St. Joseph's College, together with 10 other private colleges and universities, became a charter member of the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities in 1957. In 2013, the Grade School and High School Departments, were given 5 years of re-accredited status for their efforts in maintaining quality education. The Kinder-Grade School Department and High School Department were both granted PAASCU Level III accreditation on December 15, 2008. In 2012, the Social Work Department was granted Level IV status, the first social program in the Philippines to be accorded such status.
The Graduate School was opened in 1979 to specialize in education and staff development. Among its leading programs today are special education, early childhood education, guidance and counseling, and hospital management. The doctoral programs specialize in special education and in educational leadership and management.
Origins
Saint Joseph's College of Quezon City was founded in 1932 as Saint Joseph's Academy by Dutch Franciscan Sisters under the leadership of its school directress, Mother Magdala Verhuizen. Today, the school is managed by the Sororum Franscicalium Immaculada Conceptione De Mater Dei sisters. During the Japanese occupation, the school was closed down and the buildings were used as a mini-military hospital by the Japanese army and later by the US military. St. Joseph's Academy officially became St. Joseph's College of Quezon City in 1948 with the opening of the college department which offered programs in education, liberal arts, secretarial science, and music.
Performing arts
In the 1950s and 1960s, performing arts became a distinguishing feature of Josephine life. The annual play became a tradition. Plays and musicals such as Cyrano de Bergerac, Pride and Prejudice, Pygmalion, Trojan Women, Fiddler on the Roof, and Camelot were staged and drew critical acclaim.
Current programs and projects
The school became an ETEEAP provider. Through ETEEAP, non-degree holders can have their learning at work and in life assessed and recognized as equivalent to traditional course requirements to earn their degrees. The Special Education department was opened in 2002, while the Institute of Nursing was established in 2004 wherein St. Luke’s Medical Center is their base hospital. In 2013, the Kindergarten, Grade School, and High School departments were merged into a Basic Education Department. The Senior High School Department was established in 2016.
Social orientation
The 70s and 80s saw St. Joseph's College rise to the demands of socially oriented education. It offered a tuition-free evening high school for urban poor youths and established a grant-in-aid program for poor but deserving students.
