University of Santo Tomas

The Royal and Pontifical University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines, or simply the University of Santo Tomas (UST) is a private Catholic university run by the Order of Preachers. One of the world's largest Catholic universities in terms of population, it was established in April 28, 1611, and claims to be the oldest existing university in the Philippines and in Asia, although it is disputed by the University of San Carlos in Cebu, Philippines, which was founded in 1595 but became a university only in 1948.

History

The Colegio de Nuestra Señora del Santísimo Rosario was established on April 28, 1611, from the library of the late Fray Miguel de Benavídez O.P., then Archbishop of Manila. Later renamed Colegio de Santo Tomás, it was elevated by Pope Innocent X to a university on November 20, 1645 in his brief, In Supreminenti, making it the second university in the Philippines and in Asia (after the Universidad de San Ignacio, which closed in the 1770s).

Its complete name is the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines. It was given the title "Royal" by King Charles III of Spain on March 7, 1785; "Pontifical" by Pope Leo XIII on September 17, 1902 in his constitution, Quae Mari Sinico, and the appelative "The Catholic University of the Philippines" by Pope Pius XII on April 27, 1947.

The university was formerly located within the walled city of Intramuros in Manila. It was started by the Spanish Archbishop of Manila in the early 17th century as a seminary for aspiring young priests, taking its name and inspiration from Saint Thomas Aquinas, a Dominican theologan. In 1871, it began offering degrees in Medicine and Pharmacy, the first in colonized Asia. At the beginning of the 20th century, with the growing student population, the Dominican fathers bought land at the Sulucan Hills in Sampaloc, Manila and built its 21.5-hectare campus there in 1927 with the inauguration of its Main Building (said to be the first earthquake-proof building in the Philippines). Also that year, it began accepting female enrollees. In the last four centuries, the university grew into a full-fledged institution of higher learning, conferring degrees in law, medicine and various academic letters. The university has graduated Philippine national heroes, presidents, and even saints (Lorenzo Ruiz and his Dominican companions).

During World War II, the Japanese converted the campus into a concentration camp for civilians, foreigners and POWs. After the war, the university resumed its mission and continues to be one of the more prestigious universities in the country.

In recognition of its achievements, a number of important dignitaries have officially visited the university, among them, during the last three decades: His Holiness Pope Paul VI on November 28, 1970; His Royal Highness King Juan Carlos I of Spain in 1974 and 1995; Mother Teresa of Calcutta in January 1977 and again in November 1984; Pope John Paul II on February 18, 1981 and January 13, 1995. Today the University has a total enrolment of approximately 35,000 students consisting of 30,000 undergraduate students and 5,000 students in Medicine, Law and the Graduate School.

The University Seal

The seal of the University of Santo Tomas is a shield quartered by the OP sello.gif. Superimposed on the cross is the sun of Saint Thomas Aquinas, patron of Catholic schools, after whom the university is named.

Encircling the Dominican cross are:

On the upper left is the papal tiara, indicating that the UST is a pontifical university.
The upper right shows the lion derived from the seal of Spain, indicative of royal patronage throughout the greater part of the university's centuries-old existence.
The lower left is occupied by the sea lion taken from the Ph seal ncr manila.png, the capital of the country, symbolizing the Republic of the Philippines.
The rose on the lower right is a symbol of the Blessed Virgin Mary under whose patronage the university was placed from its very beginnings.

The symbols are rendered in gold (except for the Dominican cross which is black and white), and are set on a field of light blue, the Marian color.

Degree programs

Basic education

The UST Grade School was phased out in the early 2000s, in spite of protests from parents. It originally offered a six-year elementary education and preparatory education.

UST has two secondary institutions: The UST High School, which is the more prominent of the two, and the UST Education High School which serves as a laboratory for the College of Education.

Undergraduate studies

The different institutes, colleges and institutes of the University were created at different times in the University's history. The "Faculties" were founded before the American occupation of the early 20th century, while the "Colleges" were founded during and after American rule. The "Institutes" are found within their mother faculties/colleges. Some Institutes that attained enough enrollment were separated from their mother faculties/colleges and were made into colleges in their own right.

The degree programs for undergraduate studies were first offered in 1611, where the Faculties of Theology and Philosophy were founded. The Faculty of Canon Law was founded in 1733. These three original faculties are now known as the Ecclesiastical Faculties, to distinguish them from the Secular Faculties and Colleges that were founded later. The Eccesiastical Faculties are housed at the Seminary and at the Santissima Rosario Parish.

The Faculty of Civil Law was the first secular faculty. Although the Faculty offers the Bachelor of Laws degree, it is considered as a post baccalaureate degree, as it requires applicants to either have a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree. Civil Law resides in the UST Main Building.

It was followed by the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery and the Faculty of Pharmacy in 1871. The Faculty of Medicine and Surgery offers the Doctor of Medicine degree which is a post baccalaureate degree. the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery is considered as one of the best medical schools in the country. The Faculty of Pharmacy, on the other hand, offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Biochemistry, Medical Technology, and Pharmacy. Medicine and Surgery is located at the St. Martin de Porres building, while Pharmacy is located at the Main Building.

The Faculty of Philosophy and Letters was founded in 1896. It was merged with some programs of the College of Liberal Arts in 1965 hence renaming the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters as the Faculty of Arts and Letters (the College of Liberal Arts was renamed the College of Science). The Faculty of Arts and Letters offers the Bachelor of Arts (AB) degrees, in Asian Studies, Behavioral Science, Communication Arts, Economics, Journalism, Legal Management, Literature, Philosophy, Political Science, and Sociology. Arts and Letters also offers the Bachelor of Arts -Bachelor of Secondary Education major in Social Sciences/Studies as a double degree with the College of Education. Arts and Letters is located in the St. Raymond de Peñafort building. Its students are known as "Artlets" (previously "Philets"). The departments of Literature and Philosophy are Centers of Excellence.

In 1907, the Faculty of Engineering was founded. Currently it offers the Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronics and Communications Engineering, Industrial Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. Computer Science, Information Management, and Information Technology degrees were transferred to it from the College of Science. The department of Electronics and Communications Engineering is named as one of the Centers of Excellence by the Commission on Higher Education. The Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering programs, on the other hand, are the Centers of Development. Engineering is located at the Roque Ruano building, named after the priest-engineer Roque Ruano, O.P. For practical purposes, Roque Ruano is called the "Engineering building."

The College of Education, which was founded in 1926, offers the Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education major in Pre-School or Special Education, Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education with majors in Biology-Chemistry, Biology-General Science, Social Studies, English, Mathematics, Physical Education, Health and Music, Religious Education, or Social Guidance, the Bachelor of Library and Information Science, the Bachelor of Science in Food Technology, and Nutrition and Dietetics. In conjunction with Arts and Letters, it also offers AB-BSE Major in Social Sciences/Studies. Education is located at the Albertus Magnus building.

The College of Science, which was founded in 1926, offers the Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Physics major in Instrumentation, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics major in Actuarial Science, Microbiology (the only such program in the Philippines), and Psychology. Chemistry is a Center of Excellence, while Biology is a Center of Development. The College of Science is located in the UST Main Building.

The College of Architecture, which was founded in 1930, offers the Bachelor of Science in Architecture. By 2000, it was known as the College of Architecture and Fine Arts but the Fine Arts program was eleveted to a separate college. Architecture is located at the Beato Angelico building. The architecture department is a Center of Excellence.

In 1933, the College of Commerce was created. Commerce offers the Bachelor of Science in Commerce with majors in Business Administration and Economics (not to be confused with the AB Economics offering of Arts and Letters). On 2005, the accountancy program was transferred to the new Alfredo M. Velayo College of Accountancy. Commerce is located at the St. Raymund de Penafort building together with Arts and Letters. The Business Administration program is a Center of Development.

The Conservatory of Music, founded in 1945, offers the Bachelor of Music degree, with majors in Keyboard (Piano, Harpsichord, Organ), Music Education, Voice, Strings and Guitar, Woodwind, Brasswind, Percussion, Composition Theory, and Conducting. It is found at the Albertus Magnus building. The Conservatory is a Center of Excellence.

The College of Nursing was founded in 1946. It currently offers Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, which is a Center of Excellence. Nursing is at the St. Martin de Porres building.

The College of Rehabilitation Sciences, founded in 1974, offers the Bachelor of Science degrees in Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and the Bachelor in Sports Science degree. Like Nursing, CRS is at the St. Martin de Porres building.

The College of Fine Arts and Design was separated from the College of Architecture in 2000. It offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with majors in Advertising, Industrial Design, Interior Design, and Painting. The Beato Angelico building is the home of college.

The Institute of Tourism and Hospitality Management was separated from the College of Education in 2006. It offers the Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management and Tourism.

The Department of MIlitary Science & Tactics (DMST) was later on integrated to the NSTP (National Service Training Corps) program of the University. It provides adequate learning in the military arts in preparation for Thomasians in entering into military Service. The ROTC Department is under the DMST.

All undergraduate students are required to take 15 units of Theology classes, which are supposedly offered for free. The students are also required to attend 4 physical education classes, and a choice from among ROTC, civil welfare training service, and literacy training service.

Postgraduate studies

As early as the 17th century post-graduate programs have been offered in the University of Santo Tomas through its various Faculties and Colleges. In 1938, the UST Graduate School was established to administer and coordinate all the graduate programs in the University. The Graduate School academic programs have grown to 90 course offerings, spanning about seven clusters of disciplines. Today the UST Graduate School is recognized as a Center of Excellence in several fields of the Arts and Humanities, Allied Health Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Engineering by the Commission on Higher Education. Its programs in business, public management, and education were also recognized by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Fund for Assistance of Private Education (FAPE)- Evaluation of Graduate Education (EGEP).

Graduate School

The Graduate School offers postgraduate studies in a variety of areas. These include:

MS major in Advertising
MS Architecture & Planning
Master in Bioethics (non-thesis)
MS/PhD major in Biological Sciences
Master in Biology Education (non-thesis)
MS major in Biology Education
MA Canon Law
MS/PhD major in Chemistry
Master in Chemistry Education (non-thesis)
MS major in Chemistry Education
MS Commerce major in Accounting
MS Commerce major in Banking & Finance
MS Commerce major in Marketing
PhD major in Commerce
MA Communication
MA Creative Writing
Master in Cultural Heritage Studies
MA major in Development Studies
PhD major in Development Studies with specialization in:
- Economic Development
- Educational Development
- Socio-Political and Cultural Development
MA/PhD major in Economics
Master in Education (non-thesis/terminal)
Master of Education
Doctor of Education major in Curriculum & Instruction
MA/PhD Education major in Educational Management
Master of Engineering (non-thesis)
Master in English (non-thesis)
MA/PhD major in English Language Studies
Master of Fine Arts
MA/PhD major in Guidance & Counseling
Master in Health Professions Education (non-thesis/terminal)
Master in History (non-thesis)
MA/PhD major in History

MA major in Hospital Administration
MA major in Higher Religious Studies
Master in Human Resource Management (non-thesis)
MS/PhD Human Resource Management
Executive Master in Human Resource Management
Master of Laws
Doctor of Civil Law
MA major in Library Science
Master in Literature (non-thesis)
MA/PhD major in Literature
Master in Mathematics Education (non-thesis)
MS major in Mathematics Education
Master in Business Administration (non-thesis)
Master in Business Administration
Master in Business Administration major in Entrepreneurship
Master in Business Administration major in Entrepreneurship (non-thesis)
Master in Medical Physics (non-thesis)
MS Applied Physics major in Medical Physics
MS Medical Technology
MS Management Engineering
MS major in Microbiology
MA Music
MA Nursing
MA major in Oriental Religions & Cultures
MS/PhD Pharmacy
MA/PhD major in Philosophy
MA/PhD major in Political Science
MA/PhD major in Psychology with specialization in : Clinical Psychology,Industrial Psychology
MS Physical Therapy
Master in Public Administration (non-thesis/terminal)
MA/PhD major in Public Administration
MA/PhD Theology
MA Theology major in Social/Pastoral Communication

Campuses

The main campus of the University of Santo Tomas, is at the City of Manila, 22 hectares.

Other upcoming campuses are at Sta. Rosa, Laguna, 44 hectares (campus development in progress for 2011), General Santos City, 80 hectares (campus development in progress for 2011), and Negombo, Sri Lanka, 5 hectares (campus development in progress for 2011). In 2011, the University will be celebrating its 400th founding anniversary, and it is projected that the new campuses will be operational by then.

University research centers

Center for Audiological Sciences
Center for Creative Writing and Studies
Center for Conservation of Cultural Property and Environment in the Tropics
Center for Contextualized Theology and Applied Ethics
Center for Drug Research, Evaluation and Studies
Center for Educational Research and Development
Center for Intercultural Studies
Center for Research on Movement Science
Health Sciences Research Management Group
Research Center for the Natural Sciences
Social Research Center

University Research Office

UST Office of Research and Development

College Affiliated Research Offices/Units

Marcelo G. Casillan Sr. Quadricentennial Research Office (at the Faculty of Arts and Letters)

Proposed Research Units

Benavides Cancer Institute (construction ongoing)
Center for Journalism Excellence (proposed)

Publications

Academic and research journals

Acta Manilana, a journal for the natural and applied sciences
Ad Veritatem, a multi-disciplinary research journal of the UST Graduate School
Boletin Ecclesiastico, the Official Interdiocesian Journal of UST
Journal for the Arts, Culture and Humanities, a journal of the Center for Intercultural Studies
Philippiniana Sacra, a publication of the Ecclesiastical Faculties
Res Socialis, a journal of the Social Research Center
Santo Tomas Journal of Medicine, a publication of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery
Tomas, literary journal of the Center for Creative Writing and Studies
Unitas, a scholarly publication for the arts and the sciences
UST Law Review, a journal of the Faculty of Civil Law

Newsletters

Academia, the official international bulletin of the University of Santo Tomas
Thomasian Courier, the official bulletin of the Public and Alumni Affairs Office

Student publications

University-wide publications

The Varsitarian, the University-wide official student publication
Montage, the Official literary folio of Varsitarian
Breaktime, the official magazine of the Varsitarian (comes out every summer)

College-Based publications

The Flame - the official student publication of the Faculty of Arts and Letters
Dapitan - the literary folio of The Flame. Named after Dapitan St., running at the north side of the University
Thomasian Engineer Journal - the official student publication of the Faculty of Engineering
E-Cube - the newsletter of the Faculty of Engineering
The College of Science Journal (CSJ) - the official student publication of the College of Science
The Education Journal - the official student publication of the College of Education
The Nursing Journal - the official student publication of the College of Nursing
''Purple Gazette - the official student publication of the Faculty of Pharmacy

Campus sites

Arch of the Centuries
Alumni Park
Benavides Monument
UST Main Building
The Cross
Statues atop Main Building (Tria Haec)
Beato Angelico Gallery
Central Library
Central Seminary
Santisimo Rosario Parish
Tetraglobal
UST Botanical Garden
UST- STePs (Santo Tomas e-Providers and Services)
UST Museum of Arts & Sciences- inside the Main Building
Publishing House
Rector's Hall
UST- Alfredo M. Velayo College of Accountancy Bldg. w/ Multi-deck carpark
UST- Tan Yankee Student Center

Sports

UST is a founding member of the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP). The varsity team, originally the "Glowing Goldies" but has since been renamed to the Growling Tigers on the 1992-93 season, have won the men's basketball title 17 times since 1938.

The women's teams are called the Tigresses, while the Juniors (high school) teams are the Tiger Cubs.

The University has won the UAAP Seniors Overall Championship a record 33 times, and are currently holding the title for the last eight years.

The official dance troupe, the Salinggawi Dance Troupe with the official pep squad, UST Yellow Jackets, has won the UAAP Cheerdance Competition for four consecutive seasons already.

The University has the most UAAP Overall Championships and UAAP Cheering Competition titles.

Notable alumni

Foreign cooperation and consortia

Royal Society of London (through the National Academy of Science and Technology)
The University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland
The Catholic University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
Sweden International Management Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
University of Ulster, Northern Ireland
University of Greenwich
University of Liverpool, United Kingdom
Maastricht University, The Netherlands
Boston University, USA
University of Arizona, USA
University of Oklahoma, USA
Centenary College of New Jersey, USA
Alleghen University of the Health Sciences, Philadelphia, USA
Medical College of Pennsylvania, USA
International Association of Catholic Medical Schools, USA
Kyoto University, Japan
Gifu University, Japan
Nippon Institute of Technology, Japan
Sosozhia College, Osaka, Japan
Asian Productivity Organization, Japan
Association for Overseas Technical Scholarship, Japan
Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation, Japan
National University of Singapore, Singapore
Kyung Hee University, Korea
Australian Catholic University, Australia
Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Western Australia
La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia
University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
University of Adelaide, Australia
Atma Jaya Catholic University, Jakarta, Indonesia
Chonbuk National University, South Korea

Membership in organizations

National

Association of Catholic Universities of the Philippines (ACUP)
Catholic Education Association of the Philippines
Network of Dominican Schools, Colleges and Universities (DOMNET)
Department of Science and Technology (DOST)
National Inter-University Forum on Education
Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities (PACU)
Philippine Association of Centers for Educational Media (PACEM)
University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP)

International

Asia-Pacific Student Services Association (APSSA)
Association of Southeast Asian Institutes of Higher Learning (ASAIHL)
Association of Southeast and East Asian Catholic Colleges and Universities (ASEACCU)
Conference of Catholic Technological Institution (COCTI)
International Association of Universities (IAU)
International Council of Universities of Saint Thomas Aquinas (ICUSTA)
International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU)
Katholischer Akademischer Auslander-Dienst (KAAD)

External links

University of Santo Tomas - Official website
TomasinoWeb - The official Thomasian online community
The Varsitarian - The official student publication of UST
UST Central Library- Central Library Website
LORENZO - UST Library WEB Catalog. LORENZO-Library Online REaders' Network ZOne
UST Hospital- UST Hospital
UST Blackboard Learning System- Online Learning
UST Museum- Museum of Arts and Sciences
UST Nursing- UST College of Nursing
UST Publishing- Official Publishing house
The UST Singers - UST singers
UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe - Official dance troupe
UST Yellow Jackets - Official Pep Squad
UST Medical Informatics- UST Medical Informatics Gateway
UST Science - UST College of Science
UST Advantage Management Group - UST Advantage Management Group
UST Graduate School- Graduate School Website
UST Artlets Economics Society- UST Artlets Economics Society, the official website of AES
UST CFAD- UST College of fine Arts and Design Alumni Association

1611 establishments | Educational institutions established in the 1610s | International Council of Universities of Saint Thomas Aquinas | Pontifical Universities | Roman Catholic universities and colleges in the Philippines | University Athletics Association of the Philippines | Universities and colleges in the Philippines

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