New Programs at UPOU

The UPOU continues to develop and offer new degree programs offered in the distance mode.  In the last meeting of the UPOU University Council, said Council approved the institution and offering of five new degree programs, as follows:

The Bachelor of Educational Studies focuses on two major areas: alternative education systems (referring to non-mainstream or non-traditional approaches to teaching and learning), and instructional design and technology (to focus on the need for educators who have mastery of the systematic use of technology to address educational challenges both in school-based and alternative learning environments).  The BES has a total of 141 units.

The Diploma in International Health is ladderized with the Master of International Health.  The DIH intends to develop in the students the capability to design health programs that deal with global health problems, implement services that work in global contexts, evaluate health development programs and strategies across various settings internationally, and engage in effective collaboration with international organizations.  The MIH shall develop in the students these same goals and on top of these provide the students opportunities to contribute to the body of knowledge of the evolving discipline called international health.  The DIH has 24 units (all course work), and the MIH 36 units (which includes a 6-unit thesis).

The Diploma in Land Valuation and Management is ladderized with the Master of Land Valuation and Management.  The DLVM intends to develop professional valuers or assessors and property managers whose standards of practice are globally competitive, and who understand fully the potentials of land valuation and management as essential components of sustainable development.  At the MLVM level, these same goals shall be achieved and on top of these graduates of the MLVM shall be able to contribute to the body of knowledge of land valuation and management as a developing discipline.  The DLVM has a total of 24 units (course work), and the MLVM 36 units (including a 6-unit thesis).

On top of these, five stand alone credit courses were approved for institution, as well.  These courses are: ASEAN Studies; Physical Education Course in Chess; Communication and Media in the ASEAN Context; Advanced ASEAN Studies; and Education, Health, and Social Welfare in ASEAN.  All these shall be offered beginning in the semester starting in June 2011.

To date, therefore, UPOU offers  three (3) undergraduate degree programs (AA, BAMS, BES), one post-baccalaureate Certificate Program (GCDE), ten (10) diploma programs (DCS, DENRM, DIH, DLLE, DLVM, DMT, DRDM,DST, DSSE, DSW), 13 master’s degree programs (MAED [LLE, SSE], MAN, MDC, MDE, MENRM, MHA, MIH, MIS, MLVM, MPH, MPM, MSW) , and two (2) doctorate degree programs (PhD in Education, and Doctor of Communication).  Besides, the UPOU also offers nonformal courses and certification programs, some of which are conducted f2f during the summer session.

One program that I’d like to focus on is the Doctor of Communication (DComm) Program, just one year old (we started offering this Program last year only).  We’ve had only two admission batches – the first group of 14 students who began their program last year, and another batch (comprised of 20) who’ll begin theirs in June 2011.  That means we now have a total of 34 students  in the DComm Program.  We expect to evaluate, on the average, at least 15 applicants each year.  Assuming that all these are admitted to the DComm Program, we are looking at a steadily growing program, increasing student population by 15 each year.  The number of applicants to DComm will eventually taper off, but we expect an increasing interest in the program over the next five years, at least.  We hope to plateau at 50 ongoing DComm students at any given semester during the next 5-10 years. 

Inquiries from interested individuals in various universities in the Philippines continue to come in, and we’re beginning to get inquiries from higher education institutions in other countries.    For example, I’ve just been informed by one of our faculty members in DComm, who’s also a member of the DComm Admissions Committee, and who’s just back from a communication conference at STOU in Bangkok, that she was approached by the Dean of STOU’s School of Communication Arts.  Said Dean, who graduated from the PhD Program of UPLB-CDC years back (she happens to have been my advisee) informed her that three of her faculty members intend to apply for admission to the DComm Program.  We also have other inquiries from other countries a well. 

Since, evaluation of applications for the semester starting in June 2011 is over, all applications from hereon shall be evaluated past the January 31^st deadline.   Any admissions arising from such evaluation shall begin in June 2012.

By the way, UPOU will conduct the first DComm Orientation Program on 19-20 May 2011 at the UPOU Headquarters in Los Baños.  We’re testing if this F2F orientation would be helpful to DComm students.  We’ll also study the possibility of doing this orientation online in the future.  For now, we hope that ongoing and incoming DComm students would find meeting with their professors and academic supervisors face-to-face beneficial.  This orientation would also be a chance for the DComm students to further clarify their research agenda while enrolled in he DComm Program.    

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UPOU Graduates more than 200

On 7 May 2011, more than 200 shall receive their respective diplomas from the UPOU.  The UPOU graduates shall be awarded their academic degrees by UP President Alfredo Pascual.  These degrees range from the Associate in Arts, Bachelor’s degrees, Certificate in Distance Education, Diploma degrees, Master’s degrees, and the PhD in education.  The UPOU Graduation ceremonies shall begin at 6pm at the UPOU Oblation Park, followed by Graduation Dinner at the UPOU Headquarters.  It’ll be nice meeting my students, many of them for the first time.

UP President Pascual shall be UPOU’s Graduation Speaker, and I’m informed that all the system officials shall be present.



UPOU Oblation Park, cite of graduation
ceremonies on 7 May 2011.

Those attending the graduation ceremonies would be well-advised to bring with them dinking water.  True, the Oblation Park is an open amphitheater outdoor area but it will still be generally hot late afternoon until early evening time.

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