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Showing posts from January, 2012

How UST awarded doctorates in the 19th Century

The Royal and Pontifical University of Santo Tomas in the 400 years of its existence has upheld strict academic standards. Let us take the example of the academic career of our of our heroes, and that of Jose Rizal, Reverendo Padre Jose Burgos. Fr Burgos together with fellow secular priests Gomez and Zamora, was accused of mutiny by the Spanish military courts  and executed in 1872. This marked the birth of the Filipino national consciousness and the Filipino nation. Of the three, Fr Burgos was the most academically qualified, He had eight degrees, three undergraduate qualifications, three licentiates (equivalent to a Masters) and two doctorate degrees in Sacred Theology and Canon Law. Burgos had to defend his theses starting in his Bachelor of Theology and he had to undergo the famous "Noche Triste" literally "Night of Sorrows" when his examiners gave him the propositions to defend the next morning in the Reelection exam. Burgos did this for all his degrees exc