UP opens Ph.D. Education classes in Iloilo City

In collaboration with UP Visayas (UPV), the College of Education of UP Diliman will now be offering its first-ever Ph.D. in Education extension classes in the UP Visayas Iloilo City Campus.

“UP has always been looking for ways to expand and democratize access to its academic programs,” said UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, who chose the UP Iloilo City campus as the site for the classes. He added that these classes would help UP navigate the next normal—not a return to pre-pandemic UP life, but not just an extension of current UP life.

UP Visayas has had a professional education program since 1979. It is now working to improve this program. In line with the UP strategic plan (2017-2023) and UPV’s 3-year strategic plan under Chancellor Clement C. Camposano, UPV aims to broaden and strengthen its teacher education mandate in the Western Visayas Region.

Under UPV’s College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), the Division of Professional Education currently offers an M.Ed program. The UPD College of Education, under Dean Jerome T.  Buenviaje, earlier conducted a study to determine the feasibility of opening Ph.D. extension classes in the UPV Iloilo City Campus.

Dean Buenviaje remarked that “The Ph.D. program of UP College of Education in UPV Iloilo is a renaissance of the vision of our predecessors to provide access and bring closer the UP Teacher Education brand to the different regions of the country.”

This new development will enable UPV faculty members, teachers, and researchers from Iloilo City and nearby areas to enroll in a Ph.D. program without leaving their families. The extension program also positions UPV a step closer to eventually developing its Ph.D. in Education program in the future.

The UPD College of Education offers courses in Educational Administration, Chemistry Education, Curriculum Studies, Guidance, Language Education, Mathematics Education, Reading Education, Research and Evaluation, Social Studies Education, and Special Education.

UPV Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Philip Ian P. Padilla said that “this will capacitate the UPV Teaching Training Program, enabling more of our faculty members and other UPV MEd alumni to pursue a UP-branded graduate education.”

Chancellor Camposano added that “UP Visayas is in a region that is also an educational center. To exercise leadership as the national university, UP Visayas must address the needs of the education sector.”

The UPD College of Education faculty and alumni will now collaborate with UPV in developing a curriculum equipped with the newest technology and infrastructure that supports blended learning.