The University of the Immaculate Conception ( fil, Pamantasang Imaculada Conception), also referred to by its acronym UIC is a private

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

basic and higher education institution administered by the

Religious of the Virgin Mary , image = Religious of the Virgin Mary (seal of the congregation).png , image_size = 175px , caption = , abbreviation = RVM , established = , type = Centralized Religious In ...

Davao City Davao City, officially the City of Davao ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Dabaw; ), is a first class highly urbanized city in the Davao Region, Philippines. The city has a total land area of , making it the largest city in the Philippines in terms of land ...

, Davao del Sur,

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. The university began in 1905 as Escuela Catolica de San Pedro.

History

Early years until World War II

The university began in 1905 as Escuela Catolica de San Pedro along Bonifacio Street in downtown Davao City with only primary and intermediate courses. Then in 1934, when the high school department opened, the school was renamed Immaculate Conception Academy. After four years, during its first commencement exercise, however, it was again renamed Immaculate Conception Institute. The school closed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, from 1941 to 1946.

Post-war period

After the war, the school reopened in 1947 when it received government recognition as a high school. A year later, the school became Immaculate Conception College (ICC) as it started to offer college-level courses. The two initial courses were Collegiate Secretarial and

Pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medication, medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it ...

. Between 1951 and 1958, four

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

degree were introduced, namely:

Education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

Home Economics Home economics, also called domestic science or family and consumer sciences, is a subject concerning human development, personal and family finances, consumer issues, housing and interior design, nutrition and food preparation, as well as texti ...

Music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...

, and Elementary Education. In 1961, the Liberal Arts Program was added along with majors in commerce and medical technology. In 1969, the Grade School and High School Departments were moved to ICC’s new site at Fr. Selga St., while the College Department followed in 1971. Three more undergraduate majors were then added: namely, chemistry, nutrition & dietetics and a course on pharmacy aiding. From 1983 to 1986, master's degrees in theology and elementary education were introduced. The first engineering degree of the college, civil engineering, was also instituted during this time. A course on cafeteria management was also offered. In the 1990s, in response to the local needs in Davao, ICC added more engineering-focused majors in computer engineering, electronics engineering, and computer science. The graduate school was chosen by Fund Assistance for Private Education (FAPE) to be a training center in chemistry, physics, and engineering. More

master of Arts degree A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

courses were added in educational management, values education, teaching college physics, teaching college chemistry, and engineering education. On May 1, 1992,

Department of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

Secretary Dr. Isidro Carino granted ICC university status, and it became “University of the Immaculate Conception”. The school was then 87 years old.

2000 onwards

Since 2000, additional graduate programs in pharmacy, information technology, and information management have been instituted. The university also opened new undergraduate degrees in information technology and information management. The university also launched an e-learning program – a web-based learning system serving all departments and sections of the university. Along with this, the Information Technology Research Zone (ITRZ), a computing facility, was built.

Campus

The UIC has three separate campuses: the Fr. Selga (Main) campus, Bonifacio (Annex) campus and Bajada (basic education) campus. The Fr. Selga campus along Pichon Street houses the departments of information technology,

nursing Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ...

, medical technology,

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...

, nutrition & dietetics, pharmacy, and the Graduate School. Called the Main campus, it was built in the 1960s to house the college's growing population. The school's original location in downtown Davao along San Pedro Street is within the San Pedro Church compound. The Annex campus in Bonifacio Street houses the Business and Governance, Engineering, Education, and Liberal Arts colleges. Lastly, the Bajada campus houses the grade school and high school facilities of the university. A library can be found on the Fr. Selga campus. The said campus also includes housing and sports facilities.

Student life

There are under 10,000 students in the entire UIC. There exists a student government body called the University Student Government of UIC, which represents the student's interests to the school administration.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:University of the Immaculate Conception Educational institutions established in 1904 Universities and colleges in Davao City Immaculate Conception, University of the Catholic elementary schools in the Philippines Catholic secondary schools in the Philippines Religious of the Virgin Mary 1904 establishments in the Philippines