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SUBJECT :

POLICIES, STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES (PSG) FOR THE MASTER OF SCIENCE IN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION PROGRAM

In accordance with the pertinent provisions of Republic Act (RA) No. 7722, otherwise known as the "Higher Education Act of 1994," CHED Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 36, s. 1998 ("Policies and Standards on Graduate Education"), CMO No. 9, s. 2003 ("Addendum to CMO No. 36, s. 1998 Policies and Standards on Graduate Education"), and by virtue of CEB Resolution No. 208-2011, dated August 22, 2011 and for the purpose of rationalizing the graduate degree programs in Development Communication in all Higher Education institutions (HEIs) in the country, this set of Policies, Standards and Guidelines (PSG) is hereby adopted and promulgated by this Commission.

ARTICLE I

INTRODUCTION

SECTION 1. Rationale and Background.—The Master of Science in Development Communication program provides students with higher order and advanced communication competencies needed in professional practice, teaching and communication studies.  The curriculum is responsive to the demands of the changing communication media landscape and the broader socio-political and economic environment.  It prepares students to take a more active, strategic and critical role in shaping the direction of Philippine communication media and in applying communication in development.  Students are expected to exercise leadership in the communication profession; undertake research and evaluation in the discipline; and become effective instruments in articulating the needs and aspirations of the Filipino people.

The MS in Development Communication program is linked with related advanced communication programs in journalism and broadcasting and allied programs such as public relations and advertising.  It is enriched by various disciplines from the social sciences, humanities and the arts.

ARTICLE II

AUTHORITY TO OPERATE

SEC. 2. All Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), both private and public (State Universities and Colleges [SUCs] and Local Colleges and Universities [LCUs]), intending to offer graduate degree programs in development communication must secure proper authority from the Commission on Higher Education.

ARTICLE III

PROGRAM SPECIFICATION

SEC. 3. Degree Name.—The degree name shall be Master of Science (MS) in Development Communication.

SEC. 4. Program Description/ Objectives.—The MS in Development Communication program aim to develop advanced competencies in any or all of the following communication areas applied in development: theory-building, research, education and training, policy development and program planning and management.

SEC. 5 Specific Professions/Careers/Occupations that Graduates of this Program May Go into— Individuals who earned a degree in MS Development Communication are expected to occupy middle to top management positions in communication-related occupations in any of the following settings: corporate communication, public information, public relations and advertising, mass media, communication education, and research and development.  They are also expected to be equipped to pursue new and emerging career options as communication consultants, knowledge managers, multimedia content managers, or planners/ designers of alternative learning systems.

SEC. 6. Allied Programs.—Allied programs refer to academic programs that provide similar or related competencies and skills to MS Development Communication graduates.  These programs can also trace some of their disciplinal or theoretical roots to communication.

MS Development Communication allied programs are Communication, Journalism, Broadcasting, Multimedia (digital media) Arts/Studies, Public Relations and Advertising.

ARTICLE IV

COMPETENCY STANDARDS

SEC. 7. Graduates of MS in Development Communication are expected to have acquired the following competencies:

	•	expertise in teaching
	•	expertise in conducting research and evaluation;
	•	expertise in developing and managing systems, programs and projects in communication for development; and
	•	knowledge on development theories and paradigms, current and emerging development issues and the role of communication in the development context.

ARTICLE V

CURRICULUM

SEC. 8 Curriculum Description.—The MS in Development Communication curriculum is a holistic approach to the study of the strategic use of communication theories, paradigms, policies, strategies and tools in addressing diverse development issues and concerns affecting communities and societies in different socio-political and economic settings.  The program seeks to offer a balanced curriculum in terms of theory, research and practice.

It has a total of thirty-six (36) units, of which six (6) units are Basic Courses, twelve (12) units are Required Courses, six (6) units are Electives and six (6) units are Thesis or Special Projects. Seminar courses offer lectures and/or presentations from resource persons/experts who will takle different relevant topics.  Non-seminar courses, however, may also include lectures by resource persons/guest lectures, and are basically conducted in the traditional manner, and may adopt other methodologies.

SEC. 9. Curriculum outline

	NO. OF COURSES	EQUIVALENT UNITS PER COURSE	TOTAL UNITS
1. BASIC COURSES	2		6
Development Communication Research Statistical Applications in Communication		3 3
2.   REQUIRED COURSES			12
Communication Theory Communication and Development		3 3
ICT in Development Research method course: Quantitative Approaches to Communication Research or Qualitative Approaches to Communication Research Graduate Seminar in Development Communication		3 3 (1)
3. ELECTIVES	2	3	6
Development Communication Approaches Participatory Development Communication Development Broadcasting Communication and Culture Organizational Communication and Communication Networks Educational Communication Science Communication Development Journalism Knowledge Management
4.   COGNATES	2	3	6
May all be taken in any other discipline offered in die university/ school in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, or technical fields.
5.   COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION	REQUIRED
A student must pass the comprehensive examination to be given upon completion or all academic units /requirements prior to thesis writing.
6.   SUMMARY OP UNITS
Basic Courses Required Courses Electives Cognates Thesis or Special Projects	2 4 2 2 2		6 12 6 6 6
TOTAL NO. OF UNITS			36

Section 10. Sample Program of Study

Year 1
First Semester		Second Semester
Course	Unit	Course	Unit
Communication Theory	3	Development Communication Approaches	3
Development Communication Research	3	Communication and Development	3
Statistical Applications in Communication	3	ICT in Development	3
Elective 1	3	Elective 2	3
Total	12	Total	12

Year 2
First Semester		Second Semester
Course	Unit	Course	Unit
Research Methods course	3	Graduate Seminar in Development Communication	1
Cognate 1	3	Thesis or Special Projects	6
Cognate 2	3
Comprehensive Examination[*]
Total	9	Total	7

^[*] Comprehensive examination is taken after completion of all academic requirements

Note:   The institution is free to enhance and to follow different patterns and modalities based on the needs of its clientele.

SEC. 11. Teaching-Learning Approaches.—The use of non-traditional teaching learning approaches and tools to complement classroom lectures is encouraged.  These approaches/tools include CD-ROMs, Internet (e-group, e-mail), chat groups, web applications (websites, blogs, webcast/podcast, message boards), and video conferencing, among others.

SEC. 12. Thesis/Special Project Requirements.—Upon completion of all academic requirements and prior to doing the thesis or special project, the student must pass a comprehensive examination.  A student who fails to pass the comprehensive examination a second time will no longer be allowed to pursue the program.

The thesis subject must have prior approval of the student's thesis adviser.  The thesis will be defended before a panel consisting of at least three (3) faculty members of the College, including the adviser, reader and panel member(s).

ARTICLE VI

DESCRIPTION AND SPECIFICATION OF
COURSES

SEC. 13. For description and specification of courses, please refer to Annex A.

ARTICLE VII

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

SEC. 14. Program Administration.—The MS Development Communication program shall be administered by a full-time Dean and/or a Department Chair, Head, and/or Coordinator.

1. Qualifications.—The Program Administrator of a college or school to which the graduate programs belong must have a Doctorate degree with at least three (3) years of teaching and administrative experience.
   
   
2. Functions/Responsibilities:
   
   
   1. Provides over-all directions in the attainment of the objectives of the program.
      
      
   2. Recommends the appointment of qualified faculty members.
      
      
   3. Provides administrative support to the institution.
      
      
   4. Sits in department meetings upon invitation.
      
      
   5. Ensures that the syllabus of each course in the program is fully implemented within the term.
      
      
   6. Reviews periodically the curriculum along with the department faculty.
      
      
   7. Convenes regular and special faculty meetings.
      
      
   8. Schedules classes and assigns faculty-teaching load.
      
      
   9. Ensures that student grades are submitted on time by the faculty.
      
      
   10. Supervises student evaluation of faculty.
       
       
   11. Monitors progress of students.
       
       
   12. Fulfills all other functions as may be explicitly required by the institution.

SEC. 15. Faculty

1. Qualifications.—A graduate of a Masters degree in any communication program or related field from a recognized HEI, with at least three (3) years teaching experience.
   
   
2. Percentage of Full-time Faculty.— There shall be at least five (5) full-time faculty members who are at least master's degree holders and should have additional professional experience and/or training in the specialization or major area being offered.  At least one (1) of the full-time faculty members should have a doctorate degree.
   
   
3. Teaching Load.-Full-time - Maximum load of 36 units, including teaching load in the undergraduate program in one (1)academic year. Part-time -Maximum of 9 units in one (1) semester.

SEC. 16. Library.—Every college/ institution/ department offering development communication program shall have an adequately equipped library that will provide all the basic textbooks, as well as reference materials for research and other scholarly purposes, as well as resources for current trends.

1. Librarians.-The following are the minimum staff requirements.
   
   
   1. A college/institution/department library should  have a full-time librarian who is a holder of Master in Library and Information Science degree with a valid license.
      
      
   2. There should be one (1) full-time librarian for the first 500 students enrolled, and for an enrollment of 1,000, two (2) full-time librarians shall be required.
      
      
   3. Library assistant/s must be a holder/s of Bachelor of Library and Information Science degree.
      
   
   
2. Library Holdings.- Library holdings should conform to existing requirements for libraries.
   
   
   1. The library must provide five (5) book titles per course found in the curriculum. These titles must have been published within the last five (5) years.
      
      
   2. The HEI is likewise required to subscribe to at least two peer reviewed or referred journals and periodicals in communication and allied programs that are published locally and/or internationally. The subscriptions may be for hard or electronic copies of the journal.
      
      
   3. The library should have at least 100 audio-visual materials in the forms of tapes, films, records, CDs and DVDs.  Fifty percent of the collections should have been published/produced within the last ten (10) years.
      
      
   4. The library must provide internet access to faculty members and students for research and other academic activities.
      
      
   5. The library must provide access to electronic library materials such as CD-ROMS.   These are considered as additional library holdings beyond the minimum requirements.

SEC. 17. Facilities and Equipment

1. Classroom Requirements. The class size in every course of a higher education institution shall be determined by the institution itself, taking into account the total capacity of its facilities, the level of instruction, the nature of the course, and such other factors that promote a conducive teaching-learning process.
   
   
2. Laboratory requirements. For courses that require the use of the computer, a 1:1 computer student ratio is required.

SEC. 18. Admission and Retention

1. Admission
   
   
   1. The applicant must be a holder of a baccalaureate degree, preferably in communication, mass communication, or a related program (especially social sciences), from a recognized HEI.
      
      
   2. The applicant must have at least two (2) years of work experience, preferably  in   communication, media or its allied fields, except in extremely meritorious cases when a shorter period of work experience is warranted.
      
      
   3. The applicant must have obtained, a general weighted average (GWA) of at least 2.25 or its equivalent in his/her undergraduate studies.
      
      
   4. As part of the evaluation procedures of the applicants, an essay  and/or  interview will  be conducted, primarily to determine the preparedness of the applicant for graduate studies, as well as his/ her research and career plans.
      
   
   
2.  Retention
   
   1. The student must have a GWA of at least 2.0 by the end of each school year.

SEC. 19. Prerequisites.—Graduates with bachelor's degree in other discipline (non-communication) will be required to include 6-12 units of undergraduate courses, the number of units to be determined by the admission committee of the program depending on the previous communication training and background of the applicant.

ARTICLE VIII

TRANSITORY PROVISIONS

SEC. 20. All HEIs, including SUCs and LUCs, with existing authority for graduate communication programs are hereby given a period  of three (3) years from the effectivity thereof to fully comply with all the requirements in this CMO.

ARTICLE IX

SANCTIONS

SEC. 21. For violation of this Order, the Commission may impose such administrative sanction as it may deem appropriate pursuant to the pertinent provisions of Republic Act No. 7722 in relation to Section 69 of Batas Pambansa Blg. 232 otherwise known as the "Education Act of 1982, Section 63 of Article XII and Sections 142-143 of Article XXVI of the Manual of Regulations for Private Higher Education of 2008, and other related laws.

ARTICLE X

SEPARABILITY AND REPEALING CLAUSE

SEC. 22. Any provision of this Order, which may thereafter be held invalid, shall not affect the remaining provisions.

All CHED issuances or part thereof inconsistent with the provision in this CMO shall be deemed modified or repealed.

ARTICLE XI

EFFECTIVITY CLAUSE

SEC. 23. This Order shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Quezon City, Philippines September 5, 2011.

For the Commission:



See CHED MEMORANDUM ORDER (CMO) NO. 26 SERIES OF 2011 ANNEX A DESCRIPTION AND SPECIFICATION OF COURSES MS DEV COMM :  108 OG No. 4, 426-435 (January 23, 2012)