New students of the UP Asian Center attended an orientation session on 27 January 2018 at the Hall of Wisdom, Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman.

Thirty-nine students were accepted to the MA programs of the UP Asian Center for the Second Semester, Academic Year 2017–2018. And the newest batch is composed of 21 Asian Studies majors and 18 Philippine Studies majors.

Students who attended the orientation were apprised of Things-To-Know-Do-and-Remember during their stay at the UP Asian Center: from forms and procedures to program requirements. They were also given advice to help them meet the rigors of graduate studies, manage their schedules, and ensure they enjoy and learn from their respective programs. 

The students met several faculty of the UP Asian Center headed by the Dean and Associate Professor, Dr. Joefe B. Santarita; Associate Professor and College Secretary Rolando Talampas; Professor Dr. Aileen Baviera; Associate Professor Dr. Antoinette Raquiza; and Assistant Professors Dr. Michelle Palumbarit; Dr. Cecilia Medina; Dr. Noel Moratilla; Dr. Jocelyn Celero; and Dr. Maria Dulce Natividad.

This intake for the second semester raises the number of students admitted by the UP Asian Center to over 100 for Academic Year 2017–2018. One of the colleges in UP's Diliman campus, the Asian Center offers MA programs in both Asian Studies and in Philippine Studies, and serves as the secretariat of the Tricollege PhD Philippine Studies Program. 

Learn more about our graduate programs, prepare applications for the August 2018 intake and subscribe to our admissions mailing list, through which you can be notified of application deadlines.

The orientation was also an occasion to initiate the relaunching and re-accreditation, under the Office of Student Activities, of Samahang Mag-aaral ng Asya (SAMA), a student organization in the UP Asian Center. SAMA was first established in the 1970s and will be formally headed by President Garet Paris, an MA in Asian Studies student.    


The UP Asian Center offers M.A. degrees in Asian Studies with four fields of specialization: Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and West Asia. The Center also has an M.A. program in Philippine Studies that allows students to major in Philippine society and culture, Philippine foreign relations, or Philippine development studies. The Center offers a Ph.D. program in Philippine Studies in conjunction with the College of Arts and Letters and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. Get an overview of these programs. The Asian Center also houses a peer-reviewed, open-access journal, Asian Studies: Journal of Critical Perspectives on Asia. It has published several books and monographs, and hosts or organizes various lectures and conferences