Contact Information

Telephone Number: (+63) (46) 414-4370

Email: graduateschool@aiias.edu

Mission Statement

To develop service-oriented professionals known for integrity and scholarship in the fields of Business, Education, and Public Health, within an international context.

Vision Statement

To be the internationally recognized model for Christian graduate education in Business, Education, and Public Health.

Professional Competencies

Upon completion of their degree programs, graduates will:

1. Serve God, society and the Adventist Church with high integrity, professionalism and spiritual maturity.
2. Provide effective leadership and be committed to excellence.
3. Demonstrate skills in research and publication.
4. Address issues from a global perspective, yet appropriate to the context of their culture.
5. Be critical and creative thinkers who will serve as catalysts for needed change in their community and in the world.
6. Promote inclusiveness through effective communication and collaboration.
7. Utilize information technology strategically to achieve personal and professional goals.

Entry Competencies

All students in the Graduate School are expected to be proficient in basic computer literacy, math, and standard English writing competencies.

Service Learning Requirement

Service Learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities. Service Learning basically links the . learning in the classroom to the activity in the community and vice versa. The mission of AIIAS is to develop leaders who are of service to their workplace, the Adventist Church and to the community at large. Because purely academic work does not always integrate leadership or community service opportunities the Graduate School has included a Service Learning component as a graduation requirement for all students.

The Service Learning component does not require registration or tuition fees, however, it must be completed, as any other course, before graduation requirements are considered met. The Service Learning requirement consists of 100 hours (40 hours for graduate certificate programs in Business, Education, and Public Health departments) spent in service to community bodies, church related organizations, schools, health related institutions, business firms, governmental or nongovernmental entities, and the general public at large. The 100 (40 hours) may be made up of several activities, or a single activity that is continued over a long period of time. As the Service Learning requirement is student initiated and coordinated, each student may select or design activities that will contribute toward their professional/personal development in consultation with their academic advisor.

Service Learning activities should begin early in a student’s AIIAS career, and need to be documented at/near the time of occurence, including the signature/date of a professor of another individual (not another student) and a short comment from them about the student’s presence and participation in the said activity. The documentation required includes the running list of activities, comments/signatures and time spent, and an electronic portfolio. The e-portfolio includes pictures, activities, and personal comments/reflections. The comments show why the student chose these activities, what was learned from them, how classroom learning was linked to the service activity, and how they have grown professionally through those experiences. The portfolio ends with a 1-page reflective essay about the student’s professional and personal learning and growth through the Service Learning activities. Students should be prepared to share their experiences with others in periodic seminars which may be held for such purposes.

When the Service Learning activity is completed, the portfolio and signature page are sent to the academic advisor, who will present it to the department and department chair to record the completion of the activity. Once it is approved, the academic advisor may enter the completion into the academic record system.

Comprehensive Examinations

A number of programs in the Graduate School require a comprehensive examination. The comprehensive examination is structured to assess students’ familiarity with research and problem-solving methods, and to provide them with the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to synthesize knowledge from many sources and to apply it in real-life situations.

The comprehensive examination may be taken no earlier than during the student’s final semester of coursework for the degree. At the latest, the student is expected to complete the comprehensive examination within three months after all coursework has been completed. Comprehensive examinations must be successfully completed by PhD students before they are approved for candidacy status.

Comprehensive examinations are given once per term and once during the intersemester. The student must register for the comprehensive examination through IUTUS, and must also fill out the departmental comprehensive request form. The request should be received by the Department no later than one month prior to the expected examination date. At that time, the student will be provided with a comprehensive preparation document containing instructions for preparing for and taking the comprehensive examination, objectives and outcomes, and the grading rubric/guidelines that will be used in scoring the exam.

Comprehensive questions are designed to integrate fields of knowledge and critical thinking, and may consist of a case study or an application problem focusing on real life situation. All comprehensive examination answers (MA and PhD) will be evaluated according to international academic writing standards as well as criteria and procedures explained in the departmental comprehensive examination preparation document. Comprehensive examinations vary in format length and procedures for different programs. Consult the department chair for more information.

All comprehensive examination questions are evaluated by a minimum of two professors, and a letter grade is assigned to the student’s response for each question. The two grades for each response are averaged. The final grade for the entire exam consists of an averate of the grades for each question. Results are assigned as follows:

PASS: B average grade of better overall, with an average grade no lower than C on any single question.

PASS SUBJECT TO ORAL OR WRITTEN FOLLOW-UP: B average grade or better overall, with an average grade lower than C on one question.

NO PASS: Lower than a B grade average overall.

The Department Chair will notify the student in writing of the results of the examination, normally within four weeks after the comprehensive examination has been completed.

In the case of a “Pass Subject to Oral or Written Follow-up” exam result, the follow-up examination will address only the focus area in which the grade lower than a C average was earned. This exam can be taken no sooner than one month after the student has been notified of the examination results. In the case of a “No Pass” result, a repeat of the entire comprehensive examination can be taken no sooner than three months after the student has been notified of the examination results, but not later than 12 months. It is appropriate to contact the academic advisor and Department Chair and request specific guidelines as to how to improve performance before attempting the exam again. The comprehensive examination, or portions thereof, may be repeated only once.

Thesis/Dissertation

The research phase of a program is designed to develop expertise in a specific area, to develop theory, an advance learning. The thesis/dissertation usually involves the collection and analysis of primary data, and must demonstrate that the study appropriately contributes significant knowledge to the area of emphasis or specialization. While culminating projects are generally designed and supervised by departments, culminating theses and dissertations are school-wide initiatives, involving interdisciplinary teams.

The master’s thesis is a potential culminating activity for some master’s degrees. To gain access to the thesis option, a student must have a minimum grade of B in Research Methods. Students who are uncertain whether they qualify should consult with their academic advisor and department chair. The doctoral dissertation is the culminating activity of the PhD degree. The thesis/dissertation should be congruent with the area of specialization. Both the thesis and the dissertation are the products of a systematic study of a significant problem conducted under faculty supervision and should make a unique and significant contribution to knowledge in the selected area of research. Typically, these research reports include a description of the problem and significance of the study, a review of relevant literature, a delineation of the research methodology employed, a report of the results obtained, and the presentation of conclusions and recommendations emergent from the findings.

The thesis and the PhD dissertation adhere to the following procedural requirements, which are outlined below and described in more detail in the AIIAS Research Standards and Writing Manual:

1. Topic and committee. In consultation with the academic advisor, the student selects a topic for the research study and identifies potential committee members. The thesis/dissertation committee is typically composed of three faculty members, at least two of whom are from the student’s department. One member is selected as thesis/dissertation chair and appointed by the department as the chair of the committee. After initial dialogue with these potential members, the student plans the study in consultation with the proposed committee, fills out the Topic Request form (which includes a section for approval of the thesis/dissertation committee members) and submits it to the department for processing and forwarding to the Graduate School Research Committee for approval of the topic.
2. Proposal. After topic approval, the student prepares the full proposal for the study. This proposal normally corresponds to the first three chapters of the final report and usually includes the statement of the problem, purpose, justification, definitions, assumptions, delimitations, limitations, research questions, hypotheses, review of relevant literature, theoretical framework, methodology, and references in most quantitative studies but can vary in qualitative or mixed methods studies. Throughout this process the student must remain in close contact with members of the thesis/dissertation committee. The proposal must go to the editor at least once before distribution to the committee for the proposal approval. The committee will meet to determine readiness for proposal approval, and may set a date for the proposal approval of not less than one week from when they receive the edited proposal document from the student. The proposal must be approved by the thesis/dissertation committee in session, the Ethics Review Board, and specific permission for data collection secured from the student’s research committee chair before the student is free to collect data.
3. Data collection and analysis. After the proposal approval, the student proceeds to collect and analyze the required data. The student may seek advice from the on-campus Asia-Pacific Research Center prior to beginning data collection and during this phase. As a result of the procedures carried out, the student should write the final chapters of the research report, which focus on results, discussion of findings, conclusions, implications, and recommendations.
4. Full report. Excluding appendices, the complete report is typically 70 to 120 pages in length in the case of a thesis, and 150 to 250 pages in length in the case of a PhD dissertation. An abstract of not more than 350 words should be prepared. The report must adhere to APA format and be written in accordance with the AIIAS Research Standards and Writing Manual. The report must receive “defense-ready” approval from the thesis/dissertation committee and the AIIAS editor before the student can request the Graduate School dean to set a date for the defense.
5. Defense. The purpose of the thesis/dissertation defense is to provide opportunity for students to share their research results and to demonstrate command of the knowledge area covered and ability to respond professionally in a public venue. The defense also serves as a final point of quality control. The defense takes place in front of the defense committee, which is composed of the members of the thesis/dissertation committee, the Graduate School dean, and an external examiner (for dissertations), as well as the general public, which is invited. “Defense-ready” copies must be in the hands of each member of the defense committee at least three weeks prior to the proposed defense date. The defense, which is chaired by the Graduate School dean or his/her designee, must be held at least four weeks prior to the proposed date of graduation. The defense itself typically lasts a maximum of two hours and is comprised of a 20-30-minute presentation by the student focusing on the major findings and implications of the study, two or three rounds of questions posed by the members of the defense committee, and responses to these questions by the student. The defense is followed by an executive session in which the defense committee arrives at a decision regarding the thesis or dissertation. The decision usually includes one of the following:

Accept without modifications

Accept with major/minor modifications

Reject

6. Final copies. If the work is accepted with modifications, the student should work closely with the research committee chair on any changes specified by the defense committee. The document should then be submitted to the AIIAS editor for final reading. The student should make all corrections indicated and receive final approval from the editor. Once this is done, or if there are no corrections, the final, editor-approved copy of the dissertation is submitted to the research committee chair, for final signature, and then to the dean. This must be signed at least one week before graduation, and arrangements made by the student for copying and binding. Together, five copies must be made of a thesis/dissertation. The student should discuss with the research committee chair how many copies need to be printed and how many can be sent in electronic format. This includes one copy for the committee chair. An electronic copy must also be submitted to the Library. The student should immediately submit a copy of the signed approval sheet to the office of Admissions and Records. Only once the signed approval sheet is submitted can the thesis/dissertation be considered completed. For more detailed information on the research process, see the AIIAS Research Standards and Writing Manual.