Department of Political Science
Faculty
History
It was in 1915, eight years after the establishment of the University of the Philippines in 1908, when the Department of Political Science was established as a unit of the College of Liberal Arts. The first head f the unit, then called "chief of the Department," was George A. Malcolm. He headed the Department while he was concurrently Dean of the College of Law from 1915-1920. His successor as Chief of the Department was Maximo M. Kalaw, the first Filipino head of the Department. Kalaw headed the Department from 1920-1934.
The Department greatly influenced the development of the discipline in our country. Malcolm's Government of the Philippine Islands and his collaborative work with Kalaw, Philippine Government, firmly established the legalistic and institutional approaches of the discipline in our country.
These dominant approaches had been strongly challenged in the Department in the 1960s, and has now been replaced with orientations in political sociology and political economy. These have become the dominant perspectives in the Department. The Department has continued to influence the discipline in our country in spite of institutional reorganizations of the College of Liberal Arts. In the 1950s, the College was reorganized into a College of Arts and Sciences, which was divided into three Colleges in 1983 - College of Arts and Letters, College of Science, and College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. The Department of Political Science is now one of the seven departments in the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy.
Academic Programs
Degree Programs Offered
The Department of Political Science seeks to achieve the following objectives: maintain and upgrade curricular programs -- B.A. Political Science, BA-MA Honors Program, M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science and the Master in International Studies (MIS) Program--; promote faculty development and welfare; and upgrade office infrastructures.
The undergraduate program (B.A. Political Science) is designed to develop expertise in political science primarily through the provision of instruction and research guidance to undergraduate students. This program has been the major baccalaureate offering of the Department. Curricular offerings are revised when the need arises, to keep it up to date with developments in the discipline. The program in place now was the result of the revisions made in 1987, 1990 and latest round of curricular changes approved on March 15, 1995 (fully implemented and made effective for incoming freshmen during the school year 1995-1996).
BA Political Science program
A four-year degree program that aims to provide students with the skills to conduct political science research. The courses to be taken include 45 units of GE subjects in three domains: social sciences and philosophy; mathematics, science and technology; and arts and humanities, 12 units of economics courses, 12 units of foreign language courses, political science subjects and cognates.
Students who plan to specialize in the discipline, a five-year BA-MA Political Science Honors Program is a good option. After showing good academic performance in the first two years, interested students may apply for admission. Under the program, the student conducts two theses (master's and undergraduate), takes readings and graduate courses. The students graduates twice: after completing the BA part and finally after completing the whole program.
MA and Ph.D. degree programs
The MA and Ph.D. in Political Science degree programs are designed to :
1. help competent individuals to qualify for various professions such as teaching and research in the fields of private and public service;
2. assist in the development of the individual s a scholar as well as a person to enable him to fulfill the role of a responsible citizen in his chosen calling; and
3. provide training and opportunities so that the search for further knowledge in political science would lead to the development and upgrading of learning in the discipline as well as in related disciplines.
- General Requirement
To qualify for the Master’s Degree, a student must satisfy the following requirements:
1) Complete a minimum of twenty-four (24) units of formal graduate courses (18 units in political science and 6 units cognate or the student may opt not to take cognate courses and instead take all 24 units in political science; courses must be in at least 3 areas and Area V is required);
2) Maintain a Cumulative Weighted Average Grade (CWAG) of “2.0” or better in his/her graduate courses at the end of each academic year;
3) Successfully defend a Master’s Thesis; and
4) Submit at least five (5) bound and certified copies of the approved Master’s Thesis.
- Admission
- A. Documents Required
1) Letter of application addressed to the Chair thru the Graduate Program Coordinator.
2) Two (2) copies (one original, one photocopy) of the Transcript of Records of all undergraduate work (and graduate work, if any) of the applicant (the TOR may be retrieved by the applicant if he / she is not accepted);
3) Two (2) copies of filled-out application forms (which may be obtained from the department) each accompanied by a 2” x 2” ID picture recently taken;
4) Three (3) letters of recommendation from former professors or employers;
5) Official receipt obtained from the Cashier’s Office after paying the P100 application fee (if a Filipino citizen), P200 (if a resident alien), and US$25 (if a foreign citizen); and
6) A certificate of English language proficiency with at least a 500 TOEFL score (only for foreign applicants, unless they come from institutions where the medium of instruction is English which should be indicated in a certificate from the institution). ADMISSION GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
- B. Grade Requirement
1) Graduates of the University of the Philippines with an A.B. in Political Science must have an average of 2.0 or better in all political science courses. No one with an overall weighted average lower than 2.25 shall be admitted.
2) UP graduates whose major is not political science must have a GWA of at least 2.0.
3) Non-UP graduates with an A.B. in Political Science may be admitted provided they have an average of 1.5 or better in all acceptable political science courses and a GWA of at least 1.75 or its equivalent.
4) Non-UP graduates whose major is not political science may be admitted provided they have a GWA of at least 1.5 or its equivalent.
C. The applicant must take the sit-in essay exam and present himself /herself for interview. These are only for the applicants whose GWA passes the Department’s requirements. Those with lower GWA need not apply as the Department has strict admission policies to maintain its reputation as one of the Centers of Excellence in the Social Sciences.
Master in International Studies degree program
The Master in International Studies Program seeks to provide an understanding of contemporary international society, including forces which have shaped and transformed it. By examining the dynamics of international society, the program seeks to understand better, contemporary problems and various strategies of responding to these issues. The program aims to provide professional preparation for those who plan to pursue careers which require an international affairs background.
Multidisciplinary and inter-disciplinary approaches aim to provide students with a wider perspective of international society equipping them for a wide variety of careers.
