College of Economics

Technical College of Economics – Bourgas
Established	1905
Type	Public
President	R.Panova
Admin. staff	50
Undergraduates	600
Location	Bourgas, Bulgaria
Campus	Urban
Website	http://www.ti-bs.org

The College of Economics – Bourgas

The College of Economics – Bourgas, 2005

The College of Economics – Bourgas (Bulgarian: Техникум по Икономика – Бургас) is a vocational technical college in the city of Bourgas (Bulgaria) specialized in the fields of Economics, Finance, Management and Accounting education. Established on October 1, 1905, it is the second oldest business school in Bulgaria.

Diplomas and academic programs

A typical academic program spans for ten semesters (5 years) and, upon successful completion of all academic requirements, a graduate receives a Diploma with a professional designation of "Specialist". The latter serves to indicate the special academic level that this type of institutions represent. Compared to the North American educational system, the diplomas issued by the school are a level higher than high school but lower than college diplomas.

Another distinctive feature of the program is the language requirements. All students are initially divided by general majors:

• Finance (Banking and Insurance)
• Marketing
• Management
• Economics
• Commerce
• Accounting (Bookkeeping)

and further sub-divided in their respective language specializations in English, French, or German (e.g. Major: Management with Business English). The first two semesters are heavily weighted against the foreign language educations with approximately 20 hours per week designated for lectures and practical training in some foreign language. Consequently, the program focuses on the business education and market simulation games.

The school participates in an innovative international simulation program, supported by Rotary International and CulturContact (Vienna), where students get to manage virtual companies in various industries. The competition is based on the modern Game Theory where the companies compete against similar entities established in other European business schools (in this case, mainly Austrian business schools).

History of the school

College of Commerce – Bourgas, 1950s

In the beginning of the 20th century, the Bulgarian economy is going through drastic changes characterized with swift economic growth and rising demand for specialized work force. At that time, the city of Bourgas establishes itself as one of the biggest industrial hubs in the country and the local business elite realizes that it needs to better re-align the interests of the capital with these of the academia. Thus, on September 7, 1905, with a decision #21360, The Ministry of Commerce and Agriculture expresses its support for the creation of the College of Commerce – Bourgas (Bulgarian: Търговска Гимназия – Бургас). In the first few years, the newly-established College of Commerce faces tough times with some limited government support and various spheres of influence trying to relocate the school to other cities. Georgi Balev, the head of the College at that time, supported by the academic body of the school, fiercely rejects such proposals and calls for increasing support from the local Chamber of the Industry and Commerce – Bourgas:

"...Being a major commercial sea port, Bourgas offers real-life conditions for our students to learn and practice (commerce). Here, our students, future citizens of this city, will acquaint themselves with the peculiarities of the marine trade and , in that matter, with the international commerce. Living in such an international city (Bourgas) will offer the students the chance to practice foreign languages, deal with real international trade contracts and all customs procedures associated with grain and live stock trade..."

Also, in his public statement, Mr. Balev calls for better facilities, libraries and educational materials. Eventually, the local Chamber of Industry and Commerce provides vital support of the young Alma Mater and the College of Commerce starts its journey to establish itself as the cornerstone of business education in the region and city of Bourgas.

Sports

The school has various sport programs with the most famous being – Basketball and Volleyball. The colors of the school's uniforms are black and yellow and the logo represents the first two letters from the school's name in Bulgarian (ИТ).

Under the head coach Constantin Peev, the basketball team of the College of Economics – Bourgas was undisputed champion of the city for the period 1992–1997 and won the third place in the 1993 National Finals.

External links

• College of Economics – Bourgas
• Bourgas Municipality