COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

Global communication in the twenty-first century is made possible by the use of a language understood by all. That language is English, the medium used in the pursuit of knowledge, the advancement of science and technology, and the development of business and industry. It gives humankind access to the infinite resources of the internet and thus enables countries to work together to achieve their common goals. New information and research findings are efficiently shared in this international lingua franca. (Based on CMO No. 24, 2017) As an official language in the Philippines, English is used in government and law, education, media, business, and industry. As such, there is a demand for graduates who not only have adequate facility of English but can competently and effectively use language in different methods and for various purposes. The courses in the program are designed to integrate theory and practice to prepare the students for effective communication in English in diverse contexts and situations

Biology, as an academic discipline has broadened and diversified with the development of advanced laboratory equipment and sophisticated techniques in collaboration with chemists, physicists and engineers. This has led to a dynamic development of research in all levels of biological complexity from the molecules to ecosystems, where their properties and interactions are analyzed. The original fear that education and training of biologists in such diversified specialized micro-areas of biology will create graduates unable to bridge the gap between low and high complexity levels seems to be unfounded, as long as a core program in the curriculum ensures the basic concepts of biology: structure/function; regulation; growth; development and evolution. Biology programs offered in Philippine higher education institutions (HEIs) should be updated to integrate the latest trends in the teaching and the conduct of research in the field, and promote social responsibility. Thus, it is imperative to set the minimum course requirements that all institutions nationwide offering the program must adopt to achieve this objective.