Joined by representatives from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and its Science, Technology, Research and Innovation for Development (STRIDE) Program, the Technological Institute of the Philippines (T.I.P.) formally launched its Professional Science Master’s (PSM) degree in Data Science in a virtual ceremony last September 10, 2020.
Also present during the launch were partners from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Emerson Philippines, and CloudSwyft Global Systems, Inc.
T.I.P. president Dr. Elizabeth Quirino-Lahoz welcomed the international and local partners with good news, saying, “Despite these challenging times and despite the program’s quick incubation period, we have a total of 27 pioneering students and counting for our brand new graduate program. They will be mentored by the program’s impressive faculty line up, all with both academic background and deep experience in the data science industry.”
In contrast to a traditional, theory-centric Master’s degree, a PSM Degree in Data Science involves the perfect mix of science-based theory and industry-desired business skills to produce holistic graduates who are well-versed in both theory and practice. It is essentially an advanced scientific and business degree combined into one comprehensive graduate program.
Additionally, STRIDE chief of party Dr. Richard Abendan explained that a PSM program “…enables industry to drive curriculum development and deliver real-world relevance and applications to students. These have a mixture of technical and business courses that prepare students for greater roles in industry.”
Providing key industry insights in the program’s curriculum development and ensuring its global significance were partners CloudSwyft Global Systems, Inc. and Emerson Philippines.
Meanwhile, USAID Office of Education director Dr. Tom LeBlanc noted the importance of such a PSM program for Filipinos, remarking, “Indeed, the future looks bright for the next generation of Filipino scientists and engineers. No longer will they need to seek further education on this emerging industry outside the country. Initiatives such as the PSM make it possible for young Filipinos to compete with their contemporaries from around the world.”
The T.I.P. PSM Data Science program only had a six-month runway for its launch, with most of this time under the pandemic period. CHED National Capital Region CESO III director IV Dr. Virginia Akiate commended the engineering school’s effort saying, “The very birth of your PSM program goes to show that even the COVID pandemic cannot stop the Technological Institute of the Philippines from offering Metro Manila’s first ever Professional Science Master’s degree in Data Science starting this School Year 2020-2021 purely online.”
The T.I.P. Professional Science Master’s (PSM) degree in Data Science is expected to help meet the growing demand for local data scientists, one of the top emerging and most in demand jobs in the Philippines today.
For enrollment and program inquiries, you may email [email protected] (QC) or [email protected] (Manila). You may also reach T.I.P. through the following numbers (+632) 8911-0964, (+63) 917-8590279 for T.I.P. QC and (+632) 8733-9117 for T.I.P. Manila. For Graduate Program requirements and all other details, please visit www.tip.edu.ph.