About FAST
About the Faculty of Applied Sciences and Technology
The Faculty of Applied Sciences and Technology (FAST) at Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) is the University's premier engineering and technology faculty, dedicated to producing highly competent engineers, innovators, researchers, and technology leaders capable of addressing real-world challenges through science, engineering, and innovation. Established to support Uganda's industrialization agenda and national development priorities, FAST provides high-quality education, cutting-edge research, practical training, community engagement within a competence-based learning environment.
Located at the MUST Kihumuro Campus, the Faculty serves as a hub for engineering education, applied research, technology development, and innovation. Our programmes integrate strong scientific foundations with hands-on laboratory training, industry engagement, entrepreneurship, and multidisciplinary collaboration to prepare graduates who are not only job seekers but also job creators capable of developing locally relevant and globally competitive solutions.
FAST currently comprises five academic departments: Department of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering; Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering; Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering; Department of Civil and Building Services Engineering; Department of Energy, Mineral and Petroleum Engineering.
The Faculty offers accredited undergraduate programmes in Biomedical Engineering, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Petroleum Engineering and Environmental Management, while progressively expanding its portfolio of postgraduate programmes to meet emerging national and regional needs in engineering, healthcare technologies, energy, and applied sciences.
FAST is distinguished by its modern engineering laboratories established through the Higher Education, Science and Technology (HEST) Project, supported by the Government of Uganda through the Ministry of Education and Sports and the African Development Bank. These state-of-the-art facilities provide students and researchers with opportunities for practical learning, experimentation, prototype development, product innovation, and multidisciplinary research across engineering disciplines.
Research and innovation are central to the Faculty's mission. FAST actively promotes interdisciplinary research that addresses challenges in healthcare, manufacturing, energy, infrastructure, digital technologies, environmental sustainability, and industrial development. Through strong collaborations with government, industry, development partners, and international universities, the Faculty translates research into technologies, products, services, and policies that improve lives and drive socio-economic transformation.
As the engineering arm of MUST, FAST embraces Competence-Based Engineering Education (CBEE), ensuring that graduates acquire the knowledge, practical skills, professional ethics, leadership abilities, and entrepreneurial mindset required by modern industry. Students benefit from project-based learning, industrial training, community engagement, innovation challenges, and exposure to real-world engineering problems throughout their academic journey.
Today, the Faculty of Applied Sciences and Technology stands as one of Uganda's emerging centres of excellence in engineering education and applied research, committed to building people, advancing knowledge, and transforming communities through science, technology, engineering, and innovation.