Academic Policies

The following regulations and procedures governing admission to the Graduate Division of the University of Hawai'i at Manoa are subject to change without prior notice. Prospective students should consult with the Graduate Division for updated policies.

Although the University attempts to accommodate the course requests of students, course offerings may be limited by financial, space, and staffing considerations or may otherwise be unavailable. Nothing in this Catalog may be construed to promise or guarantee registration in any course or course of study (whether required or elective) nor may anything be construed to promise or guarantee the completion of an academic program within a specified length of time.

Student Responsibility

It is the responsibility of students to know and observe all regulations and procedures relating to the program they are pursuing, as well as those of the University and Graduate Division. In no case will a regulation be waived or an exception granted because students plead ignorance of or contend that they were not informed of the regulations or procedures. Questions on regulations and their interpretation pertaining to studies at the graduate level should be addressed to the Office of the Dean of the Graduate Division.

Students planning to graduate should familiarize themselves with the dates relating to application for graduation and other pertinent deadlines (see the "Calendar"). It is necessary to apply for graduation by the specified deadline in order to graduate in a particular term, whether or not the student plans to attend the commencement ceremonies.

Students must satisfy the degree requirements of the Catalog in force during the term for which they have been admitted to and begin course work in a degree program; or they may, with the consent of their advisers, meet graduation requirements by complying with the provisions of a later Catalog. Students readmitted to a degree program must meet degree requirements of the Catalog in force at the time of the later admission (or of a subsequent Catalog, as provided above). Aside from degree requirements, all students are subject to the regulations and policies stated in the Catalog currently in force. Exceptions to the regulations contained in the Catalog require the written approval of the Office of the Dean of the Graduate Division, unless otherwise stated in the Catalog.

Students admitted to the Graduate Division are assumed to be mature adults and are expected to behave accordingly. All written work should observe high editorial standards, and high standards of academic honesty are expected. Though advisory services are provided to assist the student, the student alone is responsible for following the procedures and completing the steps required in the degree program. Requirements of the Graduate Division, both procedural and substantive, may be waived only by written request of the student and/or committee concerned and must have the written approval of the dean of the Graduate Division. Petition forms are available in department offices and the Graduate Division Records Office.

Academic Integrity
The University has adopted policies and procedures for dealing with research misconduct among its students, faculty, and staff. The guidelines, which are available in department offices and in the Office of the Dean of the Graduate Division, pertain to the intentional commission of any of the following acts: falsification of research results, improper assignment of authorship, plagiarism, unprofessional manipulation of experiments or of research procedures, and misappropriation of research funds.

If a graduate student fails to maintain the standards of academic or professional integrity expected in his or her discipline or program, the student's admission to the program may be terminated. (See the "Appendix" for further discussion of policy pertaining to academic honesty.)

Research with Human or Animal Subjects
Students intending to conduct research using human or animal subjects should be aware of federal, state, and University regulations and review processes to ensure compliance with protective standards. These regulations cover research funded by non-University sources, sponsored by the University, or conducted by or under the direction of any employee or agent of the University in connection with his/her institutional responsibilities or using any UH property or facility. These regulations also cover research involving the use of the University's non-public information to identify or contact research subjects.

Students and University employees should refer to the "Appendix" for more information on federal research guidelines and check with their respective academic offices for guidance.

Admission

Applicants for advanced degree programs must hold a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited U.S. college or university or its equivalent from a recognized foreign institution of higher learning. The standards of the degree in question must be equivalent in both the distribution of academic subject matter and in scholarship achievement requirements to those maintained at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. Generally, an applicant must have a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (4.0-equals-A scale) or the equivalent in the last four semesters or approximately 60 semester credits (or the equivalent in quarter credits) of his or her undergraduate record and in all post-baccalaureate work.

Completed applications are screened by the Graduate Division Admissions Office. Applications that meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate Division are forwarded to the respective field of study, where the standards applied may be more stringent than those set by the Graduate Division. There the applications are subjected to a more comprehensive and intensive review by the graduate faculty. Where admission is intensely competitive, admission decisions are reached through a comparison of the relative merits of all applicants applying in the field or in an area of concentration, if applicable, for that particular semester. The graduate field then makes a recommendation to the Graduate Division either to admit or deny the applicant. The final decision to make a formal offer of admission rests with the dean of the Graduate Division, who takes into full consideration the recommendation of the field of study. Admission is valid only for the semester for which a student was accepted.

Applicants may be denied admission for any number of reasons. Some of the more common bases of denial are undistinguished academic records and poor test scores, inadequate preparation and background for advanced academic or professional study, unclear or unfocused objectives for graduate study, or inability of the program to accommodate all qualified applicants due to limited space or lack of faculty to guide the students in specified areas of interest. It is suggested that applicants consult the chair of the selected field concerning their interests and availability of faculty members in their intended areas of study.

The Graduate Division notifies each applicant of its decision. Official notification of acceptance or rejection is generally mailed between February and June for fall admission, depending on when the completed application is received and when a decision is reached. Most of the notifications are mailed in April and May. For spring, notification is generally between October and December. In fields with intense competition, selections are often made early. Applicants should not make definite arrangements to attend the University until they receive formal notice of acceptance from the Graduate Division.

All applicants are required to specify on the application form all current and previous enrollment in any postsecondary institution. Any applicant who fails to inform the University of such enrollment or who submits or has submitted any required information or document that is fraudulent or that has been altered without proper authorization may be denied admission to the University. If the omissions and/or alterations are discovered after the student is enrolled, enrollment may be canceled and the student may be referred to the University's Student Conduct Committee for possible disciplinary action.

Application Procedures and Deadlines

Application forms and specific graduate program information should be obtained directly from the appropriate field of study (refer to graduate fields listed in the "Degrees and Certificates" section) and/or by visiting the website: www.hawaii.edu/graduate. Letters should be addressed to the graduate chair of the appropriate field of study.
For further information on general graduate admissions, write or e-mail the Graduate Division Admissions Office. Architecture, medicine and law are not part of the Graduate Division. Applicants should apply directly to the School of Architecture (see the "School of Architecture" section), John A. Burns School of Medicine (see the "School of Medicine" section) or to the William S. Richardson School of Law (see the "School of Law" section).

Application Requirements
Students applying for admission to graduate programs must submit the following:

To the Graduate Division+

Application form and appropriate fee ($25.00 U.S. citizen, $50.00 non-U.S. citizen-no fee waivers);
One official transcript from each postsecondary institution attended, sent directly from the institution or received in a sealed institutional envelope to the Graduate Division;
Official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or IELTS Academic Modules Test score report, if required (for foreign applicants, as well as some immigrant and U.S. applicants); and
Verification of financial status (for foreign applicants).

If more than 25 percent of a student's undergraduate course work at a U.S. institution has been graded under a nontraditional grading system (i.e., pass/fail, credit/no credit, S/U, etc.), then:

Transcripts must be accompanied by official course performance reports, i.e., faculty evaluations (one copy each of transcripts and performance reports);
Transcripts from nontraditional grading systems must include course descriptions and grade conversion information; and
The applicant must take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test and have the results forwarded to the Graduate Division. (Applicants to the College of Business Administration and the Schools of Accountancy should take the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) in place of the GRE. Applicants to the School of Travel Industry Management may take the GMAT instead of the GRE.)

To the Field of Study

Letters of recommendation if required by field of study;
One official transcript from each postsecondary institution attended, sent directly to the field of study by the institution, if required by the field of study.
Standardized test scores (excluding TOEFL and IELTS) such as GRE, GMAT, Miller Analogies Test (MAT) if required by the field of study;
Special application forms, statement of objectives and long-range goals if required by the field of study; and
Samples of work (slides, manuscripts, portfolio, or tapes), r‚sum‚s, and writing samples if required by the field of study.

For details, refer to the graduate program brochure of the field of study and application instructions. Materials submitted in support of an application are not released for other purposes and cannot be returned to the applicant. Failure to fill out the application completely according to instructions may result in delays and file closure.

Application Deadlines
Please refer to the Graduate Division Admissions application booklet or graduate program brochure of the field of study for specific application deadlines. Each graduate program may have different deadlines and some programs do not have spring admissions.

Admissions-and in many cases offers of financial support, such as assistantships, scholarships, fellowships and tuition waivers-are awarded early to highly qualified applicants. Applications are processed by the Graduate Division as early as October 1 for the fall semester and May 1 for the spring semester. It is recommended that a completed graduate admissions application be submitted as early as possible.

International Applicants
International applicants must submit official academic records in the original language accompanied by certified English translations. These translations must bear either the embossed seal or inked stamp of the issuing institution or governmental agency or the original signature of the translator, and they must be complete and exact word-for-word translations of the original documents.

Students studying in Commonwealth countries or under a system of education that follows the British pattern of examination and grading, where the classification for the degree (e.g., First Class, Second Class) is based on the final year examination, should apply after the degree has been awarded. This applies to students from the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and some African countries. An official certificate showing the award of the degree with the division and class standing must be submitted with the application.

With the exception of holders of a four- or five-year BEng, BArch, BAgr, BTech, or MBBS degree, applicants who have attended or are attending higher education institutions in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Myanmar must present a completed master's degree (a U.S. bachelor's degree equivalent) at the time the application is filed.

Concurrent Pursuit of Multiple Graduate Programs
Initially a student may be admitted to only one degree program. A student may be admitted, after completing one year, to two degree programs or specializations concurrently. A new application form must be completed for each degree program to which the student desires admission. Each intended program may review the student's existing Graduate Division academic file and require letters of recommendation and a goal statement pertinent to the particular program. When a student already enrolled in the Graduate Division is admitted to an additional graduate degree program, the department(s) to which the student is already admitted will be notified of the new admission. A student admitted to more than one degree program is considered to be pursuing each one independently in the sense that each degree can be awarded as all requirements for it are satisfied.
Concurrent doctoral degrees are not allowed and multiple doctoral degrees are generally not permitted. If approved, each degree must be distinct, representing a unique body of knowledge. Each dissertation must be distinct and not incorporate parts of the previous dissertation.

English Language Institute
International and immigrant students admitted to the University whose native language is not English may be referred to the English Language Institute to determine if they must take the ELI placement examinations. If a student does not fulfill this obligation, ELI will place a hold on the student's registration. Please refer to the "English as a Second Language" section within the Colleges of Arts and Sciences for additional information.

CONTINUED >>
Click here to return to the Graduate Education Contents Page.

Please note: This Catalog was prepared to provide information and does not constitute a contract. The University reserves the right to change or delete, supplement, or otherwise amend at any time and without prior notice the information, requirements, and policies contained in this Catalog.