SIX PROGRAMS of the UST Faculty of Arts and Letters are set to undergo accreditation by the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation (Pacucoa) from Oct. 20 to 22.
Four of these programs—Economics, Legal Management, Literature, and Philosophy—will be evaluated for Level 4 reaccreditation, the highest accreditation status granted by Pacucoa.
These programs first earned Level 4 status during a survey visit in August 2014.
Programs with Level 4 accreditation status are granted full autonomy for five years. It will also enable school administrators to offer new graduate programs, open learning or distance education, and extension classes related to existing Level 4 courses without need for prior approval by the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd), provided that its regional office is duly informed.
According to the Pacucoa website, criteria for Level 4 include “excellent outcomes in teaching and learning,” research productivity as tool for institutional effectiveness, community service, linkages and consortia, and career planning and development for students.
For Level 2 accreditation are the Department of English Language Studies and the Department of History. English Language Studies and History were granted Level 1 formal-accredited status in 2021.
Accreditation procedures include consultancy visits, preliminary survey visits, a self-survey, a formal visit, a reaccreditation survey visit, and assessment of requirements, according to the Pacucoa website.
The University was named No. 1 institution in the country in terms of number of programs accredited by the Pacucoa in 2023.
