Asian College for Advanced Studies

Asian College for Advance Studies (ACAS) is a health science college located in Satdobato, Lalitpur, Nepal. The institution began in 2005 as Asian Foundation of Education & Research Pvt. Ltd. (AFER) and adopted the name Asian College for Advance Studies Pvt. Ltd. in 2021.

Asian College for Advance Studies is affiliated with Purbanchal University. Its health science programs operate within the requirements of the relevant education, medical education, and professional regulatory bodies.

ACAS has authorization from the Nepal Ministry of Education and the Medical Education Commission (MEC). Its programs are also connected with professional regulation through the Nepal Nursing Council (NNC), Nepal Health Professional Council (NHPC), and Nepal Pharmacy Council (NPC), according to the discipline concerned.

Key Highlights

• Established in 2005 as Asian Foundation of Education & Research Pvt. Ltd. (AFER) and renamed Asian College for Advance Studies Pvt. Ltd. in 2021.

• Located in Satdobato, Lalitpur, Nepal.

• Affiliated with Purbanchal University for its university-level health science programs.

• Offers Master of Public Health (MPH), Bachelor of Public Health (BPH), Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm), Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSc Nursing), and Post-Basic Bachelor in Nursing Science (PBNS).

• MPH is a two-year, four-semester program with specialization areas in Health Promotion and Education and Public Health Service Management.

• BPH and B.Pharm follow eight-semester academic structures, while BSc Nursing runs for four years and PBNS for three years.

• Bachelor- and master-level admission is connected with the Medical Education Common Entrance Examination conducted by the Medical Education Commission.

• Professional programs are associated with the relevant regulatory councils, including the Nepal Nursing Council, Nepal Health Professional Council, and Nepal Pharmacy Council.

• Nursing students have access to the college's own teaching hospital for practicum.

• Morning-session classes are included in the college's academic arrangement.

• CMLT, Diploma in Pharmacy, and Diagnostic Radiography were transferred to sister organization Shankarapur Academy Pvt. Ltd. in October 2022 and are no longer part of the current ACAS academic portfolio.

• Graduates of regulated health programs must meet the licensing requirements of the respective professional council before professional registration.

Institutional Background

ACAS traces its institutional history to 2005, when it was established as Asian Foundation of Education & Research Pvt. Ltd. The change to Asian College for Advance Studies Pvt. Ltd. took place in 2021.

The college developed its academic work around health science education. Its university-level portfolio includes public health, pharmacy, and nursing programs. It has offered Bachelor of Public Health, Bachelor of Pharmacy, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and Post-Basic Bachelor in Nursing Science, while Master of Public Health expanded its academic level to postgraduate study.

The Master of Public Health program has Purbanchal University approval with specialization areas in Health Promotion and Education and Public Health Service Management. An M.Pharmacy program in Clinical Pharmacy has been under the approval process and is therefore separate from the currently approved academic offering.

ACAS previously ran CTEVT-affiliated technical programs as well. Certificate in Medical Laboratory Technology began in 2008, Diploma in Pharmacy in 2016, and Diagnostic Radiography in 2018. In October 2022, these CTEVT programs were transferred to the college's sister organization, Shankarapur Academy Pvt. Ltd., following changes connected with Nepal's Medical Education Commission regulatory framework.

This distinction is important for students comparing current university programs with the technical programs historically associated with ACAS.

Mission and Vision

ACAS follows a mission centered on developing health-sector human resources through local initiative, a wider professional outlook, and cooperation with national and international communities. The intended contribution is linked with the implementation of national health policies and plans.

Its vision is to develop health professionals capable of contributing to policy formulation, program and project development, and implementation at different levels of the health sector.

The college's academic objective is to maintain scientific and ethical standards in health science education while incorporating developments in health technologies and professional practice.

Its stated institutional objectives also include:

• supporting academic activities connected with government policies and programs;

• widening access to health science education and technical training, with attention to people from rural areas;

• developing technical and professional capacity needed in health programs;

• connecting local initiatives with opportunities in the wider health sector;

• working with national and international academic and research institutions; and

• developing health professionals with scientific, technical, and ethical foundations for professional work.

Academic Programs

ACAS currently concentrates on university-level health science programs under Purbanchal University.

Master of Public Health

The MPH program runs for four semesters over two years. Its academic foundation covers five major public health areas: biostatistics, epidemiology, environmental health, health policy and administration, and social and behavioral sciences.

The curriculum combines core public health study with specialization. The two specialization areas are Public Health Service Management and Health Promotion and Education.

The program is designed for professionals from different health disciplines and includes study connected with public health research, program management, health education, disease prevention, policy, and institutional administration.

Bachelor of Public Health

The BPH program follows an eight-semester Purbanchal University curriculum. Its early semesters combine public health foundations with medical and biological sciences.

Subjects include Introduction to Public Health; Anatomy, Physiology and Pathophysiology; Public Health Microbiology; Public Health Biochemistry; Applied Professional English; Public Health Entomology and Rodentology; Public Health Pharmacy, Pharmacology and Toxicology; First Aid and Safety; Basic Foods and Nutrition; Ecosystem and Environmental Health; and epidemiology.

As students move through the program, the curriculum also brings together family health, environmental and occupational health, demography, population studies, reproductive health, communicable and non-communicable disease epidemiology, and field-based public health practice.

Laboratory and field components are part of the curriculum alongside classroom study.

Bachelor of Pharmacy

The Bachelor of Pharmacy program is structured across eight semesters. Its academic design combines basic sciences, basic medical sciences, and pharmaceutical sciences.

Basic science study includes areas such as pharmaceutical chemistry, chemistry, and mathematics, while medical science subjects include anatomy and physiology, biochemistry, microbiology, and pathophysiology.

The pharmaceutical component covers areas connected with pharmaceutical chemistry, natural products, pharmacognosy, pharmacology, pharmacotherapeutics, pharmaceutical care, medication distribution, hospital and community pharmacy, drug information, and pharmaceutical manufacturing.

The curriculum is intended to develop professional knowledge for pharmacy practice across healthcare and pharmaceutical settings.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing program runs for four years. Nursing education at ACAS includes practical preparation as well as academic study.

A notable part of the nursing arrangement is access to the college's own teaching hospital for practicum. This gives nursing students a setting for supervised practical learning alongside their academic coursework.

Post-Basic Bachelor in Nursing Science

The Post-Basic Bachelor in Nursing Science is a three-year program intended for students who already have a nursing background.

The Purbanchal University curriculum identifies PCL Nursing with a minimum second division and one year of work experience as the entry academic background. The program develops advanced nursing knowledge and practical skills while addressing health service delivery, management, research, health education, and leadership responsibilities.

Its specialized nursing areas include:

• Midwifery

• Community Nursing

• Hospital Nursing

• Psychiatric Nursing

The program is structured to build on prior nursing education rather than serve as an entry-level nursing degree.

Technical Programs Transferred to Shankarapur Academy

Three CTEVT-affiliated programs were previously conducted through AFER/ACAS. They were transferred to Shankarapur Academy Pvt. Ltd. in October 2022.

These programs belong to the technical and vocational stream rather than the current Purbanchal University academic portfolio at ACAS.

CMLT is a three-year technical program centered on medical laboratory work, including clinical microbiology, hematology and blood banking, clinical biochemistry, medical parasitology, clinical pathology, histopathology, instrumentation, laboratory management, and clinical practice.

Diploma in Pharmacy is also a three-year program. Its curriculum includes pharmaceutics, pharmacology, pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmacognosy, biochemistry and microbiology, pharmacotherapeutics, pharmaceutical management, public health pharmacy, hospital and clinical pharmacy, and professional field practice.

Diagnostic Radiography follows a three-year structure that combines foundational science with radiographic techniques, radiological procedures, radiographic imaging, radiation physics, radiological anatomy, pathology, clinical practice, ethics, and practical radiography.

Admission and Entrance

Admission to the bachelor- and master-level health science programs is tied to the Medical Education Common Entrance Examination conducted by MEC. ACAS identifies MECEE-BL as the entrance requirement for its bachelor- and master-level intake.

Students must also meet the academic requirements applicable to the program for which they are applying.

Because ACAS runs programs in different regulated health disciplines, the professional pathway does not end with completion of academic coursework alone. Graduates are required to pass the licensing examination of the respective professional council before obtaining the professional licence applicable to their discipline.

This connects nursing graduates with the nursing council, pharmacy graduates with the pharmacy council, and relevant health science graduates with the professional council governing their field.

Teaching, Practicum, and Academic Environment

ACAS combines classroom study with practical components required by health science education. The nursing programs have access to a teaching hospital for practicum, while laboratory, clinical, research, and field-based components are built into the relevant university curricula.

Morning-session classes are included in the college's academic arrangement. The college also identifies part-time job facilitation among its student support features.

Teaching and research are treated as related parts of the academic environment. The institutional approach also places attention on student support and on curriculum development that considers student and employer perspectives.

For health science students, the practical character of the curriculum differs by discipline. Public health students encounter field-based work and research-oriented study; pharmacy students work through scientific and professional pharmacy subjects; and nursing students combine academic preparation with clinical and nursing practice.

Research and Professional Orientation

Research forms part of several programs rather than standing apart from regular academic study.

The MPH curriculum gives research a direct role in preparing students to analyze public health issues, plan interventions, prepare reports, and contribute to public health programs. The B.Pharm curriculum includes research and project work, while nursing education includes research, evaluation, health management, and professional practice components.

ACAS also includes collaboration with academic and research institutions among its institutional objectives. This reflects a health education model that connects classroom learning with research, professional practice, and public health service.

Program Regulation and Professional Councils

Health science education involves both university academic requirements and professional regulation.

Purbanchal University governs the university curriculum and academic structure of the affiliated programs. MEC is involved in medical education regulation and entrance procedures. Professional councils regulate the disciplines falling within their respective jurisdictions.

For students, this means admission, academic completion, and professional licensing are separate stages. Completing a degree fulfills the academic component, while the applicable professional council licensing examination is required for professional registration in the relevant regulated field.

Location and Contact Details

ACAS is situated at Satdobato in Lalitpur, a location within the Kathmandu Valley.

College: Asian College for Advance Studies (ACAS)
Former Name: Asian Foundation of Education & Research Pvt. Ltd.
Affiliation: Purbanchal University
Location: Satdobato, Lalitpur, Nepal
Telephone: 01-5440183, 01-5430656
Fax: 01-5443192
GPO Box: 24122
Email: info@acas.edu.np, asiansumeru@gmail.com
Website: www.acas.edu.np

Conclusion

Asian College for Advance Studies has operated in Lalitpur since 2005, first as Asian Foundation of Education & Research Pvt. Ltd. and under its present name since 2021. Its academic direction is concentrated on health sciences, with Purbanchal University programs in public health, pharmacy, and nursing.

Its current portfolio covers postgraduate public health study as well as bachelor-level public health, pharmacy, BSc Nursing, and post-basic nursing education. The college's earlier CTEVT programs in medical laboratory technology, pharmacy, and diagnostic radiography were transferred to Shankarapur Academy Pvt. Ltd. in October 2022.

Admission to its regulated bachelor- and master-level health programs follows the applicable MEC entrance process, while graduates must meet the licensing requirements of the professional council responsible for their field.