1. What is the UP Diliman 2017 General Education Program (GEP 2017)?
The UP Diliman 2017 General Education Program, implemented since the first semester of AY 2018-2019, is a set of core, program-prescribed, and elective GE courses that provides students with knowledge and competencies that will broaden intellectual and cultural horizons, hone critical and creative thinking, develop a passion for learning and scholarship, cultivate a high sense of intellectual and moral integrity, and foster a commitment to nationalism and social justice. (40th UPD GE Committee Meeting on 14 June 2019)
2. How many units of GE courses does a UP student need to take?
All UPD students must take 21 to 45 units of GE courses, consisting of 21 units of core courses and 0 to 24 units of prescribed and elective courses, depending on the program.
Source:
Recommendation by the UPD Executive Committee on 13 February 2017, approved by the University Council at its 142nd Special Meeting on 20 March 2017
3. What are the Diliman-21 GE core courses?
The Diliman-21 GE core courses are the following:
a. ARTS 1 – Critical Perspectives in the Arts
b. Fil 40 – Wika, Kultura, at Lipunan
c. Eng 13 – Writing as Thinking / Speech 30 – Public Speaking and Persuasion*
d. STS 1 – Science, Technology and Society / DRMAPS – Disaster Risk Mitigation, Adaptation, and Preparedness Strategies*
e. Soc Sci 2 – Social, Economic, and Political Thought / Soc Sci 1 – Foundations of Social Science*
f. KAS 1 – Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas
g. Philo 1 – Philosophical Analysis
* If one is taken, the other may be program-prescribed.
** GE Math will be prescribed in programs without any other Mathematics course.
Source:
Recommendation by the UPD Executive Committee on 13 February 2017, approved by the University Council at its 142nd Special Meeting on 20 March 2017
4. What are the GE courses offered in UP Diliman?
UP Diliman currently offers 62 GE courses as of 11 May 2023. The updated list of GE courses can be found on this webpage: List of UP Diliman GE Courses
5. What is the difference between a GE elective and a free elective? Can a GE course be credited as a free elective?
Appendix C of the 2003 UP Diliman Faculty Manual (refer to Page 339), following the Curricular Nomenclature per OVPAA Memo No. 03-70 dated16 September 2003, defines an elective as a “course a student can choose from any area of discipline and regardless of the course number.”
The 2010 UP Los Baños Guidelines for Preparing Curricular Proposals (refer to Page 1) further defined elective courses as “one that is chosen by the student to provide an opportunity to explore other areas of interest.”
In the Manual of Curricular Procedures and Review Process compiled by the OVPAA in 2003, which the 18-19 November 2013 Workshop involving the Vice President, Assistant Vice Presidents for Academic Affairs, Vice Chancellors for Academic Affairs, and University Registrars revised, the following definitions were agreed upon:
Elective/Free Elective – “a non-GE course a student can choose from any area or discipline and regardless of course number that contributes to the student’s program of study or track. The elective should enhance the student’s technical competence, knowledge, and skills.”
GE Elective – “A GE course a student can choose from the list of GE courses prescribed by the program.”
The GE Council, in its 24 June 2022 meeting, upheld the definition mentioned above of an/a elective/free elective. GE courses meet the program objectives of the GE Program, while free electives meet the program learning outcomes of the degree program. For this reason, GE Courses cannot be credited as free electives.
Source:
Memorandum No. OVPAA 2022-115 and Memorandum No. GEC-OVCAA-NAKG 22-024
6. How to process crediting of GE course/s taken from previous degree within UP Diliman or another constituent university (CU)?
a. Identification of previously taken GE courses that are eligible for crediting is always done in coordination with the college secretary and/or the student records evaluator (SRE). First consult with the college secretary and/or SRE for the possibility of crediting taken GE course/s.
b. Once the college secretary and/or SRE confirm/s that the previously taken GE course/s can be credited, apply for and submit an appeal through UP University Transactions Automated Kit (UTAK): https://utak.upd.edu.ph. Appeals not coursed through UP UTAK will not be entertained (see Memorandum No. OVCAA MTTP 22-065). See FAQ 8 for submission and processing of appeals through UP UTAK.
7. How to process crediting of GE course/s taken from other universities?
Validation of all courses taken from other universities are processed in coordination with the concerned GE offering unit/s and the Office of the University Registrar.
8. How to submit and process an appeal through UP UTAK?
a. Go to https://utak.upd.edu.ph/
b. Click the For UP Students button.
c. Select the Request/Appeal for GE Crediting/Substitution box.
d. Fill out the form fields with the necessary information. Check if the provided information is correct.
e. For the supporting documents, ensure to upload the following:
- Appeal letter
- Additional letters for other concerned parties
- Justification letter from the College Secretary
- Copy of grades from current UPD college
- Copy of curriculum checklist with grades
- Copy of syllabus of GE or non-GE courses to be credited
f. Once done, click Submit at the bottom of the form.
For an in-depth tutorial, go to this webpage: Tutorials — Request/Appeal for GE Crediting/Substitution – UP UTAK
9. What GE courses are automatically credited under the UPD Curriculum?
Here are the pertinent Memoranda regarding policies on automatically credited GE courses, as follows:
- Memorandum Blg. GEC-OVCAA-NAKG 22-026: Mga Resolusyon ng Komite para sa ilang klaripikasyon at update sa Polisiya ng Pagkekredit ng mga GE Course at Karagdagang Gabay
- Memorandum No. GEC-OVCAA-NAKG 21-008: Policy on Crediting of GE Courses and Supplemental Guidelines
10. Where can I access all GE-related memos?
All GE-related memos are compiled and listed according to their date of release on this webpage: https://gec.upd.edu.ph/memoranda
11. How to prepare a GE course proposal?
To prepare a GE course proposal, please use the updated GE course proposal template which can be downloaded on this webpage: Updated GE Course Proposal Template (as of 21 February 2023) – General Education Center (GEC) Diliman. Specific instructions and examples are embedded in the said template.
12. How to process a request for adoption of a GE course?
To adopt a GE course, follow the revised flowchart on the adoption of GE courses (as per Memorandum No. OVPAA 2023-96) which can be found on this webpage: https://gec.upd.edu.ph/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/revised-flowchart-on-the-adoption-of-ge-courses.pdf