University of Colombo: Excellence in management and financial education

University of Colombo

The history of higher education in Sri Lanka is closely linked to that of the University of Colombo. Formal higher education in the arts and sciences began with the establishment of a University College in 1921.

The University of Colombo has a great advantage over the other institutions of higher education on account of its unique location. It is a metropolitan university and the students are at a distinct advantage being at the hub of the cultural, economic and political activities in the country. Having established seven faculties, the University of Colombo has become the leading university in the island and has received a high international rating as the best university in Sri Lanka.

The Faculty of Management and Finance

The Faculty of Management and Finance is committed to pursue excellence in research, teaching, and community service, while making all efforts to be the centre of excellence for management and finance education in Sri Lanka. In line with this objective the faculty restructured its academic programs which would make accessible to students such different fields of studies as accounting, business economics, finance, human resource management (HRM), management and organisational studies, international business, and marketing. This restructuring was planned with a philosophy of emphasising disciplinary rigor, business practicality and skill development.

The faculty is active not only in undergraduate studies, but also in graduate studies and executive education aiming at enhancing mid-career development opportunities for managers and developing capacities of academics and researchers in the field of management and finance. The faculty offers MBA, MBA in Finance, MBA in HRM, MBA in Marketing, MBA in International Business, M.Phil./PhD, Postgraduate Diploma in Banking and Finance and Executive MBA (EMBA) degrees. It also conducts an Executive Diploma in Business Administration (EDBA), Diploma in Small Business Management, Diploma in HRM and a Diploma in Printing Technology & Management (DPTM) Programs.

The history of the Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) of the University of Colombo runs into more than three decades and it is one of the oldest MBA programs not only in Sri Lanka but also in the South Asian region. During these three decades, it has produced a significant number of professional managers who work in different parts of the country and the world. Meanwhile, the MBA of the University of Colombo has been transformed into one of the well-recognised MBAs in the region.

In 2003, the faculty recognised the need for restructuring the MBA program to be on par with changing international standards and to meet the fragmented needs of the MBA candidates. This resulted in many new features, some of them, without doubt, highly innovative and unique. One such feature is the offer of MBAs with different areas of specialisation. Students who are enrolled in the MBA program have the option of reading for the traditional MBA catered to general managers or a specialised MBA either in finance, human resource management or marketing. Further, students have three options in reading for the MBA program: the coursework option, the research paper option and the thesis option. The students are advised to choose to read for the most appropriate degree program and select the most appropriate option after carefully considering their career prospects as the MBA program has been designed to facilitate students to customise their learning experience to best suit their career aspirations, learning habits and interests.

In 2016, once again the faculty is introducing a restructured MBA program in compliance with the Sri Lanka qualifications framework. The duration of the program is two years within which students should earn 61 credits. Traditional classroom learning is essentially coupled with off-campus assignments, seminars and field/company visit and residential workshops to augment the learning experience. 

Program structure, options and curriculum

Students have the option of reading for the traditional MBA, generally catered to general managers or a specialised MBA i.e. MBA in Finance, MBA in HRM, MBA in Marketing, MBA in Accounting and Information Management and MBA in International Business selecting from among four options i.e. coursework option, business skill project option, research paper option and thesis option in completing their program.

The MBA program is offered as a weekday and weekend program, whereas the specialised MBA programs are offered only as weekend programs.