Master's Degree

Masteral Programs

MSPH Biostatistics
MSPH (Medical Microbiology)
MSPH (Parasitology)
MSPH (Nutrition)
MSPH (Environmental Health)
Master of Science in Epidemiology
Master of Arts in Health Policy Studies
Master of Hospital Administration
Master of Occupational Health
Master of Public Health
Diploma Program


Admission Requirements

A holder of a bachelor's degree, with a good academic record, from an institution of recognized standing, or of a degree substantially equivalent to a bachelor's degree of the University of the Philippines may apply. The student's academic record and his readi­ness to do graduate work shall be evaluated by the academic department in which he wishes to specialize and/or an appropriate college committee to determine whether he may be admitted to do graduate work. International students should have a TOEFL score of 500 or higher to be eligible for admission.
An academic department or college committee may recommend the admission to graduate work of a student without a bachelor's degree but whose undergraduate preparation is equivalent to that required for a bachelor's degree in the University of the Philippines. Such a student may be admitted upon written permission of the Dean, duly recorded by the University Registrar.


Registration

A student, whether a degree candidate or not, may register for credit in a graduate course. However, non-degree students may not take more than 6 units per semester. Unless they have been admitted to a degree program, non-degree students are not eligible to register after one year. A graduate student must register every semester. If he finds it necessary to interrupt his studies, he must formally file an application for a leave of absence, for a specific period, otherwise, his registration privileges will be withdrawn.


Graduate Credit

Graduate credit is earned by passing courses numbered 200 or higher offered in this college or any other unit in the University. These courses are categorized as either required, core, major, elective or cognate.

Required courses are courses which may or may not be in the field of concentration but which are requirements for graduation. For instance, Biostatistics 202 and 206 are not offerings in the field of Nutrition but are nonetheless required for MSPH (Nutrition) students. All core and major courses are required courses.

Core courses are courses which all MSPH are required to take irrespective of their field of concentration. These are Biostatistics 201 and Epidemiology 201.

Major courses are courses in the field of concentration and previously approved as such by the department concerned. Depending on the area of specialization, MSPH students are required to take a minimum of 10 to 24 units of major courses.

Elective courses are courses in the field of concentration which students may take to enrich their program of study. The minimum elective units required ranges from 4 to 8, again, depending on the area of specialization.

Cognates are courses which MSPH students may take from offerings in other graduate programs of the CPH or other units of the university. All MSPH students are required to register in at least 4 units of cognate courses.


Grade Requirements for the Degree

For graduation with Master's degree, the student should have a weighted average grade of at least "2.00" in all courses taken provided there is no grade of "5.0". In addition, candidates for the Master of Science in Public Health must have a weighted average grade of "2.00" or better in the major courses.


Transfer of Credit

A graduate student may apply for transfer of credits for work done in another university or insti­tution of higher learning. He must present credentials showing that he enrolled and earned graduate credit in graduate courses equivalent to those given in the University of the Philippines for which advanced credit is sought. He must pass validating tests or fulfill other validating requirements prescribed by the department concerned.

If, for some reason, a graduate course (or its equivalent) required in the graduate program of a student is not available at the time the student needs it, he may, with the written permission of his dean, duly recorded by the Registrar, enroll in the subject in another university or institution of higher learning and earn graduate credit toward the Master's degree after fulfilling validating requirements in the department concerned.

Graduate credit for work done in another univer­sity shall not exceed nine (9) units required for graduation with the Master's degree.


Academic Load

A full academic load per semester shall be 12-18 units of credit courses. A working student may not take more than 6 units of either course work or thesis.


Residence

A minimum residence requirement is one academic year or not less than the equivalent of 34 weeks of full time residence. The student must be registered during the last semes­ter or term towards completion of the degree requirements.


Master's Examination

Not all graduate programs leading to the Master's degree require an examination, otherwise referred to as comprehensive examination, general examination, or Master's examination.

If the student fails in the examination, he is allowed a second try not later than 1 year after the first attempt. A second failure precludes continuation of his program of study.

In general, the master's examination is taken after the student has earned graduate credit in all courses required in his program of study.


Master's Thesis Requirements

Only students who have finished all the required formal courses in his/her program of study may enroll in the thesis course. In programs requiring a comprehensive examination, students must also pass this requirement before he/she is allowed to enroll in the thesis course. Students lacking not more than four (4) units of the required courses to complete his/her program of study may be allowed to enroll in the master's thesis with the consent of the adviser.

The thesis shall be on a specific problem within the major field. It should report an original investigation or substantially modify or enlarge on what was previously known about the subject matter.

The student, in consultation with his thesis adviser, shall prepare a project proposal which shall indicate the thesis title, definition of the problem to be investigated, review of the literature, research design and methodology. The proposal shall be submitted for approval by a thesis committee headed by the thesis adviser.

Work in Absentia

The thesis work of the candidate may need to be done outside the University of the Philippines. Upon the recommendation of the major department, the Dean may allow the candidate to do his research work in absentia, but the candidate must be registered with the University of the Philippines during the period and must make periodic reports on the progress of the research to the thesis adviser.

Time Limit

A student shall be allowed not more than five (5) calendar years in which to fulfill all the requirements for a master's degree. Leaves of absence shall be counted as part of the 5-year period. In exceptional circumstances, however, an additioal period of not more than 2 years may be granted by the College upon recommendation of the major department.


Certificate of Postgraduate Training and Certificate of Attendance

The above Certificates are awarded to CPH students who do not satisfy requirements for graduation in the MPH, MOH, MHA programs.

Students who would like to avail of Certificate should apply and pay the corresponding fee.

  1. Certificate of Postgraduate Training is awarded to students who:
    1. completed the minimum number of units
    2. obtained a GWA of "3.0" or better. Grades of "4.0" and "5.0" are included in the computation.
  2. Certificate of attendance is awarded to students who:
    1. enrolled in the minimum number of units "for credits". Therefore students who changed matriculation for any subject from "credit” to "audit" shall not be issued a certificate of attendance until such time that he/she earns a grade for it.
    2. obtained a GWA below "3.0" for all courses enrolled for credit.