Staffordshire University - UK and the Asia Pacific Institute of Information Technology - Sri Lanka have taken steps to further strengthen and expand their collaborative partnership in higher education.
Accordingly, Staffordshire University will offer several more under-graduate and post-graduate programmes in Colombo through APIIT-Sri Lanka. Staffordshire University has also opened a Staffordshire University Sri Lanka Office at APIIT - Sri Lanka with a view to enrolling Sri Lankan students to study at Staffordshire University campuses in the UK.
APIIT has a longstanding and enduring partnership with Staffordshire University, one of the leading universities in the UK. The collaboration dates back to mid 1990s when the University entered into a franchise arrangement to offer its degree programmes in Malaysia through the APIIT Campus in Kuala Lumpur.
With the establishment of APIIT - Sri Lanka in the year 2000, the University extended its quality assurance services to the Sri Lankan campus; this was soon followed by approval to conduct University degree programmes in Colombo.
Staffordshire University is a major player in international education and has its origins in the early 1900s. The University has a student population of approximately 16,000 with more than 1,500 international students. In addition, there are more than 5,000 students studying overseas on Staffordshire University awards in China, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Greece, Spain and France.
The Quality Assurance Agency of the UK has ranked Staffordshire University on par with the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford in providing best learning experiences to students in England.
Presently, APIIT-Sri Lanka offers several internal degree programmes in Computing/IT, Business Management and Law from Staffordshire University. These include B.Sc. Hons. Degrees in Computing (with specialisations in Software Engineering, Multimedia and Web Development), Business Information Technology, Business Computing and E-Commerce, BA Hons. Degrees in Business Administration and LLB Hons. degrees in Law.
APIIT also offers two Master’s Degree Programmes, namely, M.Sc. in Technology Management and M.Sc. in Computing. Recent discussions and policy decisions will result in APIIT conducting several more internal undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes in Colombo.
Staffordshire University runs a variety of 800 courses on their campuses in the UK. Understandably, it is not practical to bring all these programmes to Colombo. It is important, then, to find ways and means of allowing Sri Lankan students to benefit from these cutting edge courses and first class learning opportunities at Staffordshire University.
With this objective in mind, Staffordshire University has set up a permanent office at the APIIT City Campus in Colombo to provide Sri Lankan students with information about and greater access to all University programmes and to facilitate their transfer for study in the UK.
Today, higher education has become an international undertaking. There are two major aspects to internationalisation of higher education. One is the movement of study programmes across borders in search of students; leading universities in the world take their study programmes out of home country into regions where there is a growing demand for higher education.
On the other hand, there is migration of students across borders in search of study programmes; millions of students leave their home country to study abroad. The APIIT - Staffordshire University collaborative partnership caters to both these international trends and presents attractive higher education options for Sri Lankan students.
With an annual intake exceeding 400 students for Staffordshire University degree programmes in Colombo and many more transferring to study at Staffordshire University campuses in the UK, APIIT - Staffordshire University partnership emerges as one of the strongest international collaborations in higher education in Sri Lanka. This collaborative partnership is likely to have a major impact on improving quality and standards of higher education in Sri Lanka whilst expanding higher education opportunities for Sri Lankan students.
Students and parents may visit the APIIT City Campus (No. 388, Union Place, Colombo 2) or call Kanchana, Erandi or Senani (011 2675060) to obtain more information about the study programmes available in Colombo.
Students interested in transferring to Staffordshire University campuses in the UK are invited to visit the Staffordshire University Sri Lanka Office at the APIIT City Campus or call Ruzlie (011 2675244) for advice and guidance. Information is also available on APIIT.
website: www.apiit.edu.lk. |
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