Policies and Standards for Doctor's Programs in Theology and Religious Education in Catholic Higher Education Institutions and Seminaries

March 9, 2007

CHED MEMORANDUM ORDER NO. 13-07

 

In accordance with the pertinent provisions of Republic Act (RA) No. 7722, otherwise known as the "Higher Education Act of 1994", and pursuant to Commission en Banc Resolution No. 088 series of 2007, and for the purpose of upgrading and making relevant the establishment and operation of doctor's programs in Theology and Religious Education in Catholic higher education institution (HEIs) and seminaries, this set of policies and standards is hereby adopted and promulgated by this Commission. aScIAC

ARTICLE I

Introduction

SECTION 1. Rationale and Background. — The word 'theology' comes from two Greek words, theo and logos which mean 'study of God'. A basic definition, therefore, would be the science or study of God, although nothing will ever be able to explain the mystery of God and His ways. Theology as a field of study is an attempt, through faith and reason, to understand God's revelation and to present it in an organized and understandable manner. Theological reflection addresses timeless, as well as contemporary, issues.

The study of theology seeks to build a community of mature, critical and informed thinkers, and witnesses of God through their lives and specific ministries, inviting people to faith, and developing future leaders towards the transformation of society and the coming of the Kingdom of God.

ARTICLE II

Authority to Operate

SECTION 2. Authority. — All Catholic HEIs and seminaries intending to offer Doctor's programs in Theology and Religious Education must first secure proper authority from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in accordance with existing rules and regulations.

ARTICLE III

Objectives

SECTION 3. Objectives. — The Doctor's programs in Theology and Religious Education seek to:

1. provide advanced and integrated knowledge of scriptural revelation and religious doctrine considered in the light of problems and issues of the times, in a manner adapted to the local culture;

2. promote at a higher level the spiritual, moral, intellectual, cultural and social formation of the students;

3. enable the students to acquire comprehensive and advanced knowledge and skills to reach out; and

4. nurture and equip believers at an advanced level to communicate the truth of the Scripture in the educational, prophetic and missionary dimensions, within the context of culture and human society. CHcETA

SECTION 4. Specific Professions/Careers/Occupations that Graduates of These Programs May Go Into. — Those who earned a Doctor's degree in Theology and/or Religious Education may go into teaching, research, preaching, missionary and/or community work.

ARTICLE IV

Program Specifications

SECTION 5. Degree Name. — The following are the Doctor's degree programs in Catholic HEIs and seminaries:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Theology

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Religious Education

Catholic seminaries may offer Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Theology while Catholic HEIs may offer both Doctor of Philosophy in Theology and Doctor of Philosophy in Religious Education.

ARTICLE V

Competency Standards

SECTION 6. Competencies. — Doctor's study in theology and religious education should produce graduates who have advanced knowledge, skills and appreciation of their religious beliefs and values, who are witnesses of living out these beliefs and value system and who are able to present them with deep conviction in a clear and coherent manner.

ARTICLE VI

Curriculum

SECTION 7. Curriculum Description and Outline. —

The Doctor's programs in Theology and Religious Education shall require a minimum of sixty (60) units, which consist of the following:

A.	Basic Courses	6
	Advanced Research Methods
	Advanced Statistical Methods
B.	Core Philosophy Courses	9
C.	Major Courses	27
D.	Foreign Languages	6
E.	Dissertation	12
F.	Comprehensive Written/
	Oral Examination	Required
Total units		60 units

The core philosophy courses in Ph.D. in Theology and Ph.D. in Religious Education consist of nine (9) units from any of the following: Eco-Feminist Philosophy, Philosophy of Nature, Advanced Philosophy of Knowledge, Advanced Metaphysics, Advanced Philosophy of Science, and Advanced Philosophy of Religions. Both programs require Foreign Language courses of six (6) units and major courses of twenty-seven (27) units. cDAITS

SECTION 8. Sample Curricula. — Please refer to Annex A.

SECTION 9. Sample Program of Study. — Please refer to Annex B.

ARTICLE VII

Course Specifications

SECTION 10. Course Specifications. — Please refer to Annex C.

ARTICLE VIII

Other Requirements

SECTION 11. Program Administration. —

Qualifications. — The Doctor's programs in Theology and Religious Education shall be administered by a qualified full-time dean/director/rector/department chair. A qualified dean/director/rector/department chair shall:

1. be a holder of an appropriately earned doctoral degree in Theology or Religious Education;

2. have at least three (3) years of successful administrative, supervisory and/or teaching experiences;

3. have distinguished himself /herself in the discipline; and

4. preferably a Filipino citizen.

Responsibilities. — In general, the functions and responsibilities of the dean/director/rector/department chair are to:

1. advise the head of the Catholic HEI or seminary on matters affecting policies of the department/institution;

2. exercise educational leadership among faculty by initiating and developing a faculty development program, recommending the appointment, promotion or separation of faculty and staff members and preparing and recommending the teaching loads of faculty members; aDIHTE

3. direct and assign faculty who shall advise students in their program of studies and to approve their subject loads;

4. coordinate and consult with the heads of other departments and head/s of student personnel services;

5. prepare and/or revise curricula with the assistance of qualified faculty members;

6. implement a program of supervision in order to raise the efficiency and quality of instruction and/or of the department; and

7. supervise, monitor and evaluate co-curricular and other activities.

SECTION 12. Faculty. —

Qualifications. — As a general rule, a majority of the faculty members in the doctor's degree program shall be holders of earned doctor's degrees in each of the programs offered.

1. There shall be at least three (3) full-time faculty who are doctor's degree holders and who have published works in referred journal(s) in the discipline.

2. The number of doctor's degree holders shall vary with enrollment in the graduate programs in such a manner as to allow for a load of maximum of five (5) student dissertation advisees per graduate faculty.

3. In specific fields of study which require related special training, a faculty member with a doctor's degree in another discipline may be allowed to teach provided he/she demonstrates competence and recognized scholarship in the field of study.

4. Every graduate Catholic HEI or seminary shall have faculty members who must devote full-time service to the program(s).

5. Faculty members shall teach largely in their respective majors or field of concentration. ASaTCE

6. Every faculty member shall undertake research and other related development activities for purposes of professional growth.

7. Preferably, at least sixty percent (60%) of the regular faculty members shall be Filipino citizens.

Teaching Load. — As a general rule, due to the unique set-up of Catholic HEIs and seminaries, the teaching load of faculty members shall be governed by institutional policies.

Employment Status. — Faculty members shall be given remuneration commensurate to the professional qualification and standing in order to maintain the dignity of their profession.

SECTION 13. Library. — Library resources shall respond to the changing and growing needs of theological and religious education and research, as well as to the changes in national and institutional policies.

a. Library Staff. — A Catholic HEI or seminary shall have a full-time licensed librarian with at least Master's degree in Library Science. There should be a support staff of two staff clerks for each full-time librarian.

In terms of enrollment, there shall be one (1) full-time professional librarian for the first one hundred (100) students; two (2) for an enrolment of five hundred (500). For every increase of five hundred (500) students or a fraction thereof, a professional librarian should be added to the staff.

b. Library Holdings. — There must be library books, materials and facilities which in term of quality and quantity are reasonable and adequate for effective graduate work. Depth and breadth of coverage, representativeness of authority on the various disciplines, extent of correlatives and recency of edition, depending upon the field of concentration, shall determine quality of library holdings.

The library of a catholic HEI and seminary shall contain appropriate reading and reference materials in proportion to the enrolment.

The library requirements for the undergraduate programs in the discipline shall be coupled with subscription to at least two (2) peer-reviewed professional journals or internationally-refereed journals, and at least five (5) titles of graduate reference books for each major course/subject offered under the program. TDAcCa

In addition to books, the library resources shall include a substantial number of appropriate professional publications such as journals, bibliographies, annuals, monographs, serials and bound book issues of reputable professional and cultural magazines of foreign and local publications. There shall be at least three (3) professional journals per one hundred (100) students in the discipline.

The use of CD-ROMs, internet and other education technologies is encouraged. However, they should not replace book collections.

c. Library Space. — The following are the minimum requirements for library quarters either as part of the main library or as separate theology/philosophy library: (a) adequate reading space for the student population; (b) the reading rooms shall be able to accommodate at one seating a minimum of twenty percent (20%) of the student enrolment; and (c) the open shelf system shall be encouraged.

SECTION 14. Classroom Requirements. — For lecture classes, ideal size is twenty (20) students per class maximum is thirty (30). Special lectures with class size of more than thirty (30) may be allowed as long as the attendant facilities are provided.

SECTION 15. Admission, Retention, and Transfer. —

a. Admission

For admission into the doctor's program, only holders of a master's degree whose weighted average is at least eighty-nine percent (89%) or B+, or 1.75, or its equivalent, shall be considered eligible. However, students with a general average lower than the prescribed weighted average may be admitted on a probationary status for one (1) semester subject to institutional policies. After demonstrating the capacity to undertake doctor's studies, they may be formally admitted to the doctor's program upon the recommendation of the faculty and approval by the dean/director/rector/department chair.

A student shall be deemed formally admitted to graduate status after completion of at least twenty-four (24) units in the doctor's level.

Advancement to candidacy towards earning the doctor's degree shall be determined by the dean and/or an admission committee. The dean or the committee shall evaluate and verify the quality of performance of the student in the graduate work based on the performance in examinations, term papers, class discussions, seminars and the use of written and spoken language, and/or passing a written and/or comprehensive examination. HSIADc

b. Retention. — Catholic HEIs and seminaries are required to adopt a selective retention policy at the doctor's programs in Theology and Religious Education.

c. Residence/Unit Requirements. — The residence requirement for graduation from the doctor's degree, excluding the units for dissertation, shall be at least two (2) consecutive semesters or the equivalent of twenty-four (24) units.

d. Transfer. — Transfer from one graduate school to another is discouraged. However, in exceptional cases where a transfer is unavoidable, academic units earned by the student from the school last attended, excluding dissertation units, may be accepted by the school to which transfer is requested, subject to the following conditions: (1) the subjects taken in the school last attended are substantially the same in content in the graduate curriculum of the school where transfer is requested; (2) the residence requirement shall been complied with; and (3) approval of the dean upon the recommendation of the admission committee.

e. Completion. — After completion of all the academic requirements, a candidate for graduation shall be given a maximum period of five (5) years for the doctor degrees, within which to finish the requirement of dissertation. Otherwise, a student may be required to take additional units subject to institutional policies.

SECTION 16. Instructional and Promotional Standards. —

a. The highest possible instructional standards shall be maintained by catholic HEIs and seminaries in doctor's level. No credit shall be given to any student in any subject unless competence therein is proven.

b. As a general rule, all courses shall be offered as three-unit courses.

c. Each graduate school shall generally operate and maintain curricular programs for the doctor's level.

d. The description of each course shall be supported by an updated syllabus containing a detailed statement of its philosophy and objectives, requirements for credit, the units covered, textbooks to be used, and references available in the library.

e. Each graduate student shall have a program plan based on the major courses chosen. The major courses of each student in the doctor programs shall be indicated in the transcript of records. THESAD

f. Proposed curricular revisions of an existing approved graduate program shall take effect only upon approval by the CHED. A copy of the curriculum of each graduate program including the approved new major courses shall be submitted to the CHED.

SECTION 17. Comprehensive Oral/Written Examination. —

a. The scope of the comprehensive examination shall be the totality of all courses in the program.

b. The basic courses, core/major courses and cognates/elective shall be so integrated such that all courses taken and passed by the student shall be comprehensively covered in the examination, which should be administered subject to institutional policies.

c. A committee to supervise the development and administration of the comprehensive examination shall be created.

d. The oral comprehensive examinations for the doctor's degree shall be conducted by a panel of examiners composed of at least five (5) individuals who have an earned doctorate degree, two (2) of whom may come from other institutions.

d.1 The chairman and members of the panel shall be chosen on the basis of their expertise and area of specialization upon recommendation of the dissertation committee and approval of the dean/director/rector/department chair;

d.2 CHED reserves the right to send a representative to sit in subsequent oral examinations whenever there is evidence of non-compliance with established procedures in the conduct of oral examinations.

d.3 The final rating for the oral examination of each candidate shall be decided by a majority vote of the panel members.

e. A complete list of students who have been formally admitted to graduate program and passed the comprehensive examinations shall be kept on file on the office of the dean/director/rector/department chair.

SECTION 18. Dissertation Requirement. — A dissertation for the doctor's degree shall be required for graduation.

a. The dissertation shall contribute substantially or purposively to the existing fund of knowledge preferably in conformity with institutional goals, thrusts and objectives, and shall manifest the student's competence in research.

b. Dissertation committee shall be organized and be responsible for approving the research design and maintaining high quality and relevance of dissertation.

c. The graduate school shall adopt an acceptable format in dissertation writing.

d. Every dissertation writer shall be assigned an adviser and a consultant if necessary, who shall be chosen on the basis of expertise.

e. The oral defense of the dissertation shall be scheduled by the dean/director/rector/department chair only after the student shall have: (i) completed the academic program, (ii) successfully passed the comprehensive written/oral examinations, and (iii) been certified by the adviser and/or consultant as to the readiness for oral defense.

f. Two bound copies of the dissertation shall be sent to the CHED Regional Office concerned, for the special order and/or record purposes.

SECTION 19. Research and Publication. — Each graduate school shall annually publish a journal containing the results of studies and research of the faculty, outstanding and scholarly papers or projects in each discipline and abstracts or summaries of approved dissertations of students. The publication may be undertaken by each school or in cooperation with other graduate schools.

Exchange of copies of research journals by and among graduate schools, and with foreign schools, if possible, is encouraged.

SECTION 20. Accreditation. — Catholic HEIs and seminaries may offer graduate programs that do not necessarily have undergraduate counterparts. In lieu of the required level III accreditation for undergraduate programs, catholic seminaries and HEIs should have complied with at least four of the following: ETIDaH

a. accreditation by international accrediting body;

b. research unit with qualified staff that manages, monitors and evaluates research activities and with adequate facilities for the conduct of research in the discipline;

c. for the master's degree program, a faculty profile that have at least 75% master degree holders and at least 25% doctorate degree holders;

d. for the doctor's degree program, faculty members must all be doctorate degree holders;

e. manual containing policies and guidelines on benefits and incentives for faculty undertaking research work, i.e. deloading, research awards, patents and intellectual property rights;

f. a clearly stated annual research agenda that include the discipline being applied for;

g. publications in refereed national and international journals in the discipline;

h. provision of a budget of at least 2% of the total annual school budget should be allotted for research undertakings; and

i. a track record in functional extension or community outreach program.

ARTICLE X

Repealing Clause

SECTION 21. All pertinent rules and regulations or parts thereof that are inconsistent with the provisions of this policy are hereby repealed and/or modified accordingly.

ARTICLE XI

Effectivity Clause

SECTION 22. This set of policies and standards shall be effective first semester of school year 2007-2008 after publication in the Official Gazette. HaTISE

ARTICLE XII

Transitory Provisions

SECTION 23. Catholic HEIs and seminaries presently offering Doctor's degree programs shall be given a three (3)-year grace period within which to comply with the provisions specified in this CMO.

Pasig City, Philippines March 09, 2007.

 

(SGD.) CARLITO S. PUNO, D.P.A.Chairman

 

Published in the Official Gazette, Vol. 103, No. 31, p. 4983, July 30, 2007.