The University of the Philippines (UP) sees itself as a leading regional and global university in an environment that sustains 21st-century learning, knowledge creation, and public service for society and humanity.

As the national university, UP is mandated to lead in the practice and development of higher education, in terms of:

• Setting academic standards and initiating innovation in teaching, research, and faculty development in an environment of academic freedom;

• Serving as a graduate university providing advanced and specialized studies, especially to the faculty members of state and private colleges and universities;

• Serving as a research university in various fields of expertise and contributing to the dissemination and application of new knowledge;

• Leading as a public service university by providing different forms of community, public, and volunteer service to the government, the private sector, and civil society;

• Protecting and promoting the professional and economic rights and welfare of its academic and non-academic personnel;

• Providing learning opportunities in various forms to promote such special concerns as responsible citizenship, sustainable development, sports and health development, and cultural development;

• Serving as a hub for regional and global academic networks; and

• Applying the highest standards of academic and institutional governance within a meritocracy based on collegiality, representation, accountability, transparency, and active participation of all constituents.

A UP education seeks to produce graduates imbued with an abiding sense of responsibility to their people and nation, the skills and mindsets to improve human life, and a commitment to the freedom and welfare of all.

Aside from mastery of knowledge in their specific disciplines, UP graduates must possess breadth of mind, strength of character, and generosity of spirit, fostered by a firm grounding in both the arts and sciences, and such specialist courses as their programs may require.

They must be prepared to inclusively engage with society and the world at large, mindful of their people's needs and capabilities, and keen to the challenges and opportunities of national development in this century of rapid global change.

UP aims to achieve this through its General Education program, one that develops mind, body and spirit, which familiarizes all its students with their culture and history and fosters a sense of shared citizenship, while equipping them with critical thinking, discernment and technical skills they will need to excel in their chosen professions.

• Critical and independent thinking;

• Sense of humanity and justice [or the fundamental respect for others as human beings with intrinsic rights;]

• Sense of being Filipino. Although UP has a liberal orientation, its mission is avowedly nationalist--i.e., we take the vantage point of the Filipino;

• Vocation for service, more specifically, for national service (which demands malasakit and pagkukusa.

• The value of personal integrity and intellectual honesty, "the bedrock of the academe". Intellectual honesty implies the value of humility as well-e.g. admitting what one does not know rather than pretending to be knowledgeable;

• Sense of professionalism or the rigor and standards applied to work in particular disciplines; and

• The value of enlightened spirituality that is not necessarily based on religion in rendering "considered judgements".

The Bachelor of Science in Hotel, Restaurant Administration (BS HRA) was instituted in response to an urgent request from the Hotel and Restaurant Association of the Philippines (HRAP), the national organization of hotel and restaurant owners, “for graduates for middle management level who are well grounded in both business and food service administration.” Among the personalities responsible for coming together to initiate and develop the program were the Enriquezes, owners of D & E Restaurant and Sulo Group of Companies, other industry leaders, the faculty of the CHE with Dean Eva Gonzalez at the helm, including Ms. Lourdes Labrador, Dr. Florecita Acacio and Mrs. Leticia de Ocampo-Elegado, and Dr. Leland Koschevar, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) consultant. This is the Philippines’ first collegiate course on hotel and restaurant management. The program produced its first graduates in schoolyear 1971-72.

At the time the program was instituted in 1970, it was administered by the HRA Section under the Department of Food Science and Nutrition. On May 27, 1998, the HRA section was elevated to the Department of Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management (DHRIM) by the University of the Philippines (UP) Board of Regents during their 1120th meeting. On December 6, 2000, the University Council on its 72nd meeting approved the change in program name to Bachelor of Science in Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management (BS HRIM), a change intended to deliberately address the human resource requirements of all types of food and accommodation service establishments, and to give equal focus to the more service-oriented sectors of the hospitality industry. At the same time, the College of Home Economics (CHE) was granted independence in the administration of the program. The capability of CHE to teach the Management courses was made possible through a well-planned faculty development and recruitment program. Such proven ability was recognized and expressed by the faculty of the College of Business Administration (now the UP Virata School of Business) in a separate resolution on March 29, 2000.

DHRIM under CHE continues to provide leaders in the field despite the proliferation of similar programs offered by other schools and universities. Graduates of both the undergraduate and graduate programs occupy positions of leadership in the industry and the academe.

In 1982, the Master of Food Service Administration (MFSA) was instituted to further to develop professionals for managerial positions in the food service industry. The masteral program was also intended to upgrade competencies of those in the academe that teach and undertake researches on the food service industry. This program is among the first, if not the first ever, masteral programs in the field of food service in the country.

In 2012, the MFSA was revised to Master of Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management to align with the undergraduate program.