The University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Arts and Letters, popularly known as "UST Artlets" or "UST AB", is the liberal arts school of the University of Santo Tomas, the oldest and the largest Catholic university in Manila, Philippines.Ambeth Ocampo, Director, National Historical Institute, 2006.

Established in 1896 with the name Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, following Spanish tradition, the faculty is the first and oldest liberal arts tertiary school in the Philippines. It offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in different areas of Media Studies, Social Sciences and Humanities. It is proclaimed to be a Center of Excellence in Philosophy and a Center of Development in Communication, Literature, and in Journalism by the Commission on Higher Education.

History

The University of Santo Tomas started offering courses in liberal arts and philosophy since its foundation in 1611. These courses were later institutionalized with the establishment of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters in 1896. A College of Liberal Arts was also established in 1926 which was known for its preparatory courses for Law and Medical schools.

The College of Liberal Arts was divided into Arts and Pure Sciences. The Pure Sciences department diversified due to scientific advancements in the era and has since developed into the UST College of Science. Consequently, the College of Liberal Arts merged with the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters in 1964,Official prospectus, UST Faculty of Arts and Letters, 2006. thus modifying the faculty's name into "Arts and Letters".

At its onset, the faculty offered a limited number of programs—Associate in Arts (A.A.), Bachelor of Arts (A.B.), Bachelor of Literature (Litt. B.), and Bachelor of Philosophy (Ph. B.). In later years, new courses and majors gradually developed.

In 1971, the faculty started offering Bachelor of Arts degree programs in Asian Studies, Behavioral Science (originally Liberal Arts-Commerce), Communication Arts, Economics, Journalism, Literature, Philosophy, Political Science, Sociology, and Translation. The A.B. major in Translation was eventually phased out due to lack of enrollment and funding.

In 1994, the faculty started offering a major in Legal Management, an interdisciplinary degree program in business management and law designed to suit the needs of students intending to go to law school after graduation with intentions to have other career prospects.

In 2002, the faculty teamed up with the UST College of Education to offer a double degree—Bachelor of Arts-Bachelor of Secondary Education major in Social Sciences/Studies (AB-BSE). The program was discontinued in 2007 because of government regulations that would stretch the time to complete the AB-BSE degree to at least 5 years and 4 summers.

In June 2011, the faculty started offering A.B. History and A.B. English Language Studies; and in August 2018, the faculty started offering A.B. Creative Writing.

The faculty is set to offer A.B. Modern Languages in 2028, with Spanish and French as its initial specializations.

Deans DEANS UST FACULTY OF PHILOSOPHY AND LETTERS1927 – Fr. Manuel Arellano, O.P. 1928 – Fr. Juan Sanchez, O.P. 1932, 1933 – Fr. Julio Vicente, O.P. 1933–1938 – Fr. Eugenio Jordan, O.P. 1938–1939 – Fr. Ciriaco Pedrosa, O.P.1939–1946 – Fr. Evergisto Bazaco, O.P. 1946–1952 – Fr. Juan Labrador, O.P.1952–1953 – Fr. Evergisto Bazaco, O.P. 1953–1964 – Fr. Alfredo Panizo, O.P. UST FACULTY OF ARTS AND LETTERS1964–1969 – Fr. Tomas Martinez, O.P. 1969–1976 – Fr. Frederik Fermin, O.P. 1976–1987 – Magdalena Alonso-Villaba, Ph.D. 1987–1990 – Milagros Muñoz, Ph.D. 1990 – Rev. Fr. Virgilio Abad Ojoy, O.P., S.Th.D., Ph.D. 1990–2000 – Ophelia Alcantara-Dimalanta, Ph.D.2000–2003 – Armando F. de Jesus, Ph.D. 2003–2006 – Belen Lorezca-Tangco, O.P., Ph.D. 2006–2009 – Armando F. de Jesus, Ph.D. 2009–2019 – Michael Anthony C. Vasco, Ph.D.2019–2022 – Marilu Rañosa-Madrunio, Ph.D. 2022–2023 – Jacqueline Lopez-Kaw, D.C.L. 2023–present – Melanie D. Turingan-Marcos, Ph.D.

Academics The UST Faculty of Arts and Letters offers thirteen undergraduate degrees, having been recognized by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) as a Center of Excellence in Philosophy and as a Center of Development in Communication, Journalism, and Literature.

As of 2026, twelve undergraduate programs have been assessed by the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation (PACUCOA): Economics, Legal Management, Literature, and Philosophy are reaccredited at PACUCOA Level IV (valid through September 2030). Asian Studies, Behavioral Science, Communication, Journalism, Political Science, and Sociology hold PACUCOA Level III reaccreditation (valid through March 2026), while History and English Language Studies have Level II accreditation (valid through September 2030). The Communication and Journalism programs were accredited with the ASEAN University Network-Quality Assurance (AUN‑QA) certification in November 2022.

All undergraduate degrees offered by the faculty are Bachelor of Arts (AB/BA).

Programs/Degrees

Asian Studies – Interdisciplinary studies in Asian history, philosophy, literature, religion, geography, politics, culture, and foreign service. Behavioral Science – Combines psychology, anthropology, cognitive science, and human resource management. Communication – Covers media studies, linguistics, advertising, and production in film, television, and digital platforms. Creative Writing – Specializes in fiction, poetry, playwriting, screenwriting, and creative nonfiction. Economics – Focuses on economic theory, research methods, and applications. English Language Studies – Covers syntax, pragmatics, grammar, applied linguistics, and World Englishes. History – Offers courses in Philippine, Asian, European, and world history, with emphasis on historiography. Journalism – Training in news, feature, and investigative writing, broadcast journalism, and layout. Legal Management – Integrates legal studies with business, public policy, and management preparation. Literature – Focuses on literary theory, genre studies, translation, and stylistics. Philosophy – Studies classical and contemporary philosophy, ethics, and Thomistic thought. Political Science – Offers coursework in governance, international relations, public administration, and diplomacy. Sociology – Focuses on social theory, research, policy, and community immersion programs.

The most populated programs in 2024 were Communication, Political Science, Behavioral Science, Legal Management, and Journalism.

Facilities St. Raymund de Peñafort Building

The faculty is located in the first and second levels of St. Raymund de Peñafort Building in the northeastern part of the UST campus, near Dapitan Street. The college shares the building with the College of Commerce and Business Administration, which occupies the third and fourth levels.Official map, University of Santo Tomas, 2006.

It has several audio-visual conference rooms, a fully wired computer laboratory, a student activity center, a faculty hall, fully air-conditioned classrooms, free Wi-Fi access, photocopying machines, and formerly a medium-sized auditorium (Jose Rizal Conference Hall) which was transformed into three expandable multimedia rooms.Facilities, UST Faculty of Arts and Letters, 2006.

Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. Building

Two of its programs, Communication and Journalism, utilize the 11th and 12th floors of the Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. Building which is also home to the university's Communications Bureau.

Miguel de Benavides Library

Among its many departments, the Miguel de Benavides Library has nine departments which suit the academic requirements of the college:Division map, UST Central Library, 2006. Humanities Section – books on world literature and philosophy. Languages Section – books on languages, linguistics, and speech communication. Filipiniana Section – books on economics, history, arts, culture, literature, etc. that was published in the Philippines. Civil Law Section – books on laws and jurisprudence. Social Sciences Section – books on history, education, economics, political science, psychology etc. Asian Studies Section – books on Asian history, geography, politics, society, etc. Religion Section – books on religion and philosophy. Periodicals Section – hard copies of major newspapers and magazines from the pre-war period up to the present. General References Section – encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, almanacs, etc. Educational Technology Center (Ed-Tech Center) – supervises the Tomcat, a student-run cable television network. The center has mini-theatres, audio-visual rooms, and an archive of important films, television documentaries, and audio-CDs.

The library also has conference rooms readily available and free-of-charge to students and faculty upon prior reservation.Library services, UST Central Library, 2006.

Research centers Arts and Letters faculty members are affiliated with the following research institutes:

UST Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies – a special academic unit run by literature professors and active writers (poets, essayists, and novelists) in the country and abroad. The center conducts literary workshops for a select group of literary enthusiasts, dubbed as Fellows. The Thomasian Writers Guild (TWG) is an independent association of UST students, faculty and alumni who are actively engaged in the literary field. Members frequently run or at least participate in the projects of the center.Attached offices, UST Faculty of Arts and Letters, 2006. UST Research Center for Social Sciences and Education – the social science research arm of the university, which conducts meaningful and responsive research in the fields of social sciences and education. UST Research Center for Culture, Arts, and the Humanities – an institution dedicated to advancing Filipino heritage studies and producing new knowledge in various humanistic fields. UST Research Center for Theology, Religious Studies, and Ethics (RCTRSE) – a center that promotes research and scholarly engagement on theological, religious, ethical, and moral issues.

The Flame

The Flame is the official student publication of the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Arts and Letters. Established on October 16, 1964, it was formed through the merger of Blue Quill and the Journal of Arts and Science, in order to serve the interests of the newly unified student body Faculty of Arts and Letters student body, known as Artlets. Rey Datu, who had previously served as vice president of the Faculty of Arts and Letters Student Council, became its first editor‑in‑chief.

History Originally focused on the Arts and Letters community and university affairs, The Flame later expanded its scope during the turbulent political climate of the 1970s. Amid Martial Law—marked by Proclamation No. 1081—the publication transitioned into the Journal of the Humanities to include essays and articles addressing national issues.

During Martial Law, the student newspaper faced challenges such as censorship and financial constraints. In September 1972, the editorial board published an all-Tagalog issue titled Lagablab. Fearing that authorities might interpret its contents as inciting rebellion, thousands of copies were destroyed before distribution, although editorial board member Bong Osorio managed to circulate some copies.

On May 11, 1992, The Flame released a lampoon issue titled The Phlegm, which offered humorous critiques of the general elections. The publication also continues to feature its literary folio, Dapitan (named after Dapitan Street).

Literary contributions and alumni