The Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL) was established in 1980 as the premier Open and Distance Learning Institution in Sri Lanka where students and adults could pursue their studies through Open and Distance Learning (ODL) methodologies. OUSL has a long history of management education and commenced teaching management as early as in 1980. In its illustrious history of academic excellence, efficiency and equity we have contributed to the development of management education in Sri Lanka.
The Faculty of Management Studies (FMS) of OUSL was established with the purpose of imparting management knowledge for the development of management skills and appropriate management attitudes. In pursuance of this broad objective, services are provided to a wide spectrum of clients comprising young school leavers, managers, public administrators and small and medium scale entrepreneurs. The Faculty of Management Studies (FMS) comprises the Academic Departments of Organizational Studies (DOS), Accounting and Finance (DAF), Human Resource Management (DHR) and Marketing Management (DMM). The faculty is committed to the promotion of management education and research at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, we offer management education from certificate level to PhD level through Open and Distance Learning (ODL) methodologies.
Vision
To be the premier Open and Distance Learning Management Education Faculty in Asia and ensure excellence, efficiency and equality in lifelong learning.
Mission
To enhance access to high quality, affordable, relevant, professional management education through Open and Distance Learning and ensure the highest standards of learning, teaching, research and scholarship, consulting and promoting partnership among academics, professionals, private and public sector institutions to achieve the wider objectives of the Faculty and the University, and to enhance national and global managerial capacities.
Objectives
The proposed Faculty of Management Studies at the Open University of Sri Lanka shall commit to the realisation of the following objectives:
- to provide high quality, student-centred learning experiences in management education through a variety of academic programmes/courses and research
- to encourage research and development in the field of management and ODL.
- to strengthen management education in all regions covering all districts islandwide through ODL technology
- to cater to human capital needs of the private and public sector through upgrading knowledge, skills and attitudes of the practicing management professionals
- to develop the capacity of counselling the public and private sector organizations for their organizational issues
- to facilitate professionals to ensure career advancement through lifelong learning in management.
- to be an authorized and reputed centre of excellence in management education at OUSL by collaborating with national and international institutions
Journey Towards FMS
The Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL) was established in 1980 as the premier Open and Distance Learning Institute in Sri Lanka, by amalgamating the two institutions, Sri Lanka Institute of Distance Education (SLIDE) and the External Services Agency (ESA). Initially there were two boards to conduct academic programmes namely: Management, Science and Technology Board (MST) and the Humanities and Social Sciences Board, where the Management section was under the MST board. After 1984 the two boards were replaced by three faculties and under the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Department of Management Studies was formed. Initially the Higher National Diploma in Management and the Certificate in Entrepreneurship programmes were introduced in 1990 and subsequently the Postgraduate Diploma in Management programme (PGDM) was introduced. In 1999 a major milestone was recorded with the introduction of the Bachelor of Management Studies (BMS) degree programme. Today the BMS Degree programme has become the major educational programme offered by the Faculty of Management Studies with more than 3,500 students, and is offered through OUSL’s 09 Regional Centres and 07 Study Centres.
The first ever Master’s Degree programme was introduced by the Department of Management Studies in the year 2002 with the introduction of the Commonwealth Executive Master of Business Administration and Commonwealth Executive Master of Public Administration programmes (CEMBA/CEMPA). Subsequently the Master of Business Administration in Human Resource Management (MBA in HRM) programme was introduced in year 2010 in collaboration with Institute of Personnel Management (IPM). Since its inception the strength of the Department of Management Studies (MSD) has become stronger with the expansion of its staff and number of academic programmes. This has enabled the Department to offer several academic programmes up to Ph.D. With the strength of academic staff and number of academic programmes ranging from certificate level to Ph.D. level, the Department of Management Studies was able to convince the relevant authorities, the necessity of becoming a faculty. As a result of tremendous and continuous effort, finally, the Faculty of Management Studies (FMS) was established on 8 May 2019 as the first ever ODL-based Faculty of Management Studies in Sri Lanka.