The Commission on Higher Education (CHED), in its memorandum orders 8 and 10, series of 2016, declared Xavier University as a “Delivering Higher Educational Institution (DHEI)” for graduate programs. As DHEI, XU can offer host-based master’s and doctoral degree courses in Northern Mindanao.
XU offers the following graduate programs under CHED’s DHEI recognition:
MA Economics
MA Education major in Guidance and Counseling
MA Education major in Teaching Communication Arts – English
MA Education major in Teaching Communication Arts – Filipino
MA Education major in Teaching Mathematics
MA Educational Management
MA Health Professions Education
MA Literature
MA Psychology
MA History
MS Agricultural Economics
MS Biology
MS Chemical Engineering (with specialization in Pollution Control Engineering)
MS Chemical Engineering (with specialization in Advanced Energy Technologies)
MS Health and Hospital Management
PhD Education
PhD Sociology
Doctor of Public Administration
In partnership with Northern Bukidnon Community College as the host higher educational institution (HEI) in Region 10, XU will also offer “off-site graduate courses,” namely, MA in Education major in School Management, MA in English Language, MA in Sociology, Master in Public Administration, and Master in Business Administration.
XU hopes to encourage more graduates in Northern Mindanao and its neighboring regions to pursue master’s and doctoral degrees with the said partnership.
CHED graduate scholarships
In addition to the announcement of CHED-recognized DHEIs was the opening of an online platform for scholarships under the CHED K to 12 Transition Program for academic year 2016-2017.
Under the CHED K to 12 Transition Program, higher education faculty and staff may be nominated by their higher institutions for CHED-funded scholarships for master’s or doctoral degrees.
With the recently signed partnership between CHED and Edukasyon.ph, nominations may now be done online at http://edukasyon.ph/ched. CHED is also calling for nominations to the IRSE (Instruction, Research and Sectoral Engagements) Grants for the K-12 Transition Program (Visit this page for more information.)
The scholarship covers full tuition and fees, stipend, book and transportation allowance, insurance, and funding for thesis or dissertation writing, at rates higher than the previous CHED Faculty Development Program.
According to CHED, only 50 percent of all HEI faculty in the country currently hold graduate degrees, while in Vietnam and Malaysia, the rates are at 60 and 69 percent, respectively.
With the total of 15,000 scholarship slots to be given away, CHED hopes to raise the number of graduate degree holders among HEI faculty to 70 percent by 2021.
In a statement, CHED said that the “K to 12 Transition Program aims to effectively utilize the period of low enrollment anticipated in the higher education sector due to the full implementation of K to 12 in order to provide opportunities for HEIs and their personnel to earn higher qualifications through scholarships and other grants.”