The Graduate Schools

• Graduate School of Arts, Sciences and Education
• Graduate School of Health Sciences
• Graduate School of Engineering
• Graduate School of Law
• Graduate School of Management
• Emeritus College

HISTORY

The Birth: Early Beginnings
In order to provide teachers with formal training and opportunities in improving further their professional qualifications and in gaining greater insight into the conceptual and theoretical foundations of the education enterprise, the PLM organized the Graduate Institute for Teachers on 17 July 1967.

The Initial Stage of Growth: Formative Years
Subsequently, the need and the demand for professional growth and advancement of practitioners in various professions from the government and the private sectors necessitated the expansion of the original Graduate Institute for the Teachers into the Graduate College on 04 March 1968. At the start of the school year study programs were added to the course offerings.

The Forming of the Giant
On 27 January 1983, the Graduate College was abolished and consequently different graduate programs were created under a single Graduate School. Thus, the Graduate Programs in Arts, Sciences, Education & Nursing (GPASEN) came into existence out of the defunct Arts, Sciences and Education programs of the Graduate College.

This structure was consisted of one (1) Graduate School that was responsible for the general administration of the graduate programs of the University. It was headed by a Dean, who was also the Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA).

Under the Graduate School were the three (3) graduate program areas, each headed by a Director directly responsible to the Dean, namely:
1. Graduate Programs in Arts, Sciences, Education and Nursing (GPASEN)
2. Graduate Programs in Engineering (GPE)
3. Graduate Programs in Management (GPM)

The graduate program areas in ASEN and Management offered master's and doctoral degree programs, while the graduate program in Engineering offered only master's degrees.

The Directors of the Graduate Programs were amenable administratively to the Dean of the Graduate School, and in the exercise of their functions, the Directors enjoy "reasonable autonomy."

The Prolific Transformation
The expansion of the graduate program offerings in the following disciplines (arts, sciences, education and nursing, engineering and construction management; business administration; and public administration) is a positive indicator of the acceptability of these programs as a result of the total university efforts to manage excellence in university education.

PLM has achieved a very high level of respectability from its clients who are the recipients and beneficiaries of quality graduate programs through the Graduate School. The need to achieve greater things and do more in these academic programs necessitated to re-structure the Graduate School.

The Board of Regents (upon the recommendation of the then-University President and by virtue of Board Resolution No. 1887 dated 26 January 1996) abolished the one Graduate School set-up and created four (4) separate Graduate Schools, each headed by a Dean, namely:
1. Graduate School of Arts, Sciences, Education and Nursing (GSASEN)
2. Graduate School of Engineering (GSE)
3. Graduate School of Business (GSB)
4. Graduate School of Government (GSG)

Under the same BOR resolution, there was created a Graduate Education Council (GEC), chaired by the Vice President for Academic Affairs, which was authorized to perform an oversight responsibility over the general administration of all graduate programs in the University on all matters pertaining to the policies and standards of all graduate education in the university. It also serves as a coordinative body and forum for all graduate programs in terms of policies, standards, and other operational activities of the different graduate schools. Its membership include: the VPAA as Council Chairman, with the Deans of the graduate schools, as well as at least one (1) graduate faculty from each graduate school, as members of the Council. It shall meet as necessary upon the call of the Council Chairman.

The Deans of the different Graduate Schools are line officers who were then directly under the Vice President for Academic Affairs until they were realigned under the then-newly re-created position of the Executive Vice President. (N.B.: By 2013, they were reverted to the VPAA).

The Unification of Two Graduate Schools
Citing economy measures as the inevitable justification, the subsequent University Administration headed Dr. Virsely M. dela Cruz moved to merge the Graduate School of Business and the Graduate School of Government into the Graduate School of Business and Government (GSB/G) -- three years after the birth of the four (4) graduate schools. The merging was effected through Board Resolution No. 2176 dated 29 January 1999 and was made effective on 02 May 1999, thereby modifying Board Resolution No. 1887. It reduced into three (3) the originally four (4) graduate schools of the University.

The Birth of New Realities
The Graduate School of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences (GSNAHS) was retrenched from GSASEN (which then became the GSASE), thereby highlighting the importance of a graduate level learning for the allied health fields. By virtue of Board Resolution No. 2329, the Board of Regents authorized on 10 January 2001 the establishment of GSNAHS as the fourth graduate school of PLM that will cater to the post-graduate studies in the fields of nursing, physical therapy, medicine, biology and other health fields. On 02 April 2002, GSNASH was renamed into the Graduate School of Health Sciences by virtue of BOR Resolution No. 2467.

The Dawning of the Golden Age of Public Governance
On 10 January 2001 (BOR No. 2327), the Board of Regents splitted the Graduate School of Business & Government (GSB/G) into (1) the Graduate School of Business (GSB), and (2) the new President Ramon Magsaysay School of Public Governance (PRM-SPG), for the GSG component. The GSB/G dean took over the reins of the GSB while the University President was appointed by the Chairman of the Board of Regents as the ex-officio Dean of the PRM-SPG. On 27 September 2002 under the authority of BOR Resolution No. 2521, GSB was renamed into the Graduate School of Management (GSM).

The Charting of the New Era in Graduate Studies

Graduate School of Law
Acting on its mandate to advance the cause of social justice through legal education, the PLM Law Center was tasked to be the lead office in laying the groundwork for the establishment of the Graduate School of Law (GSL). On 07 July 2004, the grand launching activity was held at the Manila Hotel with Justice Jose Vitug of the Supreme Court of the Philippines as guest of honor. Legal and judicial luminaries, as well as the University officials led by the Board of Regents, witnessed this launching of the second graduate school of law in the country. Subsequently, the Board of Regents approved the offering of the graduate programs of Master of Laws (LLM) and the Doctor of Civil Law (DCL) on 29 July 2004 through BOR Resolution No. 2686.