At present, SZABIST has five campuses; Karachi, Larkana, Hyderabad, Islamabad, and one in Dubai (UAE). Currently, SZABIST offers sixteen programs in the disciplines of Computer Sciences, Management Sciences, Media Sciences, Social Sciences, Biosciences, Law, and Mechatronics Engineering. Its International Programs include 'LLB' with University of London, UK and 'BA (Hons) in Business Studies - BABS' in collaboration with University of Wales, Newport, UK.
There are more than 5,000 students enrolled in SZABIST, and, so far, almost 5,000 students have graduated. SZABIST provides a wide range of financial assistance to meritorious and needy students. Scholarships available at SZABIST include HEC USAID Need Based; HEC Japanese Need Based; Government of Sindh Endowment and Community/ Sponsored Scholarships. Last year, Rs 108 million of financial assistance was provided benefiting 80 percent of the students.
SZABIST is a registered member of the International Association of Universities (IAU), Paris; Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), London; Federation of the Universities of Islamic World (FUIW) Rabat; Asia University Federation (AUF), Seoul; and the Association of SAARC Universities (ASU). SZABIST has the unparalleled honour of being the only Pakistani Institute to be recognised internationally by Business Week, Asia week, Asia Inc and CNN.
SZABIST's mission is to produce highly qualified, scientific and technical personnel to meet the country's requirements of conducting state-of-the-art scientific and technological research and development. It is providing support to the private and public sector with hi-tech scientific and technological assistance to compete with the world industries in global trading. Besides, the institute is providing trained scientific and technological personnel to be able to attract the growth of high-tech industries and foreign and Pakistani investment. SZABIST's initiatives for developing a base for the socio-economic prosperity and physical infrastructure in Pakistan will be able to meet the nation's economic and technological challenges of the 21st century.
SZABIST comprises a host of research centers that provide practical and sustainable solutions to the issues of a developing country such as Pakistan. SZABIST has established Stem Cell Research Centre (SCRC). Stem Cells and related fields are said to become a force to reckon in the future especially as far as bio-medicine and technology are concerned. This kind of research will enable the programming of cells towards specific organs that can breathe new life into damaged tissues of the body. Thus, SCRC hopes to establish laboratories that focus on the tissue culture of human tissues/cells, with particular focus on cancer. Another Research Centre of SZABIST is Centre for Renewable Energy Research (CRER). A need for a renewable energy is imperative now more than ever. In a country like Pakistan, where the energy crisis remains unabated, a renewable energy source would prove to be highly beneficial. Therefore, the CRER is geared towards creating energy from natural sources such as sun, wind, water, geothermal, and biomass resources. Most importantly Sustainable Development Research Centre (SDRC) has been developed for research on a variety of policy initiatives for the promotion of sustainable development and infrastructure in the country along with generating awareness about the same.
Balancing academic pressures with healthy colors of life, students at SZABIST are continuously encouraged and are very proactive in a number of extra-curricular activities. Seminars, workshops, projects, off and on-campus luncheons and dinners are a regular part of life at SZABIST. Alongside, students have also put together a number of clubs and student societies that help further hone their skills and provide them relief from their intense workload every now and then. In fact, it is the SZABIST Student Council (SSC) that oversees the functioning of all societies and clubs. Not only this, but also students come together in times of national crises and disasters and are actively involved with raising funds for various causes (for example, flood relief drives). Furthermore, the Institute also publishes newsletters that detail activities and events taking place from its various campuses.
Furthermore, Executive Development Center (EDC) at SZABIST, facilitates students in the completion of their degree requirements, personal grooming, job placements and keeping in touch with the Alumni for relation building, corporate networking & profile update. In collaboration with the industry, EDC arranges on-campus recruitment drives and management trainee programs at reputable local and multinational companies. Annual job fair is also held at campus where leading companies are invited to discuss their recruitment policies and criteria, current and future vacancies, exploiting the opportunities to interact directly with the students. To bridge the gap between classroom and work situation, SZABIST has instituted a mandatory internship program.
Personal development sessions and workshops are also organised to prepare students for the professional environment and to increase their prospects of finding employment on the basis of their field of interest, strengths & ability.
SZABIST is equipped with modern state of the art computing facilities with round the clock high bandwidth connectivity to the internet. Moreover, Wi-Fi is enabled in both 90 and 100 Clifton Campuses; as a result, all students with Wi-Fi enabled devices can access all network resources through wireless connectivity during their stay at these campuses.
SZABIST's vision is to be a competitive institution meeting the intellectual and professional demands of the future. The plan is to consolidate our success and build on it by diversifying curriculum, strengthening faculty, indigenizing the generation of knowledge, intensifying our research agenda and distinguishing SZABIST as a symbol of excellence and professionalism.