Far Eastern University's (FEU) Department of Political Science and Department of Language and Literature (DLL) received Level 3 accreditation status from the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation (PACUCOA), last December 15. 

According to Department of Language and Literature Chair Emmanuel Gonzales, PACUCOA conducted accreditation visits last August 2021 where the curriculum, faculty, student services, facilities, and other accreditation requirements prepared by the respective departments were evaluated.

"The quality of the curriculum, [and] the quality of the faculty [that] you have... 'Yun 'yung tinignan, the quality, 'yung assurance na the students ay mabibigyan ng quality education (Those were evaluated. The quality—the assurance that the students will be given quality education)," Gonzales told FEU Advocate in an online interview.

Moreover, FEU is the first university in the National Capital Region (NCR) to receive the Level 3 re-accreditation status for the AB Language and Literature Studies program.

He furthered that the department made sure that the faculty roster are qualified and equipped with specializations aligned to the program.

"Lahat ng faculty ng DLL is 100% MA and 40% Ph.D. 'yung mga faculty namin (All faculty of DLL is 100% MA [graduates] and 40% of them are Ph.D. graduates. Then, we also hired faculty, especially in the literature field, [who are] creative writers," he said.

Gonzales noted that achieving the Level 3 accreditation status from PACUCOA was one of the aspirations of the department that was guided by the 5-year development plan for its improvement. The 5-year development plan provides a timeline and action plans for the aspirations of the department in pursuit of quality education.

"Sa susunod na year naman, is Level 4 ang target namin diba. Sa Level 4 kasi kailangan 100% na PhD na yung mga teacher. Lahat doctor na. Lahat aligned (Next year, [achieving] Level 4 is our target. In Level 4, a 100% PhD faculty roster is needed)," he said.

In light of this accreditation, Gonzales stated that the students can expect that the department will continue to "strengthen" the quality of the program. He also assured that the faculty will actively participate in research publications and the academic development of the students.

Currently, both the Department of Language and Literature and the Department of Political Science are preparing to get certified by the ASEAN University Network-Quality Assurance (AUN-QA). AUN is a regional network that promotes the enhancement of quality higher education of AUN member universities from ASEAN countries.

- Shane Vallery A. Beduya