The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (ICASL) recently completed the intake of new students for the MBA programme providing the opportunity for more Sri Lankans to enrol in obtaining a prestigious Australian MBA from the University of Southern Queensland (USQ), Australia.

The ICASL is in partnership with the USQ, an international University with a great reputation for distance learning. ICASL is the premier National Accounting Institute, responsible for the education of students, professional development of members and service to the business community in Auditing, Taxation, Financial Management and Business Consultancy. ICASL MBA programme which was launched with only 7 students in 2002 has shown its success in teaching qualities by being able to increase the number of students to 300 over the last few years where more than 250 students have successfully completed their MBA joining the ICASL Alumni.

Sudara Ranaweerasinghe of ICASL said that USQ being the First accredited Australian "Institute of best practice" for external higher education in Australia and its world class reputation has put USQ as a favourite MBA destination for a large number of students. "The students are 100% supported by ICASL which is always backed by USQ which also holds more overseas students than any other Australian University," he said. He stressed that the USQ MBA programme is studied by more than 1400 students in Australia and overseas, the largest MBA programme offered by an Australian University.

Leading tutor of ICASL and a Professor in Business Administration in the Colombo University Prasanna Perera launching the classes for the new batch recently said MBA being a practical qualification is accepted by all universities in Australia and also provides the opportunity to migrate to Australia. "It is a great privilege that Sri Lankan students have received through ICASL to get the same MBA that is being awarded by USQ, but for a fraction of the cost of the USQ," he said.

He said their lecturing methods are emphasized much more on the student and the online resources such as the bulletin boards and chat forums along with the valuable network of personal support services are helpful for the success of the students. He added that the study programme is flexible enough to suit the circumstances of students, whether it be travel, family or work commitment.
The ICASL takes three batch intakes per year for the MBA and the next intake is due in November. All interested applicants are invited to contact Sudara Ranaweerasinghe of ICASL for more information. ICASL assures all dedicated quality individuals an MBA within two years and welcomes all interested persons to an enjoyable learning experience.