THE UNIVERSITY has received the “Quality Excellence Award” from the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) for having 13 of its program areas classified as Centers of Excellence (COEs) in the Philippines.
These 13 COEs have “valuable contributions in uplifting and sustaining quality and excellence in higher education in their respective programs, disciplines, and areas of responsibility,” CHEd executive director Cinderella Benitez-Jaro told UST Chancellor Fr. Gerard Timoner III, O.P. in a letter.
As of 2022, the following program areas of UST are classified as COEs:
- Biology
- Chemical Engineering
- Chemistry
- Hotel and Restaurant Management
- Medical Technology
- Medicine
- Music
- Nursing
- Pharmacy
- Philosophy
- Psychology
- Teacher Education
- Tourism
UST has the third highest number of COEs among Philippine universities, trailing the University of the Philippines with 27 programs and De La Salle University with 14 programs.
According to the commission’s website, programs recognized as COEs are those within higher education institutions that record excellent performance in instruction, research and publication, extension and linkages, and institutional qualifications.
UST also has 13 Centers of Development (CODs), or programs that demonstrate the potential to become COEs in the future. These are civil engineering, communication, computer science, electrical engineering, electronics engineering, industrial engineering, information technology, information systems, journalism, library and information science, literature, mechanical engineering, and physical therapy.
Programs with COE and COD designations may be prioritized in selecting institutional partners for CHEd development projects, graduate scholarships for faculty members, and research subsidies.
“We thank the Lord for the unending graces that guided the synergy among students, University staff, parents, alumni and other partner institutions toward the continued journey of achieving and sustaining excellence in various fields,” UST Secretary General Fr. Louie Coronel, O.P. said in a circular on May 18.
UST received the award during CHEd’s five-day celebration of the second National Higher Education Day and the commemoration of the commission’s 28th founding anniversary from May 16 to 20.
