BS in Office Administration in the Philippines

Bachelor of Science in Office Administration (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, administrative, 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 passed the competency test
administered 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 Accounting, Basic Finance, Principles of Management,

Principles of Marketing, Human Behavior in Organization,

Business Application Software, Business Communication
o Office Administration Core Courses:
Foundations of Shorthand, Basic Office Administration,
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 students 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 Accounting
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 Administration a profession?
Office administration is not a profession. A graduate of BS in
Office Administration 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 admission requirements for the BS in Office
Administration program?
Entering the BSOA program is usually easy, and the requirements
are the basic college admission 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 pass the
Philippine Educational Placement Test (PEPT) to qualify for
college. However, some universities only offer selected
courses for PEPT passers
o College entrance exam must pass the college entrance
examination with a specified rating set by the school.
o Interview must pass 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
administration.
o Communication skills has excellent written and oral
communication skills; a strong command of the English
o

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 Administration?

BS in Office Administration 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 admission, 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
administrative 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
administrative functions. Its curriculum is aimed to
strengthen the students 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 Administration.
However, to be qualified to work in government offices, BSOA
graduates have to pass the Civil Service Examination (CSE)
which is conducted by the Philippine Civil Service
Commission (PCSC). Those who will pass 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 pass the exam
you need to obtain an overall average of at least 80%.
Career opportunities for BSOA graduates
Jobs related to the BSOA program

o
o

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 account and provides
technical/post-sales support.
Customer Relation/Reception Clerk receives
and transfers calls, receives and directs visitors,
performs multiple office support tracks as assigned by
multiple supervisors.
Office Secretary provides both clerical and
administrative support 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 administrative
support, usually on a one-to-one basis.
o
Bill and Account 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 Administrative and Support Staff
o
Owner of Placement Agency specializing in office
administration
o
Freelancer working online as virtual assistant,
administrative support, call center agent, data entry
specialist etc.
o
Salary Levels
o

Salary Levels for BS in Office Administration 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 administrative staff are the most
common careers in Office Administration.
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 administrative 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
Admission 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 / Administrator of the previous school