Military College of Signals

History

Military College of Signals was raised immediately after partition of the Indo-Pak Subcontinent in 1947 as "School of Signals", with the task of training officers and selected Non-Commissioned Officers of the Corps of Signals of Pakistan Army. The School had to be raised from a scratch because the signal training facilities of undivided Indian Army were located either at Poona or Jabalpur which became a part of India at the time of independence. Lt Col C.W.M. Young, a British Officer of the Royal Corps of Signals was the first commandant of the school. During the early years, due to the shortage of training facilities in the country in the field of telecommunication, a number of officers were trained at School of Signals, UK, and subsequently at US Army Signal School at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. The College, since its raising has undergone various phases of expansion to meet the requirements of the Corps of Signals.

The status of the school was raised to that of a college in 1977 when it was affiliated with University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore for Telecommunication Engineering degree programme.

The college was affiliated with National University of Sciences and Technology in 1991 and since then it has progressed phenomenally as a center of quality education. Today the curriculum is not only confined to merely undergraduate level but also MS and PhD level.

Campus life

The college has kept military traditions alive. Military rules are applied and NUST policy is followed too. It provides opportunities to participate in a variety of co-curricular activities. There are students' societies and clubs which organize different activities. Presently, the college has two societies. Both were established in June 2001.

Companies (Dorms)

There are two Companies for boys. The Jinnah Company and the Iqbal Company while Fatima Company is for female students. GK hostel for boys also accommodates MCS students.

Organization and administration

The College of Signals is functionally and administratively controlled by the General Headquarters through Signals Directorate. It is headed by Major General/ Brigadier and is sub-divided into four functional groups.

Undergraduate program

MCS offers undergraduate degrees in two streams namely Telecommunication Engineering (BETE) and Computer Science Engineering (BESE). Computer Science students can either major in Computer Software Engineering or Information Security. Military College of Signals is one of the pioneer institutions to offer Information Security at Bachelors level in Pakistan. Each year a standard NET (NUST Entrance Test) is conducted for the undergraduate enrollment in these courses. The students are also enrolled via SAT subject tests. Some students are also selected as Gentlemen Cadets of Pakistan army through ISSB. Moreover, wards of army personnel are also selected as PC's(Paying Cadets) and ASC's (Additional Selected Cadets).

Graduate program

The college also offers graduate degrees in Electrical (Telecom) Engineering, Computer Software Engineering and Information Security. The graduate degree also leads to PhD. Students are enrolled after passing the GAT (Graduate Assessment Test).

Departments

The college has three main departments.

Students

There are seven different categories of students at college.

Faculty

The rector of the college is Lieutenant General (Retd) Muhammad Asghar (pictured). MCS has about seventy faculty members who are responsible for teaching both graduate and undergraduate courses. Dr. Imran Rashid is the current Head of Department of Electrical Department while Lt Col Adil Masood Siddiqi heads the Department of Computer Science and Col. Dr Ashiq is responsible for heading the Department of Humanities and Basic Sciences.