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Undergraduate Programs

The Colleges of Arts and Sciences offers the bachelor of arts (BA), the bachelor of fine arts (BFA), the bachelor of music (BMus), and the bachelor of science (BS) degrees in more than 40 different majors. In addition, the Colleges offer over 20 minors. Each degree includes a set of General Education Core courses, a specific field of concentration (the major), and courses in subjects that contribute to that major or are of special interest to the student (electives or minor).

Although the University's General Education requirements must be completed by all candidates for baccalaureate degrees, each arts and sciences degree program requires candidates to satisfy a unique combination of core courses and prerequisites. A list of program requirements for each of the arts and sciences bachelor's degrees is available at the Colleges of Arts and Sciences Student Academic Services office, Keller 305.

The field of concentration or major should be declared by the end of the sophomore year by submitting a completed College and Major Transfer Request form to the Student Academic Services Office. Music and dance majors and majors offered under the bachelor of science should be declared within the first year of enrollment.

Information on specific majors and minors is available at the respective academic departments.

Admission Requirements and Application Procedures

Information regarding admission requirements, application procedures, and deadlines for admission and enrollment are provided in the "Undergraduate Education" section of this Catalog. 

Admission requirements for the Colleges of Arts and Sciences candidates who have no previous college-level work are the same as those for the University. However, candidates for admission are strongly advised to complete a minimum of two years of college-preparatory mathematics and three years of a foreign language.

Transfer candidates who are offering 24 semester hours of work from a regionally accredited U.S. college or university in lieu of the SAT should have completed college-level academic courses that verify minimum-level proficiency in both the verbal and mathematical equivalences of the SAT. In addition, applicants who have junior or higher standing must have selected an arts and sciences major for which they are eligible and for which they have demonstrated academic promise.

Second or Multiple Majors and Minors

Arts and Sciences students are encouraged to consider applying for a second major or a minor or a combination of both. Pursuing additional academic fields of study in the form of a second major, or with the addition of a minor, can benefit students in several ways, including the opportunity to discover relationships across disciplines, develop diverse perspectives, strengthen one's appreciation for the acquisition of knowledge in more than one academic field and enhance one's ability to problem-solve and communicate in a variety of settings. Applicants for multiple majors/minors need to:

• be enrolled as classified arts and sciences students, 
• be in good academic standing, 
• be seeking majors under one degree program (i.e., BA/psychology and speech, or BS/physics and mathematics),
• be able to complete degree requirements within the maximum total credits as specified by the University's excess credit policy (see "Undergraduate Education"),
• submit a statement with the application that describes the reason for adding the second major and the educational benefits expected from the addition,
• keep in mind that no diversification course may be used to satisfy more than one requirement (general education core, college, major and minor requirements).

The Colleges offer minors in the following disciplines: American studies, art, biology, botany, chemistry, computer science, dance, economics, English, geography, Hawaiian (immersion education), history, mathematics, microbiology, music, philosophy, physics, political science, religion, sociology, speech, theatre, and zoology.

Most minors require a minimum of 15 credits of non-introductory and upper division level course work, completed with a grade of C or better.

Academic advisers are available to discuss with students the way that a second major or minor can compliment the first major and to help students formulate an academic plan so that adding a second major or a minor does not delay graduation unnecessarily.

Post-baccalaureate candidates who wish to pursue a second major rather than a complete second baccalaureate degree should pursue their academic major as an unclassified post-baccalaureate candidate. Upon completion of the second major, the candidate may apply at the major department for a second major certificate. 

Second Baccalaureate Degree

Priority for admission into any arts and sciences baccalaureate program is given to students seeking their first undergraduate degree. The due date for second undergraduate degree applications is approximately six weeks before the Admissions and Records deadline. Fall applications must be received by Admissions and Records no later than April 15th, and Spring applications must be received no later than September 15th. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered. Complete applications contain all the materials required by Admissions and Records in addition to the following:

1. A typewritten, signed statement explaining how the second degree will help the applicant attain their personal, academic and professional goals.
2. Following review by Arts and Sciences, applicants will be informed of their remaining general education requirements and referred to the major departments in order to complete an academic plan demonstrating concrete knowledge of the second degree program for which they are applying. Applicants will be given a deadline to submit the academic plan in order to continue the admissions process.

Applications for a second baccalaureate degree will be considered only if there is a demonstrable difference in curricula and objectives between the two degrees and majors and if the applicant has a superior grade point average and shows strong promise of success in the proposed second degree. Second degree students must earn a minimum of 30 credits in arts and sciences subjects at UH Manoa while continuously enrolled in the colleges, and satisfy all degree requirements current at the time of official admission into the program.

The colleges may approve concurrent multiple baccalaureate degrees for exceptional students. Students should speak with an adviser in the Arts and Sciences Student Academic Services office for information.

College/School Requirements

To earn a bachelor's degree offered by the colleges, students must do the following:

1. Complete basic subjects specified by their degree programs;
2. Fulfill the requirements of a major field of concentration and present to the Student Academic Services office the goldenrod form attesting to completion of the major and signed by the major adviser;
3. Earn at least 60 hours of credit in non-introductory courses. These may be upper division courses (courses numbered 300 or above) or 200-level courses that have an explicit college-level course prerequisite;
4. Acquire a minimum total of 124 hours of credit, of which no more than 20 credit hours may be in subjects not offered within the Colleges of Arts and Sciences; no more than 12 may be in practicum courses; no more than 9 may be in directed reading and research (-99) courses; and no more than 8 in KLS activity courses;
5. Earn at least a 2.0 GPA (C average) for all UH Manoa registered credits;
6. Register for all required courses (core, major, and minor, if applicable, courses) for a letter grade;
7. Earn a grade of C or better in each course applied to the major and/or minor requirements (some majors require higher grades);
8. Arrange for a degree audit at a "GRAD session" at the Student Academic Services office during the semester preceding the award of the degree;
9. Submit, during the semester preceding the award of the degree, an application for graduation available at Student Academic Services office;
10. Pay a graduation fee of $15 to the Cashier's Office.

Students may apply to the appropriate language departments for exemption by examination in Hawaiian or foreign languages. They may also apply for credit by examination in any course offered by the colleges and required in a particular curriculum and for which a written examination is appropriate and feasible. Such credit carries a corresponding reduction in the 124 credit hours required for graduation. Note the deadlines in the "Calendar."

The associate dean of the Colleges of Arts and Sciences Academic Affairs and Student Academic Services may exercise discretion in modifying some of these requirements in exceptional cases after consultation with the graduation committee.

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