Ermira Kalaj

Fakulteti Ekonomik, UNISHK

For almost a decade, an affiliated subdivision of the Faculty of Economy of the University of Tirana was integrated at the High Pedagogical Institute of Shkodra. It was on the 28th of May, 1991, that the then High Pedagogical Institute became the University of Shkodra and was named "Luigj Gurakuqi" after an honourable leading figure of the Albanian history who was born in Shkodra. \In 1993 the Faculty of Economy began life and offered solely the business-administration study program, as part of the single Business-Administration department. Formerly, this department operated as an academic unit under the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the University of Shkodra. \On the 13th of May, 1996, the Council of Ministers' Decree No. 332 accorded to the Faculty of Economy the status of the independent Faculty within the University of Shkodra. In 2000, the Ministry of Arts and Sciences approved the creation of the Finance and Accounting Department. One year later the Department of Marketing and Tourism was also created. It was the newly created Tourism academic program to implement the Bologna Declaration on 2005 for the first time in the history of the Faculty of Economy and this was achieved with the support of the German Rectors Conference. \In 2008 all three departments of the Faculty of Economy launched their Bachelor Degree studies according the three-year Bologna Declaration's system. \In 2009 the Faculty of Economy launched the Master of Sciences Degree in Stable Tourism academic programme. Two years later, the Master of Sciences Degree in Business-Administration, Finance and Accounting programmes were also launched.\In 2012 three more Professional Master Degree specialisations in Cultural Heritage and Tourism Management, Business-Administration, and Banking Finance were added to the academic programs offered by the Faculty of Economy.