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On Petitioned Classes

Classes not offered in the current semester may be petitioned for on condition that the number of students reaches ten (10) per class. A form for this purpose may be secured from the Graduate School Office. It is encouraged, however, that the number of students be maximized to twenty-five (25). Students petitioning such a class are given the opportunity to suggest a professor who will handle the course. However, a professor cannot handle petitioned courses more than twice if the same set of students is enrolled in the said petitioned courses.

On Special Classes

A course whose number of students remains less than ten (10) may be requested to be opened as a “Special Class, especially if this course has not been offered for a long time and is extremely needed by the students who are about to take the written comprehensive examinations or about to finish their coursework, and if the degree program offering such a subject has a very small population. The students, however, need to make extra payment, especially if the total number of students did not reach the required number. A formal request for this purpose must be submitted to the Graduate School Office for approval.

On Failing Grades

  1. The passing grade for each course enrolled in an M.A./M.S. program is 2.00, and 1.75 for each course enrolled in a doctoral program.
  2. Failure in two subjects (6 units) means automatic debarment of a student’s candidacy for a degree (both for M.A./M.S. or Ph.D./Ed.D. programs). Three WF (Withdrew without Permission) grades are a ground for debarment.
  3. A student who fails to meet the conditions for a probationary status is automatically debarred from earning any degree program.
  4. A student who incurred a failing grade does not have to re-enroll the same failed subject, except if it is a prerequisite/core course. The failed course will still be reflected in his/her TOR.

On Completing Incomplete Grades

An “Incomplete” grade must be completed within a period of one (1) academic year counted from the semester when the “INC” grade was incurred. After a year, the student is required to repeat the same course (not necessarily under the same professor) or get a failing grade of 5.00, or it remains ” INC ” and will earn no graduate credit whatsoever.

On Probationary Status

A student may be placed under probationary status if his/her general average and the required admission examination scores are not met or s/he is required to complete foundation/bridging courses.

A student on a probationary status can change to a regular status after initially completing eighteen (18) units (6 courses) of graduate studies with a general average not lower than 2.0. The student should not have incurred, in any of these six (6) initial courses, a grade lower than 2.0 for the M.A./M.S. program. For the doctoral degree program, there should be an average not lower than 1.75 for the eighteen (18) units and a grade for each of the six (6) subjects not lower than 1.75. Failure to meet the above mentioned requirements means termination of the student’s candidacy for any degree.

On Changing/Dropping of Courses

  1. A change of course may be effected by accomplishing the required form and submitting the same to the Dean/Faculty Secretary for approval. The said form shall later be submitted to the Office of Academic Affairs, the Treasurer’s Office, Accounting Department, Registrar’s Office, and Secretary-General’s Office for adjustment and record purposes. All these requests for change of courses must be made within the registration period as set by the Office of the Secretary-General and only upon valid reasons approved by the Dean or the Faculty Secretary.
  2. Withdrawal of enrollment or dropping of courses may be effected on or before the scheduled preliminary examinations as set by the Office of the University Secretary-General and by accomplishing the required form. Dropping of all courses may be entertained any time before the final examinations. Courses changed outside of these provisions shall not be credited. (Please see the Treasurer’s Office for the schedule of refund.)
  3. A student who intends to re-enroll after dropping the course may do so provided that s/he secures and presents to the Graduate School Office a written letter from the UST Registrar stating therein that s/he is still in good standing, i.e., s/he has not yet been issued any honorable dismissal.

On Debarment

Debarment of a student shall be subject to the rules on debarment as provided for by the UST Graduate Student Handbook. Misconducts, including forging official documents (e.g., transcript of records), plagiarism, cheating during examinations, and any action or behavior that is unbecoming of a Thomasian are considered grounds for debarment.

On Plagiarism

  1. Definition

Plagiarism, which is the willful claim of the words and ideas of another without attribution, is a serious academic offense in the UST Graduate School. To ensure proper scholarly conduct aimed to protect the intellectual property rights of others, the Graduate School subscribes to the guidelines contained in the sixth edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (Section 1.10, Plagiarism). Plagiarism charges can be brought against a student for the following offenses:

  • Common instances of plagiarism applies, but is not limited, to the following: (a) theses and dissertations; (b) written reports, term papers, or critiques submitted as part of a course requirement; and (c) manuscripts submitted to university-wide, national, or international publications;
  • Substantial plagiarism involving paraphrasing and just changing the patterns of the text without adequate documentation (http://www.duplichecker.com/plagiarismtypes.asp);
  • Complete plagiarism which involves verbatim copying of someone else’s work without documentation;
  • Submitting a purchased, prewritten paper, either by mail or electronically; and
  • Simply translating texts to another language without proper documentation.
  1. Penalties for Plagiarism 

The following penalties may be applied for cases of plagiarism, proven after due process.

  • Substantial plagiarism: The minimum penalty for violations under Section 1.1 for a first offense: Substantial plagiarism is receiving a grade of zero for the assignment. A more severe penalty may be imposed consistent with the circumstance. Second offense results in the cancellation of enrollment for the remainder of the current academic semester. If the thesis/dissertation is substantially plagiarized, the penalty is resubmission of another paper on a new topic.
  • Complete Plagiarism: Violations in this category include both violations under Sections 3 and 1.4. This may result in expulsion from the Graduate School.
  1. Notification of Plagiarism 
  • Reporting Alleged Violation: A faculty member who observed or conveyed possible violations of Section 1.2-1.4 shall report the allegation to the Graduate School administration which will determine and initiate the course of investigation on the allegation.
  • Academic Integrity Committee (AIC): The four-member Academic Integrity Committee composed of the Faculty Secretary, OGR Director, program lead, and a faculty member will have the responsibility of accepting formal complaints, assessing and deciding the severity of sanction for violations committed under Sections 1.2-1.3. The AIC shall formally notify the student in writing, the allegations, due process involved, concluding decisions and pertinent penalty to be imposed, resulting from the investigations.
  • Academic Integrity Appeals Committee (AIAC): The Academic Integrity Appeals Committee composed of the Faculty Council members shall evaluate all appeals pertaining to the concluding decisions of the AIC. Appeals on the decisions of the AIC should be submitted to the AIAC within ten (10) working days upon receipt of the decision. All relevant data in the final decisions of the AIAC will be maintained in the student file. The decision of the AIAC will be considered final and executory.

Note: Those writing their theses/dissertations are required to subject their papers to the TURNITIN software at the Office for Graduate Research.

On Crediting of Subjects Taken in Other Schools by a Transferee

  1. For purposes of crediting subjects completed in another university by a student who wishes to transfer to the UST Graduate School, only six (6) units for the master’s program and twelve (12) units for the doctoral program shall be credited.
  2. Transferees, whether local or foreign, are required to submit to the Registrar’s Office an honorable dismissal from the school in which they last enrolled. In addition, a foreign transferee must pay the out-of -state fee prior to formal enrollment.
  3. A transferee (local or foreign) may shift to another program (both for M.A./M.S. and Ph.D./Ed.D.). A form for this may be secured from the Graduate School Office. However, with regard to foreign students, the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation (BID) requires that change of programs be referred to it for proper action.

On Cross-Enrollment

The Graduate School may accept cross-enrollees subject to the approval of the Registrar’s Office. As to a UST Graduate School student who wishes to cross-enroll in other leading universities as approved by the Dean, the following requirements must be met:

  • Courses to be cross-enrolled must not be offered in the Graduate School at the current semester the request is made;
  • The maximum units for cross-enrollment is six (6) units or (2 courses) only; and
  • Prerequisite, core, and Philosophy courses must not be cross-enrolled.

On Absences/Tardiness/Dismissal Time

  1. A student who has incurred twelve (12) hours of absences is automatically dropped from the course and receives the equivalent grade of WF (Withdrew without Permission). For example, if a student is absent in a three-unit course that meets only once a week, the student automatically incurs one (1) absence equivalent to three (3) hours. If the student is absent twice in a three-unit course that meets once a week, the student automatically incurs two (2) absences equivalent to six (6) hours.
  2. If a professor handles a three-unit course once a week and teaches for three straight hours, s/he may end his class thirty (30) minutes before the time. Otherwise, an internal arrangement may be made between the professor and the students in such a way that the students are accorded a 30-minute break.
  3. Members of the faculty are expected to start their classes on time. However, unavoidable circumstances may cause them to be late for class. In such cases, the following guidelines are to be observed:
    • For a three-hour class, students should not leave until after 45 minutes.
    • For a two-hour class, students should wait for 25 minutes.
    • Students may be marked absent by a professor if they leave their classes earlier than the prescribed time without permission.

On Overloading

  1. The maximum academic load for students during a regular semester is twelve (12) units. The exceptions are as follows:
    1. Those under scholarship - 18 units
    2. Those about to graduate – 15 units
  2. Under no circumstances is a student allowed extra load without prior approval by the University Secretary-General upon the recommendation of the Registrar’s Office and the Office of the Dean.
  3. The maximum load for students during Summer Terms (Third Terms) is nine (9) units.

On Penalty/Reactivation Courses

  1. The residency requirement for a master’s degree is five (5) years. For the Ph.D./Ed.D. degree, it is seven (7) years. Students who overstayed beyond the maximum residency are required to take reactivation courses. If a student-returnee has been away beyond the residency requirements, s/he has to take reactivation courses equivalent to three (3) units per year up to a maximum of five (5) years.
    Year beyond residency Reactivation units
    1 year 3 units
    2 years 6 units
    3 years 9 units
    4 years 12 units
    5 years 15 units
  2. The reactivation course requirements are taken beyond/over and above the regular requirements of the program. It is also suggested that the reactivation courses to be taken are related to the student’s thesis or dissertation topic.
  3. An M.A./M.S. student may be allowed a maximum of ten (10) years to complete a degree. Beyond ten years, the student will have to repeat the entire program. A Ph.D./Ed.D. student may be allowed a maximum of twelve (12) years to complete the degree. Beyond 12 years, the student will have to repeat the entire program.

On Shifting

Shifting is described as transferring from one program to another in the same level. Hence, a student in a diploma/certificate program cannot shift to a master’s program. Otherwise, the student must go through the usual admission process for entry into the master’s program.
Shifting from non-thesis track to thesis track or vice-versa or from one degree program to another must be done immediately after completing the student’s first term in the UST Graduate School. Failure to do so means that the student will complete or finish the track or program s/he enrolled in upon admission to the UST Graduate School.
A student shifting to another degree program that is not aligned with his/her bachelor’s/master’s degree will be asked to take the required foundation courses.

On Diploma Application and Submission of the Final Copy of Thesis/Dissertation

A student may apply for his/her diploma at the Registrar’s Office only after the final copies of the thesis/dissertation have been submitted to the UST Graduate School Office.To qualify for graduation, the student should submit the revised/final copy of his/her thesis/dissertation on the deadline set by the Office for Graduate Research

On Official Enrollment

  1. No student shall be admitted to any class without the registration form validated by the Treasurer’s Office. If the name(s) of the student(s) do not appear in the list of officially enrolled students, it is the responsibility of the professor to immediately report such a concern to the Graduate School Office and to call the attention of the concerned student(s).
  2. If a student is unable to settle his/her financial obligation (tuition) after the enrollment period set by the Office of the Registrar and the Secretary-General’s Office and if his/her name does not appear in the list of officially enrolled students but continues to attend classes, he/she will neither receive any credit or grade nor be endorsed to the Office of the Registrar and Secretary-General’s Office for consideration.

On Sitting In

A student who wishes to sit-in in a class must submit to the Dean a written request. S/he can sit in only when the approval of the Dean and the concerned faculty member has been sought.

On Classroom Policies

  1. A classroom activity always begins with an Opening Prayer and ends with a Closing Prayer. Students are encouraged to lead the prayers.  In the spirit of ecumenism, non-Catholics are invited to lead the prayers in their own way.
  2. A faculty member must check student attendance, the manner of which is left to his/her discretion.
  3. All electronic devices, such as mobile phones, must be switched off or put on mute mode during class hours, seminars, and the like. 
  4. On the first day of classes, besides the important reminders in the Graduate Student Handbook, the faculty member is expected to explain the coverage of his/her course, its description, general/specific objectives, time distribution (54 hours/semester), requirements, and grading system.
  5. Students must submit final course requirements on time, for faculty members should submit the grade sheet(s) 10 days after the last day of final examinations. Otherwise, students will receive an incomplete grade.
  6. For campus security reasons, all students should be out of campus by 10:00 p.m.

On Cocurricular Activities

In case an outside cocurricular activity is necessary, e.g., an excursion or field trip, the professor and the members of the class must first secure the permission of the Dean by filling out a form (waiver) not later than a week prior to the activity. Also, the following guidelines for educational tours and/or field trips must be observed:

  1. Students are required to submit a medical clearance from the Health Service before joining educational tours and/or field trips.
  2. Students who cannot join the educational tours and/or field trips shall be given a parallel school activity/task which provides opportunities for acquisition of knowledge and competencies. Learners with special needs, such as Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), shall be given due consideration.
  3. Students are required to attend the briefing and debriefing program before and/or after the educational tours and field trips. Briefing shall include, among others, precautionary measures that will be undertaken with the concerned students. Debriefing program should include among others, reflection of the learning experiences duly documented in the learning journal.

On Dress Code

Students may come to school dressed according to their individual tastes but are required to adhere to the conventions of professional grooming and are discouraged from wearing clothes considered offensive to the sensibility of other members of the academic community. Hence, the prescribed attire is smart casual. Walking shorts, slippers, and miniskirts are prohibited.

On Other Services of the Graduate School

  1. Any bona fide student and faculty member of the Graduate School may avail of the services, such as issuance of certificates, permission to use library facilities, and printing of official letters. However, a request form must be filled out and minimal fees must be paid at the Accounting Office. The release of requested documents depends on the bulk of what is to be done.  It is advisable that the office staff is given at least a week to prepare the said documents.
  2. The use of educational technology units, such as multimedia tools, computers, TV/DVD/VCD, and the Computer/LRU Room must be properly requested a week before actual use. Any request must be properly entered in a reservation form meant for this purpose.  A borrowed unit/equipment must be returned to the Office immediately after use.
  3. The use of classrooms, Tanghalang Quirino, Bulwagang Rosacia-Rogge, Roque Science Laboratories, SWR, or the Blaylock Hall must be formally requested by filling out a form which may be secured from the UST Graduate School Office.
  4. Whiteboards must be cleaned properly after use, and all equipment must be returned promptly.  Lights and air-conditioning units must be switched off after use.