[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he first ever business school, Institute of Business Administration (IBA) was established in Karachi in 1955. Since then a number of other business schools have been established catering to the ever increasing demand of the corporate sector. A lot many compulsory and optional subjects have been made part of the curriculum. With the emergence of business schools at a massive it has also become necessary to independently review the performance of each entity.
However, it is equally important for the students seeking admission as well as their parents to find out the strength and weaknesses of these schools. They should visit their websites, participate in orientation programs and also check with the Higher Education Commission (HEC). However, one does not need ‘rocket science’ to check the credentials of these entities in the country. The basic information to be looked for include: presence of a purpose built infrastructure, quality of permanent and visiting faculty, curriculum, compulsory and optional subjects, case studies, text books being used and work of office arranging internship and placement. While it is difficult to put all the credentials of all the schools, an effort has been made to pick up salient features from the websites of these business schools. Due to the limitation of space details about only a few have been given, but this in no way undermines the quality of other entities.
The Institute of Business Administration (IBA) is an independent university in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Founded in 1955, it is the oldest business school outside of North America. IBA was established as the business school in 1955 in collaboration between the Government of Pakistan and the USAID. Technical support was provided by the Wharton School and the University of Southern California. Several prominent American professors were assigned to the IBA for developing curriculum. In 1982, it became the first Pakistani institute to offer a four-year liberal arts undergraduate degree. It remained a constituent school within the University of Karachi till 1994, when its status was elevated to an independent chartered university by the Sindh Government. Since 2003, IBA has expanded from a purely graduate business school to an interdisciplinary university with undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate programs. IBA, today, is one of Pakistan’s selective and highest-ranked institute, particularly known for its business program. It is one of the two Pakistani business schools to be awarded the coveted certification by the South Asian Quality System.
IBA today has a campus with a covered area of 750,000 sq.ft and a student body of over 6,000 students. IBA has collaborations with 15 institutions worldwide, which include Babson College, Indian School of Business, S. P. Jain Institute and the Northwestern University. It counts several prominent public figures and business leaders among its alumni, staff and students that the incumbent Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain, former Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, renowned economist Mohammad Uzair and business leaders Asad Umer and Quentin D’Silva. The Center for Executive Education (CEE) organizes customized courses for corporate clients and holds short courses on emerging issues and themes for those engaged in business. CEE has strategic partnership with the Indian School of Business, its faculty conducts courses and seminars in Karachi. Lately, the Centre for Excellence in Islamic Finance has been established at IBA with the objective of providing a platform for discovery, enhancement and dissemination of knowledge in the field of Islamic Finance. It aims to be a world class centre that carries on the IBA’s legacy of thought leadership in the Islamic Finance industry.
The Institute of Business Management (IoBM), formerly known as College of Business Management (CBM) is a private university and business school in Karachi, Pakistan. One of the foremost business schools in the country, IoBM comprises of four colleges, the College of Business Management (CBM), the College of Economics and Social Development (CESD), the College of Computer Science and Information Systems (CCSIS) and the College of Engineering Sciences (CES). Since its inception in 1995, the institute has nurtured and developed thousands of talented youth, turning them into industry leaders in the country as well as abroad. Several of the academic programs of IoBM have been recognized worldwide. The Eduniversal, a Paris-based global ranking and rating agency, adjudged ten of its MBA programs in 2014 amongst the “Top 200 Best Masters” in Central Asian Region and three amongst the “Top 100 Best Masters” in the world. The IoBM has also received accolades from the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, on account of its quality of education. Since inception, it has grown rapidly. The IoBM has extensive links with North American Universities. Professors from the Universities of Arizona State and Brock have served as Chief Academic Officers of CBM. The present CBM Dean has over 38 years of experience at the State Bank of Pakistan and Dean, CCSIS has over twelve years teaching experience in the USA and Pakistani universities. The IoBM enjoys the support of some of Pakistan’s leading companies. The IoBM students have gone overseas for higher studies to Harvard, Rutgers, Drexel, New York University, University of Bradford School of Management and other business schools in Europe, USA and Canada.
LAHORE UNIVERSITY OF MANAGEMENT SCIENCES (LUMS)
The Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), is an independent research university located in Lahore, Pakistan. LUMS was established in 1984 with the patronage of Pakistan’s business community, spearheaded by Syed Babar Ali. With advice from the Harvard Business School and a US$10 million grant from USAID. It established a graduate business school in 1986. The university has since then expanded, launching a liberal arts undergraduate school in 1994, an engineering school in 2008, a law school in 2004 and an education school in 2017. The university launched a National Outreach Program in 2001 to provide financial aid to students and in 2015, in partnership with the Afghan Government, launched a scholarship program for Afghan students to diversify its student body.
As of 2017, the university has a student body of approximately 4,000 graduate and undergraduate students, a faculty of nearly 250 out of which nearly three quarters has doctoral degrees. Its campus spreads over a 100 acres where more than half of its student population and more than half its faculty lives. Its business school is one of two in Pakistan to be certified by the South Asian Quality Assurance System and is ranked as one of the top business schools in the country.
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The university is also a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities. LUMS is ranked as the top varsity in Pakistan in the QS University Rankings for the year 2016, 111th in Asia and among the top 700 in the world. It is also ranked by QS as among the top 300 universities globally for business and among the top 400 universities globally in mathematics.
Following a liberal arts curriculum, LUMS is one of Pakistan’s most expensive, selective and progressive universities. LUMS count’s several prominent Pakistani intellectuals and public figures among its alumni and current and former faculty that include Umar Saif, Hina Rabbani Khar, Adil Najam, Arif Zaman, Amer Iqbal, Ayesha Jalal, Asad Abidi and Pervez Hoodbhoy. It also counts several Fulbright, Chevening and Rhodes scholars among its alumni.
SHAHEED ZULFIKAR ALI BHUTTO INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (SZABIST)
Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST) is a fully Chartered Institute established through a Legislative Act of Sindh Assembly. It is approved and recognized by Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan, as a degree granting institution. SZABIST has campuses in Karachi, Islamabad, Hyderabad, Larkana and Dubai (UAE). SZABIST is a registered member of the International Association of Universities (IAU), Paris; Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), London; Association to Advance Collegiate School of Business (AACSB), Singapore; Federation of the Universities of Islamic World (FUIW), Rabat; Asia University Federation (AUF), Seoul; Asia-Pacific Quality Network (APQN), China; and Management Association of Pakistan, Karachi. BusinessWeek, the leading international business magazine, has listed SZABIST among the best business schools of the world for six years (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2008).
Asia Inc, a leading Asian Magazine, has ranked SZABIST among the top MBA Schools of South Asia in its Asia’s Best MBA Schools Survey for two consecutive years (2003,2004). SZABIST is one of the top 15 business schools from South Asia ranked in Asia Inc. SZABIST is also ranked among the best Science and Technology and MBA schools in Asia by the CNN-Time publication, Asiaweek. SZABIST was also listed in the CNN Executive Education Schools for 2009.
SZABIST has the unparalleled honor of being one of the Pakistani Institute to be recognized internationally by BusinessWeek, Asiaweek, Asia Inc. and CNN. SZABIST has signed articulation agreement with the University of South Wales, UK. SZABIST has also signed MoUs with the State University of New York, USA; University of London, UK; Universal Academic Management Organization, UAE; EMC Computer Systems Austria GmbH, and the Asian Academy of Film and Television, India. SZABIST today is identified as a major university comprising of five campuses (including one in UAE) three diploma centers, three intermediate colleges and one research center. Over 5000 degrees have been awarded by SZABIST to date.
MOHAMMAD ALI JINNAH UNIVERSITY (MAJU)
Mohammad Ali Jinnah University (MAJU), is a semi government university primarily located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. The university had operated an additional campus in Islamabad but it was renamed Capital University of Science and Technology (CUST), Islamabad in 2015. Now CUST is separated from MAJU, Karachi and under the Federal Government and MAJU Trust.
Established in 1998, the university offers undergraduate, post-graduate and doctoral studies programs, with a strong emphasis on business management, applied sciences, engineering, and computer science. It is one of the top institution of higher learning in the country, and is listed in the top ten universities for ‘general category’ by the HEC, as of 2013. In addition, the university is also a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities of the United Kingdom.
The Punjab Group of Colleges has been serving the community with education since 1985. Punjab College of Commerce was the first institution to be established by the Group at Lahore. The Group is extending its network to several cities in the country. Under the umbrella of the Punjab Group of Colleges, Punjab College of Business Administration (PCBA) and Punjab Institute of Computer Science (PICS) have emerged as business and computer science institutions. Punjab Law College and Punjab College of Information Technology are also part of this chain of colleges. As a tribute to the Father of the Nation, the group named its next ambitious project as Mohammad Ali Jinnah University. The university was granted its charter by the government of Sindh in 1998. The Islamabad campus was established after obtaining an NOC from UGC, dated 17 August 1998 and dated 29 November 2001 and NOC from HEC dated 27 September 2003. In recognition of its services to education, the group has been awarded another charter by the government of Punjab to establish the University of Central Punjab.
Resource Academia was established in Islamabad after the success of the school in Lahore in 2003. The institution provides education from preschool to grade VIII at the junior level, and from O-level to A-level at the senior level. The aim of the group is to establish a nationwide network of schools. The group has established institutions providing education from the pre-school level to the Ph.D level. The campuses are located in the major cities of Pakistan.