BS in Office istration in the Philippines Bachelor of Science in Office istration (BSOA) is a four year degree program designed to provide students with knowledge and skills in business management and office processes needed in different workplaces such as general business offices, legal or medical offices. The BSOA program prepares students to be able to carry out clerical, istrative, supervisory and managerial tasks. In addition, the program also trains students to develop their skills in keyboarding, filling, shorthand and stenography. There are some schools who offer a ladderized curriculum for the BSOA program. For each year level a student completes, he/she receives a proficiency certificate. The proficiency certificate is granted to students who ed the competency test istered by theTechnical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). However, completion of the four-year course entitles a student a full degree which will qualify him/her for higher positions. Subjects and Curriculum The BSOA curriculum contains both General Education subjects (English, Math, Filipino, Social Sciences and Humanities) and Professional Subjects. The Professional Subjects of the BSOA program are further divided into two categories: o Business Core Courses: Basic ing, Basic Finance, Principles of Management,
Principles of Marketing, Human Behavior in Organization, Business Application Software, Business Communication o Office istration Core Courses: Foundations of Shorthand, Basic Office istration, Business Report Writing, Word Processing with Documents Production, Advanced Keyboarding, Principles of Customer and Public Relations Elective courses are also integrated in the BSOA curriculum. Depending on the student’s chosen field of specialization, he/she chooses the appropriate elective subjects. The following are examples of elective subjects: o Specialized Shorthand o Specialized Office Procedures (Legal or Medical) o Entrepreneurship o Business Law and Taxation o Mathematics of Investment o Filipino Isteno o Customer Relations o Managerial ing The BSOA program is taught to students through classroom lectures and hands on exercises. Aside from this, students are also exposed to educational talks, seminars and symposiums. As a requirement for graduation, a student must complete two sets of On the Job Training (OJT) namely Practicum 1 (General OJT) and Practicum 2 (Specialized OJT). Is Office istration a profession? Office istration is not a profession. A graduate of BS in Office istration will most likely be employed in offices and
companies to work as a Secretary, Clerk, Receptionist, Office Manager and similar positions. These careers are not considered professions because they do not require a specialized set of knowledge and skills, nor do they require a government certification. What are the ission requirements for the BS in Office istration program? Entering the BSOA program is usually easy, and the requirements are the basic college ission requirements: o Must be a high school graduate.: Those who did not complete high school education may opt to first attend Alternative Learning System (ALS) and the Philippine Educational Placement Test (PEPT) to qualify for college. However, some universities only offer selected courses for PEPT ers o College entrance exam – must the college entrance examination with a specified rating set by the school. o Interview – must the interview conducted by the college dean/faculty. (See sources 1, 2, 3) What skills, traits and attitude will help you succeed in this course? Computer Literacy – knowledge of computer use and being able to understand application programs used in office istration. o Communication skills – has excellent written and oral communication skills; a strong command of the English o
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language is important because your work will involve creating report summaries and written documents in English. Interpersonal skills – establishes and maintains positive mutual working relationships with superiors, workmates and clients Organization – the ability to establish priorities systematically, differentiating between urgent, important, and unimportant tasks. Planning skills – the ability to create systematic procedures/routines and schedule meetings and other activities ahead of time. Patience – must be able to handle all personality types and work challenges because you will be working under a higher authority as well other people. Time Management – able to divide time equally and accomplish tasks on time.
How difficult is BS in Office istration? BS in Office istration is a relatively easy course. Among the many programs offered in Business, it is one of the easiest. Important skills taught in the program like stenography, keyboarding and filing are easy to learn. The workload of the BSOA program is not heavy as well. Although you are required to use the computer most of the time, you only required to be knowledgeable in basic programs such as MS Office and be able to do minimal web research. How long does it take to complete the BSOA program in the Philippines? The BSOA program takes four years to complete. The program
may be completed in less than 4 years in schools that follow the trimestral curriculum. On the Job Training (OJT) There are two types of OJT that a BSOA student must accomplish. The on the job training programs are done under the supervision of a faculty member, as well as a designated authority in the agency or institution. o General/Office OJT This is a training course applying new and previously developed office skills, abilities and values in actual training. At the end of the program, the students must exhibit enhanced office skills, abilities and values and acquire effective problem solving and decision making skills. The required number of hours for this training is 200 hours. o Specialized Practicum o Medical Office Procedures: The course provides students an opportunity to apply specialized procedures in the ission, treatment, care, discharge of patients and handling and disposition of medical records. A total of 100 hours is required from this training. o Legal Office Procedures: The course provides knowledge of procedures followed in court and legal offices. Students are required to complete 100 hours of on the job training in court of legal offices. (See source) Specializations There are three main specializations in the BSOA program:
Office Management – The Office Management curriculum is designed to equip students with the istrative handling, controlling, and maintenance of balanced process of work inside the office of an organization whether big or small company/business. o Computer Education – The curriculum is aimed to teach students in the use of computers and related technology efficiently, with a range of skills covering levels from elementary use to basic programming and advanced problem solving. o Computer Secretarial – The course prepares students to become efficient in record-keeping, stenographic and istrative functions. Its curriculum is aimed to strengthen the student’s knowledge on computer operations to carry out office and secretarial tasks. o
Civil Service Examination (CSE) There is no board examination for BS in Office istration. However, to be qualified to work in government offices, BSOA graduates have to the Civil Service Examination (CSE) which is conducted by the Philippine Civil Service Commission (PCSC). Those who will the civil service examinations are conferred Civil Service Eligibility, a basic requirement for entrance to government service. The exam covers topics on vocabulary, grammar and correct usage, paragraph organization, reading comprehension, analogy, logic, and numerical reasoning. It will also have general information questions on Philippine Constitution, Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, peace and human rights issues and concepts and
environment management and protection. The CSE is conducted nationwide twice or thrice a year subject to the approval of the Commission. To the exam you need to obtain an overall average of at least 80%. Career opportunities for BSOA graduates Jobs related to the BSOA program
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Clerk/Encoder – encodes letters and reports from draft or from dictation to professional format and does manual/electronic filing Stenographer/Transcriber – takes and transcribes proceedings of conventions, seminars, speeches, court depositions, investigation etc. and encodes resolutions, summons, court decisions, and other documents from drafts or from dictation of professional format. Call Center Agent – attends to inquiries and complaints of customers by telephone, promote the use and sale of a product or service, persuades customers to update or settle their and provides technical/post-sales . Customer Relation/Reception Clerk – receives and transfers calls, receives and directs visitors, performs multiple office tracks as assigned by multiple supervisors. Office Secretary – provides both clerical and istrative to professionals, either as part of a team or individually; involved with the coordination and implementation of office procedures and frequently has responsibility for specific projects and tasks.
Personal Assistant – works closely with senior managerial or directorial staff to provide istrative , usually on a one-to-one basis. o Bill and Collectors – try to recover payment on overdue bills. They negotiate repayment plans with debtors and help them find solutions to make paying their overdue bills easier. o Entrepreneurial and Self-Employment Opportunities o
Freelance stenographer and encoder of various documents o Trainer of istrative and Staff o Owner of Placement Agency specializing in office istration o Freelancer working online as virtual assistant, istrative , call center agent, data entry specialist etc. o Salary Levels o
Salary Levels for BS in Office istration graduates depend on the field of work they are in and whether they are employed in the public or private sector. Working as a secretary or istrative staff are the most common careers in Office istration. The monthly salary for a secretary: o Fresh Grad / < 1 Year Experienced Employee: P 8,000 to P 12,000 o 1-4 Years Experienced Employee: P10,000 to P15,000 o Supervisor / 5 Years & Up Experienced Employee: P15,000 to P23,000
o Assistant Manager / Manager: P16,000 to P35,000 (See source) The monthly salary for istrative staff: o Fresh Grad / < 1 Year Experienced Employee: P9,000 to P11,000 o 1-4 Years Experienced Employee: P10,000 to P15,000 o Supervisor / 5 Years & Up Experienced Employee: P12,000 to P16,000 ission Requirements - Transferees: 1. Certificate of Transfer (Honorable Dismissal) Certified true copy of Grades 2. Two 2"x2" colored photographs 3. Certified true copy of Birth Certificate, Certificate of Good Moral Character from the Dean / of the previous school