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“A More Humane World”: UCM Rector Praises Contribution of New PhDs

julio 9, 2025

These are professionals who have obtained the highest academic degree in Philosophy, Religion and Contemporary Thought, Applied Mathematical Modeling, and Education.

“Training people with advanced skills in social sciences, humanities, and education is undoubtedly important, because reflection in these areas is necessary to have a more humane, more humanized world.” In this way, the rector of the Catholic University of Maule (UCM), Dr. Claudio Rojas, explained the contribution that professionals who received doctoral medals from the institution will offer to society.

Before a large university community gathered in the Aula Magna of the San Miguel Campus, the faculty awarded diplomas to those who completed their doctorates in Philosophy, Religion and Contemporary Thought, Applied Mathematical Modeling, and Education.

«Some of these disciplines have an epistemological approach to generating knowledge that is different from the hard sciences, but they are just as rigorous. They are iterative disciplines that consult the classics to push the boundaries of knowledge and open up new paths of learning,» added the rector.

According to the director of postgraduate studies at UCM, Dr. Marcelo Castillo, doctoral training includes excellence in the fields of science, technology, and innovation. “We are giving a new focus to each of these areas which, although they have been on our campus for a long time, especially Education, now have a focus on improving educational processes, which in the case of Philosophy and Religion is linked to how we look at the world in a different way; this turbulent world, full of conflicts,” he said.

Training based on empathy

Belén Valdés, one of the newly qualified doctors in Education, said that the main characteristic of the graduates is the “UCM stamp.”

“They train us with a social perspective. In the case of teachers, it is understood that we not only teach content, but also train people who are going to function in society,” she said.

She added that “they encourage us to educate through empathy and listening, and not exclusively through the curriculum. These soft skills, which are sometimes somewhat neglected, either by academia or by postgraduate studies, are greatly encouraged here at this university.”

The Doctorate in Education is offered in a consortium format by four campuses in the south-central macrozone of the country and is certified by the National Accreditation Commission (CNA), as are the programs in Philosophy, Religion and Contemporary Thought, and Applied Mathematical Modeling.

Watch the video and photos of the ceremony HERE

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