Funded by the House of Habib, the Habib University Foundation was established in 2010, and was chartered in 2012 as an independent university. Based on a 6.3 acres (295,800 sq ft.) campus in Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Karachi, it is a multi-disciplinary university offering undergraduate degree's in science, engineering, arts, humanities and social sciences. It has a strong liberal arts focus and requires all its students to take a set of liberal arts courses consisting of sociology, history, philosophy and anthropology.[5][6]
History
In 2010, the House of Habib formed the Habib University Foundation (a not-for-profit organization).[7] The project was launched with a grant of US$40 million. Construction on the campus in Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Karachi began in 2012 and classes began in 2014.[1]
The university has a joint venture contract with Texas A&M University at Qatar for reciprocal sharing of institutional experience and has signed a partnership agreement for the association.[8]
HU's first class of undergraduate students began in August 2014. HU Talent Outreach Program (TOPS), launched in 2016, provides selected students a tuition fee waiver for four-year undergraduate program.[9] Wasif Rizvi is the founding President of the University.[10] The university's chief academic officer is Dr. Aamir Hasan who serves as Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA) and Dean of Faculty.[11]
Campus
The university's campus is located behind the Jinnah International Airport runway and covers an area of around 6.3 Acres (295,800 sq ft.).[12][13] The campus is noted for being one of the few handicapped-accessible campuses in the city and is a non-residential campus. The university's laboratories are designed and furnished by Research Facilities Design.[14] In 2010 the campus design won the Merit Award for Excellence in Planning for New Campus from the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP).[15]
The university's central auditorium covers 25,000 square feet of area, and seats over 300 persons. In addition, the university holds two lecture halls, the Tariq Rafi Lecture Theatre which holds 300 students and the Soorty Lecture Theatre which holds 60 seats.[16] The campus includes several classrooms with not more than 20 seats each.[17] The university also includes an amphitheatre which covers an area of 4500 square feet.[18] The Habib library covers an area of 21,000 square feet and is a semi-public space and is home to information commons, lounges, and discussion rooms.[19]
Academics
The university incorporates a liberal arts education with cultural sensitivity within its curriculum. It is mandatory for every student studying there to follow the liberal arts curriculum in all its offered courses. In addition to local regional languages, all students are required to study a liberal arts curriculum comprising sociology, history, philosophy – Western, Eastern and Islamic – and anthropology.[20] The university terms this a "Habib Core Curriculum" based on seven "Forms of Thought". These include:[21]
Historical and Social Thought
Philosophical Thought
Language and Expression
Creative Practice
Formal Reasoning
Quantitative Reasoning
Natural Scientific Method and Analysis
The university offers six majors including Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Social Development & Policy, Communication & Design and Comparative Humanities. All classes are modeled after a tutorial system which includes small classes of 12 students.[22]
Interdisciplinary Development Research and Action Center (IDRAC)
The IDRAC Center at HU fosters research and action on key development challenges facing Pakistan and the larger South Asian region. The Center hosts a series of activities in the region while serving society and contributing to the social welfare.[35]
Center for Media and Design (CMD)
The Center for Media and Design acts as a hub for talks, symposia, exhibitions, literary readings, and arts such as film, video, music, dance, theater and performance.[36]
Arzu Center
The Center is named after the 18th century poet, linguist and lexicographer, Siraj-ud-Din Ali Khan Arzu.[37] The Arzu Center is linked to HU's School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences programs and serve to meet the vernacular requirements of the University. The Center's scope of work covers a wide range including language instruction, translation from and into the regional languages.
People
Notable people associated with the university include:
