Program Overview

Philippine Studies is an academic discipline encompassing the study of Filipino society and culture and its constituent ethnolinguistic groups. The Tri-College Ph.D. Philippine Studies Program is jointly offered by the Asian Center (AC), the College of Arts and Letters (CAL), and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy (CSSP) of the University of the philippines Diliman.

The program seeks to problematize the distinct identity of Filipinos, produce specialists capable of iidentifying and studying Philippine programs using multi- and interdisciplinary approaches and methodologies, expose students to different disciplinal perspectives, and impart a holistic approach to Philippine problems.

Overview of Course Requirements

Students are required to complete the following number of units:

• Core Courses: 9 units (3 courses)
• Major Area: 12 units (4 courses)
• Cognates: 9 units (3 courses)
• Electives: 6 units (2 courses)
• Dissertation: 12 units (4 courses)

Requirements: Tri-College PhD in Philippine Studies Program

• MA or MS degree from a recognized institution of learning
• Grade weighted average of 1.75 or better
• Letter of application for admission addressed to the Chair, Philippine Studies Council, UP Diliman. At present, the Chair is Joefe B. Santarita, PhD.
• Original AND Photocopy of transcript of records (TOR) of undergraduate and graduate studies*
• Three (3) letters of recommendation from former professors or experts from the applicant's discipline(s) /areas(s) of study**
• Duly accomplished Personal Data Form**
• A two-page description of the proposed dissertation with a multi-disciplinal orientation to be presented orally before the Admissions Committee
• Application fee of PhP 100 for Filipino Students and US$ 25 for foreign applicants, to be paid at the UP Cashier
• Two (2) passport-sized photos
• Original and photocopy of NSO Birth Certificate
• Original and photocopy of NSO Marriage Certificate (for married female applicants)*
• For foreign students, please consult other requirements in the "Foreign Applicants" tab on the left.

* Both original and photocopy will be submitted to the Office of the Head, Secretariat, Tri-College Ph.D. Philippine Studies Program, Room 203, Hall of Wisdom, Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman. 

Application Forms: PhD Program

• Personal Data Form
• Recommendation Form (PhD)
• Dissertation Proposal Form (PhD only)

Application Deadlines: PhD Program

Please sign up below and choose the application deadlines for the semester (s) you wish to apply (covers January 2020 to January 2022 intakes)

EMAIL ME THE DEADLINES WHEN THEY'RE ANNOUNCED

Coursework

Depending on their area of specialization, program of study, and dissertation, students will take their courses at and from the Asian Center, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, and/or the College of Arts and Letters. Download the PDF listing Philippine Studies courses offered at the Asian Center and detailing the programs of study.

Core Courses

All PhD students regardless of topic/field/dissertation must take the following courses:

• Philippine Studies (PS) 301
• Philippine Studies (PS) 302
• Philippine Studies (PS) 399

Majors, Cognates and Electives

What these are will depend on, among others, your dissertation topic. In some cases, you may have to take some MA-level courses. You can take them either at the Asian Center, the College of Arts and Letters, and/or the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy.

Courses @ UP Asian Center

You can view the list of Asian Studies and Philippine Studies courses offered at the UP Asian Center.

Courses @ College of Arts and Letters

View the graduate-level courses (MA and PhD) offered by the following departments within CAL.

• Department of English and Comparative Literature (MA)
• Department of English and Comparative Literature (PhD)
• Department of European Languages (PhD)

Contact the Department of Art Studies, Department of Filipino and Filipino Literature, and the Department of Speech Communication and Theater Arts to inquire about their course offerings.

Courses @ College of Social Sciences and Philosophy

 View the graduate-level courses (MA and PhD) offered by the following departments within CSSP.

• Department of Anthropology
• Department of Geography
• Department of History
• Department of Linguistics
• Department of Philosophy
• Department of Political Science
• Department of Psychology
• Department of Sociology

Areas of Specialization

Students must select their major area/discipline and cognates from the programs offered by the three colleges.

Academic Requirements: Beyond Coursework

Apart from coursework, the PhD program mandates the following

• Minimum General Weighted Average. The student must obtain  a general weighted average of 1.75 in the three core courses to be able to take the qualifying examinations.To remain in good standing, the student should maintain a commulative weighted average grade (CWAG) of 1.75 or better at the end of each academic year until completion of the Program of Study
  
  
• Language Examination. When necessary for the research proposal and as determine by the students program committee, the student will take a proficiency examination in a pertinent foreign and / or Philippine language  to be administered by an appropriate language department.
  
  
• Qualifying Examination. The student should pass a qualifying examination after completion of the core courses. Core courses should be taken within the first three semesters following the admission.
  
  
• Candidacy Examination. The student should pass a candidacy examination after completion of all coursework, including units stipulated under Residence Rules and upon satisfaction of CWAG requirements. The candidacy examination is a sit down examination to be taken in two to three sessions based on the students' discipline or area(s) of study jointly prepared by a panel of examiners. A student who fails the candidacy examination shall be allowed to re-take the examination within one year after the first examination. A second failure or failure to re-take the examination within the prescribed period shall  disqualify the student from the doctoral program.
  
  
• Dissertation Proposal Defense. Upon advancement to candidacy, the student shall defend his/her disseratation proposal before the dissertation adviser and two readers of the committee.
  
  
• Oral Defense of Dissertation. The student shall defend his/her dissertation before a committee composed of the adviser, two reader-critics, and two members, at least one of whom was a member of the dissertation proposal committee.
  
  
• Requirements for Graduation. After the student passes the oral defense, the student shall be qualified to apply for graduation.The applicant for graduation must submit five bound copies of the approved doctoral dissertation as a  prerequisite for graduation. The bound copies must conform to the standard format of the PhD program and carry the  approval of the members of the dissertation committee and acceptance of the dissertation by the Chair of the Philippine Studies Council.The applicant for graduation must submit  at least one pre-print paper on the approved doctoral dissertation, where applicable, as another prerequisite for graduation. After the graduation of the student shall have been recommended by the Philippine Studies Council, and approved by the Board of Regents, the student shall be officially conferred the doctoral degree.

TriCollege Forms for Students

These forms are not part of the documentary requirements in applying for the program. These are to be used by students already admitted to the program.

• Letter of Intent Comprehensive Exam

• Letter of Intent Qualifiying Exam

• Letter of Intent for Dissertation Proposal Defense

• Constitution of Dissertation Committee

Dissertations (2012 and Earlier)

View (7 MB) titles and authors of theses (MA) and dissertations (PhD) that have been in the UP Asian Center from 1963 to 2012.

Dissertations (2019)

The Mandukit of Sta. Ursula, Betis Pampanga: Carving Sacred Images, Negotiating Heritage (PhD)

BOQUIREN, Laya

The Fourth Horseman: Infectious Diseases and the Philippine American War (PhD)

LOZADA, Dave III

Pagtatahip-dunong: Pagsusuri ng mga Awit ng mga Kilusang Bayan sa Kalakhang Maynila mula 1986 hanggang 2016 na Mabisang Magagamit sa Pagtuturo ng Kamalayang Bayan (PhD)

MALABANAN, Joel

Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa sa Mindanao (PRMM): The Pursuit of an Alternative Revolutionary Strategy (PhD)

VILLASANTA, Felix

Dissertations (2018)

Facility-Based Delivery: Implikasyon sa Paghulma sa Pang-Inang Kalusugan (PhD)

ENCINARES-ENAJE, Ivy

Darna and the Intermediality of the Filipino Superhero Genre (PhD)

BRILLON, Cherish

The Bagani Spirit through the Moral Imagination of Philippine Army Officers: Strengthening Military Leadership based on the Agyu Epic (PhD)

EBRADA, Sandra

Ganting-Loob at Pamuling-Pamudod: Dalumat at Realidad sa Lipunang Tagalog ng Caciquismong Espanyol, 1571–1896 (PhD)

ENRIQUEZ, Edelyndon

The Concept of 'Ilmu' Pagkausug in the Jawi Materials from Sulu (PhD)

HAIRULLA, Munap

De(familial)izing the Family: Anak ng OFWs' Emergent Narratives on Parent-Child Communication, Religious Socialization, and Self-Perceived Identities (PhD)

PINZON, Mary Jannette 

Sapatero in Marikina City: Enacting Economies in the Philippines' Footwear Capital (PhD)

RAPISORA-LAGOS, Concepcion

Malasakit in a Public Utility Company: Expression of Kapwa, Buhay, Ginhawa, Dangal, and Tulong in the Workplace (PhD)

REYES, Jesusa

Dissertations (2015)

Retokadong Talambuhay, Manipuladong Salaysay: Ang Pananalambuhay kina Manuel M. Quezon at Ferdinand E. Marcos (PhD)

JAVAR, RODERICK

Filipino Philosophy in the Martial Traditions of the Philippines: The Dungan as Philosophic Principle (PhD)

MENDOZA, PERSEVILLE

Of Forgetting and Remembering: Social Memory, Commemoration, and the Jewish Refugees in the Philippines during the Second World War (PhD)

TIROL, JOSE MARIA

Tiangge Online: The Proliferation of Philippine Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the Internet (PhD)

TRIUMFO, CRISTINA

Pagtatanghal ng Bayan: Ang Pulitika sa Kultura ng mga Ritwal na Pananampalatayang Katoliko sa Angono, Rizal (PhD)

ZARATE, MARIA JOVITA

Dissertations (2014)

Indian Textiles in the Philippines: Contexts of Encounter and Traces of Practice (PhD)

CANTA, Marilyn

Dissertations (2013)

Kalinangang Pinanday sa Ginto: a Cultural History of Gold in Philippine Society (PhD)

GATBONTON, Esperanza

Baybayin: Makabayang Hibik sa Tinig ng Sinaunang Titik 1882–2012 (PhD)

LAPIZ, Eduardo

The Influence of the 1986 People Power Revolution on the Basic Education Curriculum: A Case Study of Two Private Secondary Schools in Metro Manila (PhD)

PANGANIBAN, Evangeline

Identity and Representation: The Life and Work of Five Philippine Chinese Neo-Realist Visual Artists, 1954–1975 (PhD)

YOUNG, Stewart

Dissertations (2012)

Koro at Lipunang Pilipino: An Inquiry into Social Capital and Human Development in Philippine Choirs (PhD)

DE LEON, Abigail

Pook at Pagsasakapangyarihan: Ang Kababaihan ng Tundo, 1946–2008 (PhD)

KIMUELL-GABRIEL, Nancy

Mutya: Pamamaybay sa Larangan ng Isang Diwa (PhD)

ODAL-DEVORA, Grace

Nalandangan: Kulturang Kapayapaan ng Inay Malinandang ng Talaandig Tungo sa Paglikhang Gabay sa Edukasyong Pangkapayapaan (PhD)

VILLALUZ, Geraldine, RSCJ

History of the Program

The Tri-College Ph.D. Philippine Studies Program traces its roots to two Diliman-based Ph.D. programs, instituted by the Asian Center and the then College of Arts and Sciences (CAS). In 1983, CAS split into three colleges. Two of the colleges that emerged, namely the College of Arts and Letters and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, continued to offer the degree separately.

In 1983, the UP Board of Regents initiated steps to integrate the three programs. A single curriculum with the same core courses for all three colleges was developed and instituted in 1993, but administered by each college separately, although the colleges coordinated in selected aspects of program administration. In 2000, a new initiative was launched by then Chancellor Emerlinda Roman to effect the full integration of the program under a single administrative structure. In 2004, the Tri-College Ph.D. Philippine Studies Program was established.

The Asian Center serves as the Secretariat of the Program.

The Tri-College program is headed by the TriCollege Council, which consists of the deans of the Asian Center, College of Arts and Letters, and College of Social Sciences and Philosophy; coordinators from each college; and the head of the Secretariat.

Deans

• Joefe B. Santarita, Ph.D, Dean, Asian Center (current chair)
• Bernadette Abrera, PhD, Dean, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy
• Amihan Bonifacio-Ramolete, PhD, Dean, College of Arts and Letters

Coordinators

• Noel Christian Moratilla, PhD (Asian Center)
• Nancy Kimuell Gabriel, PhD (College of Arts and Letters)
• Vicente Villan, PhD (College of Social Sciences and Philosophy)

Head of the Secretariat

• Prof. Rolando Talampas

Secretariat

• Prof. Rolando Talampas, Head
• Milagros Dumlao, Staff

Contact Information

• Office: Room 203, Hall of Wisdom
• Telefax: 63.2.8981.8500 local 3578
• Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• Address: Room 203, Hall of Wisdom, GT-Toyota Asian Cultural Center, University of the Philippines Diliman