Faculty of
NATURAL SCIENCES

Welcome to the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the Open University of Sri Lanka. As an institution our mission is to provide lifelong learning opportunities through Open, Distance and Flexible Education with a commitment to excellence in teaching and research. We give you the flexibility to learn at your pace while being employed or fulfilling other life commitments.

The Faculty of Natural Sciences at OUSL has over 35 years of experience delivering science degree programmes through the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode. Due to the nature of its teaching methodology and infrastructure, OUSL is able to serve students spread throughout the country through nine (09) regional centres and twenty-seven (27) study centres. Currently, the Faculty of Natural Sciences offers a wide range of rigorous academic programmes in various disciplinary specializations in the sciences through six (06) academic departments. Faculty consists of more than 100 well-qualified academic staff, who are serving in all the regional centres across Sri Lanka and share their expertise with the students.

The B.Sc. degree programme is one of the oldest programmes offered by OUSL and students can start their undergraduate work in the first year in any of the three languages before the transferring to English medium at higher levels. You can also choose from a range of other programmes offered by the Faculty, which lead to Certificates, Diplomas, High Diplomas and Post-Graduate degrees with research based on your interest and career aspirations. All our programmes are specially designed to suit those with other life commitments such as full-time employment, financial obligations and family responsibilities. Our unique system of ODL, developed over the years, gives you the flexibility to engage in your studies at your own place and at your own pace, at an affordable price.

All our programmes are accredited through the Sri Lanka Qualifications Framework (SLQF) and subject benchmarks common to all state universities. The Faculty has taken all necessary steps to maintain the standard and the quality through the Faculty Quality Assurance Cell (FQAC), which is aligned with the quality practices of the Internal Quality Assurance Unit (IQAU) of the university and the Quality Assurance Council (QAC) under the purview of the University Grants Commission (UGC).

Our learner support system will guide and assist you at every stage of your academic career from the very first day of registration up to completion of the programme. The faculty uses the MOODLE Learning Management System (LMS) to facilitate online access to all courses. Practicing self-learning, learning in study groups (i.e., collaborative learning) and timely completion of learning activities are important to ensure success. The main mode of course delivery is through Self Instructional Course Materials. The teachers provide you with feedback and necessary guidance to move forward. Learners are required to attend Day Schools, which are a limited number of face-to-face interactive sessions held during the academic year, currently conducted online.

We are proud to say that many of our past students hold significant positions today and make a valuable contribution to the nation through their work in different fields such as research, teaching and administration both in the state and private sectors. I hope you too will find our courses engaging, inspiring and useful and that your learning experience will be rewarding and enjoyable.

On our website you will find detailed information about academic programs, requirements and other relevant details. I invite you to take advantage of what we offer to reach your personal and career goals.

On behalf of our Faculty I wish you good luck in all your future endeavours!

Professor G.W.A. Rohan Fernando
Dean/Faculty of Natural Sciences
The Open University of Sri Lanka, Nawala, Nugegoda
Sri Lanka
Tel: 94 11 2881258
Email: deannsc@ou.ac.lk