Guidelines and Policies

For Local Applicants

• A photocopy (but duly certified true copy) of the latest Transcript of Records (TOR).
• One (1) recent colored passport-size photo (taken this year only; with the applicant’s name on it).
• Document(s) attesting to passing a professional examination (e.g., bar, licensure, etc.) or being a scholar of any agency or being a member of any religious congregation (if applicable).
• Duly accomplished application form.
• Two (2) referral forms duly accomplished by the applicant’s immediate superiors or former professors.
• Certificate of employment from former or present employer (if applicable).
• Admission examination (only for applicants whose grade point average (GPA) is lower than 2.0 and 1.35 for M.A./M.S. and Ph.D./Ed.D., respectively).
• Physical examination and drug test (only successful applicants are required to undergo mandatory drug testing prior to formal enrollment).
• A hard copy of the master’s thesis (only for Ph.D./Ed.D. applicants who are graduates of other universities).

For Foreign Applicants

• A photocopy (but duly certified true copy) of the latest Transcript of Records (TOR).
• One (1) recent colored passport-size photo (taken within the last 6 months).
• Document(s) attesting to passing a professional examination (e.g., bar, licensure, etc.) or being a scholar of any agency or being a member of any religious congregation (if applicable).
• Duly accomplished application form.
• One referral form duly accomplished by the applicant’s immediate superiors at work or former professors.
• Certificate of employment from former or present employer.
• Admission examination (only for applicants whose grade point average (GPA) is lower than 2.0 and 1.35 for M.A./M.S. and Ph.D./Ed.D., respectively).
• Physical examination and drug test (only successful applicants are required to undergo mandatory drug testing prior to formal enrollment).
• A hard copy of the master’s thesis (only for Ph.D./Ed.D. applicants who are graduates of other universities).
• TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) certificate (Total TOEFL ITP Score: 543 and above; CEFR Level: B2 or Independent User - Vantage) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System) academic certificate (Required score: Band 7 in all areas and Band 7 in overall score).
  Note: Only applicants coming from EFL (English as a Foreign Language) countries such as China, Taiwan, Korea, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Indonesia, etc. are required to submit TOEFL or IELTS certificates.
• Visa requirements (Please see the Registrar’s Office.)
• Out-of-state fee (to be paid at the UST Treasurer's Office).

Specific to Programs: All 65 programs under the Graduate School may have their distinct additional requirements based on the CHED Memorandum Order per discipline and on the Scholarship Programs applicable.

1. Accomplished admission requirements must be personally or electronically submitted to the UST Graduate School Office during the application period or at least a month before enrollment starts. Documents, such as transcripts of records (TOR) and application forms submitted via electronic mail, are accepted initially, but hard copies should be submitted later, if accepted. Foreign applicants may send the admission requirements via international courier services.

2. In general, an applicant with a general weighted average not lower than 2.00 (85%) or B in the bachelor's program may be admitted to an M.A./M.S. program. An applicant with a general weighted average not lower than 1.35 (92%) or A- in the master’s program may be admitted to a Ph.D./Ed.D. program.

3. Based on the results of the admission evaluation, a student may be required to take Advanced Academic Writing (3 units) as a prerequisite course to the program, subject to the following:

• A student unable to meet the cut-off for the qualifying examination or the required grade point average (GPA) is required to enroll in Advanced Academic Writing (3 units) not later than the second term of enrollment.
• A student required to enroll in Advanced Academic Writing may proceed to other courses in the program, i.e., other courses may be enrolled simultaneously with Advanced Academic Writing. The student is required to retake Advanced Academic Writing if he/she receives a failing grade during his/her first enrollment in the said course.
• The course Advanced Academic Writing cannot be waived as a requirement for the completion of the program.

4. Passing the bar/board examinations is a requirement for admission to M.A. in Nursing, M.S. Pharmacy, and any other degree programs that require board examinations.

A foreign student, whether new or transferee, must pay the out-of-state fee, i.e., $2,750.00 for the master’s program and $3,500.00 for the doctoral program before formally enrolling. Payment of this fee may be in full or on an installment basis. A student who wishes to pay in installments may pay the out-of-state fee during the entire duration of the program.

He/She, however, cannot graduate without a certificate from the Treasurer’s Office that he/she has settled the amount in full. The fee may be paid in dollars or in pesos.

If a foreign student discontinues his/her studies for whatever reason(s) during the first term of entry, the rule on dropping of courses is observed to determine adjustment of fees. Moreover, if a foreign student suddenly “disappeared” for whatever reason(s) and fails to settle his/her accounts, no official record of his/her academic performance shall be released.

There are some M.A./M.S. programs that require the applicant to take some undergraduate (foundation) courses as preparatory courses if his/her bachelor's degree is not aligned with the M.A./M.S. degree s/he wish to pursue. A student who wishes to pursue an M.A./M.S. degree not aligned with his/her bachelor's degree should finish twelve (12) to eighteen (18) units of foundation courses in specialization (with grades not lower than 2.0 whether the courses were taken at the undergraduate or graduate level), subject to the approval of the program lead.

Those in the M.B.A. and M.S.C. programs whose undergraduate degree is non-business or non-economics must take additional nine (9) units of foundation courses, namely, Principles of Economics, Principles of Accounting, and Principles of Marketing. Additional business courses may be required even for those who have undergraduate business degrees.

However, there are master’s degree programs that require a corresponding identical bachelor’s degree, e.g., music, nursing.

Also, graduates of professional degrees, like but not limited to M.D., D.M.D., D.V.M., O.D., or J.D., must first take and obtain a master’s degree prior to their application to the doctoral degree program.

The M.B.A., M.S.H.R.M., and any other management-related graduate programs require at least two (2) years of work experience prior to admission into the program.

If an applicant wishes to pursue a doctoral degree not aligned with the M.A./M.S. degree already earned, he/she will be required to take additional twelve (12) to eighteen (18) M.A./M.S. foundation courses.

Second Doctoral Degree: An applicant who already possesses a doctoral degree and wishes to pursue a second doctoral degree must fulfill the following requirements: If the desired second doctoral degree program is not related to the previous master’s and previous doctoral degrees, the applicant is required to take at least 24 academic units in the master’s level, equivalent to nine (9) units of core and fifteen (15) units of specialization courses over and above the regular requirements for the doctoral degree. If the doctoral degree he/she is applying for is related or allied to the master’s or doctoral degree completed, the applicant is permitted to proceed to taking the courses required in the new program.

Second Master's Degree: An applicant who wishes to pursue another M.A./M.S. or Ph.D./Ed.D. at the UST Graduate School must formally apply in the desired master’s/doctoral program. Prerequisite courses completed in the first master’s program, such as St. Thomas Aquinas and Critical Thinking and Research Methodology, need not be taken again, but the applicant must take additional or parallel major/prerequisite courses in lieu of the prerequisite subjects completed before.

Non-Thesis to Doctoral Bridging: Graduates of non-thesis track programs at the UST Graduate School or any other universities who wish to pursue doctoral studies at UST are required to enroll in nine (9) units of Thesis Writing (TW1, TW2, and TW3) as a bridging course. At the end of the course, they will have to submit a thesis proposal, present a completed thesis in a colloquium, and orally defend it before a panel of examiners. A student is given a maximum of two terms, i.e., one academic year, to complete the bridging course.

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); 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). All in all, an M.A./M.S. candidate must have earned a total of forty-two (42) units of academic courses.
• Generally, an M.A./M.S. degree program may be completed within two (2) years. The maximum residency for the master’s degree is five (5) years. Failure to finish the degree in ten (10) years means that the candidate must start anew.

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 to sixty (57-60) academic units.
• A candidate may take his/her foreign language courses in other schools or language institutes accredited by the UST Graduate School provided that the number of hours (108 hours) is met.
• As a general rule, a doctoral degree program may be completed in four to five (4-5) years. The maximum residency for the doctoral program is seven (7) years. Failure to finish the degree in twelve years (12) means that the candidate must start anew.

UST Graduate School Grading System

Graduation Honors

The honors that will be reflected in the diploma are arrived at after getting the average of 1/3 of the candidate's academic performance (70% of the general average in academic courses and 30% of the general average in written comprehensive examinations), 1/3 of the grade for the thesis/dissertation manuscript, and 1/3 of the grade for the thesis/dissertation oral presentation.

A candidate for graduation with honors must have completed the program within the allowable residency period. Those whose residency has lapsed are automatically disqualified from honors.

A candidate for graduation with honors in the master’s program must not have acquired a grade of incomplete (INC) or WF or a grade below 1.75, while a candidate for graduation with honors in the doctoral program should not have acquired a grade of incomplete or WF or a grade below 1.5 in any academic course.

Grade Range for Graduation Honors (Ph.D./Ed.D. and M.A./M.S. Thesis Track)

• 1.00 – 1.05 Summa Cum Laude
• 1.06 – 1.15 Magna Cum Laude
• 1.16 – 1.25 Cum Laude

On Petitioned Classes: Classes not offered in the current term may be petitioned for on condition that the number of students reaches ten (10) per class. It is encouraged, however, that the number of students be maximized to twenty-five (25). A professor cannot handle petitioned courses more than twice if the same set of students is enrolled.

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. The students, however, need to make extra payment.

On Failing Grades

Failure in two courses (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 grounds for debarment.

A student who incurred a failing grade does not have to re-enroll in the same failed course, 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" (“INC”) grade must be completed within a period of one (1) term counted from the term when the "INC" grade was incurred. After a term, the student is required to repeat the same course or get a failing grade of 5.00.

Receiving three (3) INC grades is a ground for debarment or termination of candidacy.

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. 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 1.75 for master's and 1.5 for doctoral. Failure to meet these requirements means termination of candidacy.

On Changing/Dropping of Courses: Withdrawal of enrollment or dropping of courses must be accomplished on or before the scheduled preliminary examinations. Dropping of all courses may be entertained at any time before the final examinations.

On Shifting: Shifting is described as transferring from one program to another at the same level. Shifting from the non-thesis track to the thesis track or vice versa must be done immediately after completing the student’s first term in the UST Graduate School.

On Crediting of Courses by a Transferee: Only six (6) units for the master’s program and twelve (12) units for the doctoral program shall be credited for subjects completed in another university.

On Cross-Enrollment: A UST Graduate School student who wishes to cross-enroll in other leading universities must ensure the courses are not offered in the Graduate School in the current term. The maximum units for cross-enrollment is six (6) units or (2 courses) only.

All students (master’s and doctoral) are required to take the Written Comprehensive Examinations (WCE) prior to their enrollment in Thesis Writing I (TWI) or Dissertation Writing I (DWI).

To qualify for WCE, a student must have earned the following academic course requirements: 30 Academic Units for M.A./M.S. and 39 Academic Units for Ph.D./Ed.D.

The passing grade for WCE is 2.00 for an M.A./M.S. program and 1.75 for a doctoral program. If a student failed in any course, he/she is required to retake the examination in the said course for the second and last time. Failure in the retake means termination of student candidacy.

The WCE is valid only up to three (3) years beyond the allowed residency for the master’s and doctoral programs.

On Absences/Tardiness: 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).

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: For a three-hour class, students should not leave until after 45 minutes. For a two-hour class, students should wait for 25 minutes.

On Overloading: The maximum academic load for students during a regular semester is twelve (12) units. The exceptions are: Those under scholarship - 18 units; Those about to graduate - 15 units. The maximum load for students during Special Terms (Third Terms) is nine (9) units.

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 equivalent to three (3) units per year up to a maximum of five (5) years.

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.

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. The Graduate School subscribes to the guidelines contained in the sixth edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA).

Substantial Plagiarism: Involving paraphrasing and just changing the patterns of the text without adequate documentation. The minimum penalty for a first offense is receiving a grade of zero for the assignment. Second offense results in the cancellation of enrollment. If the thesis/dissertation is substantially plagiarized, the penalty is resubmission of another paper on a new topic.

Complete Plagiarism: Verbatim copying of someone else’s work without documentation or submitting a purchased, prewritten paper. This may result in expulsion from the Graduate School.

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

On Classroom Policies: A classroom activity always begins with an Opening Prayer and ends with a Closing Prayer. All electronic devices, such as mobile phones, must be switched off or put on mute mode during class hours. For campus security reasons, all students should be off campus by 10:00 p.m.

On Co-Curricular Activities: In case an outside co-curricular 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. Students are required to submit a medical clearance from the Health Service before joining.