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A. M.A./M.S. Degree
- The M.A./M.S. Graduate School program requires two (2) prerequisite courses: Research Methodology and St. Thomas and Critical Thinking.
- Generally, the total number of academic units required includes: Prerequisites (6 units): Research Methodology and St. Thomas and Critical Thinking; Core (9 units); Specialization (15 units); Cognate (3 units); Thesis Writing I-Thesis Proposal (3 units); Thesis Writing II-Research Colloquium (3 units); and Thesis III-Thesis Oral Defense (3 units). The distribution and total number of units in some cases may vary depending on what the discipline requires. All in all, an M.A./M.S. candidate must have earned a total of forty-two (42) units of academic courses.
- As a general rule, an M.A./M.S. degree program may be completed within two (2) years, i.e., enrolled for at least four (4) consecutive semesters. If a student is enrolled only during Summer Terms (Third Term), a minimum of five (5) terms is required. The maximum residency for the master’s degree is five (5) years. Students who overstayed beyond the maximum residency must take reactivation courses. (Please refer to the provisions regarding reactivation courses). Failure to finish the degree in ten (10) years means that the candidate must start anew or repeat the entire master’s program.
B. Ph.D/Ed.D. Degree
- Generally, Ph.D. or doctoral degree programs require: three (3) Philosophy Courses: Philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas, Philosophy of Values, and Philosophy of Human Person; and six (6) noncredit units of foreign language courses.
- The total number of units required includes: Philosophy courses (9 units), Specialization (30 units), Cognates (6 units), Dissertation Writing I-Dissertation Proposal (6 units), Dissertation Writing II- Research Colloquium and Publication (3 units), Dissertation Writing III-Dissertation Oral Defense (3 units), and Foreign Language courses (6) units). A doctoral candidate must have earned a total of fifty-seven (57) academic units and six (6) units of foreign language courses.
- A candidate may take his/her foreign language courses in other schools or language institutes accredited by the UST Graduate School, such as Instituto Cervantes and Alliance Francaise de Manille provided that the number of hours (108 hours) is met and all courses are passed. A certificate indicating that the candidate passed the courses must be presented to the Graduate School and the Registrar’s Office immediately after completing foreign language courses.
- As a general rule, a doctoral degree program may be completed in five (5) years, i.e., enrolled for at least ten (10) semesters. The maximum residency for the doctoral program is seven (7) years. If a student is enrolled only during Third Term (previously Summer Term), a minimum of six (6) terms is required. Students who overstayed beyond the maximum residency must take reactivation courses. (Please refer to the provisions regarding reactivation courses). Failure to finish the degree in twelve years (12) means that the candidate must start anew or repeat the entire doctoral program.
- Residency period is computed counting from the very first enrollment to the very last enrollment of the student. Leave of absence is considered part of the residency period. When a student shifts to another degree, his/her residency is computed counting from the very first enrollment in his/her first degree program to the very last enrollment in his/her second degree program.
C. Grading System
The UST Graduate School observes the following grading system:
UST Graduate School Grading System
| 1.00 | 95 and above |
| 1.25 | 92.5 – 94.9 |
| 1.50 | 90 – 92.4 |
| 1.75 | 87.5 – 89.9 |
| 2.00 | 85 – 87.4 |
| Below 1.75 | Failed (for any doctoral degree) |
| Below 2.00 | Failed ( for any master’s degree) |
| INC | Incomplete |
| WF | Withdrew without permission-Failed |
| WP | Withdrew with permission |
D. Number of Units Required
The number of units required for the M.A./M.S. and Ph.D./Ed.D programs under the 2014 Revised Curriculum is as follows:
| M.A./M.S. | Ph.D./Ed.D. | |
| Prerequisite | 6/3 | 9 |
| Foreign Language | — | (6) |
| Core | 9 | |
| Specialization | 15 | 30 |
| Cognate(s) | 3/6 | 6 |
| Thesis Writing I | 3 | – |
| Thesis Writing II | 3 | – |
| Thesis Writing III | 3 | – |
| Dissertation Writing I | — | 6 |
| Dissertation Writing II | — | 3 |
| Dissertation Writing III | — | 3 |
| TOTAL Units | 42 | 57 |
Please note that the distribution of units in the specialization and core courses may vary depending on the requirements of the program. However, the total number of units required for the master’s and doctoral programs as stated above must be fulfilled.