The University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) began as the Center for Research and Communication (CRC), a private voluntary organization with core operations in research and communication, together with training and graduate programs in economics. Although it was a rather small beginning – in an inconspicuous corner on Jorge Bocobo St. in Malate – the vision that sustained it was big and bold.
The year was 1967, a year that presented a promising economy but would soon be confronted by political unrest. Those were trying times, and as if entirely made to take on the challenges, CRC was born.
Fresh from graduate studies abroad, then young economists Dr. Bernardo Villegas and Dr. Jesus Estanislao had realized that private businesses in the country were lagging behind the government in terms of economic capabilities. They thought that to push the economy, the private sector should at least gain the same business and economic information that the government was using. Those who shared the same view soon collaborated in starting CRC as an institution that would advance economic literacy in the private sector.
With its consistent growth and development as an education institution and think tank, CRC transferred headquarters to the Ortigas business district in 1982. In 1987, it set up its Institute of Development Education, which would be the forerunner of the School of Education of the envisioned university.
The next milestone of the institution came in 1989, when CRC established the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS). It marked the beginning of the liberal education program, with CRC offering fields of specialization in communication, political economy, humanities, and philosophy, among others.
Amidst all the positive developments, the founders of CRC had kept their minds on a grander vision: the transformation of the institution into a full-fledged university offering high-quality undergraduate and graduate education. In 1993, CRC took a concrete step of applying for university status. Only two years later, in 1995, the vision was realized with the approval of the Commission on Higher Education: the CRC became the University of Asia and the Pacific.
UA&P Today
UA&P remains a private, not-for-profit institution of higher learning with the same mission: the fullest development of everything that is human in the individual. Each unit of the university thus strives to be a center of excellence, particularly in three areas: values formation, people development, and research and communication. These are the hallmarks of UA&P as an educational institution.
The motto of UA&P is unity or unitas. The university seeks to achieve unity in many aspects: unity within the university community, unity between faith and reason, and unity between religion and life. It reflects the commitment of everyone in UA&P toward the pursuit of wisdom, which necessarily entails a synthesis and, therefore, a unity of life.
With this emphasis, the University combines the development of the whole person with breadth of learning and professional specialization it its educational programs. The liberal education program is the bedrock of university studies in UA&P. All students go through an intense three-year liberal arts course geared toward the study of the human being in his completeness. Aside from the humanities, the program covers the social sciences, the natural sciences and mathematics.
As they take up these various areas of knowledge, the students are trained to look at ideas with a critical eye, an analytical mind, and ethical judgment and to understand issues from differing points of view. And as the subjects are taught using a multidisciplinary approach, the students learn to make connections across disciplines and see the big picture while understanding the complexity of each part. The liberal arts program also trains students to communicate ideas clearly, precisely and persuasively in speech and in writing.
The first three years’ offerings blend perfectly with the last two years of professional skills training. The liberal arts add grace and bearing to professional knowhow. The professional training continues using the muldisciplinary approach, which requires students to relate their specialization to the other sciences – a definite advantage in the professional world.
To supplement students’ academic formation, UA&P is singular in using a mentoring system in which one-on-one sessions between mentor and student aim to bring the integration of knowledge, skills and values down to the personal level. This mentoring program nourishes the individual development and reinforces the whole-person formation students receive from the liberal arts education and the graduate schools.
The spiritual formation UA&P is entrusted to Opus Dei, a Personal Prelature of the Catholic Church, which helps in the spiritual and moral development of the students, faculty, and staff. It also tries to ensure the doctrinal and moral soundness of the other aspects of formation imparted in the university.
COURSES
· Master of Arts in Communication
The Integrated Marketing Communications graduate program is a pioneer in the Philippines. The only program accredited by the International Advertising Association, it offers a unique curriculum that combines the fields of marketing, marketing communications (e.g. advertising, public relations, direct marketing, new media), management and research.
· Master of Arts in Education Major in Child Development and Education
The Master of Arts in Education, Major in Child Development and Education program intertwines four areas of learning: foundational subjects, psychology and counseling, specialization subjects, and research. These four areas are studied from and integrated by a perspective that views the family as the first school and parents as the primary educators of their children.
· Master of Arts in Education Major in Development Education
Teaching students to become development educators, Master of Arts in Education, Major in Development Education provides solid grounding in the philosophy of education, people development, and the dynamics of teaching, research and management.
· Master of Arts in Humanities
The Master in Arts in Humanities program is designed to provide students with a broad grasp of the humanistic disciplines of history, literature, philosophy and the arts. Drawing on classical and contemporary approaches, its courses present and illustrate the basic concepts, theoretical frameworks and methodologies of the humanities.
· Master of Arts in Political Economy
The only one of its kind in the country, the Master of Arts in Political Economy Program offers a specialization in International Relations and Development in International Relations and Development in order to prepare students in an increasingly interdependent world and to help them appreciate how this environment shapes human and social development. It adopts a multidisciplinary approach to the study of social problems and issues, using analytical tools and methods from Political Science, Economics, History and Sociology.
· Master of Science in Industrial Economics
The Industrial Economics Program has a unique focus on the analysis of industries and is the most direct route to knowledge-based professions that require a blend of mathematical expertise and thorough understanding of how the economy and business work.
· Bachelor/Master of Science in Information Technology
By exposing students to an environment oriented to both business and technology, the IT program goes beyond the traditional confines of computer science and teaches not only technical skills but also business management and soft skills needed to become complete IT professionals.
· Master of Science in Management
With emphasis on economics, a global view of business, social philosophy and ethics, and effective leadership, the Management Program has a strong business-academe partnership that equips students with the knowledge, skills and attitude needed to transform modern challenges into business opportunities and socially responsible enterprises.
· Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurial Management
The Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurial Management Program is the only program in the country that nurtures entrepreneurial talent as early as the adolescent years. It aims to enhance the students’ ability for, among others, strategic planning, resource management, response to opportunities, and equitable compensation. Students under the program are expected to establish a viable business venture before graduation.