The urgent need to initiate a Museum University was felt as 1983 specially for starting advanced teaching in the realm of art-covering its history, conservation and its museological and parameters, leading to post-graduate and doctoral degrees.

As a first step, it was late Dr.L.P. Sihare, the then Director of the National Gallery of Modern Art and later Director General of the National Museum, who conceived and conceptualized a post-graduate diploma course in the History of Global art including modern art a long With a conservation project called 'Restoration of Oil Painting'.

These projects were first started at the National Gallery of Modern Art in 1983 and later on shifted to the National Museum in 1985. Subsequently, the parameter of these projects were enlarged to make it more intensive and universal. Here the embroinic stage of a museum university took the shape. Consistent efforts were made to start an Institute for awarding post-graduate as well as Doctoral degree in the faculties of History of Art, Art Conservation and Museology.

This was to facilitate the Museums all over the country to have trained professionals. With the recommendation of the University Grants Commission, the Department of Culture, Ministry of Human Resource Development took a decision to establish the National Museum Institute of History of Art, Conservation and Museology (NMIHACM) on 28.5.88 and to accord the status of a deemed to be university as an autonomous organisation. As a follow up of the Govt's decision, the Society of the National Museum Institute of History of Art, Conservation and Museology was duly registered with the Registrar of Societies, Delhi Administration, on 27th January, 1989 under the Societies Registration Act, XXI, of 1860. Subsequently regular teaching programme under the three faculties began from May, 1990.