UST launches Cultural Heritage Studies doctorate ahead of Heritage Month

España, Manila – The Royal and Pontifical University of Santo Tomas (UST) launched the country’s only academic-track doctoral program in heritage conservation and management under the auspices of the UST Graduate School Center for Conservation of Cultural Property and Environment in the Tropics (GS CCCPET) on April 25 (Saturday).

According to the UST Grad School, the said program is anchored at Philippine Qualifications Framework Level 8, the highest level for heritage professionals with proficiency in research, documentation, value-based conservation, policy development, and sustainable development. Likewise, the new doctoral program is aligned with UNESCO’s recognition of culture as the “fourth pillar” of sustainable development and the ASEAN Heritage Professionals Competency Framework of 2018, which deploys outcomes and competency-based approaches designed for international heritage practice.

Hosted by the UST GS CCCPET in-charge Beverly Macayan-Bautista, the UST Vice Rector for Academic Affairs Prof. Cheryl Peralta provided the welcome message. While the UST Museum Director Fr. Isidro Abaño gave his personal account of the beginnings of the PhD program as a course up to its development as a diploma course until becoming a full-blown master’s program. The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) Chairperson and Executive Director, Dr. Eric Zerrudo, expressed pride and nostalgia as they started in CCCPET almost from scratch, and how the pandemic nearly derailed the preparation for the doctorate program.

Then, different CCCPET graduates and affiliate researchers elaborated on the existing collaboration with the UST College of Tourism and Hospitality Management, College of Architecture, College of Science, and College of Fine Arts and Design. In addition, Asst Prof. John Christopher Mesana, a MA Cultural Heritage Studies graduate who is also a faculty member of National University, provided some data-driven and research-oriented mapping of the scholarly landscape of cultural heritage in Asia and the Philippines. To wrap things up, the Faculty Secretary of the UST Graduate School discussed the admission requirements and enrolment processes while the Dean of the UST Graduate School closed the launch.

The 54-unit doctoral degree is composed of pre-requisite courses, core courses, cognates, terminal requirements, specialization, foreign language, and written comprehensive examinations. The roster of faculty members for core and specialization courses includes Dr. Eric Zerrudo, Dr. Melanie Turingan, and Ar. Caryn Santillan, Dr. Aleli Sevilla, Dr. Evelyn Songco, Fr. Earl Cura, Fr. Milan Torralba, Dr. Arlen Ancheta. While the special topics professors are Dr. Cheek Fadriquela, Fr. Hermel Pama, Dr. Francis Navarro, Dr. Neel Chapagain, and Dr. Ioannis Poulios. # Randy T. Nobleza, Ph.D.