Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture is a not-for-profit degree awarding institution in Karachi

Karachi

Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...

, Sindh

Sindh

Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...

, Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

 The college was established in 1989, by a group of architects, designers and artists. It was granted an independent charter by the Government of Sindh

Government of Sindh

Government of Sindh is based in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. سندھ is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and is home to the Sindhis, Muhajirs, Pashtuns and a whole array of other ethnic and linguistic groups. Neighbouring regions are Balochistan to the west and north, Punjab in the north and...

 in June 1994, thereby empowering it to award its own degrees, and was the fourth private institution of higher learning in Pakistan to be given a university status. As of 2008, IVS was the third highest ranking art and design university in Pakistan.

Its three faculties focus on undergraduate degrees in the fields of Architecture

Architecture

Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...

, Design

Graphic design

Graphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...

 and Fine Arts. The degrees offered include a 5 year degree program in Architecture, and 4 year degree programs in Interior Design, Ceramic, Textile and Communication Design, and Fine Arts. The core degree courses are supported throughout the curriculum with liberal arts

Liberal arts

The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...

courses as well.

All the degrees share a broad-based Foundation Studies course in the first year of studies, with slight variations for students of different faculties. The second year leads to more focused studies directly under each department.

It was founded by Arshad Abdulla, Haamid N. Jaffer, Imran Mir, Inayat Ismail, Nighat Mir, Noorjehan Bilgrami, Shahid Abdulla, Shahid Sajjad, Shehnaz Ismail, and Syed Akeel Bilgrami.

Programs

• Foundation Studies
• Architecture
• Interior Design
• Communication Design
• Textile Design
• Fine Art
• Liberal Arts
• Postgraduate

Alumni

The I.V.S. Alumni Association was established in November 2001 and is supported by the school.

The association periodically publishes a newsletter, organizes social events and keeps a close liaison with the school. The alumni office is located on the campus.