PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The requirements for the Tri-College program cover 9 units of core courses; 27 units of course work; qualifying examinations; language competency; and a dissertation worth 12 units. Students are asked to choose from among options A, B, and C below within the first year of study. In addition, a dissertation equivalent to 12 units is required. The Program of Study entails minimum coursework of 36 units, of which 9 units are in core courses (PS 301, PS 302, PS 399) and 27 units of courses are in the students' area of specialization, cognates or electives.

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: PhD Program in Philippine Studies

• 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 FOR PhD PROGRAM

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

APPLICATION DEADLINES

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, COURSES, ELECTIVES

What these are will depend on, among others, your dissertation topic. In some cases, you may have to take some MA-level courses.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS WITHIN THE PROGRAM

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.

AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION

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

TRICOLLEGE FORMS for CURRENT 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

Beginning in 2004, the Ph.D. Philippine Studies program of the Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman was formally incorporated with related programs of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy (CSSP) and the College of Arts and Letters (CAL). The joint program was established as the Tri-College PhD Philippine Studies Program, with the Asian Center tasked to serve as the central secretariat and headquarters. A Philippine Studies Council and a Coordinating Committee oversee management of the program, from curriculum review to dissertation defense and student relations

The TriCollege PhD Philippine Studies program is jointly administrated by three colleges of UP Diliman: Asian Center, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, and the College of Arts and Letters. The program is headed by the three deans of the said colleges.

• 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)

Secretariat

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

Contact Information

• Office: Room 203, Hall of Wisdom
• Telefax: 63.2.981.8500 local 3577
• 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

Vicinity Map

Please note that vehicles entering the GT-Toyota Asian Cultural Center grounds can only do so via the gate on Magsaysay Avenue that is near a UP guardhouse and a few meters away from Katipunan Avenue. A small gate for pedestrians on Guerrero St., which lies across the College of Law parking lot and a few meters away from a waiting shed, where the Ikot jeepney, and jeepneys from Philcoa and SM North pass by.  View an entire map of the UP Diliman campus.