New academic pathways aim to give Sri Lankan youth and professionals greater access to internationally relevant healthcare education while positioning Sri Lanka as a regional education hub.

Sri Lankan students and working professionals are gaining wider access to internationally recognised British higher education through the academic partnership between the University of Surrey, United Kingdom, and IIHS Multiversity, Sri Lanka.

The collaboration brings together the academic and research strengths of the University of Surrey with more than 25 years of healthcare education, professional training and international partnership experience at IIHS Multiversity.

The initiative is intended to create opportunities not only for Sri Lankan learners, but also for students and professionals across South Asia seeking internationally relevant qualifications while studying closer to home.

IIHS has structured its academic development around four areas reflecting the changing needs of global healthcare: Clinical Sciences, Health Management Sciences, Lifestyle, Nutrition & Sport Sciences, and Digital Health Sciences.

The Clinical Sciences pillar covers Nursing, Biomedical Sciences, Pharmacy, Laboratory Sciences, Medical Sciences, Optometry, Radiography and Medical Imaging, Psychology, Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation.

University of Surrey-linked pathways include the BSc (Hons) Nursing Studies, MSc Nursing and BSc (Hons) Biomedical Sciences, creating progression opportunities for students and practising healthcare professionals.

The Health Management Sciences pillar focuses on preparing future leaders for increasingly complex healthcare organisations and systems. Areas include Global Health Management, Public Health, Healthcare Administration, Leadership, Health Policy, Quality and Patient Safety, and Aged and Social Care Management.

These disciplines are becoming increasingly important as hospitals, governments, private healthcare organisations and international agencies require professionals who can combine healthcare knowledge with leadership and management capability.

The Lifestyle, Nutrition & Sport Sciences pillar reflects another major transformation in healthcare, the movement from treating disease towards preventing it.

With diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and other lifestyle-related conditions placing increasing pressure on healthcare systems, greater emphasis is being placed on nutrition, physical activity, behaviour and preventive health.

Key postgraduate pathways include the MSc Lifestyle Medicine, MSc Nutritional Medicine and MSc Sport & Exercise Science, supporting professionals interested in preventive healthcare, wellness, rehabilitation and human performance.

The fourth pillar, Digital Health Sciences, responds to the rapid growth of artificial intelligence, electronic health records, telemedicine, health informatics and healthcare data.

The MSc Digital Health prepares professionals to work at the intersection of healthcare and technology and is relevant to doctors, nurses, allied-health professionals, administrators, public-health practitioners, engineers and IT professionals.

Commenting on the initiative, Dr Kithsiri Edirisinghe, Co-Founder and CEO of IIHS Multiversity, said the partnership represents an important opportunity for Sri Lanka.

“This partnership gives our youth and working professionals an opportunity to access world-class British higher education closer to home. More importantly, it opens Sri Lanka as a gateway for learners from South Asia to gain globally relevant healthcare education and build international careers.”

Dr Edirisinghe said IIHS also sees the collaboration as part of a broader national opportunity.

“Our ambition is not simply to deliver international degrees. We want to create an education ecosystem connecting Sri Lankan talent with global knowledge, professional development, research, innovation and employment opportunities,” he said.

By combining Surrey’s international academic expertise with IIHS’s local experience and healthcare focus, the partnership seeks to provide pathways for school leavers, graduates and experienced professionals at different stages of their careers.

It also supports the longer-term ambition of positioning Sri Lanka as a regional hub for healthcare education, research, professional development and innovation.

Clinical Sciences | Health Management Sciences | Lifestyle, Nutrition & Sport Sciences | Digital Health Sciences

Study in Sri Lanka. Access World-Class Education. Build a Global Career.