Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University (MBSTU) () is the 12th oldest public university and second science and technology specialized PhD granting public university in Bangladesh focusing in science, technology and business. It is named after the charismatic political leader Mawlana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani. The medium of instruction is English. Every year, in total 815 students are enrolled in undergraduate programs to study in this institution. The number of teachers is about 206. In 2021, MBSTU ranked as the top research university in Bangladesh (610th in the world) by Scopus-SCImago institution ranking. In 2020, MBSTU was ranked first among all the universities of Bangladesh based on Scimago Institutions Rankings.
History
The oppressed public leader Maulana Bhasani played a leading role in establishing the university. It was he who officially announced the establishment of the university on February 8, 1957 at the Kagmari conference. But due to various reasons, he could not start the organizational activities of the university, finally he started the organizational activities in 1970. On September 8, 1970, Maulana Bhasani made his final proposal for his proposed Islamic University through an article titled "My Plan for an Islamic University". He could not implement the Islamic University during his lifetime, but he was the one who started the work of the university. In 1982, the then head of state initiated the establishment of a government university in Bhasani's plan to expand education. On December 15, 1982, a 12-member committee was formed. The committee submitted a far-reaching recommendation to the President on 22 May 1983. On 26 July 1984, he formed a 9-member Santosh Islami University (SEB) Board of Trustees with educationist Dr. Mir Fakruzzaman as chairman and Syed Irfanul Bari as member secretary. But various complications including the country's political instability did not move the program forward. In 1996, the government took a plan to spread science and technology education in the remote areas of the country. As part of this, there is a possibility of setting up a science and technology university in Tangail. In 1997, with the financial support of ADB, the then government decided to set up one science and technology center in old districts (which do not have universities). In view of this, the Board of Trustees of Santosh Islami University (SEB) submitted a proposal to the government to establish a science and technology university in Santosh.The then Chairman of the Trustees Mr. Aziz-ul-Haq, Vice Chairman Prof. SHK Yousafzai, Member Secretary Syed Irfanul Bari, the then Chairman of Tangail Municipality Md. Samsul Haque and the dignitaries of the area faced many hurdles under the leadership of former Home and Health and Family Planning Minister Abdul Mannan.
Prime Minister of The People's Republic of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina laid the foundation-stone of MBSTU at Santosh, Tangail in 1999. During the Awami League period, Aminul Hoque was appointed as its founder project director cum vice-chancellor on 7 January 2001. Yousuf Sharif Ahmed Khan was appointed as its next vice-chancellor by the BNP lead government on 21 November 2002. Classes began on 25 October 2003 with 5 teachers and 83 students. Initially the university had two departments, Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) and Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The following year two more departments were added, Environmental Science and Resource Management (ESRM).
In the 2003–2004 academic session, three more departments were opened: Textile Engineering (TE), Biotechnology & Genetic Engineering (BGE), and Food Technology & Nutritional Science (FTNS). In the 2010–2011 academic session, four more departments were added: Business Administration, Chemistry, Mathematics and Statistics, and Physics. In 2012, Mathematics and Statistics split into two departments. The Department of Economics has started its journey under the Faculty of Social Science from the 2012–2013 academic session. In the 2013–2014 academic session, two more departments were added named Pharmacy and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, founded by VC.
Between 2013 and 2015, MBSTU was the scene of several violent clashes allegedly involving the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL). University staff were beaten, payments were extorted, buildings were vandalized, classrooms were set on fire, and in May 2015 a student leader named Abu Sadaat Muhammed Khaled Musharraf was murdered, which caused Vice Chancellor Mohammad Alauddin to temporarily close the university.
List of vice-chancellors
Farhad Hossain was appointed vice-chancellor in January 2022.