University of Canterbury, New Zealand to establish presence in Sri Lanka

The University of Canterbury New Zealand, ranked within the top 200 in the world, will be one of the first Universities to offer its programs in Sri Lanka under the Government’s invitation to leading International Universities to offer their services in the country.

Minister of Higher Education, S. B. Dissanayake, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Commerce, University of Canterbury, Professor Nigel Healey, Consul for New Zealand, Senaka Silva, Secretary, Higher Education, Dr. Sunil Jayantha Nawaratne, Director Gateway Dr. Harsha Alles, and Head, Gateway Graduate School Michael Dobson, at the signing of the MoU.

The University of Canterbury, established in 1873 by scholars of Oxford and Cambridge, has gained international reputation for academic excellence in teaching and research.

Its first (undergraduate) and higher (postgraduate) programs are recognised worldwide, and aim to foster intellectual independence, critical thinking, and professional excellence in every field. Teaching and supervision up to PhD level is available in every discipline.

The University offers programs in Arts (Humanities and Social Sciences) Commerce (Business and Economics), Education (including teaching), Engineering, Fine Arts, Forestry, Law, Music, Science, Social Work, Speech and Language Therapy and Sport Coaching.

The University community currently comprises 17,000 students and an academic staff of 850.

Having studied the Sri Lankan education market, the University of Canterbury, decided to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Gateway, a leading eduction provider in Sri Lanka. Structured articulation agreements providing pathways for study at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand are to be developed.

This new venture will initially see the establishment of a new City Campus in Colombo The programs are expected to commence in February 2012 and will include BE (Hons) Engineering (Electrical & Electronic, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Computer, Civil, Natural Resources, Forest and Chemical & Process Engineering), BSc Science majors (Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Computer Science) and Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting, Economics, Finance, Human Resource Management, Information Systems, International Business, Management, Management Science and Operation Management, Marketing, Strategy and Entrepreneurship, Taxation & Accounting).