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GRADUATE DIVISION

ACADEMIC POLICIES

Student Responsibilities

Admission

Application Procedures and Deadlines

Standardized Examinations

Additional Requirements and Information

Classification of Students

Summer Session

Registration

Enrollment Requirements

Credit Hours

Grades

Requirements for Continued Registration

Diplomas

Degree Checks

Conferring of Degrees

Transcripts

CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS

MASTER'S DEGREE PROGRAMS

DOCTORAL DEGREE PROGRAMS

TUITION, FEES, AND FINANCIAL AID

 

Credit Hours

Course Loads

Sixteen credit hours in a semester and 8 credit hours in a six-week summer session are considered maximum course loads and may be exceeded only with the approval of the graduate chair and the Graduate Division. The minimum full-time load for graduate students is 8 credit hours of course work. Courses taken for audit do not count toward determining full- or part-time enrollment status.

Eligible doctoral candidates may be considered as carrying a full academic load (full-time status) when enrolled for 1 credit hour of Dissertation 800.

Eligible master’s candidates may be considered as carrying a full academic load (full-time status) when enrolled for 1 credit hour of Thesis 700F after completing all required credits for the graduate degree including the program’s requirements for Thesis 700.

For graduate assistants, the full-time load is 6 credit hours of course work relevant to their degree. Audit hours do not count toward the minimum. Because their duties ordinarily require 20 hours per week, they are restricted to a maximum of 9 credit hours. However, with special permission from the graduate chair and the Graduate Division, graduate assistants may register for 12 credit hours, including audits.

Variable Credit Courses

The number of credit hours obtainable in most courses is stated in this Catalog and in the Schedule of Classes/UH Manoa Registration Homepage. Certain courses, designated (V) in Catalog course listings, offer variable credit. Students in these courses usually pursue individual work. The number of credit hours a student will earn in such a course must be approved by the instructor at the time of registration. Students must register for a definite number of credit hours and may earn no more or less than the stated number.

Graduate Credit for Seniors

Seniors at UH may earn credit toward an advanced degree for some courses completed during their last semester as undergraduates provided (1) the courses taken are in excess of the requirement for the bachelor’s degree and (2) such courses fulfill requirements in the prospective graduate field. A form, Petition for Submission of Credit Toward an Advanced Degree for Courses Taken by an Undergraduate, is available in the self-service rack outside Spalding 352 and on the web. It must be approved by the academic adviser, the college dean, and the chair of the department in which the course is offered, and it must be filed with the Graduate Division Records Office during the registration period. The granting of such permission does not guarantee that the credit hours taken will be accepted by a graduate program as fulfilling degree requirements. Courses taken under this rule are counted in the graduate GPA at the time of graduation. Failure to complete the baccalaureate degree as scheduled nullifies any approval granted by the Graduate Division.

Credit by Examination

Graduate students may obtain credit by examination in courses numbered 300–498 (excluding 399) with the approval of the chair of the graduate field of study, the instructor concerned, and Graduate Division, subject to general UH regulations and procedures. There is no limit on the number of examinations that a graduate student may take during any one semester. Credit may not be obtained by examination in courses numbered 600 or above.

Extension and Correspondence Course Credits

No graduate credit is allowed for extension and correspondence courses.

Undergraduate Deficiencies

Undergraduate deficiencies are courses required by a graduate program, prerequisites, or other requirements for admission that the student did not complete prior to admission. Courses in directed research/reading are not to be used to make up deficiencies.

Transfer of Credits

Credits from institutions other than UH Manoa or taken as a post-baccalaureate unclassified (PBU) at UH Manoa can be considered for transfer upon submission of (1) a memo approved by the chair of the graduate program or (2) the Petition to Transfer/Substitute Credits form, which is available on the web.

Courses being considered from institutions other than UH Manoa must be accompanied by an official transcript, transcript guide and course syllabus if substituting for a required course.

Doctoral students may not transfer credits.

Policy Governing Transfer of Credits from Other Institutions

  1. The request for transfer of credit hours must be made during the first semester the student is enrolled in the program.
  2. Only credit hours from an accredited university are transferable.
  3. Upon recommendation of the graduate program and approval by the Graduate Division, no more than 15 credits may be transferred. However, at least one-half of the required graduate credits (numbered 600 and above) must be completed at UH while a classified graduate student.
  4. With approval from the graduate program and the Graduate Division, up to 6 credit hours of work completed at another accredited institution following advancement to candidacy at UH may be transferred, providing such transfer does not exceed the maximum allowable.
  5. Credit hours used to obtain a previous degree will not be transferred.
  6. No credit hours may be transferred from another institution unless the grade is B or better. Course grades of S, CR, and P are not transferable.
  7. Credit hours to be transferred must have been completed within seven years preceding the date upon which the advanced degree is to be conferred by UH Manoa.
  8. Quarter credit hours are converted to semester hours by using this formula: 2/3 times number of quarter credit hours equals number of semester credit hours (rounding off to the lower whole number). Conversion is done by the Graduate Division and is calculated for the total credit hours requested for transfer rather than for individual course credit hours.
  9. Credit hours earned in international institutions must be certified by the departments as to the equivalent level of the courses being transferred (i.e., whether 300–398, 400–498, or 600–798 level).
  10. The minimum residence requirement of full-time study must be upheld regardless of the number of credit hours transferred to UH Manoa.
  11. Transfer of courses to meet practicum, seminar, thesis, or dissertation requirements is not permitted.
  12. Extension credits from other universities are not transferable.
  13. Directed reading/directed research credits (x99) are not transferable.
  14. Transfer credits are not included in GPA calculations except for the final calculations when the student graduates.
    If the petition is approved, the units (or UH equivalent) will be counted as part of the student’s degree program.

Double Counting

A student who pursues two distinct master’s degrees at UH Manoa, either simultaneously or consecutively, may apply to have up to 9 credit hours of graduate course work accepted for credit in both degree programs under the following provisions:

  1. The courses being double counted are electives in both programs;
  2. Written approval of the graduate chairs of both programs (only approval by the second chair is required if the degrees are being pursued sequentially) and the Graduate Division is obtained; and
  3. The course work for each degree is completed within the prescribed time limits.

Dual Degree

A student in a UH Manoa-approved “dual degree” program who fails to meet the academic requirements specified for that program will be dismissed from the dual degree program and the Graduate Division.

Examinations

The schedule of final examinations is published in the Schedule of Classes/UH Manoa Registration Homepage. No examinations (other than laboratory tests and short quizzes) are allowed during the two weeks prior to the final examination period.