April 20, Kathmandu – Pokhara University has initiated teaching Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Science at the undergraduate level. This program is conducted at the Shramik Shanti Campus located in Chyasal, Lalitpur, which is the university’s first affiliated campus. According to Buddhi Raj Joshi, Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology, the first semester of the four-year program has already been completed. Following the completion of the first semester, the university has reviewed and finalized the curriculum for the second through eighth semesters.
Dean Joshi explained that the program covers topics including the use of AI, application development, security, and ethical considerations. Data analysis instruction is also integral to the curriculum. The four-year course comprises a total of 122 credit hours, including 105 theoretical hours, 36 tutorial sessions, and 91 practical hours. Upon completing their studies, students will have the opportunity to undertake internships where they can work as data analysts at companies utilizing AI technology as well as within government agencies in Nepal.
Dean Joshi noted that this is the first time AI and Data Science are being taught at the undergraduate level within the university. Students wishing to enroll are not required to have studied science during their higher secondary education (plus two), but must have taken mathematics or computer science in grades 11 and 12. So far, the university has set a quota of 48 students for admission, including 9 scholarship recipients. The total cost of the four-year program is estimated at NPR 478,200.
To ensure the program’s effectiveness, the university has also been organizing workshops involving domain experts. In a recently completed workshop aimed at enhancing the curriculum, feedback was collected from more than 50 IT professionals. The workshop, organized by the Curriculum Development Center and coordinated by the Faculty of Science and Technology, was attended by Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Bedraj KC, who extended his best wishes for the success of the program.
