|
UK
recognized BBA degrees from SLIIT
The
Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) marked
yet another milestone recently, by inaugurating the three
year Special Honours Degree programme in Business Management
in collaboration with the prestigious Sheffield Hallam University
of the United Kingdom.
At a ceremonial launch which took place at the SLIIT Malabe
Campus auditorium recently, SLIIT entered into an affiliation
with Sheffield Hallam University, one of the United Kingdom’s
most progressive and innovative universities which is known
to have a flexible, business-led approach. The two institutions
will now collaborate to enable Sri Lankan students to obtain
a Bachelor of Business Administration Honours Degree in Business
Management from Sheffield Hallam University while continuing
to be based in Sri Lanka.
For SLIIT, which already has a well established reputation
for its high quality Information Technology study programmes,
this new partnership represents a turning point towards obtaining
international recognition for its Business Administration
degree programme. It also creates a pathway for Sri Lankan
students to obtain a world class undergraduate business degree
at a very low cost.
The Chairman of the Institute, Professor Sam Karunaratne in
his welcome address referred to the sophistication of global
business, mainly due to IT and stated that it is natural for
SLIIT to diversify into the area of Business Management studies.
Dr. Bob Harris from Sheffield Hallam University speaking on
this new collaboration stated that “To enter into this
affiliation SLIIT had to go through a rigorous validation
process. We are fully satisfied with the high quality lecture
panels, remarkable infrastructure and commendable standards
adhered to at SLIIT. Sheffield Hallam University is looking
forward to a mutually satisfactory relationship with SLIIT,
monitoring the progress of the students, setting and evaluating
the final semester Examination papers etc,”.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of SLIIT Professor
Lailth Gamage, speaking about the new degree prgramme stated
that “This has not evolved from a traditional business
management degree. Quite the contrary, from the core, it has
Information Technology built in to it. This plus, being supported
by a prestigious, world class UK University makes our new
degree programme a truly unique experience”.
Students who qualify for this degree programme are given two
options. They can either complete five semesters within a
period of two and a half years at SLIIT and complete the final
six-month semester in the United Kingdom at Sheffield Hallam
University or, alternatively, complete the entire degree programme
in Sri Lanka at SLIIT.
Whichever option they choose, upon successful completion of
the programme they will be awarded a Bachelor of Business
Administration (Honours) Degree in Business Management from
Sheffield Hallam University. Considering the substantial costs
involved in living and studying abroad, the opportunity of
obtaining an internationally recognised foreign degree while
living in Sri Lanka would, no doubt, be attractive to students
here. Those who complete the degree programme become eligible
to enroll for post graduate diplomas and Masters Degrees at
Sheffield Hallam University and, needless to say, would have
the opportunity of seeking excellent career opportunities
in the United Kingdom.
Given the ever increasing demand for IT professionals with
the right skills in the local corporate business environment
as well as in the global IT industry, this new degree programme
offered by SLIIT and Sheffield Hallam University can undoubtedly
be regarded as an extremely valuable, timely and welcome addition
to the limited range of higher education opportunities available
to students within Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology ( SLIIT ) is
the largest degree awarding institute in the field of Information
Technology, having the highest number of PhD qualified lecturers
in IT and is recognized by the University Grants Commission
under the Universities Act. SLIIT was established in 1999
to educate and train a large number of IT professionals required
by the fast growing IT industry in Sri Lanka and offers Bachelors
in Information Technology, Information Systems, Computer Systems,
& Networking and Business Management and Masters Degrees
in Information Technology, Information Systems and Information
Management. Presently SLIIT is the largest provider of IT
professionals to Sri Lanka’s growing IT Industry in the
form of graduates with Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees.
|
