Graduating in early twenties with an internationally recognised degree may sound like a far- fetched dream for most Sri Lankan students; but this shouldn't be the case any longer with Asia Pacific Institute of Information Technology (APIIT) - Sri Lanka providing opportunities for enrolment in a British degree programme immediately after O/L or A/L.

APIIT-Sri Lanka offers internationally accredited higher education programmes in Colombo with a view to producing globally competitive graduates who will meet the demands of the modern society and contribute to the socio-economic development of the country.

APIIT - Sri Lanka, incorporated in September 1999 in partnership with the Asia Pacific Institute of Information Technology - Malaysia and Staffordshire University, UK offers tertiary education in Computing/IT, Business and Legal studies. These degree programmes are conducted over a period of three years enabling students to graduate in early twenties with a prestigious Internal British Degree awarded by Staffordshire University.

APIIT-Sri Lanka also facilitates credit transfers to a number of reputable universities in UK and Australia and thus forms part of an international collaboration in cross border education. Staffordshire University is an internationally accredited higher educational institute in UK with state-of-the-art facilities to support teaching/ learning.

A comprehensive quality assurance framework ensures that APIIT - Sri Lanka offers similar facilities and learning experiences to students studying at its City Campus in Colombo. Accordingly, all programmes at APIIT are quality assured by Staffordshire University and students are awarded the same degree certificate offered to those studying in UK.

APIIT School of Computing offers Diploma and Degree programmes in Computing/ IT. Equal emphasis on theory and practice of computing and an industry oriented project work towards the latter part of the programme is a distinctive feature of the Computing Degrees.

The School of Computing is driven by a vision to be the leading Computing School in the Asia Pacific Region with a global reputation for academic excellence; its mission is to produce IT professionals who are effective in a competitive international environment.

Key features of the Degree programmes:
APIIT School of Computing offers a range of degree programmes; students have the opportunity to specialize in areas such as Computing, Software Engineering, Multimedia, Web Development and E-Commerce. In addition, a few hybrid degree programmes with a unique combination of computing and management disciplines are offered to meet the demand of the modern world where business takes place in an IT environment. Students follow a common set of modules during the first year gathering basic knowledge on the fundamentals of Computing and progress to a specialization of their choice from the second year.

A diverse range of teaching strategies including case studies, video presentations and project work is employed to achieve the learning objectives. These are intended to develop students' knowledge, skills and ability to identify and solve real world problems. Students are also trained to work efficiently in a group or independently in a disciplined and structured environment.

Continuous assessments carried out throughout the programme enhance student involvement and skills development. The examinations and assessments are moderated by Staffordshire University Examiners and University Examiners external to Staffordshire University.

At the end of the second year, students have the opportunity to opt for Industry Placements in leading IT organisations; industry placements are facilitated by the Career Guidance and Job Placements Unit. This allows students to gain industry experience prior to commencing their final year.

Students are required to undertake a project as part of their training in their final year. Greater emphasis is placed on the engineering principles, design skills, formal methodologies and good management practices required for the development of software quality systems. Moreover, the students are guided by faculty members to take their project work further into entrepreneurial ventures thereby promoting graduates to reach their full potential and excel in the IT industry.

Career prospects and Graduate employability:
The degree programmes offered at APIIT School of Computing aim to develop professional skills as well as provide good practical grounding in the chosen area of study.
All the specializations provide prospects of employment in a wide spectrum of careers in Computing/IT and cater to the growing demand for industry specialists such as System Analysts, Software Engineers, Project Managers, Database Administrators, Analyst Programmers and Data Communication Specialists.

These programmes are structured carefully to offer in-depth knowledge within the area of computing covering computer systems, hardware, software, and information systems. Students are also required to engage in many development projects to help them acquire technical capabilities. Thus APIIT students are groomed to become 'employable' graduates, possessing hands-on experience, knowledge and skills on par with the industry requirements.

This is one of the key reasons why APIIT-Sri Lanka has attracted thousands of students from all parts of Sri Lanka and from overseas to follow the various degree programmes in Computing over the years.
APIIT-Sri Lanka takes pride in having produced outstanding graduates who are acknowledged as dynamic professionals geared to take on the challenges of the ever changing IT industry.
The Career Guidance and Job Placement Unit maintains a close relationship with the corporate sector and assists students on planning their careers and securing employment.