Associate Degree Program in the Philippines

According to courses.com (2014 article), an associate degree typically takes

two to three years to obtain, depending on the field of the study. Upon
completion program, you will be granted an Associate Degree that you can
use either to pursue employment or gain acceptance into an undergraduate
degree program.
Most of the time, this is synonymous to a vocational course, although not all
vocational courses will grant you an associate degree after youve completed
the program.
Some colleges and universities in the Philippines offer laderized courses that
will allow you to transition from a two or three-year associate degree
program into a four or five-year undergraduate degree program.
Below are some examples of available Associate Degree Program in the
Philippines:
Computer Sciences

Associate in Information Technology

Associate in Information Management

Associate in Computer Technology

Associate in Computer Science

Associate in Electrical Technology

Associate in Electronics Technology

Engineering

Associate in Mechanical Engineering

Associate in Electrical Engineering

Associate in Marine Engineering

Associate in Material Science and Engineering

Associate in Communication Engineering

Associate in Automotive Technology

Health Sciences

Associate Science in Nursing

Associate in Health Science Education

Social Sciences

Associate in Criminology

Associate in Arts

Architecture and Design

Associate in Architecture

Associate in Fine Arts

Associate in Architectural Drafting

Agriculture

Associate in Agribusiness Technology

Environmental Studies/Natural Sciences

Associate in Forestry

Business

Associate in Office Administration

Associate in Hotel and Restaurant Management

Associate in Accounting

Associate in Accounting Technology

Associate in Business Administration

Transportation

Associate in Marine Transportation

Different Types of Courses That You Can Take in the Philippines

According to courses.com (2015), for most incoming students, especially
those that are about to step into college for the first time, their journey starts
with choosing the course they will be taking in the next few weeks, months,
or years.
There are different types of courses that you can take here in the Philippines.
But before we go into those courses, lets define what courses are first.
In the Philippines, the word course is often used by the general public
to refer to a program of study that you can complete in a certain amount of
time in order to get a degree. Examples of this are Bachelor of Science
in Pharmacy, Bachelor of Fine Arts, and Bachelor of Science and

Accountancy to name a few. The same goes with other countries and
territories such as Australia, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.
By contrast, the term course is used in Canada and the United States to
refer to a unit of teaching that belongs to a broader program of study,
much like what we call subjects in the Philippines. Some examples of these
are Programming Language for Bachelor of Science in Computer
Science, Introduction to Biotechnology for Bachelor of Science in
Chemical Engineering, and Editorial Management for Bachelor of Arts in
Journalism. Of course, you can always say that the difference is only a matter
of preference, but it does give things a bit of a different meaning.
For example, in the Philippines, courses or programs can be divided into two
categories: degree programs and certificate programs.
Whats the difference between the two? Below is a quick overview.
Degree Programs
Degree programs are programs of study that are geared towards granting
you a degree in exchange for completing a specified number of subjects
which you can then use to get a job or pursue higher learning. Degree
programs in the country are often divided into three subcategories: associate
degrees, undergraduate degrees, and postgraduate degrees.

Certificate Programs
Certificate Programs are short courses, like TESDA courses, that may
take you anywhere from several days to several months to complete. Upon
completion of the program, you will be granted a certificate that proves
that you have acquired the necessary qualifications needed in order to
perform specific tasks.
While some certificate programs will allow you to pursue higher learning or
employment the way degree programs do, they will usually limit your options
to technical or entry level jobs, or in the case of certain professions, you
can only used them in conjunction with previously completed degree
programs.

How to choose the Right Course in College

According to courses.com (February 22, 2013), many high school students
often have trouble choosing what college course to take, especially
those who are in their junior and senior years. It can be a really tough
decision to make for teens because peer or parental pressure tends to have a
huge impact on decision making at that age.
Because of this, many college students become stuck with courses they
dont like or they are not particularly interested in. Since the course youre

going to take will have a lot of say on the career you can eventually pursue,
its important that you decide which course will be the best for you well in
advance. The only question is, how will you know which college course you
should take?

Here are a few things to consider:

1. Your strengths and talents
Figuring out your strengths and talents is one of the most important steps in
finding out what course will suit you well.
For example, if you can easily cook a new dish by using some of the
ingredients you just found in the fridge, you can start by looking at
different courses with cooking subjects such as Bachelor of Science in
Culinary Management, Bachelor of Science in Food Technology, and
Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management and go from
there. You may also want to consider short TESDA courses such as Culinary
Arts and Commercial Cooking if youd like to test things first.
On the other hand, if youve always been good at figuring out how things
work and how you can improve existing tools or work processes, then
courses that will introduce you to different systems, designs, or products that
you can physically touch are the courses that you might want to explore.

Courses in the field of Engineering like Bachelor of Science in

Electronics and Communications Engineering (BSECE) Bachelor of Science
in Mechanical Engineering (BSME) Mechatronics Servicing NC IV, and
those Computer Sciences like Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
Bachelor of Science in Information Systems And Computer Hardware
Servicing NC II is good options to start with. If youre main points have
always lain on your ability to understand and interact with people, however,
then courses in the field of Social Sciences might suit you well.
Examples of these are AB Mass Communication, BS Psychology, BS
Sociology, BS Public Administration, and AB Linguistics.
The same goes for any other talent that you may have. If you are good at it,
then try to find a course that can help you become even better. Johann
Wolfgang von Goethe once said, The person born with a talent they are
meant to use will find their greatest happiness in using it.
Of course, that doesnt mean you cant pursue a communicationrelated
degree if your grammar is far from perfect or an Engineering degree if you
are not a walking calculator, but there will be the question of how interested
you are in it and how much effort will you be willing to put forth to finish that
course.
2. Your interest and willingness to learn

Lets say that you havent figured out where your talent lies, how can you
come up with the best decision? Think about your interests and your
willingness to learn a particular subject.
You can start by listing everything you like or have always been interested in
then try to explore each of them in detail. If youre not sure where to begin,
ask yourself the following questions:

What kind of activities do you enjoy doing?

What topics do you enjoy discussing?

Do you enjoy doing them over and over again?

Can you imagine yourself doing them for free or for a fraction of the
usual rate?

The first two questions will give you an idea of your interests and the
questions after them would tell you about how passionate you are about
them and if you could actually pursue them as a lifelong career.
For example, lets say you like comics so you want to be a comic
artist. Since producing comic books involves a lot of drawing, Visual Arts
courses like Bachelor of Fine Arts may come to mind, but before you actually
pursue the course, try to ask yourself:

Are you interested in learning different drawing techniques? Can you

imagine yourself spending hours after hours creating and coloring a
single drawing or a single scene? Do you have the patience to do days or
weeks of research to translate real life images into lifelike drawings?
If you dont, then you might want to look at other activities that you have
more fun doing and take time to reassess what you really want to do.
3. Your goals
Natural talents and interests are important factors in considering the course
youre going to take in college however, the most important thing you need
to think about is what you want for your future.
Sure, there are things that you love doing and there are things that you have
no trouble doing, but the question is Can you imagine yourself doing it for
the rest of your life or for the most part of it? You may be at an age where
you still have plenty of time to think about it, but the sooner you figure it out,
the sooner you will be able to plan your future.
Are you picking a course simply to please the people around you or are you
doing it because its really what youve always wanted to do?
Do you want to pursue a career based on your passion and lifelong
dreams or do you want to pursue a career that will give you financial
security?

The answer can be a simple yes or no, but its implications on your future are
not that simple. Some people choose a course related to their passion, but
theres the question of whether there will be jobs available after graduation.
Similarly, some people go for financial security and pick an in demand
job, and theres the question of how long they can keep at it.
Of course, things do not always come in black and white. There are no
straight answers, just your willingness to make things work, so just go and
give it your best shot. In the end, it comes down to what is most important to
you.
If youre still having uncertainties, here are some other miscellaneous tips
that we hope may also help:
Youre not sure how interested you are in the courses you have in mind?
Take a look at the curriculum of the different courses in the Philippines. It will
help you know what topics you will be covering in advance, so youll know if
youre interested in a particular course as a whole or just some parts of it.
If you have some time to spare, you can also browse through the
recommendations of professionals who took the course you are thinking of
pursuing. They would be in the best position to tell you what to expect from
the course and how you can handle them. A quick internet search could also
find you a decent list to start with.

Additionally, plenty of colleges and universities provide career

counseling for incoming college students a few months ahead of
graduation, so they will be glad to answer whatever questions you may have.
Worried about your financial situation?
If your worries about your financial situation are the ones that are keeping you from
pursuing the course you want, there are several options that you can always explore
first before you make up your mind.

For example, if you cant afford a four or fiveyear degree program,

you can try to apply for a scholarship grant. There are actually some
scholarship programs that are specifically targeted towards students of
specific courses, including some of the more costly ones like
Engineering, Marine Transportation, and Medicine. Youll just have to do a
little searching.
Aside from that, you can also find a parttime job that can help you
earn some money while continuing to go to school. Several
establishments such as fast food chains, computer rentals shops, and call
centers often hire parttimers, so you just have to find a way to manage your
time.
Youre not confident in your talents?
Work on enhancing them. Enroll in short courses or attend seminars that can
help you develop your skills. There are plenty of organizations that offer
them for free all you have to do is choose.

Alternatively, you can also apply for an internship at a company engaged in

activities related to your skills. Some of them may not pay enough money or
may not pay at all, but you can learn a lot of things along the way, so you
could just think of it as an investment for your future.
Still worried about choosing the wrong course?
Dont stress yourself too much. While it is a legitimate concern, its not
something permanent that you can never change. No one can predict the
future, so the best you can do is explore your options, choose well, work
hard, and hope for the best. If somewhere along the line you realized that
the course you took isnt really going to work for you, theres always the
option of shifting to a different course.
It might not be your ideal scenario, but its not as bad as it sounds. Just
because you dropped a course to take another one doesnt mean youve
wasted a part of your life. On the contrary, it may serve as an opening for
new learning and career opportunities provided of course that you pay
attention to your classes and other related activities.
At the very least, you can have some of the credits that you earned
from your previous course carried over to your new one. You can plan that
part out by consulting your schools registrar so youll know which
courses have similar subjects. That way, you could minimize the number
of subjects that youll have to take when you shift into the new course.

The Current Most Popular College Courses in the Philippines [20112020]

According to an admin of academic-clinic (August 15, 2009), during certain
points in the school year, its not surprising to see masses of seniors trooping
to various university campuses for the purpose of taking their entrance
exams. After all, thats a major step in being able to attend the college of
their choice.
Picking a college to attend is only half of the decision, though. The other half
involves choosing an actual course to pursue. With the myriad of choices
available, how does one narrow things down to a more manageable list?
One strategy is to find out what most college courses people are into these
days. Dont sweat it, as weve compiled a helpful little list for you. Here they
are, in no particular order.
Medical Courses:
The aging population of developed countries, medical tourism and the
expansion plans of developing ones have given rise to the increase in
demand of health care workers. According to the Department of Labor and
Employment, the manpower request for graduates of health related courses
has been steadily increasing by 2.3% yearly.
Nursing: while there seems to be a temporary surplus of nurses in the
country, it is expected that the demand for graduates of this course will
continue to increase within the next 10 years.

The current top overseas destination of graduate nurses are Saudi Arabia,
UAE, Singapore, Kuwait, United Kingdom, US, Qatar, Taiwan, Ireland and
Trinidad and Tobago.
Specialized nurses [operating, ER, anesthetic, scrub, theatre, critical
care/ICU, pediatric, cardiac, burn, pediatric, oncology, catheter, and trauma]
will also be in demand in European countries like Belgium, Spain, Italy,
Poland, Switzerland, Norway, Finland, and Denmark. Asian countries like
Bruniei, Singapore, Taiwan, and Japan on the other hand will need Dental
Nurses, Chief Nurses, Head Nurses and Nurse Managers.
Other medical workers like Doctors, midwives and Physical therapists will
also be in demand in countries like Poland, Belgium, Germany and Singapore.
A more detailed list of countries needing such personnel are listed below:

Medical Doctors: Australia, Korea and Saudi Arabia

Pharmacist, Orthodontists, Pediatric Technologists: Saudi Arabia and

USA

Medical Technologists: Saudi Arabia, USA and New Zealand

Physical/Occupational Therapists: USA

Speech Therapists: USA

Optometrists: Oman

Male Dieticians: KSA, Qatar and UAE

Dental Lab/Dental Assts: KSA, Qatar and UAE

Medical Technicians (BioMedical, Anesthetics, Laboratory, Respiratory,

Emergency, Medical Gas and Medical Records): Saudi Arabia and Qatar

Microbiologists: Saudi Arabia

Caregivers: Israel, Japan, UK, Switzerland, Taiwan Belgium, Libya

Macau
Education:
The growing lack of skilled educators in developed countries has also
sparked the rush towards education courses. Specially needed are
elementary, secondary, science, math, physical education and childcare
teachers, professors and lecturers in KSA, Libya, Seychellles, Macau, US and
South Korea.
Culinary Arts and Hotel & Restaurant Management:
The rise of tourism as part of the development plan of quite a number of
countries here in Asia, the Middle East and some parts of Europe has also
catalyzed the demand for Chefs, tour guides, hotel mangers and other
tourism related workers. Demand for skilled workers in this area has been
increasing steadily by a factor of 3.5% yearly for the past 5 years garnering a
total of 160,300 manpower requests from several countries.
Top destination countries of graduates of these courses are Libya, Kuwait,
UAE, CNMI, Oman, KSA, UAE, Korea, Macau, Singapore and Romania.
Banking and Finance Courses:
The increasing inter-connectedness of the global economy as well as the
growth of the global financial market has also increased the demand for
graduates of banking and finance graduates. Of special mention in this
category are Accounting Clerks, Bookkeepers, Auditors, Cashiers, Credit Card

Analysts, Finance Analyst/Specialists, Accountants (Account Officer, Analyst),

and Risk Management Officers. These workers are in demand in developing
countries and financial centers such as Libya, Kuwait, Singapore and
Switzerland.
Engineering Courses:
Projects regarding megacities construction in the middle east, plans to
increase manufacturing capacity, and the rise of renewable energy have all
resulted to the shortage of skilled engineers worldwide. The last 5 years
alone have seen 256,000 manpower requests from different countries. The
demand for engineering graduates has been steadily increasing by 2.5%
yearly.
Engineering Graduates of the following fields are poised to take advantage of
this global demand:

Civil Engineering: Structural, Design, Safety, Planning and Contract

Electrical Engineering: Manufacturing, Construction and Renewable

energy

Mechanical Engineering: manufacturing, real estate and renewable

energy

Mining Engineering: Mining

Geodetic Engineering: Mining and real estate

Metallurgical Engineering: Mining

Chemical Engineering: Manufacturing

Industrial Engineering: Manufacturing

Top Destination countries are Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Singapore, Japan,
Malaysia, Macau, Belgium, Germany, Norway and the USA.
Cyberservices:
A particularly interesting development in the most popular college courses
based on global demand is in relation to cyberservices. Demand for skilled
workers in this industry has been increasing rapidly at about 6.4% yearly
which is more than twice the other courses. The last 5 years alone has seen
more than 400,000 requests for manpower both locally and internationally.

In demand workers under this category are:

Creative Industries

Broadcast Engineer

Video Editor

Video Graphic Artist (Animators)

Visual Artist Designer

3D modelers

3D Artist

3D Animators

Flash Animators

Animation Artist

Clean-Up Artist

In-between Artist/In-betweener

Clean-Up Art Checker

In-between Checker

Animation Checker

Web Designer

Multimedia Artist

Library builder

Layout artist

2D digital animator

Graphic Assistants

Programmers:

Java Programmers

Oracle Developers

Web Developers

IT Programmers

Software Development

Computer Programmers

Developer (Software, Web)

IT/Information Technology (MIS Developer, Platform Engineer)

Specialist (Learning Solution, System and Technical Support)

Systems Analyst

Backoffice:

Accountant (Back Office Processing)

HR Outsourcing Specialist (Back Office Processing)

Call Center Agent

Medical Transcription Editor

Medical Transcription

Financial Accountants

Technical Support Engineers

Autocad Operators

Legal Researchers

Legal Analysts

Top Destination Countries of the graduates of these courses are: Saudi

Arabia, UAE, India, Singapore, Australia and US.

Degree vs. Diploma

Lets face it; a lot of Filipinos are still quite traditional especially when it
comes to earning a college degree. Between someone who finished a fouryear course and a graduate of a diploma program, many employers and
recruiters prefer the former. Not only do they believe that a four-year degree
results to a credible worker; they also feel that it produces a far more
competent and experienced employee than a two-year diploma course.
Recently, however, many companies have become more open-minded about
their hiring activities. In the field of arts and technology for instance, many
employers are already recognizing diploma program graduates because of
their industry-relevant skills and hands-on work experiences. They no longer

look into their applicants educational attainment; rather, they focus on their
competences and practical expertise.
True enough, even out-of-work BA/BS courses graduates spend additional
time and money in adding occupation-specific credentials to their degrees.
They enroll in technical and vocational institutions just so they can acquire
the employable skills they need for the job.
Equally Lucrative Options
Today, the widely created rivalry between a degree and a non-degree bearer
is no longer the basis of a successful employment application. Unlike before
when diploma courses are seen as second class courses, today, both
degree and non-degree courses promote equally lucrative opportunities and
career growth. So, whether you pursue a degree or a non-degree course, it
will provide you a lot of employment options and a high bargaining position.
Now, there are no more barriers, but only situations that will make you
choose the best way toward a well-paid job. If you want to save enormous
amount of money, time, and resources, you may turn to diploma courses. But
if you want to have a more formal and extensive learning, then you may
simply pursue a degree course.
Degree and Diploma Programs Merged
Still having a hard time deciding which between the two to take? Why not
enroll in both?
CIIT is among the schools of art in the Philippines that provide the option for
students to take both diploma and degree courses in four years. It offers six

diploma programs (Multimedia Arts, Computer Graphics, 3D Animation,

Game Development, Information Technology, and Software Engineering) that
are ladderized to their two bachelors degree courses (Bachelor of Arts in
Multimedia Arts and Bachelor of Science in Computer Science). Also, it offers
double diploma programs in Digital Design and Computer Science, which
give students the option to choose two diploma courses and complete them
for a minimum of three years.
The school, in its aim to upheave employment equality among degree and
non-degree course, also provides modern facilities and proficient faculty to
the following:

Students who do not have enough funds to take a graduate course.

Students who aspire to be employed the soonest.

Degree course graduates who want to add specialization to their

current degree.

Diploma course graduates who want to proceed with a bachelor degree

in an accelerated period of study.

Individuals, professionals or not, who want comprehensive and

intensive training in pursuing the passion in arts.

[CIIT College of Arts and Technology, December 28, 2013]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associate_degree
http://www.courses.com.ph/associate-degree-programs-in-the-philippines/
http://www.courses.com.ph/different-types-of-courses-that-you-can-take-inthe-philippines/
http://www.courses.com.ph/how-to-choose-the-right-course-in-college/
http://academic-clinic.com/2009/08/the-current-most-popular-collegecourses-in-the-philippines/
http://www.ciit.edu.ph/blog/diploma-degree-philippines-schools-art-suggest/