculty-wise Student Welfare Council supported by Central Council is responsible for all extra-curricular activities.

		        S/D
		        Jamiruddin Sircar
18.1.92		        Barrister-at-Law
		        Minister for Educations
		        Govt. of the People's Repaublic of Bangladesh.

The Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh took a historic decision to establish Private Universities in the country on March 24, 1992 in a Cabinet Meeting. The Private University Bill was passed by the Parliament on August 5, 1992. It lays down certain criteria for the establishment of such a University.

When the Hon'ble President, People's Republic of Bangladesh gave his assent to the bill on Agust 9, 1992, USTC proposal could easily be submitted in proper form as it fulfilled the criteria laid down for establishing a University in the private sector viz. i. land ii. a reserve fund of taka one crore iii. a minimum of two faculties.

The Ministry of Education also instructed Professor Islam to submit a fresh proposal in a letter addressed to him on October 27, 1992 in continuation of his earlier submission referred to above.

Having fulfilled the criterria the goverment accorded approval for the establishment of USTC by the following notification :

1.To improve the quality and standard of education in Science and Tchnology with special emphasis on Computer, Medical, Pharmaceuticul and Social Sciences.
2.Help development of manpower resources at home and in the developing countries with special emphasis on the South-East Asia region and the Middle East.
3. Implementation of CBME for the development of social responsibility of the trainees through the understanding of the local problems, needs and requirements thus reducing the existing gap between theory and practice. Besides this will improve primary health care through participation of teachers and students.
4.To counter the acute shortage of teachers in Basic Medical Science by introducing Non-Medical B.Sc (Hons) B.Sc (Engg.) and M.Sc courses in these subjects.
5.To broaden facilities for the study of Computer & Pharmaceutical Sciences, a speciality with a wide gap between the need and the resources.
6.To upgrade the quality of teaching Computer Science & Information Technology, Social Science, Business Management and Agriculture with improved curriculum.

USTC is open to all students irrespective of nationality, cast, creed and sex. At least five percent students shall be offered training facilities free of charge. The selection is made purely on the basis of merit.

International Co-operation :

1.A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Department of Helth Policy and Planning, Granduate School of International Health, Faculty of Medicine. The University of Tokyo, Japan, has been signed with the following objectives: