Institute of Business Administration, Karachi

It was in 1955 the Institute of Public and Business Administration (IPBA) was established, making it the oldest business school outside North America. Initial technical support was provided by the world famous Wharton School of Finance, University of Pennsylvania. Soon after the University of Southern California set up various facilities at the Institute and several prominent American professors were assigned to the IBA. The course contents, the curriculum, the pedagogical tools and the assessment and testing methods were developed under the guidance of reputed scholars from these two institutions. IBA has zealously guarded the high standards and academic traditions it had inherited from Wharton and USC while adapting and adjusting them with the passage of time.

In 1956 a two-year MBA morning program commenced as a constituent unit of the University of Karachi. Faculty was hired in the department of Public and Business Administration, in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania and assisted by United States International Corporation Administration, now USAID. In 1957, a two-year MBA evening program was launched to cater to the needs of numerous working executives and managers who were interested in furthering their careers through part-time business studies.

It was in 1965 the faculty of IBA, Dhaka University and Kelley School of Business jointly developed the two-year MBA program for former East Pakistan. The first computer course, Electronic Data Processing was offered in 1966.

After the complete construction of the Institute's two campuses, morning and evening classes commenced at the main campus in 1965, and at the city campus in 1967. In 1968 a two-year BBA program was introduced, followed by the launch of a three-year BBA (Hons.) program in 1982, which has now been upgraded to a four-year BBA program.

The Faculty of Computer Science was originally established as the Center for Computer Studies in 1983 with the collaboration of IBM, Pakistan. It initially offered a PGD in System Analysis along with a two-year MBA (MIS) program to overcome a shortage of software professionals in the country. It now offers BS (Computer Science), MS (Computer Science), and PhD programs. It was in 1989 the PGD (System Analysis) program was upgraded to a two-year MBA (MIS) program.

At the start of a new decade, a two-year MBA (Banking) program was launched in collaboration with ANZ-Grindlays Bank. In 1993, two programs, a two-year MBA Executive and a three-year BBA Executive were started at the city campus.

Till 1994, the University of Karachi awarded degrees to the graduates. In that year, the Sindh Assembly elevated the Institute's status to that of a degree-awarding institution.

In 1997, a three-year BBA (MIS) honors program was announced to cater to the increasing role of information technology in business. The MIS program was renamed to Management Information System and Sciences program in recognition of the fact that it covers both Information Systems and Computer Sciences.

The PGD (Computer Science) evening program was offered to part-time students in 1998. In the same year, a three-year Bachelors in Computer Science (BCS) honors program was announced, along with a three-year BBA (MIS) program, and a three-year BS (Computer Science) program.

At the start of the 21st century, in 2002, all undergraduate programs were upgraded to four-year degree programs. In the same year, IBA Centre for Executive Education (IBA-CEE) was established.

In 2004 the National Talent Hunt (NTHP) program was launched.

In 2005 PhD's in CSE, MIS and ICT were offered.

In 2008, a two-year MS in Computer Science, Information technology and Software Engineering were offered along with a BS in Software Engineering and Information Technology. In the same year the four-year BCS degree title was renamed to BS Computer Science.

In 2009, IBA introduced its first weekend Executive MBA Program (EMBA) of 2.5 years, focusing on the needs of the mid-career professionals, serving in the Corporate Sector, Banks and Government departments. The curriculum, methodology and course material have been developed in consultation with industry experts and lead resource persons. The Center for Computer Studies was renamed to Center for CS and MIS. In the same year, two MoU's were signed: a 10-year MoU was signed with Babson College, USA for setting up the IBA Aman Center for Entrepreneurial Development (IBA Aman-CED); and another with the CFA Institute.

The Center for CS and MIS was renamed to Faculty of Computer Science in 2010. M.S. (Economics) program was introduced, along with the Dean's List and Best Final Year Project awards. The use of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) was also implemented in the same year.

The MBA curriculum was revamped in 2011, with the new program of study requiring a minimum of two years of relevant work experience. PhD (Economics) was launched in the course of that year. The IBA was awarded South Asia Quality Assurance Systems (SAQS) accreditation by AMDISA. The Departments of Mathematical Sciences, and Social Sciences and Liberal Arts were established marking the Institute to be more than a business school. During the same year, the IBA received membership of the European Foundation for Management Development.

In 2012 the Learning Management System (LMS) was put into effect. A number of undergrad, grad post grad programs were launched, including a four-year BS Economics and Mathematics program, MS Mathematics, PhD Mathematics and MS programs leading to PhD. The Institute signed MoUs with the University of Malaya; the Indian School of Business (ISB), to promote executive education in Pakistan; and with the SP Jain Institute of Management and Research.

The IBA was registered as an education provider of the Project Management Institute (PMI), USA. It was in 2012 the Institute's alumni crossed the 10,000 graduates mark.

The Institute offered four-year undergraduate programs in the Department of Social Sciences and Liberal Arts, and in the Department of Accounting and Finance. To facilitate student and faculty exchanges along with research collaborations, the IBA International Resource Center (IRC) was established. The Social Sciences and Liberal Arts Department set up the Ardeshir Cowasjee Center for Writing for students to explore creative avenues through prose. MoU's for the BS Accounting and Finance Program were signed with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP) and the Institute of Bankers Pakistan (IBP).

In 2014 Centre for Excellence in Journalism (CEJ-IBA) was established through an agreement between the IBA and the US State department. CEJ is a collaboration between the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), the IBA Karachi and the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. In the same year, PhD in Computer Science was offered. Two more MoUs were signed for the BS Accounting and Finance Program with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).

The IBA Centre for Excellence in Islamic Finance (IBA-CEIF) was established in 2015 at the Aman Tower, city campus 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 which, through education and research, carries on IBA's legacy of thought leadership in the Islamic Finance industry. PGD in Supply Chain Management, Human Resource Management and Healthcare Management was also introduced during the year.

In 2016 an MoU was signed with the International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance (INCEIF), Malaysia for cooperation with the IBA-CEIF followed by the launch of a two-year MS in Islamic Banking and Finance program offered by the Center in 2017.

2018 saw a one-of-its-kind portal introduced by the Institute, the IBA Job Portal which was conceived and designed in-house by the ICT department in collaboration with the Career Development Center and the Alumni Department. This portal enables alumni and students to create their profiles and find jobs/internships, while employers can post vacancies and search profiles for hiring purposes. The job portal will be the most effective tool in streamlining the placement procedure and building a network of students, alumni and employers.

The CEJ-IBA introduced the MS Journalism program in 2018. The same year saw the launch of BS Economics, along with an approval of the MS Management program by the Higher Education Commission.

In 2019 MS Management program was launched and its first batch was inducted. The same year also saw the establishment of a neuromarketing lab at the main campus.

• Extensive work has been carried out by planting 2000 fruit trees in the premises of the Institute for a sustainable environment at the IBA
• MS Management was launched and its first batch was inducted
• A neuromarketing biometric lab was established at the main campus

• Martin Dow clinic was inaugurated at the main campus
• Launch of the IBA Job Portal
• CEJ-IBA introduced MS Journalism program
• BS in Economics was introduced
• Approval of MS (Management) program by HEC
• Change in entrance exam pattern, which is similar to new SAT pattern for undergraduate.

• Martin Dow clinic was constructed at the main campus
• 2 years MS in Islamic Banking and Finance program was introduced by CEIF

• Aman Tower, a 14-storey building was inaugurated at the city campus
• Equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, the CEJ-IBA office was inaugurated at the Aman Tower
• MoU signed with the International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance (INCEIF), Malaysia for cooperation with the IBA Centre for Excellence in Islamic Finance

• Centre for Excellence in Islamic Finance (IBA-CEIF) was established at the Aman Tower
• PGD in Supply Chain Management, Human Resource Management and Healthcare Management was introduced
• IBA AMAN-CED partnered with Sri Lankan Chamber to help them establish an entrepreneurial center in Sri Lanka

• Parvez Abbasi Prayer Hall was constructed at the main campus
• Construction of a new girls’ hostel with a 100-bed capacity was completed at the IBA staff town
• Construction of a 430-seat Jahangir Siddiqui Auditorium was completed at the city campus
• The Centre for Excellence in Journalism (CEJ-IBA) was established through a collaboration between IBA Karachi, Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and the ICFJ with the help of a grant from the U.S. Department of State
• PhD in Computer Science was offered
• MoU was signed with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) for the BS Accounting and Finance program
• MoU was signed with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) for the BS Accounting and Finance program
• IBA AMAN-CED signed an agreement with the World Bank to promote women entrepreneurship

• Construction of Abdul Razzak Tabba Academic Block was completed at the main campus
• Construction of Alumni Students’ Centre was completed at the main campus
• Construction of a sports arena was completed at the main campus
• Construction of Captain Haleem Ahmad Siddiqui Boys Hostel with a 150-bed capacity was completed at the main campus
• Construction of M. Habibullah visiting faculty residence was completed at the main campus
• Tier III data center was established at the city campus
• A four-year undergraduate program was launched in the Department of Social Sciences and Liberal Arts
• A four-year undergraduate program was launched at the Department of Accounting and Finance
• MoU was signed with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP) for the BS Accounting and Finance program
• MoU was signed with the Institute of Bankers Pakistan (IBP) for the BS Accounting and Finance program
• IBA International Resource Center (IRC) was established to facilitate student and faculty exchanges as well as research collaborations
• IBA Ardeshir Cowasjee Center for Writing was established as an initiative of the Social Sciences and Liberal Arts Department
• IBA AMAN-CED started in-house incubation services/facilities

• Learning Management System (LMS) was implemented
• Alumni crossed the 10,000 graduates mark
• A four-year BS (Economics and Mathematics) program was launched
• Memorandum of collaboration was signed with the University of Malaya
• MoU was signed with the Indian School of Business (ISB) to promote executive education in Pakistan
• MoU was signed with SP Jain Institute of Management and Research
• MS Mathematics, PhD Mathematics and MS programs leading to PhD in Economics and Mathematics were launched
• The IBA was registered as an education provider of the Project Management Institute (PMI), USA
• Inauguration of AMAN-CED building

• MBA curriculum was revamped, requiring a minimum of two years of relevant work experience
• PhD (Economics) program was launched
• The IBA received membership of European Foundation for Management Development
• Departments of Mathematical Sciences and Social Sciences and Liberal Arts were established
• IBA awarded South Asia Quality Assurance Systems (SAQS) accreditation by AMDISA
• IBA AMAN-CED introduced BBA Entrepreneurship Programme

• Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) was implemented
• The Center for CS and MIS was renamed to Faculty of Computer Science
• MS (Economics) program was introduced
• Dean’s List and the Best Final Year Project awards were introduced
• MoU was signed with Babson College, USA
• IBA AMAN-CED entered into a strategic partnership with Babson College

• Online admission system was launched
• Complete revamp of IT network infrastructure
• MBA Executive (weekend) program of 2.5 years was launched to meet the high demand of professionals
• The Center for Computer Studies was renamed to Center for CS and MIS
• Signed MoU with CFA Institute
• A 10-year MoU was signed with Babson College, USA for setting up IBA Center for Entrepreneurial Development (CED)
• IBA launched AMAN Center for Entrepreneurial Development (CED)

• 4-year BCS degree title renamed to BS (Computer Science)
• BS (Software Engineering) and BS (Information Technology) were offered
• A two-year MS (Computer Science), MS (Information Technology) and MS (Software Engineering) were offered

PhD in CSE, MIS and ICT was offered

The National Talent Hunt (NTHP) program was launched to facilitate talented and needy students from all over Pakistan.

• All undergraduate programs were upgraded to 4-year degree programs
• Centre for Executive Education (CEE) was established

• PGD (Computer Science) evening program was offered to part-time students
• A 3-year Bachelors in Computer Science (BCS) honors program with concentration in Software Engineering was announced
• A three-year BBA (MIS) program was introduced
• A three-year BS (Computer Science) program was launched

• 3-year BBA(MIS) honors program was announced to cater the increasing role of information technology in business
• MIS program was renamed to Management Information System and Sciences program in recognition of the fact that it covers both Information Systems and Computer Sciences

The IBA became independent from KU after it received a charter, declaring it to be a fully autonomous, degree awarding institution

• A two-year MBA Executive program was started at the city campus
• An additional two-storey building (FCS) was built at the city campus
• A three-year BBA Executive program was started at the city campus

A two-year MBA (Banking) program was introduced in collaboration with ANZ-Grindlays Bank

PGD (System Analysis) program was upgraded to 2-year MBA(MIS) program

The IBA laid down the foundation for the Centre of Excellence with the help of USAID

• A two-year MBA (MIS) program was launched
• Centre for Computer Studies was established in collaboration with IBM, Pakistan
• PGD (System Analysis) program was started

A three-year BBA (Hons.) program was launched

A two-year BBA program was introduced

Construction of both the campuses was completed; morning and evening classes commenced at the main campus in 1965, and at the city campus in 1967

First computer course, Electronic Data Processing, was offered

The faculty of IBA, Dhaka University and Kelley School of Business jointly developed the two-year MBA program for former East Pakistan

Planning and construction of both, main and city campuses commenced

A two-year MBA evening program was launched

• A two-year MBA morning program was commenced as a constituent unit of the University of Karachi
• Faculty was hired in the department of Public and Business Administration, in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania and assisted by United States International Corporation Administration, now USAID

• The Institute of Public and Business Administration (IPBA) was established with the assistance from USAID. Programs commenced in the YMCA building in Karachi, with technical support from the then Wharton School of Finance and Commerce, University of Pennsylvania, USA
• The IBA city campus was established with 4 classrooms, a reading hall, and 2 offices (8,000 sq.ft.) in PIIA building on Havelock Road

IBA Karachi accepted 17.7% of undergraduate applicants in Fall 2018.[9]

Admission to IBA Karachi is based on Entry Test, SAT/ACT[10] and Interview. During 2018-19, financial assistance in the amount of PKR 280 million was provided to 896 students and qarz-e-hasna was arranged for another 110 students.  

At undergraduate level, IBA offers degrees in Business Administration, Accounting and Finance, Computer Science, Economics, Economics and Mathematics, Social Sciences and Liberal Arts.

The graduate programs offered by the IBA include degrees in Business Administration, MBA Executive, Computer Science, Economics, Islamic Banking and Finance, Journalism, Management and Mathematics.

The doctoral programs offered at the Institute include degrees in Computer Science, Economics and Mathematics.

• Economics and Finance club
• Entrepreneurship Society
• Human Resources Club
• Computer Science Society
• Leadership Club
• Marketing Club
• Mathematics & Astronomy Club
• Social Sciences Club
• Accounting Club
• Islamic Finance Society
• Literary Society

• Arts and Photography Society
• Go Green Society
• Sports Society
• Dramatics Society
• Public Speaking Society
• Music Society

• Alumni & Placement Society
• Community Welfare Society
• Girls' Hostel Society
• Boys' Hostel Society
• Iqra Character Building in Society
• IBA Students Council