University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)

Since its establishment in 1972 as the first constituent university of the University of the Philippines System, the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) has evolved into a premier educational and research institution widely known in the Southeast Asia-Pacific region
www.uplb.edu.ph

UPLB Graduate School

Location:

Strategic Strength:

UPLB is host to two international institutions devoted to research and graduate study: the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). IRRI’s offices, research facilities, and experimental fields occupy UPLB land adjacent to the campus. SEARCA’s offices as well as housing facilities of its staff and scholars and those of IRRI are located within campus. Scholars of SEARCA and IRRI undertake academic and research work at UPLB.

The integrated campus and its adjacent experimental farms sprawl over 1,524 hectares at the foot of Mt. Makiling in Los Baños, Laguna, about 65 km south of Manila. Contiguous to the upper campus is the Makiling Forest Reserve with 4,244 hectares that comprise part of UPLB’s research, development, and extension areas, aside from land grants with 10,200 hectares located farther south in Laguna and Quezon provinces.

The Museum of Natural History in the upper campus has more than 300,000 preserved Philippine plants, animals, microorganisms, and other biota that showcase the rich biodiversity of the Philippines.

Organization:

Nine colleges now comprise the degree-offering units of UPLB. These are the Colleges of Agriculture (founded 1909), Veterinary Medicine (1910), Forestry and Natural Resources (1949), Arts and Sciences (1972), Engrineering and Agro-Industrial Technology (1983), Human Ecology (1983), Economics and Management (1987), Public Affairs (1998), and Development Communication (1998). The two other degree-granting units are the Graduate School (1972) and the School of Environmental Science and Management (1997).

Study Programs:

Its degree programs have expanded from the traditional fields of agriculture and forestry to the biological and environmental sciences, engineering, mathematics, computer science, and information technology. In recent years, these programs have been offered along with those in the social, economic, and humanistic disciplines.

Student Population:

An average of 11,000 students take courses in 27 undergraduate, 12 post-baccalaureate, and 97 graduate programs.

Faculty Strength:

Its academic programs are implemented by 852 members of the faculty, supported by 478 research, extension, and professional staff (REPS), 32 REPS-faculty, and 2,809 administrative staff (as of 2003).