THE UST Department of Economics will apply major revisions to its curriculum by establishing an on-the-job (OJT) training program and by realigning its existing course offerings to help students become more immersed in practical experiences.
Economics department chair Assoc. Prof. Alain Jomarie Santos said the curriculum changes would be implemented starting academic year 2025-2026.
Upon the implementation of the revised curriculum, an OJT program, a job instruction that takes place directly in the working industry, will be introduced to fourth-year students in the first semester. The department will also offer a new elective on sustainable development and a major course on public economics for juniors and seniors, respectively.
“You know, these three subjects are really very integral and very important. Not only for the faculty members, not only for the industry but it’s also important for the students in order for them to immerse in the balance of learning through theoretical and also through practice. And that is one thing that is missing in Economics,” Santos told The Flame in an interview.
Among the 13 programs in the Faculty of Arts and Letters, only the Philosophy, Asian Studies and Economics programs do not have internship courses.
The department head said Public Economics would tackle the role of the government in the economic landscape, with its focus on the country’s executive departments that are not covered in existing subjects.
“So, this is really something that, perhaps, our future students will work in the departments of the government—for example, the Department of Finance, NEDA (National Economic and Development Authority). And it’s really important for them to know about the importance and how these things work [because] that is basically the heart or the nucleus of public economics,” he said.
At the request of the Office of the Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, the Economics department will also introduce a sustainable development elective with the aim of cultivating “socially-aware leaders.”
“Sustainable Development will help mold our Thomasian[s] and the entire community to be socially, environmentally and economically responsible because they are our future leaders, they are our future decision-makers, policymakers and formulators, “ Santos said.
The subject will be anchored on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals to integrate the economic, environmental and social areas of sustainability and provide students with a practical approach to addressing global challenges such as climate change and poverty.
Santos said only Artlets students would be able to take the elective during its maiden year. The course may expand into a university-wide elective if carried out successfully, he added.
More revisions
To effectively lay out Economics courses, Santos said the updated curriculum would also transfer some existing subjects to earlier year levels.
The Political Economics and Comparative Economic Systems, subjects currently offered at the fourth-year level, will be taught to third-year students starting next academic year. Meanwhile, Microeconomics and Macroeconomics will now be a prerequisite course at the second-year level from the third-year level.
“So it’s really important for them to finish [those courses first], evaluate, reflect and then for economic research, there will be more ideas and they’ll be ready to think about topics that perhaps can cover macro or micro,” Santos said.
The Economics department has already provided alternative learning opportunities to support students who will experience the shift to a new curriculum, including its Eco Brown Bag Series, where alumni and industry experts share insights on environment topics. Seminars like the Tiger Economic Outlook and National Economic Conference will provide platforms for students to engage with prominent figures in the field.
According to Santos, some Economics alumni who work in the industry have also vowed to partner with the department in administering the senior students’ practical training.
Faculty members will also undergo specialized training in handling the subjects, with experts leading the first rollout of the courses. Santos added that the teaching loads would be distributed to new academic staff to increase manpower.
“[The curriculum change] started from the feedback of the students… the faculty members and also from the feedback of the alumni. And definitely, after we roll that out, then we’re gonna assess them again and we’re gonna call the stakeholders and discuss with them what… can they say about the rollout,” he said.
“So, number one, [someone who] will be perhaps knowledgeable about whether it’s progressing or regressing the students, because they must know whether it’s really worth learning or not.”
After a major restructuring in AB last year, the Department of Economics was one of the two programs that were relegated from university-wide to college level. With the change in its status, the department’s courses are no longer regularly offered to the University’s other colleges.
The last time that the Economics department applied major revisions to its curriculum was in 2020. F — with reports from Trisha Tamio
