MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews/10 June) — The Bukidnon State University (BSU) has fine-tuned its English language degree to cater to the needs of those seeking career paths beyond teaching the language.
Dr. Hazel M. Abejuela, chair of the language and letters department of BSU’s College of Arts and Science told MindaNews Monday that they have upgraded the curriculum for its BA English course to respond to opportunities in the country, such as the call center industry.
The new curriculum caters to the call center industry as among four career paths for its graduates. The three others are teaching English, writing and editing, and public relations communication.
In April 2013, the Commission on Higher Education declared BSU, along with the Ateneo de Zamboanga University and the University of Southeastern Philippines (USEP) as centers for development for English. The center for excellence for English is the University of the Philippines-Diliman.
Abejuela said they have been offering the Bachelor of Arts in English course for almost three decades but the changes were recommended by the curriculum development committee, which pursued its review.
She said the old curriculum had a lot of literature subjects while the new curriculum now teaches English for specific occupational purposes.
BSU also offers a Master’s degree in Teacher Education, major in English Language Teaching.
BSU, which projects itself as a “special place for teaching and learning,” is one of Bukidnon’s two state universities.
The other, Central Mindanao University, formerly Bukidnon Agricultural School, became a university in 1965.
BSU has seven colleges – law, arts and sciences, business administration, accountancy and information technology, teacher education, community education and industrial technology, nursing, and graduate school. It also houses laboratory schools in kindergarten, elementary and high school.
In its website, BSU describes itself as “one of the leading educational institutions serving the people not only in Mindanao but also the country in general.
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In 2010, BSU reported a total of 9,000 students.
BSU was founded in 1924 as Bukidnon Provincial High School and later known as Bukdinon State College.
In 2007, it obtained its University status through RA 9456.
According to their website, the university’s mandate is to “primarily provide advanced education, higher technological, professional instruction and training in the fields of education, arts and sciences, public, administration, information technology, accountancy, law and other relevant fields of study.” (Walter I. Balane/MindaNews)