The University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) formerly known as Institute of Professional Studies (IPS), is a public university in Ghana. The main campus is located in Accra. UPSA is the first university in Ghana to provide both academic and business professional education. The University of Professional Studies Act, 2012 (Act 850) changed the name of the Institute of Professional Studies to University of Professional Studies. UPSA is nationally and internationally accredited by the National Accreditation Board (Ghana) and the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) respectively.
Again,The University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) is a public university that provides both academic and business professional education in Ghana. With over forty (40) years of experience, the University has gained a reputation as the oldest professional accountancy and management tuition provider having many of its products in key leadership positions in Ghana and elsewhere. The University was the first and is still the only public institution with the mandate to offer both academic degrees and provide training for higher Professional education in Ghana. The University currently has a student population of about ten thousand (10,000).
The University was founded in 1965 as a private professional business education tuition provider and was taken over by government in 1978 by the Institute of Professional Studies Decree, 1978 (SMCD 200). It was subsequently established as a tertiary institution with a mandate to provide tertiary and professional education in the academic disciplines of Accountancy, Management and other related areas of study by the Institute of Professional Studies Act, (Act 566), 1999.
The then IPS had been offering tuition for various business professional programmes that were internationally recognized. In this respect, the University has contributed immensely to the teaching and practice of Accountancy and Management in Ghana.
In September 2005, the then Institute introduced Bachelor Degree Programmes in its various mandated disciplines to give meaning to the IPS Act 566. It received a Presidential Charter in September 2008, conferring on it the status of a fully-fledged public university. The University currently offers Undergraduate and Master’s Degrees in several programmes. The combination of scholarship with professionalism is the foundation of the university’s unique profile.
The development of the initial and new range of academic programmes coupled with trends in tertiary education at both local and international levels called for an amendment of the existing Act 566 of 1999. Subsequently, the University of Professional Studies Act, 2012 (ACT 850) was enacted to rename the Institute as a University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA).
The University is currently a member of the International Association of Universities (IAU), International Association of University Presidents (IAUP), the International Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) and the Association of African Universities (AAU). It has also entered into collaboration with the Illorin University and the Bordeaux Management School.
Additionally, the University is exploring the possibility of establishing more links with several other universities and research institutions worldwide, including the Norwegian Universities’ Committee for Development Research and Education (NUFU), the Council for International Educational Exchange (CIEE), International Student Exchange Programmes (ISEP) and the Commonwealth Universities Student Exchange Consortium (CUSAC).
Professor Jimi Ogunnusi, Africa Regional Director of the University of West England, United Kingdom and Prof. Jerry Johnson, an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership, University of North Florida, United States, visited the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) to purposely explore opportunities of mutual collaborations.
The University currently has candidacy status from Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programmes (ACBSP) in America. This is a global accreditation body for business schools. The process and status is intended to further instill confidence in the academic programmes of the University. The University also intends to explore further collaborations with universities in the United States of America, China, Hong Kong, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Norway and other Scandinavian countries.
PROFESSIONAL COURSES
The University of Professional Studies, until recently, was the only public tertiary institution in Ghana mandated and accredited to provide both Degree and Professional programmes in accountancy and management.
Since the establishment of the University in 1965, it has been collaborating with the following Professional Bodies:
• Association Of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA) UK.
• Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana (ICAG)
• Chartered Institute Of Marketing, (CIM) UK.
• Chartered Institute Of Management Accountants (CIMA) UK
• Institute Of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA) UK
Admission requirements for University of professional studies, Legon