Tarlac State University (TSU; ) is a public university located in Tarlac City, Philippines. Established in 1906, it is the flagship academic institution of higher education in the province offering different degree programs through its ten colleges and three campuses.
Providing one hundred years of educational service to the people of Tarlac and the Central Luzon region, TSU started as an elementary trade school progressing to a secondary school. Later, it became a collegiate technical school and then a full-fledged state college, the Tarlac College of Technology. On October 13, 1989, it was converted into a state university by virtue of Republic Act No. 6764.
Tarlac State University sits on a Level III-A status awarded by the Joint Committee of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) in recognition of its excellent instruction, active involvement in research programs and community-wide extension services. Most of its curricular programs are accredited by the Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines (AACCUP).
The university acquired its ISO 9001:2008 certification in 2013 for its provision of technical assistance, consultancy and training for the implementation of community development, industry development, and extension support services program. In August 2016, TSU was granted an Integrated Management System (IMS) Certification, becoming the first state university in the Philippines to acquire this status. The IMS Certification covers ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System, ISO 14001:2015 Environment Management System, and OHSAS 18001:2007 Occupational Health and Safety Management System under the United States Accreditation System (USAS).
It is mandated to provide advanced instruction in literature, philosophy, the sciences, and the arts, and also to offer professional and technical training courses. To enhance the academic sector, the syllabi of the various course subjects adopted the outcomes-based education (OBE) format prescribed by CHED.
TSU is the first university among other State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) with a government authority to conduct Transnational Education Programs. It has established international linkages with a number of colleges and universities in Asia.
History
Early years
Tarlac State University was established in the same time that public education was developed in the Philippines. Its origin could be traced as early as 1906 as one of the trade schools offering industrial and vocational courses in selected regions. This was in pursuit of the American colonial government's policy of laying the groundwork for a western-oriented educational system in the country.
In 1909, TSU, then the Tarlac Trade School, began to open its doors to high school students. By 1921, it had evolved into a full-fledged secondary school. From 1931 up to the start of World War II, it was annexed to Tarlac High School.
After the war in 1946, it was separated from Tarlac High School, and in 1959, the Congress of the Philippines approved House Bill 1006 converting the Tarlac Trade School into the Tarlac School of Arts and Trades (TSAT) which began to offer collegiate technical education courses with Manuel Espinosa as its first superintendent.
In 1965, TSAT obtained its status as a state college by virtue of Republic Act 4337. It was converted into the Tarlac College of Technology (TCT) and merged with the Tarlac National Agricultural School in Camiling, Tarlac. From 1965 to 1972, Mario Manese served as its first president, introducing teacher education and engineering as new courses.
Jack Smith became the president in 1972. TCT's Institute of Agriculture was made into a separate state college in 1974 to be known as the Tarlac College of Agriculture, now Tarlac Agricultural University. The college underwent expansions under his administration, including the acquisition of a ten-hectare land in Barangay Binauganan known today as the Villa Lucinda Campus which became the site of the Laboratory School, College of Education, and a ground for different agricultural and industrial projects.
University era
Ernesto Cosme was designated as the officer in charge in September 1984, eventually becoming the TCT's last president. It was during his administration that Republic Act No. 6764 was signed into law by former President Corazon Aquino on October 13, 1989, converting TCT into Tarlac State University (TSU). This was made possible through the sponsorship of Congressmen Jose Cojuangco Jr., Jose Yap, and Hermie Aquino.