THERE WILL be no Journalism and Legal Management (LM) freshmen this academic year 2016-2017.
Due to the low number of qualified applicants, the Faculty of Arts and Letters (AB) will no longer offer Journalism and LM during the full implementation of the K to 12 program, Asst. Dean Narcisa Tabirara revealed yesterday.
Tabirara said there were only six qualified applicants for Journalism and 11 for LM—far short from a “viable” class that should be composed of at least 40 students.
The Communication Arts (CA) and Political Science (PolSci) programs, however, will remain open for freshman enrollees.
In a past interview, Dean Michael Anthony Vasco noted that the Faculty will discontinue offering Journalism and LM to freshmen if the number of applicants would not fill in the minimum limit of 35 students per class.
“We offered them to go to Communication Arts or to Political Science instead. Some did, others chose not to because they were really bent on [their chosen] program,” Tabirara said, adding that those who declined the offer will have to look for other schools.
Journalism and LM professors, meanwhile, can teach subjects in CA and PolSci.
“’Yung initial subjects ng Journalism, pareho rin ‘yan sa Communication Arts, [also the initial] Legal Management [subjects with the] Political Science [subjects],” Tabirara said. “There is no real problem. The only concern is the major subjects and these professors [in Journalism and Legal Management] will teach the other major subjects.”
Last year, AB only retained the CA and PolSci programs in anticipation of low freshman enrollees due to the full implementation of the K to 12 program.
However, the Faculty added Journalism and LM in the program offerings because there were about 20 inquiries for each program that Vasco received from the Office for Admissions. F – MIKKAH F. FACTOR
