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Doctoral Degree Programs

The University of Hawai'i at Manoa confers the degrees of doctor of philosophy and doctor of public health.

Faculty or staff members at rank 3 and above may not be awarded a doctoral degree by the University of Hawai'i in the graduate field of study administered by the department in which they are employed.

Doctor of Philosophy
The doctor of philosophy (PhD) degree is awarded only for the most distinguished scholarly achievement. The quality of a candidate's work is judged by a variety of means, culminating in a set of comprehensive and final examinations and a dissertation. The dissertation describes completed research and must be a significant original contribution to knowledge in the candidate's chosen field. The additional, special requirements in any given field of study prepare the candidate for the examinations and successful completion of the dissertation.

Candidates are accepted only in fields of study in which the teaching staff, library, laboratory equipment, and cooperative relationships with other research institutions make it possible to offer training.

The doctor of philosophy is offered in the following areas:

• Agricultural and resource economics
• Agronomy and soil science
• American studies
• Anthropology
• Astronomy
• Biomedical sciences
• Botanical sciences
• Chemistry
• Civil engineering
• Communication and information sciences
• Computer science
• East Asian languages and literatures
• Economics
• Education
• Educational psychology
• Electrical engineering
• English
• Entomology
• Geography
• Geology and geophysics
• History
• Horticulture
• International management
• Linguistics
• Mathematics
• Mechanical engineering
• Meteorology
• Microbiology
• Music
• Nursing
• Ocean and resources engineering
• Oceanography
• Philosophy
• Physics
• Political science
• Psychology
• Second language acquisition
• Social welfare
• Sociology
• Theatre
• Zoology

Requirements and Procedures for Doctoral Degrees 

The rules and requirements listed below are those of the Graduate Division and must be observed by all doctoral students. Note that some fields of study have special requirements.

Residence
The minimum residence requirement for the doctoral degree is three semesters of full-time work or the equivalent in credit hours at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa.

Time Allowed
Candidates for doctoral degrees will be expected to complete all requirements within seven years after admission into the doctoral program. Candidates who fail to complete all requirements in the specified time are automatically dropped from the program. Reinstatement for a limited period of time is possible only upon submission of a petition by the graduate chair providing a detailed degree plan and new limited time line to completion of all degree requirements.

Credit Hour Requirements
There is no minimum number of required course credit hours set for doctoral degrees. Registration in courses by doctoral students is governed by (1) the judgment of advisers or faculty in charge of the relevant program of study as to the importance of particular course work to the training and preparation of the candidate for the writing of examinations and/or the dissertation, (2) residence requirements, and/or (3) provisions of graduate assistantships, fellowships, or scholarships. For information regarding required or recommended courses, see the section appropriate to the field of study.

Language Requirements
At the option of the graduate field of study, intended candidates for the doctoral degree may be required to take a written examination to demonstrate comprehension of one or more foreign languages. To pass the examination they must be able to read research materials in their field of study at a reasonable speed. English is not considered a foreign language in this context.

No limit has been placed on the number of times students may take the examination. However, it must be passed before students can be advanced to candidacy and take the comprehensive examination.

Doctoral Committee
The doctoral committee may be selected at any time after a student becomes an intended candidate. The chair of the graduate faculty of the field of study recommends to the dean of the Graduate Division appointment of a doctoral committee consisting of at least five members of the graduate faculty. The committee must include one graduate faculty member from another field of study. This outside faculty member must be a full member of the regular graduate faculty. The majority of the committee and the committee chair must be from the graduate field in which the degree program is offered. This committee, appointed by the dean of the Graduate Division, prescribes for the candidate a course of study in preparation for the comprehensive and oral examinations described below. It also approves the dissertation research problem and the dissertation itself.

It is the student's responsibility to select an appropriate dissertation topic coinciding with the expertise and interest of a graduate faculty member who is willing to work with him/her.

Examinations
Doctoral candidates must pass the following examinations:

Qualifying Examination
A qualifying examination may be required by some fields of study. The purpose of this examination is to determine whether to encourage students to proceed in a doctoral program and, if encouraged, to enable advisers to assist students in planning a program that will familiarize them with the requisite knowledge and techniques of their chosen field of study. Fields of study requiring this examination give it early in the intended candidate's program (often coinciding with the master's final examination). It may be oral and/or written and is conducted by a special examination committee appointed by the graduate chair of the field of study or by the student's doctoral committee. A student who fails the qualifying examination may repeat it once at the discretion of the graduate faculty concerned. However, students failing the qualifying examination a second time are dropped from the program and lose their status as classified graduate students.

Comprehensive Examination
The comprehensive examination is an important step in the sequence of study toward the doctoral degree. This examination covers the major field of study and work fundamental thereto and minor fields as may be required by the field of study. Its purpose is to ascertain the student's comprehension of the chosen field(s) of study.
The examination is given only after the student has completed the foreign language requirement, if any, and when, in the judgment of the graduate faculty, the student has had sufficient preparation in the field of study either through course work or other individual study and research. The comprehensive examination may be either oral or oral and written. It is conducted by a committee of the graduate faculty.

A student who fails the comprehensive examination may repeat it once at the discretion of the graduate faculty concerned. A student who fails the examination a second time is dropped from the program and loses classified graduate student status.

The student who passes the examination is eligible, at the option of the various fields of study, to receive a University certificate indicating that all requirements of the doctorate except for the dissertation have been completed.

Final Examination
A final examination in defense of the dissertation may also cover related subjects and is required of all candidates for the doctoral degree. The examination is oral and is conducted by the candidate's doctoral committee. It is never less than one hour in length. Arrangements for the final examination must be made at least one month prior to the date of examination, since an announcement must appear in the K– Lama. The examination must be held while the University is in session and must be open to the public.

A candidate who fails the final examination may be allowed to repeat it upon approval by the graduate faculty concerned and the dean of the Graduate Division. A candidate who fails the final oral examination twice is dropped from the program and loses classified graduate student status.

A candidate who passes the examination, and who has met all other requirements, will be awarded the doctoral degree at the end of the appropriate term.

Dissertation
The doctoral dissertation for the PhD is expected to be a scholarly presentation of an original contribution to knowledge resulting from independent research. 

An essential aspect of dissertation research is the free and full dissemination of research results. Moreover, all dissertations must be publicly defended in an oral examination. Therefore, proprietary or classified information is not suitable for a dissertation; data which cannot be made public at the time of the final defense should not be incorporated into the student's research.

When the dissertation topic has been approved by the doctoral committee, it will notify the Graduate Division through submission of Student Progress Form II. The candidate may then register for the dissertation research course (800) during the next registration period.

A candidate should look to the chair of his or her doctoral committee for primary direction regarding research methods and the preparation of results. It is the joint responsibility of the chair and the student to see that all members of the committee are kept informed of the scope, plan, and progress of both the research and the dissertation. Guidelines for preparation of the dissertation can be obtained at the Graduate Division Web site.

Copies of the completed dissertation must be submitted to committee members at least four weeks prior to the date of the final oral examination. Two unbound, clean copies must be deposited with the Graduate Division by the deadline specified in the "Calendar." Original signatures are required on the signature page.

A majority of the members of the doctoral committee, including the committee chair, must approve both the dissertation and the oral defense of the dissertation. A minority member has the right of appeal to the Graduate Division for a final decision. The chair must ensure that the final form of the dissertation, including revisions and amendments agreed upon, is acceptable to a majority of the committee. The committee members express their approval on the signature page of the dissertation and on Student Progress Form III.

Candidates must be registered in the appropriate dissertation research course (800) during the term in which the work for the degree is completed. Failure to make satisfactory progress on the dissertation does not entitle a student to a refund of tuition.

The graduate chair of a field of study has the privilege of being an ex officio member of all doctoral committees in the field.

All doctoral students are required to publish their dissertation (in its entirety) with Bell and Howell or an equivalent publishing firm suggested by the student and approved by the Graduate Division.

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