University of Asia and the Pacific

The University of Asia and the Pacific is a private, not-for-profit institution of higher learning that offers some of the most outstanding academic programs in Asia. All programs of study at UA&P are grounded in liberal education, which prepares students for their specific specialization by giving them a well-rounded education that cultivates genuine intellectual discipline—a prerequisite to acquiring any specialized knowledge.

An intrinsic part of education in UA&P is mentoring, through which the University’s interdisciplinary offering of knowledge, skills, and values is reinforced through regular, confidential conversations between the student and his or her mentor.

The formation of UA&P students is facilitated by an environment conducive to learning, qualified and dedicated teachers, a superior faculty-to-student ratio, and well-maintained facilities.The University blazes new trails in a tradition of excellence, service, and whole-person education. Faithful to our Credo, we aspire to form “individuals who are professionally competent, creative and enterprising, zealous for the common good, and capable of making free, morally upright choices, and who can thus act as positive agents of change and service to society.”While we are constantly looking toward the future, we never lose sight of who we are. Our directive is, and will always be, that of unity. With the UA&P motto, UNITAS, we remind ourselves of our desire 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 unity of life.

UA&P is home to numerous young talents, award-winning artists and respected scholars that have come to represent the region internationally.The University’s arts and culture scene is made constantly alive by the various theater and arts student organizations led by the Center for Student Affairs’ Kultura Desk and academic departments of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Through its projects and events, the Kultura Desk (working under the Center for Student Affairs) aims to expose students to creative ways of spending their leisure time,promote values through the arts and the the significant role that practice in and exposure to the arts can play in one’s holistic formation, and provide venues for the development and display of artistic talent in the University community.Kultura aims to be a home for the community’s creative talent, as well as the coordinating body for cultural and artistic events within the University.

Departments under the College of Arts and Sciences help promote culture and appreciation for the arts and the written word through their activities and programs.The Department of Arts invite known artists, musicians, designers and performers the world over to give talks and workshops on their crafts. Besides partnering with galleries, museums, individual artists and groups, the department also independently hosts film festivals, exhibits, tours and concerts.It also establishes the foundation for a refined and critical appreciation of beauty. Among the subjects it offers are Fine Arts, Music, Film and Theater.

The Department of English, true to its role of nurturing an understanding of the unity and diversity in the world, organizes interdisciplinary activities featuring talks by personalities from the fields of arts, business, social work, the sciences, and politics. It holds the annual English Week in July.Among the courses the department teaches are Communication Arts and Research Writing.

The Buwan ng Wika (Month of Language) activities in August are headed by the Department of Filipino, whose task is to nurture students’ communication skills in the country’s native language. Among the month’s activities are the Sabayang Pagbigkas (choral recitation) competition between high schools all over the country, Filipino parlor games, talks by prominent artists, and performances.The Filipino program makes use of selected works from Philippine literature in teaching courses such as Sining ng Komunikasyon (Arts of Communication), Retorikang Filipino (Filipino Rhetorics), and Panitikang Pilipino (Philippine Literature).

The Department of Literature, with its thrust to enable students enjoy the richness and diversity of written works, hosts the Shakespeare Week in February which celebrates the genius of the Bard through poetry, monologue, and a theatrical performance. The Department also offers courses on classical literature, renaissance literature, medieval literature focusing on Dante Alighieri’s work, and modern literature.

The University focuses on developing the whole person, as well as combines breadth of learning and professional specialization, in its educational programs. Our students go through a strong liberal education program in their first years in the University. Thereafter, they begin to take subjects in their chosen field of specialization. If they choose a five-year program and meet all its academic requirements, they may graduate with a master’s degree in five years.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 multidisciplinary approach, which requires students to relate their specialization to the other sciences—a definite advantage in the professional world.