Wherever I am, the world comes after me.
It offers me its busyness. It does not believe that I do not want it.
Now I understand why the old poets of China went so far
and high into the mountains, then crept into the pale mist.
"The Old Poets of China" by Mary Oliver

Application Now Open! | Second Semester, AY 2024-2025

Details
The UP Asian Center is now accepting applications for the January/February 2025 intake (Second Semester, Academic Year 2024-2025). The deadline for application is on 30 November 2024. 

APPLICATION PERIOD NOW OPEN!

The application for the Asian Center’s graduate programs is NOW OPEN. The deadline for application is on 30 November 2024.
For more information about the requirements and instructions, please visit bit.ly/admissionsac.
For questions and concerns, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

ASIAN STUDIES PROGRAM

The Asian Studies Master of Arts and Master programs are inter- and multi-disciplinary graduate degree programs that promote a deeper understanding and a wider perspective on Asia through area studies methodologies from diverse disciplines. These provide students with learning opportunities to acquire research, writing, and presentation abilities in the different approaches towards informed inquiries on the political, economic, cultural, and social discourse and questions confronting contemporary Asian states, cultures, and societies from a Philippine perspective.
The Asian Studies program offers thesis and non-thesis tracks in four culture areas of specialization:  Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and West Asia. Students must choose a core country or sub-region for specialization within the chosen culture area.

PHILIPPINE STUDIES PROGRAM

The Philippine Studies Master and Master of Arts programs uphold Philippine Studies (Araling Pilipino) as a distinct discipline. Through inter- and multi-disciplinary approaches and methodologies, it studies Filipino society and culture and its constituent ethnolinguistic groups and problematizes the distinct identity of Filipinos. The program seek to produce specialists capable of identifying and studying Filipino or Philippine problems, expose students to different disciplinal perspectives, and impart a holistic approach to Philippine problems.
The Philippine Studies program also offers thesis and non-thesis tracks. Students enrolled are required to choose among three sub-specialization areas: Development Studies, Foreign Relations, and Socio-Cultural Sudies.

BRIEF LIST OF REQUIREMENTS

Below is the list of requirements for the Asian Center’s graduate programs. The deadline for application is on 30 November 2024.
1.   Online application form
2.   Letter of application to the Dean of the Asian Center
3.   Curriculum Vitae
4.   Essays on one issue in Asia or the Philippines (for those applying to the non-thesis track)
5.   Research Plan (for those applying to the thesis track)
6.   Recommendation Forms (Word ◊ PDF) Must be sealed and signed across the envelope flap by the referee
7.   Original AND photocopy of Transcript of Records (TOR) from last/current school attended (Transcript must comply with these guidelines)
If you are requesting your TOR, please ask for a copy marked "Copy for UP Diliman." The Asian Center will accept for its own evaluation purposes a TOR that complies with the transcript guidelines above, but an original hard copy of the TOR marked with "Copy for UP Diliman" will eventually be submitted to the Office of the University Registrar if the applicant is accepted into the program
8.   Two (2) passport-sized photos
9.   PSA Birth Certificate: Original AND Photocopy
10.   PSA Marriage Certificate: Original AND photocopy (for married female applicants)
11.   Application fee
               ○   PhP 100 for Filipino Students
               ○   USD 25 for international applicants

Additional Requirements:

1.   Certificate of Transfer Credentials (for graduates of non-UP Diliman universities. For more details, visit bit.ly/admissionsac)
2.   For international applicants (see "International Applicants" tab on the left for additional requirements bit.ly/admissionsac)
3.   Computation of GWA via GWA Form.  View sample computation  |  View Grade Conversion Guide

HOW TO APPLY?

STEP 1.    Send the soft copy of all requirements as one zipped file to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., with filename: "Last Name, First Name - 2nd Sem 24-25".zip.
STEP 2.    Original documents should also be submitted personally for verification and evaluation purposes, by a representative, or via courier of your choice.
                      Address the documents to Mr. Avelino Golondrina, AC-OCS Staff. This can still be done until after the deadline for admissions. 
STEP 3.    Interviews of shortlisted candidates will be conducted. Applicants will be notified via email. 
STEP 4.    All applicants will be notified of the results. Accepted applicants await further instructions/updates.
For questions and concerns, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The UP Asian Center offers M.A. degrees in Asian Studies with four fields of specialization: Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and West Asia. The Center also has an M.A. program in Philippine Studies that allows students to major in Philippine society and culture, Philippine foreign relations, or Philippine development studies. The Center offers a Ph.D. program in Philippine Studies in conjunction with the College of Arts and Letters and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. For an overview of these graduate programs, click here. The Asian Center also publishes Asian Studies: Journal of Critical Perspectives on Asia, the latest issue of which can be downloaded at the journal's website. For other news and upcoming events at the Asian Center, click here.