The IIHS (Institution Deemed to be) University, recognised by the UGC, launched in 2025 with a set of transformative new interdisciplinary Master’s programmes and a Doctoral Programme, centred around urban research and practice.
As India undergoes a historic urban transition, the University reimagines urban education, combining interdisciplinary teaching and research in a continuous learning ecosystem, aligned with NEP 2020.
What sets us apart:
We aim to shape a new generation of urban practitioners for a rapidly changing world.
The University’s Doctoral Programme is a five-year, interdisciplinary PhD in Urban Studies and Practice.
It treats urbanisation as a site of knowledge, combining grounded research with practice-based learning. Structured around urban themes rather than disciplines, it engages with settlements across the rural–urban continuum. Rooted in Indian realities and Global South perspectives, the Programme builds critical, practice-oriented scholars equipped to address the complex, interlinked challenges of urban transformation today.
IIHS’ research is among the world’s leading interdisciplinary urban knowledge initiatives for, and in, the Global South. It recognises that interdisciplinarity both defines 21st-century knowledge paradigms and is necessary to engage with the complexity of urbanisation.
The University undertakes research across several disciplinary clusters, interlinking multiple dimensions of urban transformation. It focuses on actionable knowledge and building grounded theory by bringing applied research and practice together for national development, social impact and urban transformation.
