Offers BAs in Admin and unique Business Computing BSc
In this day and age of specialist education and training, some colleges and universities have left their mark by becoming a specialist in their field and effectively helping to make Cyprus an international centre of learning.
One such success story is the P.A. College which, for just over a quarter century, has been providing exclusively business education, making a name for itself as a leading institution for the future professionals in the business, financial and services industries.
With all of its 2000 or so graduates currently employed, the Larnaca-based specialised business school has concentrated its whole curriculum on Business Administration (accounting, finance, marketing, management, etc.), including IT as applied in business operations.
This makes it the only institution in Cyprus offering degree level accredited programmes (Bachelor of Arts with Honours in six specialisations), as well as the unique Business Computing B.Sc. (Honours) degree programme, one of only a few in Europe, according to the college’s founder and current Director, Dr. Andreas Patsalides.
“Our graduates receive maximum exemptions towards acquiring the professional qualifications of credible international bodies like the ICAEW, ACCA, AIA and CIM,” he told the Financial Mirror in an inmterview.
P.A. has also become a CISCO Networking Academy, allowing its students to receive exemptions towards CISCO’s professional qualifications and offering tuition for the corresponding modules required towards acquiring these qualifications.
Dr Patsalides explained that there are strict entry standards for international students, as well as a demanding assessment and examinations procedure with internal and external reviewing and monitoring procedures implemented by academics from UK universities.
As regards international accreditation and partnership with professional bodies, Dr Patsalides said P.A. College was the first institution in Cyprus whose graduates receive the maximum possible exemptions towards acquiring the professional qualification of the ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants). It is also the first private tertiary institution in Cyprus to receive maximum exemptions from one of the most credible professional accounting bodies of the U.K., the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), as well as from the AIA (Association of International Accountants), while P.A. graduates enjoy direct entry to the CIM Professional Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing.
The student body comprises mainly Cypriots and a small number of international students from other European countries. The college is really proud of its students’ high academic standard and excellent performance.
All graduates employed
“There is no particular pattern regarding gender composition, nor a particular pattern regarding drop-outs,” Patsalides said, adding that “in both cases, our experiences are similar to those of other business institutions worldwide.”
According to P.A. College records dating back to its establishment in 1983, there are no unemployed graduates.
“All of them are employed shortly after their graduation or even before they formally conclude their studies and they head for national and international accounting and auditing firms, the public sector, the banking sector, as well as IT companies and other trading and business organisations in the private sector,” Patsalides explained.
“Our graduates hold key managerial positions in all economic sectors in Cyprus,” he said proudly. “A small number of individuals are employed overseas where they hold significant positions in major organisations.”
P.A. College employs 30 staff for 400 students. Lecturers possess at least a Master’s degree and PhD holders are preferred, while existing members of the faculty are encouraged and even supported to complete a doctoral degree programme.
External exams
In recent years, the college also started offering preparatory courses for students wishing to undertake the external examinations of professional bodies. Demand has followed an increasing trend given the high quality preparation offered which is reflected in the excellent results and outstanding passing rates of examinees.
During the past academic year, P.A. College participated in several European programmes, such as the Erasmus exchange programme. Faculty members were invited to teach or make presentations to students in other European universities and in return, faculty members from Europe came to Larnaca and delivered lectures and presentations to students and faculty members. Also, administrative staff from the college received training in European universities.
“The prospects for the new academic year are really bright as activities under the Erasmus umbrella have been scheduled for all types of exchange,” Patsalides said.
Looking ahead, graduates of P.A. College have a wide choice in terms of how they can proceed for their postgraduate studies where they are easily accepted. As a result, graduates have successfully completed Master’s and Doctoral degree programmes mainly in U.K. and U.S. universities.
House Education Committee Chairman Nicos Tornaritis and PrimeTel PRO Christina Polycarpou present the EUR 1,000 prize to the best Business Computing Graduate, Chrysovalantis Georgiou, during the PA College graduation ceremony last month, while Dr Andreas Patsalides and the External Examiner Professor, Robert Ritchie, look on.
