Established in 1980, Aga Khan University School of Nursing (AKU-SON) was the first academic component of AKU and its Faculty of Health Sciences. The School offers several programmes in nursing, including a three-year Diploma Programme, Pakistan's first four year BScN and a two-year Post RN BScN, as well as the first Master of Science in Nursing (MScN) which started in October 2001. Four-year BScN and MScN are the only programmes of its kind in Pakistan.

Since its inception, AKU-SON has played a leading role in establishing an internationally acceptable model for nursing education and practice in Pakistan, and has trained 2,232 nurses. The community-oriented values and high quality of education at the School have been pivotal in changing public perceptions towards the nursing profession and its role in health care, as well as enhancing its status on a national and regional level. The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and McMaster University have provided valuable assistance to AKU-SON.

The University's first academic initiative outside Pakistan, the Advanced Nursing Studies (ANS) Programme, began in Africa in 2001. Developed at the request of the governments and nursing leaders of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, it is designed to improve the quality of patient care by encouraging practising nurses to enhance their expertise through the pursuit of higher education.

Innovative teaching methods and a modular curriculum characterise courses in nursing practice, research, education and management, providing nurses with opportunities to acquire higher education without leaving their workplace.

Pakistan became the first Muslim country to achieve chapter status in the Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) global network when, in 2000, Aga Khan University School of Nursing Honour Society received its Charter. STTI is an international honour society of nursing, with more than a quarter of a million members representing 94 countries. It has 406 chapters in colleges and universities in Australia, Canada, China, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States. This linkage is particularly important because it assists in enhancing nursing education, research and practice in Pakistan.