Karakoram International University or Karakoram University (KIU; ur, قراقرم انٹرنیشنل یونیورسٹی) is an international level university in
Gilgit-Baltistan
Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative territory, and constituting the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region which has been the subject of a dispute bet ...
, Pakistan. It was established in 2002 with a charter from the Federal Government of Pakistan, with the goal of improving access to higher education for the people of Gilgit-Baltistan. The KIU is one of two public university in the Gilgit–Baltistan region of Pakistan, along with University of Baltistan in
.
There are two faculties - Sciences, and Humanities and Social Sciences. A third faculty of Mountain Area Development Studies is still in the planning stage.
The KIU has been chartered as a multi-campus institution, The campus, situated on University Road in Gilgit, is well-constructed; however,
Campus was established in 2011 with programs from four departments. The Skardu Campus is under construction. The core facilities are complete and around 2000 students were enrolled in 2007. A third of them were women.
It was announced that Chinese lessons would be offered in order to increase trade ties with China.
History
The Karakoram International University is the first university in
Gilgit-Baltistan
Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative territory, and constituting the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region which has been the subject of a dispute bet ...
which provides quality education to the students of every district. It was established a charter from the Federal Government of Pakistan and by the orders of then president
Pervez Musharraf
General Pervez Musharraf ( ur, , Parvez Muśharraf; born 11 August 1943) is a former Pakistani politician and four-star general of the Pakistan Army who became the tenth president of Pakistan after the successful military takeover of the ...
.
Karakoram International University is situated before the backdrop of steep mountains at the junction point of Ghizer and Hunza River.
The main campus of the university is located in Konodass Gilgit. Gilgit the Headquarter of
Gilgit-Baltistan
Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative territory, and constituting the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region which has been the subject of a dispute bet ...
. Gilgit has become a metropolitan which keeps a vast environment to provide every necessity in every aspect of life. It has its own airport, providing daily flights to
Islamabad
Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital T ...
. The famous
Karakoram Highway
The Karakoram Highway ( ur, , translit=śāhirāh qarāquram; known by its initials KKH, also known as N-35 or National Highway 35 ( ur, ) or the China-Pakistan Friendship Highway) is a national highway which extends from Hasan Abdal in ...
(KKH) connects Pakistan with China, passing through the District of
Hunza Hunza may refer to:
* Hunza, Iran
* Hunza Valley, an area in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan
** Hunza (princely state), a former principality
** Hunza District, a recently established district
** Hunza River, a waterway
** Hunza Peak, a mou ...
. A little part of Karakoram Highway connects Gilgit with Skardu (
Baltistan
Baltistan ( ur, ; bft, སྦལ་ཏི་སྟཱན, script=Tibt), also known as Baltiyul or Little Tibet ( bft, སྦལ་ཏི་ཡུལ་།, script=Tibt), is a mountainous region in the Pakistani-administered territory of Gilg ...
).
Gilgit's weather is partially hot. It gets very hot in June and July, whereas it is severely cold in December and January. However, traffic of the road and air continue throughout the year.
There are two main campuses of The Karakoram International University. Its main campus situated on the University Road, which is easily accessible from the airport and the bus station. Now, a bridge has been constructed between the Gilgit airport and the University. Taxis and other vehicles are available all around the city and are a convenient method of transportation.
The sub-campus, i.e. Skardu Campus of Karakoram University was inaugurated by the Former Chief Minister Gilgit-Balitistan
Syed Mehdi Shah
Syed Mehdi Shah is a Pakistan Politician who is currently Serving as the Governor of Gilgit Baltistan and Previously was the first Chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan. The post was created under Presidential Order For Govrnance 2009 for Gilg ...
in July 2011. This campus is located at the ''Hussainabad road'' Skardu.
According to its charter, Karakoram International University is a multi-campus university. Additional campuses are seeking to be established in wherever feasible according to the availability of government and local support. Currently, the main campus of Karakoram University has nearly 2300 students, more than 100 faculty members and over a hundred administrative staff in sixteen academic departments. The Skardu Campus has been started with four main departments i.e. English, Computer Sciences, Business Management and Education.
Academics
Bachelor's degree Programs
* Bachelor of Science in Computer Sciences BS (CS)
* Bachelor of Business Administration-BB (IT)
* Bachelor of Science in International Relations (BS)
* Bachelor of Science in Agriculture major in Food Technology (BS)
* Bachelor of Arts in English (BA Hons)
* Bachelor of Science in Chemistry (BS)
* Bachelor of Arts in Education (B.Ed) Elementary 4 years (pre step)
* Bachelor of Science in Biology (Animal Sciences) (BS)
* Bachelor of Science in Biology (Plant sciences) (BS)
* Bachelor of Science in Media and Communication (BS)
* Bachelor of Science in Physics (BS)
* Bachelor of Science in Economics (BS)
* Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science (BS)
* Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Sciences. (BS)
* Bachelor of Science in Earth Sciences (Geology) (BS)
* Bachelor of Science in Earthquake Engineering (BS)
* Bachelor of Science in Mining Engineering (BS)
* Bachelor of Business Administration - Management (BBA)
* Bachelor of Science in Mathematics (BS)
* Bachelor of Science in Statistics (BS)
* Bachelor of Computer Arts (BCA)
* Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)
* Bachelor's degree in Design (Communication Design) BCD
Master's degree Programs
* Master of Science in Mathematics (M.Sc)
* Master of Science in Statistics (M.Sc)
* Master of Science in International Relations (M.Sc)
* Master of Science in Chemistry (M.Sc)
* Master of Arts in English Literature (MA)
* Master of Arts in English Linguistics (MA)
* Master of Science in Agriculture in Food Technology
* Master of Science in Behavioral Sciences (M.Sc)
* Master of Arts in Education (MA)
* Master of Science in Economics (M.Sc)
* Master of Science in Biology (Animal Sciences)
* Master of Science in Biology (Plant sciences)
* Master of Science in Physics (M.Sc)
* Master of Business Administration in Management (Regular) MBA
Self support evening master's programs
The following programs are taken at evening time for self-support students.
* Master of Information Technology (MIT PGD in Computer Sciences)
* Master of Science in Media & Communication Studies (M.Sc)
* Master of Business Administration (Executive) MBA
* Master of Education M.Ed (One Year Diploma)
* Diploma in Agriculture
* Master of Science in Economics & Finance M.Sc
Campuses
The primary campus is situated on University Road in Gilgit. In 2011, KIU founded a satellite campus in
Hunza Hunza may refer to:
* Hunza, Iran
* Hunza Valley, an area in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan
** Hunza (princely state), a former principality
** Hunza District, a recently established district
** Hunza River, a waterway
** Hunza Peak, a mou ...
.
In August 2017, a new
USAID
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 bi ...
-funded Faculty of Education building was inaugurated by Mission Director Jerry Bisson and the
President of Pakistan
The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.Mamnoon Hussain
Mamnoon Hussain ( ur, ; 22 December 1941 – 14 July 2021) was a Pakistani politician and industrialist who served as the 12th president of Pakistan from 2013 to 2018. He was first appointed Governor of Sindh in June 1999 by President Rafiq ...
at the Gilgit-Baltistan campus.
International campuses of the university include:
*KIU main campus,
Gilgit
Gilgit (; Shina: ; ur, ) is the capital city of Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan. The city is located in a broad valley near the confluence of the Gilgit River and the Hunza River. It is a major tourist destination in Pakistan, serving as a h ...
*KIU sub campus,
Hunza Hunza may refer to:
* Hunza, Iran
* Hunza Valley, an area in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan
** Hunza (princely state), a former principality
** Hunza District, a recently established district
** Hunza River, a waterway
** Hunza Peak, a mou ...
Chilas
Chilas ( ur, ) is a city and is the divisional capital of Diamer District located in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, on the Indus River. It is part of the Silk Road connected by the Karakoram Highway and N-90 National Highway, which link it to Islam ...
See also
*
University of Karachi
The University of Karachi ( sd, ; informally Karachi University, KU, or UoK) is a public research university located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Established in June 1951 by an act of Parliament and as a successor to the University of Sindh (whic ...
*
University of the Punjab
The University of the Punjab (Urdu, pnb, ), also referred to as Punjab University, is a public, research, coeducational higher education institution located in Lahore, Pakistan. Punjab University is the oldest public university in Pakistan. ...
*
University of Peshawar
The University of Peshawar ( ps, د پېښور پوهنتون; hnd, پشور یونیورسٹی; ur, ; abbreviated UoP; known more popularly as Peshawar University) is a Public university, public research university located in Peshawar, Khy ...