Waive the thesis? No way, José

If the University of the Philippines (UP) will not waive the undergraduate thesis requirement, will it relax its rules for anybody and/or for any reason in the post-graduate programs?

Not likely and probably not ever.

In the past, some Philippine institutions of higher learning acquired notoriety for giving out graduate and post-graduate degrees—for a fee—to students, sight unseen. High-ranking government officials of a neighboring country, it will be recalled, were sacked after it was found out they got Ph.D.s without leaving their country.

Today, six of the top colleges and universities here state they are not likely to waive or relax requirements for anybody or for any reason.

Danilo A. Arao, assistant vice president for public affairs, and director, System Information Office, at UP Diliman, Quezon City, says, based on the UP Diliman Faculty Manual, the “general requirements” for conferment of a doctorate degree “do not explicitly state any exemptions.”

Although “institutional autonomy” allows colleges and units to decide on matters like this, Arao, who is also assistant professor at the department of journalism, College of Mass Communication (CMC), says, “I do not recall any instance where this has been done at UP.”

Arao says he is talking from experience, as a former administrator of the CMC, research director, department chair and college secretary. (I should also know. After spending some five years trying to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from CMC, I am now the proud owner of a diploma from the Lyceum of the Philippines University through the Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program, or ETEEAP. I could not write the thesis after becoming a full-fledged journalist.)

Guidelines

Institutional autonomy, Arao says, means colleges and other academic units can draw up their own academic policies and programs. But, in the case of UP Diliman, they follow the “Guidelines for Doctoral Programs” in the Faculty Manual.

The guidelines require that doctoral requirements should be met within six years for a student with a master’s degree or its equivalent in the same discipline and eight years for somebody with a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree in an unrelated discipline.

An extension of no more than five years may be given to complete the requirements. “Any student who fails to complete all requirements of the degree within the regular period and any approved extension thereof shall be disqualified from the doctoral program,” the guidelines state.

Arao says the Faculty Manual has no explicit provisions for waiver of dissertation, class attendance and other specific concerns between professor and student.

As for Ateneo de Manila University, Dr. Norman F. Quimpo, officer in charge at the Office of the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs, Loyola Schools, says each doctoral program requires a certain number of units of coursework and the dissertation.

A student, who has taken graduate subjects in another school that he/she thinks is equivalent to one of Ateneo’s requirements, may ask the department concerned if they may be credited.

Ateneo allows related professional experience to be credited as equivalency units under ETEEAP only for the masteral program MS Computer Science.

Attendance is a must

Quimpo says attendance in class is a requirement for all coursework subjects in Ateneo. As for the dissertation, he says, “There is no substitute possible for the Ph.D. dissertation.”

A student is expected to finish the doctorate program in seven years from the time of first enrollment. “If the student applies for an extension…, the department may consider recommending (it if) the student has made substantial progress in his dissertation work,” Quimpo says.

He adds that actual time taken by Ph.D. students varies from department to department, “although the typical length for those who have completed is about five years.”

In granting an extension, the department will also decide on how much time to give a student to meet the requirements.

Dr. Adelaida Almeida, dean of the Philippine Women’s University School of Education, says that in her college, postgraduate students have to complete 48 units of course work and 12 units for dissertation.

Study time is 5-7 years. A candidate for a doctorate has five years to submit his/her dissertation, and allowed only a two-year extension.

If he/she still fails to graduate after seven years, he/she will have to get an additional six units as refresher course to get another year to complete the academic requirements, including dissertation.

Almeida says, in the Mixed Mode program, attendance is required. But “the program is supported with an Internet-based virtual classroom where students and teachers can interact by posting their messages and learning activities.”

In the regular program, weekly sessions of three hours is required.

Almeida stresses there can be no substitution for the dissertation.

De La Salle University (DLSU) registrar Edwin P. Santiago says doctoral programs require a total of 30 to 72 units. As stated in the Graduate Student Handbook, a student has up to 10 years to complete the program.

If he/she fails to finish within that period, he/she will be required to take one penalty course for every year of extension, which should not exceed five years.

Submitted to CHEd

Like the other schools, DLSU does not allow substitution for the dissertation to earn the degree. Copies of the dissertation are kept in the library/archives and are submitted to the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd), Santiago says.

As for granting exemptions, he says, “I have been the university registrar for 10 years (and) I cannot recall any case where DLSU made an exception on doctoral requirements (and) never for the dissertation … Knowing the current Lasallian academic community, I am confident that DLSU will not compromise on official doctoral requirements for anybody.”

In the doctorate program at Lyceum of the Philippines University (LPU), the office of registrar Jenny Tucpi says a full-time student is expected to complete the academic units in six trimesters and dissertation writing in two trimesters.

Completion of the academic requirements must not exceed five years and dissertation has to be finished within five more years.

If the student fails to finish the dissertation in five years, he/she has to re-establish residency by taking 12 more units or the equivalent of two trimesters.

The registrar says, “Attendance is one of the requirements in the program. We do not allow substitution for … dissertation.”

Miriam College’s Dr. Cynthia Alcantara, head of the registrar’s office, says the minimum of 61 units for the doctoral degree may be completed in three years as a full-time student.

The maximum residency allowed for a doctoral student is seven years. Students who go beyond the maximum residency requirement will have to take three penalty courses—three units per year of extension, but not to exceed three years, except when the student is doing his/her dissertation.

Miriam rules specify that “a dissertation is required for graduation.”

At the San Beda College, which offers only the Doctor in Business Administration degree, the maximum number of years of study is five years, according to Dr. Joffre Alajar, chair, Department of Accountancy, and faculty member of the Graduate School of Business.

A student who is unable to finish within that period will have to re-enroll in subjects determined by the dean.

To get the degree, the student must submit the dissertation, a requirement that is non-negotiable, Alajar adds.