Philippine Normal University By the Numbers

Have you ever wanted to make a difference in people’s lives?

Whether you choose to become a grade school teacher or an educator who attends to children with special needs, teaching is a highly-revered career path and a noble profession for a reason. After all, you’re entrusted with thousands of young lives! How you teach them can create a whole generation of doctors, engineers, businessmen, artists, or even another set of teachers! How cool is that? (Also, no pressure intended.)

Students who aspire to become educators in the Philippines frequently know one school that excels in training the future teachers of our society. That is the Philippine Normal University (PNU), a public higher education institute (HEI) in Metro Manila that specializes in Education.

But aside from being a popular training ground for teachers, are there other things we should know about PNU? Why, of course, there are! Let’s dig into quick facts about the school, all by the numbers. Ya ready?

1901

On September 1, 1901, PNU was first established as the Philippine Normal School (PNS). Through Act No. 74 of the Philippine Commission, PNS was introduced as a place for Filipinos to be trained in the art of teaching during the American occupation in the country. During President Elpidio Quirino’s presidential term after World War II, Republic Act No. 416 was signed on June 18, 1949, which not only changed PNS into the Philippine Normal College (PNC) but also allowed it to offer undergraduate and graduate courses in education. Republic Act 6515 also gave PNC the opportunity to dole out doctorate and other academic programs for students who wish to become teachers. Eventually, PNC was elevated to university status in 1991 and was formalized as a completely developed university by the late President Corazon C. Aquino in 1992.

1939

This was the year when PNU’s management was eventually assigned to its first Filipino superintendent named Manuel Escarilla. Prior to him, the institution was first run by American superintendent Elmer B. Bryan, followed by seven other American figures.

5 Campuses

PNU has over five campuses around the Philippines, its main campus being in PNU, which is strategically located in the heart of Manila. Its other four branches are further scattered around the country, namely in Isabela, Quezon, Negros Occidental, and Agusan del Sur.

14 Bachelor Degrees

As one would expect from an education-oriented institution, PNU has a total of 17 undergraduate programs from five different departments:

Department	Course
Faculty of Arts and Languages (FAL)	Bachelor in English Education (BEE) with Certificates in Teaching Elementary/Junior Secondary/Senior Secondary High School
	Bachelor in Filipino Education (BFE) with Certificates in Teaching Elementary/Junior Secondary/Senior Secondary High School
	Bachelor in Literature Education (BLE) with Certificates in Teaching Junior Secondary/Senior Secondary Education
	Bachelor in Culture and Arts Education (BCAED) with four possible concentrations in Music, Dance, Drama, and Visual Arts
Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BFeSS)	Bachelor in Social Science Education (BSSE) with Certificates in Teaching Elementary/Junior Secondary/Senior Secondary High School
	Bachelor in Values Education (BVE) with Certificates in Teaching Elementary/Junior Secondary/Senior Secondary High School
Faculty of Education Sciences (FES)	Bachelor in Early Childhood Education
Faculty of Science, Technology and Mathematics (FSTeM)	Bachelor in Mathematics and Science Elementary Education (BMSEE)
	Bachelor in Mathematics Education (BME) with Certificates in Teaching Junior Secondary/Senior Secondary Education
	Bachelor in Science Education with Specialization in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics with Certificates in Teaching Junior Secondary/Senior Secondary Education
Institute of Physical Education, Health, Recreation, Dance and Sports (IPEHRDS)	Bachelor in Physical and Health Education (BPHE)
School of Information and Knowledge Management (SIKM)	Bachelor of Library and Information Science
	Bachelor of Information Technology (BITED) with Certificate in Elementary, Junior High School and Senior High School Teaching

For students who wish to earn both bachelor’s and master’s degree in one go, PNU’s Faculty of Behavior and Social Sciences offers a “straight program” for Bachelor of Science-Master of Science in Psychology and Counseling.

They also offer three additional certificate programs for students who wish to pursue a course at a shorter time, namely the Certificate Program in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, the Certificate in Teaching Program, and the Certificate in Library and Information Science.

24 Master’s Degrees

For students who wish to pursue higher education after college, they can choose from 24 different programs for their master’s degrees, each of which specializes in different educational fields. MA students who also choose to earn their masters degrees based on outcome get their master’s degrees by a certificate under the school’s Master’s by Certificate Program.

Departments	Master’s Degree Programs
Arts and Languages	English Language Education
	Edukasyong Pangwika sa Filipino (Filipino Language Education)
	Reading Education
	Literature*
	Drama Education and Theater Arts*
	Music Education*
Behavioral and Social Sciences	Child Study
	Counseling
	Social Science Education
Education Sciences	Educational Assessment and Evaluation
	Educational Leadership and Management
	Curriculum and Instruction*
	Elementary Education*
	Special Education*
	Early Childhood Education*
Science Education and Mathematics	Mathematics Education with Specialization in College Teaching
	Mathematics Education with Specialization in Secondary School Teaching
	Mathematics Education with Specialization in Elementary School Teaching
	Science Education with Specialization in Biology
	Science Education with Specialization in Chemistry
	Science Education with Specialization in Integrated Science
	Science Education with Specialization in Physics
Institute of Knowledge Management	Physical Education

*- Programs are also being revised for outcome-based graduate teacher education programs

10 Doctorate Degrees

Master’s Degree holders can also opt to choose from over 10 different doctorate programs, depending on the type of education they want to specialize in. Doctorate students can opt to major in Applied Linguistics, Counseling, Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Leadership and Management, English Language Education, Mathematics Education, Pangwikang Filipino (Filipino Language), and Science Education. They can also take a Ph.D. in Mathematics Education and Science Education through research.

Included among these doctorate programs is a Doctor of Engineering and Ph.D. in Science Education/Mathematics Education, which is offered as a double degree in collaboration with Osaka University.

BA Psychology and Counseling students can opt to take an MA and Ph.D. with the same course.

1 Center for Excellence

If there’s one thing PNU is known for, it’s the way it cultivates and grooms teachers. Why? PNU specializes in education, of course! It’s known for specializing in educational courses that even the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has taken note of its expertise and even branded the institution as a Center of Excellence for Teacher Education. This means it offers outstanding quality of education for students who wish to excel in that field.

As a testament to its brand of education, PNU is known for having its own consistent set of top-notchers in the Licensure Exam for Teachers (Elementary and Secondary) (LET), having made it to the list of top performing schools with an 81.40% passing rate in 2018.

Given that every course is related to teacher education, it’s best said that you can apply in any of PNU’s courses and you’ll get quality education either way, no matter what kind of teaching style you’d want in the future!

Are you thinking of taking up BS Education in the Philippine Normal University? Or do you have your eyes set on other universities that offer educational courses? Head on to Edukasyon.ph for schools that have these courses at hand, and while at it, check out our College Life blog section to learn how to manage your student life better!