The choice between a thesis and a non-thesis master's is usually described as a choice between writing a thesis and taking a comprehensive examination instead. Under the rules currently in force in the Philippines, that description is wrong.
CHED Memorandum Order No. 15, series of 2019 — the policies, standards and guidelines governing graduate programmes — requires a comprehensive examination on every master's track. Thesis, by-research, and professional non-thesis alike. You do not escape comps by avoiding the thesis.
What actually changes is the final output, the publication obligation, and what the degree is built to lead to.
What CHED defines
CMO 15 splits master's programmes into two major tracks: "The thesis track is research intensive while the non-thesis track is often referred to as a professional or course-based master's program."
The thesis track
The thesis track is the Master of Science or Master of Arts degree, described as "a graduate academic degree program consisting of advanced studies in an academic discipline with the primary purpose of contributing to the generation, production and advancement of knowledge rather than specific applications to professional practice." It is research-focused and, in CHED's framing, "serve[s] as preparation for a doctoral research program."
It has two sub-tracks:
- MSc/MA academic track — at least 24 units of coursework and at least 6 units of thesis. Requires passing a comprehensive examination, a thesis, and at least one publication in a refereed journal or juried creative work.
- MSc/MA by research — at least 36 units, "wherein there is less coursework and more research activities" and all units are taken by research. Requires passing a comprehensive examination and at least one publication, specifically evidence of acceptance to a refereed journal or a juried creative work outlet.
The non-thesis track
The non-thesis track is the professional master's degree, "a professional track at the master's level with the primary purpose of applying knowledge in professional practice." CHED describes it as "either terminal or geared towards preparation for a doctoral degree program with a professional track."
It requires at least 30 units of coursework, of which at least 3 units must be labelled a capstone course or practice-based project. Students must pass a comprehensive examination and complete a capstone project.
CHED's own definition of a capstone project is broad: it "culminates the student's academic or learning experience" and may be "in the form of essay, case study, research paper, or a short film or multimedia presentation," presented to a panel or committee of experts for grading and evaluation.
Side by side
| Thesis (MA/MS academic) | By research | Non-thesis (professional) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum coursework | At least 24 units | At least 36 units, all by research | At least 30 units |
| Research component | At least 6 units of thesis | Research throughout, no coursework | At least 3 units capstone or practice-based project |
| Comprehensive exam | Required | Required | Required |
| Final output | Thesis | Research output | Capstone project |
| Publication | At least one, in a refereed journal or juried creative work | At least one, or evidence of acceptance | None required by CHED |
| Admission requirement | Bachelor's degree | Bachelor's degree | Bachelor's degree |
Notice that the non-thesis track has the higher coursework floor. People assume it is the shorter degree because of the unit count. It is not. It is shorter because coursework runs on a fixed calendar and a thesis does not.
The publication requirement is the real fork
Section 9 of CMO 15 is short and blunt: students in the MSc/MA academic track and by research "are required to have a publication in a refereed journal or juried creative work."
That is the single biggest practical difference between the tracks, and it is the one applicants underestimate most. A thesis defence is scheduled. A journal review is not. Choosing the thesis track means accepting a completion date that partly belongs to an editor you have never met.
If you are going down that road anyway, our thesis chapters guide covers how Philippine manuscripts are normally structured.
Who actually cares which track you took
Most private employers do not. A master's degree appears on a CV as a master's degree. The places where the distinction bites are narrower than the internet suggests, but they are real.
Academe, and specifically thesis advising. This is where the rule is explicit. CMO 15 says graduate faculty, especially at doctoral level, should hold doctoral degrees with a track record of scholarly work and refereed publications. Where there is a shortage of doctoral holders in a discipline, a programme may staff up with master's degree holders who have doctoral units and at least one refereed publication — but the memorandum states flatly that those faculty "can only teach in the Master's program, but cannot serve as thesis advisers." For industry-oriented non-thesis programmes, faculty with extensive industry experience instead of doctoral units face the same bar: they "can only teach courses, they cannot serve as thesis/capstone advisers."
So a non-thesis master's does not close the door on teaching. It closes the door on supervising research, which is where academic careers are built.
Doctoral admission. CHED's own language points the professional master's toward "a doctoral degree program with a professional track" rather than toward a PhD. The PhD is described as focused on research, requiring a student to "show the capacity to make an original contribution in pushing the frontier of knowledge in a chosen field through dissertation." Doctoral programmes vary in how they treat a non-thesis master's; some admit and add research units, some do not. This is a question to ask the specific programme, not a question with a national answer. The wider picture is in our doctorate in the Philippines guide.
Government and DepEd qualification standards. These are written in terms of the degree, not the track. DepEd Order No. 019, s. 2025, which sets amended qualification standards for teaching and school administration positions, lists a master's degree in the relevant strand or subject as the education requirement for Master Teacher positions. It does not ask whether you wrote a thesis. That said, DepEd amends its qualification standards periodically, so check the current issuance with your division office rather than relying on a summary. See our DepEd teacher ranking and promotion guide for context.
Licensure-linked fields. Where a professional regulatory law makes a master's degree the entry ticket to a board exam, the law generally names the degree and the required subject credits, not the track. Republic Act No. 10029 does this for psychologists: a master's degree in psychology plus sufficient credits in the examination subjects plus 200 hours of supervised practicum. The consequence is that curriculum coverage matters more than the thesis, which we work through in the master's in psychology guide.
How to choose, honestly
Pick the thesis track if any of these are true:
- You intend to apply to a research PhD.
- You want to advise theses, or hold a faculty post where research output is evaluated.
- You already have a research question you care about and a plausible supervisor for it.
- Your field's employers read publications.
Pick the non-thesis track if any of these are true:
- The credential is for promotion, a qualification standard, or a career change, and no one downstream will ask about your research.
- You are working full time and cannot absorb an open-ended completion date.
- Your professional contribution is practice, and a capstone drawn from your actual work is more useful to you than a journal article.
Three checks before you commit either way:
- Does the programme actually run the track it advertises? A department with no full-time doctoral faculty in the discipline may be limited in whom it can assign as a thesis adviser.
- What is the maximum period of completion? CMO 15 does not set a single national figure for master's programmes; each institution sets its own residency and completion rules. Ask for the number in writing.
- Can you switch later? Some universities allow a move between tracks; others treat it as a new application. Ask before you enrol, not in your third semester.
The mechanics of applying to either — transcripts, recommendation letters, entrance exams and concept papers — are covered in graduate school admission requirements, and the cost and timeline picture is in the master's degree in the Philippines guide.
The short version
The thesis-versus-comps framing is out of date. Both tracks require a comprehensive examination. The thesis track adds a thesis and a publication; the non-thesis track adds a capstone project and more coursework. The thesis track is the one that keeps research doors open, and the one most likely to run long. Choose on the basis of what you want the degree to do, then verify the specifics with the department, because the CHED figures quoted here are floors, and universities are free to sit above them.
Sources
- CHED Memorandum Order No. 15, series of 2019, Policies, Standards, and Guidelines for Graduate Programs (Commission on Higher Education): https://legacy.ched.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/CMO-No.-15-Series-of-2019-%E2%80%93-Policies-Standards-and-Guidelines-for-Graduate-Programs-Updated.pdf
- DepEd Order No. 019, s. 2025 — Amended Qualification Standards for Teacher I-III, Master Teacher I-IV, and School Principal I-IV Positions, and Qualification Standards for Newly Created Teacher IV-VII and Master Teacher V Positions (Department of Education): https://www.deped.gov.ph/2025/06/24/june-24-2025-do-019-s-2025-amended-qualification-standards-for-teacher-i-iii-master-teacher-i-iv-and-school-principal-i-iv-positions-and-the-qualification-standards-for-newly-created-t/
- DepEd Order No. 019, s. 2025 — full text PDF: https://www.deped.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/DO_s2025_019r.pdf
- Republic Act No. 10029, Philippine Psychology Act of 2009 (LawPhil Project, Arellano Law Foundation): https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2010/ra_10029_2010.html
- De La Salle University, Admission — Graduate Admissions, Local Applicants: https://www.dlsu.edu.ph/admission/admission-graduate-admissions-local-applicants/
