Mapua to launch new business programs with Arizona State University

MANILA, Philippines — Starting this academic year, the Mapua University will offer a range of business and management programs in partnership with the Arizona State University in the United States.

This comes after the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) authorized Mapua to enter its first transnational higher education partnership with a US-based school — a joint initiative that also falls under Republic Act 1148 or the Transnational Higher Education Act. 

Under the Transnational Higher Education Act, foreign schools can provide educational services in the Philippines through flexible partnerships or arrangements with Philippine educational institutions. 

Mapua is set to offer the following programs in partnership with ASU:

• Bachelor of Science in Business Administration - Master of Global Management
• Bachelor of Science in Business Administration - Master of Leadership and Management
• Bachelor of Science in Marketing - Bachelor of Science in Digital Audiences
• Bachelor of Science in Business Intelligence and Data Analytics - Bachelor of Science in Data Science, Business Analytics Track
• Bachelor of Science in Global Management - Bachelor of Science in International Trade

These new programs will allow students to acquire double degrees or be guaranteed an "advanced entry" into a master's degree program at ASU, CHED said.

“Through the Transnational Higher Education Law, we create another pathway for Filipino students to access and acquire international education in order to enhance their skills in specialized areas and competitiveness in the global field,” CHED Chairperson Popoy De Vera said.

In 2024, Mapua University landed in the 501-600 bracket of the Times Higher Education's Asia Rankings and the 601-650 bracket of the QS Asia rankings.

The ASU is a public higher education institution recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the US Department of Education.

For nine years in a row, ASU has bagged the top spot in innovation among American universities, according to the annual rankings by the US News & World Report.
 
The Transnational Higher Education Act was signed into law in 2019 in a bid to make higher education in the country more globally competitive and entice more overseas universities to tie up with local Philippine universities.

The implementation of this law was discussed during the Senate's deliberations of proposed economic amendments to the Charter or Resolution of Both Houses 6 in February.

Senators sought CHED's explanation on how the law allows foreign schools to offer programs in the country while complying with constitutional restrictions on foreign ownership.

In a Senate hearing on February 20, CHED lawyer Peter Lloyd Carpio said that at least 11 higher education institutions (HEI) have partnered with nine HEIs from the United Kingdom under RA 11448.