THE UNIVERSITY welcomed 28 new chemical engineers and 69 new civil engineers who took their oaths last Dec. 16 and 20, respectively, amid a lackluster performance in both examinations compared to the previous year.
UST had lower passing rate in the November 2008 chemical engineering professional licensure examinations, at 58 percent, compared to 66 percent in 2007.
Out of 48 examinees, no Thomasian entered the top ten in the latest exam. The national passing rate was 53 percent, with 308 passing out of 577 takers.
UST also took a step back in the civil engineering board exams as the passing rate went down to 74 percent from last year’s 80 percent. There were 93 Thomasian examinees.
Josefin De Alban, civil engineering department chair, said the University’s passing rate is still acceptable given that the national passing rate is only 34.6 percent. Only 1,672 out of 4,831 examinees passed.
However, the department is taking full responsibility by reassessing its role in helping students prepare for the exams to achieve a higher passing rate next time.
Despite a lower passing rate in the civil engineering board, UST took three spots in the top ten, compared with only one in 2007.
Jan Julius Cordero led the new Thomasian civil engineers at seventh place, followed by Krish Edward Dennis Madarang at eighth. Katherine Ann Paleracio closed in at 10th place.
The University’s passing rate in the Civil Engineering board is the lowest since 2000, said De Alban. Aura Marie P. Dagcutan
