School of Leadership and Advanced Studies

SCHOOL OF LEADERSHIP AND ADVANCED STUDIES

(formerly Graduate School)

The opening of the Wesleyan University-Philippines Graduate School was the brainchild of Dr. Roxy Lefforge, the institution’s third President. It was conceived shortly after she assumed office in 1952 in collaboration with some Methodist members who saw the need to offer an advance course in Education. Operation of the Graduate School started during the second semester of A.Y. 1952-1953 with thirty students. Today, the School of Leadership and Advanced Studies (SOLAS) stands as a hallmark of higher education in this part of Central Luzon and is the oldest Graduate School in Region III.

In A.Y. 2021-2022, WU-P implemented a verticalization of its degree programs. Hence, several programs at the Graduate School were transferred to various Colleges. At this time, SOLAS focuses on leadership, administration, and other innovative degree programs that seek to equip responsible citizens who play important regional, national, or global roles.

PROGRAM OFFERINGS

Master in Business Administration

The MBA is a 36-unit professional graduate degree program designed to develop capable, socially responsible, and mature managers and leaders in today’s evolving global business environment. The program focuses on skills needed by business professionals, such as analytical reasoning, communication, leadership, and strategic thinking. WU-P MBA embodies the university’s ethos of Christian character and excellence in one’s chosen vocation. Thus, the program prepares graduates to possess godly values to work competitively and ethically in the global marketplace. There are four specializations in the program: Thesis, Non-thesis, Social Entrepreneurship, and Hotel and Restaurant Management.

For more information about MBA, please download: MBA Program Details

Master in Hospital Administration

The MHA is a 36-unit professional graduate degree program that equips graduates to be an effective administrator of a hospital or health care facilities. The program covers topics such as financial management, legal and ethical issues of health services, information management, economics and policy, strategic marketing, hospital planning and design, and hospital administration. Graduates shall be well-equipped to demonstrate managerial and leadership competencies, and exhibit critical thinking, and ethical sensitivity in decision-making in the various areas of responsibilities in hospital administration. The program has two tracks: thesis and non-thesis.

For more information about MHA, please download: MHA Program Details

Master in Public Administration

The MPA is a 36-unit professional graduate degree program designed for professionals who work or would like to work in public service. The program enhances the administrative and managerial skills of students in their respective workplaces, particularly in government agencies and organizations. The curriculum deals with competencies necessary for public servants in their chosen field of specialization and equips graduates to be the effective in leadership positions. Individuals who are interested in working or engaging in the development, promotion, and advancement of effective, efficient, and efficacious public organizations and administration will greatly benefit from this program. The program has two tracks: thesis and non-thesis.

For more information about MPA, please download: MPA Program Details

Professional Master in Educational Leadership

The PMEL is a 33-unit, full-time, one-year professional graduate degree program built on a cohort-learning model. It is designed to prepare qualified and effective K-12 school administrators and instructional leaders, produce effective K-12 school principals who can also serve as positive change agents in the community, and develop school leaders with the necessary skills and capacity to improve student learning and implement best practices. Students will be guided to create and implement innovations and programs that will help students and schools achieve educational goals. Students in the program are expected to become problem-solvers, decision-makers, advocates, and managers who are guided by Christian principles and values.

For more information about PMEL, please download: PMEL Program Details

Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration

The PhD BA is a 42-unit research degree designed to develop and advance knowledge and perspective through analytical synthesis of management and leadership theories and principles. It is designed for scholarly growth in the theoretical foundations of business administration, management academics, and writing skills. It promotes Christian-based, humane, socially responsible, and effective business leadership. It is the expressed goal of the program to equip graduates with research and change management skills needed in the academia and other organizations in the twenty-first century. The program also exposes students to current issues and trends and to real-world scenarios, and challenges them to conduct research that addresses these.

For more information about PhD BA, please download: PhD BA Program Details

Doctor of Leadership Studies (to be offered in August 2022)

The LSD is a 45-unit post-graduate professional degree program designed to equip mid-career leaders, managers, and practitioners who wish to refine, refresh, and upgrade their knowledge and skills in leadership and administration. Emphases fall on addressing organization change, designing relevant products, and creating process-based solutions. The program balances theory-assessment with competency-driven courses and project-based outputs. A culminative dissertation is required for graduation. The program has four specializations: Business Administration, Entrepreneurship, Technology and Social Innovation, and Public Administration.

For more information about LSD, please download: LSD Program Details

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

For successful admission at SOLAS, applicants must meet the following criteria:

Students have graduated with an undergraduate degree from a government-recognized or accredited higher education institution (HEI). (Students may be asked to submit college catalogues, syllabi, or other documents in order to indicate the academic level of undergraduate work.)
Admission to any master’s program requires students to have a college academic average grade of at least 80.
Admission to any doctoral program requires students to have a relevant master’s degree from accredited HEIs and whose general average is at least 85. For non-verticalized degree programs (e.g. from MPA to PhD BA), applicants will be required to take a bridging program composed of 9 units toward the doctoral specialization (including 3 units of research).
By way of exception, any student with a lower general average may initially be admitted on a probationary basis for one semester. After demonstrating the capacity to undertake graduate or post-graduate studies, he/she may be formally admitted to the program.
Enrollment in any research doctoral program requires a successfully passed master’s thesis. For graduates of non-thesis programs, they shall be required to finish 6 units of research courses before admission, and submit a research paper that will be used to gauge if the applicant has the skills to pursue a doctoral research degree.
Applicants who do not aim to pursue any degree programs but intend to attain knowledge enhancement and personal development may be admitted to non-degree status. However, they should undergo the required admission procedures. In the event that these students decide to pursue a particular degree program, the same policies and requirements observed by the degree shall apply to them.
Provisional admission may be given to students falling short of full admission requirements. Provisional admissions are valid for one semester only. Failure to comply to the requirements of admission after one semester will entail being dropped from the program.

ADMISSION PROCEDURES

For successful admission at SOLAS:

An application form will have been carefully filled out by the applicant. The form can be obtained from the SOLAS Office upon request and is available here. The application form requires that the student supply a small recent 2×2 picture.
Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate schools attended by the student will have been submitted to the SOLAS Office. The transcripts should have the remark “Copy for WU-P.”
Students who are transferring credits from other HEIs must submit a statement of honorable dismissal and a recommendation for admission. An original Transcript of Records is also required.
Students desiring financial assistance must communicate with the Office of Student Affairs for the Form and process of scholarship application.

FEES