Allama Iqbal Open University

Allama Iqbal Open University
Allama Iqbal Open University (Urdu: جامعہ علامہ اقبال‎) or AIOU is a public research university located in Islamabad, Pakistan. The university is the fourth world's largest institution of higher learning, with an annual enrollment of 1,121,038 students (as of 2010), the majority of them women, and Course Enrollment of 3,305,948 (2011). Established in 1974, it is also Asia's first open university with a strong emphasis on providing distance education in engineering, law, philosophy, natural and social science. It is considered the most attractive university in the country and has the most applicants per year. The university offers extensive undergraduate, post-graduate, and doctoral programmes in various academic disciplines. After witnessing the success of Open University in the United Kingdom, the university was established as a public university in 1974. It is noted for its cost-effective policy to provide higher education at a minimum cost through a specialized university fund managed by the government.
Motto Education for all Type Public Established 1974 Chancellor President of Pakistan Vice Chancellor Dr. Shahid Siddiqui Academic Staff 2899 Students 1326266 Location Islamabad, Pakistan Campus Urban Colours Sky Blue, Orange, White Nick Name AIOU Affiliations HEC Website http://aiou.edu.pk
Faculties and their department
Faculty of Arabic and Islamic Studies Established in 1974, the faculty has been upgraded as the Faculty of Arabic and Islamic Studies in 1998, with the following departments: Qur'an and Tafseer Arabic Language and Literature Hadith and Seerah Islamic Law (Fiqh) Islamic Thought, History and Culture Faculty of Education Established in 1984, the Faculty of Education's origin predates the university. A National Institute of Education was established in 1973 as a part of the Federal Ministry of Education, to improve education at school levels through in-service training of Master Trainers. This institute became a part of the university in June 1975. The Faculty of Education has the following departments: Adult and Continuing Education Distance and Non-Formal Education Educational Planning and Management Science Education Special Education Teacher Education (Secondary) Teacher Education (Elementary) Faculty of Sciences Renamed as Faculty of Sciences, the Faculty of Basic and Applied Sciences was established in 1982. It comprises the following nine departments: Agricultural Sciences Biology Chemistry Information Technology Computer Sciences Engineering and Technology Environmental Sciences Home and Health Sciences Mathematics and Statistics Physics Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities The Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities was established in 1982. The thirteen departments of the faculty are: Business Administration Commerce Economics English Language and Applied Linguistics History Iqbal Studies Library and Information Sciences Mass Communication Pakistan Studies Pakistani Languages Sociology, Social Work and Population Studies Urdu Gender and Women's Studies