Relevance of Curriculum, Instruction, and Facilities to Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities of Masters in Business Administration Program Graduates of Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology in the Philippines

Abstract

Graduate education plays a significant role in the development and the economy of the nation. Therefore, it is significant to evaluate the program it offers as they provide relevant contributions to their graduates’ knowledge, skills, and ability in the workplace. This study explored the relevance of curriculum, instruction, and facilities of the Master in Business Administration program (MBA) at the Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology (NEUST) to the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the graduates. Guided by Active Learning Theory, the study utilized a qualitative research design to understand the meaning and actual experience of the participants in their natural work settings. The emerging themes and recurring patterns from the interview and field notes are presented, discussed, and supported by the actual data and existing studies. The analysis showed that the curriculum, instruction, and facilities are relevant to their acquired knowledge, skills, and abilities, which are significant to their workplace. Furthermore, the university’s approach of providing actual work environment experience coupled with instructors who are experts in the field provides the relevant learning experience for the graduates. The least relevant and the least rating was given to the facilities. For the graduate education to be relevant, it needs to cope with the constantly changing and developing environment. It needs continuous enhancement and it can be done through the evaluation and feedbacks of the graduates. Future researchers might consider a more comprehensive evaluation of the graduates’ experience both quantitatively and qualitatively for future study.