Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) was established in 1989 following a Statute of the National Resistance Council, the then legislative body in Uganda. This was in response to Government’s realisation that higher education was a critical asset for nation building, at a time when Uganda’s economy and social infrastructure had collapsed, due to civil wars in the 1970s and 1980s.MUST was established in the premises of Mbarara School of Midwifery and Mbarara District hospital. The University has now expanded to two other Faculties: Faculty of Science and Faculty of Development Studies. The University also has two institutes: the Institute of Computer Science and the Institute of Tropical Forest Conservation, based in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The university plans to move to a spacious campus at Kihumuro located 7km on Mbarara-Bushenyi road in the near future. The university is reknown for excellent training in the field of medicine and ICT.
The university has over 32 courses to chose from, categorised under certificate, diploma, bachelors degree, masters courses and postgraduate courses under the following faculties/institutes;
Faculty of Science
Faculty of Medicine
Faculty of Development Studies
Institute of Computer Science
The University’s total student enrolment of 2,778 at the end of 2011.