The college offers a five year Bachelor in Architecture program that is approved by the Council of Architecture (CoA) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). The school has been envisioned as a centre for excellence in tropical architecture with partners across the globe, and plans to offer under graduate and post graduate degree programs in urban planning, conservation, interior design, arts, and product design in the near future. The curriculum at NIA has been designed to incorporate hands-on practical training with theory based education. Students are taught to explore design through materials such as clay and wood early on. Structures are taught using models and real life scenarios. Students in the sixth semester work under the supervision of a design professional as part of the co-operative education program. NIA is only the third college in India to offer the LEED Lab program where students assess the performance of buildings on campus to certify it under a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system.

Education at NIA prioritises the connections between courses over the content of individual courses. The Institute recognizes, and values, different modes and pace of learning. NIA hopes to lead a new generation of professionals who work with a deeper understanding of architecture by bringing together meaningful insights of experiential learning from both academia and professional practice.