Degree, Minors and Certificates Offered

General Information

Undergraduate Programs

Requirements for Undergraduate Degrees from the Colleges of Arts and Sciences

General Education Core Requirements

UH Manoa Graduation Requirements

A&S Degree and College Requirements

A&S Major Requirements

Multiple Majors and Minors

Professional Programs

College of Arts and Humanities

College of Languages, Linguistics and Literature

College of Natural Sciences

College of Social Sciences

Departments

Colleges of Arts and Sciences

Requirements for Undergraduate Degrees from Arts&Sciences

A&S degrees and a liberal arts education offer a broad-based and integrated perspective on the world and human experiences; better self-understanding; societal, civic, and global knowledge; an independent and inquiring mind; a desire and capacity for life-long learning; and valuable transferable skills.

Students are encouraged to explore connections between disciplinary fields, engage in co-curricular activities, and develop unique combinations of majors, minors, certificates, and electives.

A&S students must fulfill the following five areas of requirements: UH Manoa General Education Core; UH Manoa Graduation; A&S Degree; A&S College; and A&S Major. When selecting courses and making plans, students should refer to their respective “Bachelor Degree Program Sheets” and “Sample Four Year Academic Plans” on the OVCAA bachelor degree program sheets website (www.manoa.hawaii.edu/ovcaa/programsheets/).

General Education Core Requirements

A&S students must fulfill the UH Manoa General Education Core, which consists of Foundations and Diversification requirements. Some of the courses that fulfill these Core requirements may be double dipped with other requirements (see “ General Education”).

The minimum course grade to fulfill Core requirements is a D (not D-). These requirements must be taken for a letter grade, unless the course is offered only with the CR/NC grade option.

UH Manoa Graduation Requirements

A&S students must fulfill the UH Manoa Graduation requirements, which consist of Focus, Hawaiian or Second Language (HSL), credit, and grade point average (GPA) requirements (see “General Education” and “Undergraduate Education”).

The minimum course grade to fulfill Focus and HSL requirements is a D (not D-). These requirements must be taken for a letter grade, unless the course is offered only with the CR/NC grade option.

BMus students concentrating in voice may fulfill the HSL requirement by completing the first years of two different languages. This substitution must be approved by the department chair. All other A&S students must meet the stated HSL requirement.

Credits

• Students must earn a minimum of 120 total applicable credits, of which at least 45 credits must be upper division (300-level and above) and at least 30 credits must be completed in residence at UH Manoa. Natural Sciences majors should contact their advising office for information on their upper division requirement.
  
• Students must complete their academic work and apply for a degree in a timely manner (see“Excess Credit Policy”).

Grade Point Average (GPA)

• To graduate, students must be earn at least a 2.0 GPA (C average) for all UH Manoa registered credits and must not be on academic action (i.e., probation, suspension, dismissal). Some majors or programs have specific GPA requirements (see departments’ sections). Students with a cumulative GPA lower than 2.0 will be placed on academic action.
  

A&S Degree and College Requirements

The Colleges of Arts and Sciences offer Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), Bachelor of Music (BMus), and Bachelor of Science (BS) degrees, each of which has specific requirements as listed below. Courses used to fulfill these requirements can double dip with UH Manoa General Education Core, UH Manoa Graduation, and A&S Major requirements.

Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), Bachelor of Music (BMus)

• One of the courses approved to fulfill the UH Manoa General Education Core “FQ” requirement.
  

Bachelor of Science (BS)

• Calculus I: MATH 215, 241, or 251A (these courses also satisfy the UH Manoa General Education Core "FQ" requirement)
  
• Calculus II: MATH 216, 242, or 252A
  
• Chemistry: CHEM 161/161L and 162/162L, or 171/171L, or 181A/181L
  
• Physics: PHYS 151/151L and 152/152L, or 170/170L and 272/272L
  (These Chemistry and Physics lecture courses also satisfy the UH Manoa General Education Core “DP” requirement, and these lab courses also satisfy the UH Manoa General Education Core “DY” requirement.)

Note: Many introductory science and mathematics courses require an assessment examination to determine appropriate placement. Information about assessment exams appears each semester in UH Manoa’s Guide to Registration or Placement Exams and Course Placement at manoa.hawaii.edu/records/register/place_exams/.

Credit Maximums*

Practicum courses: 12 credits
Directed reading and research (-99) courses: 9 credits
Activity courses (such as KRS): 8 credits

*A&S students can take as many credits in these areas as they would like, but only credits up to these maximums apply to the total 120 credits needed for graduation.

A&S Major Requirements

A&S major requirements further develop liberal arts skills and offer students specialization in an academic field of study. Major requirements contribute to the ideal liberal arts education, which prepares students for productive lives and careers, enlightened citizenship, and lifelong learning.

Major requirements are explained in the department sections in this Catalog and on department websites.

The minimum course grade to fulfill major requirements is a C (not C-). These requirements must be taken for a letter grade, unless the course is offered only with the CR/NC grade option.

A&S students should meet regularly with their advisor to ensure their progress and to graduate on time.

* Assume A&S majors

Multiple Majors/Degrees and Minors

A&S students are encouraged to consider applying for additional majors/degrees, minors, certificates, or a combination. Pursuing additional academic fields of study can benefit students in many 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.

Multiple Majors/Degrees

To be eligible, applicants for multiple majors/degrees and minors must be:

• enrolled as a classified student in an A&S College;
  
• in good academic standing (have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher); and
  
• able to complete all requirements and still graduate in a timely manner.

To apply for multiple majors/degrees, students should visit their College advising office for instructions and the application form. Applicants will need to submit:

• an application form (UHM-3);
  
• an academic plan showing timely graduation; and
  
• a brief but formal written statement explaining why the student would like to pursue multiple majors.

Second Major Option

Students who have already completed and graduated with a baccalaureate degree and wish to add just another major (as opposed to an entire second baccalaureate degree) should enroll as a Post-Baccalaureate Unclassified (PBU) student. Students interested in pursuing the post-baccalaureate Second Major Option should meet with an undergraduate advisor in the relevant department to request permission and to identify remaining requirements for the major.

Second Baccalaureate Degree

Students who have already completed and graduated with a baccalaureate degree and wish to add another degree (with major as well as General Education requirements) should apply as a second degree student.

Priority for admission into any A&S baccalaureate program is given to students seeking their first undergraduate degree. Applicants must meet all admission requirements for the degree program to which they are applying, and applications must be received by the Office of Admissions by established deadlines.

Applications for a second baccalaureate degree will be considered only if there is a demonstrable difference in curricula and objectives between the student’s previous degree and the one to which the student is applying. Course work used towards a major/minor/certificate in the first degree cannot be used to satisfy requirements for the second degree unless specific courses are required by both.

Students must earn a minimum of 30 credits in courses taken at UH Manoa after admission as a second baccalaureate degree candidate while continuously enrolled in the colleges. For more information, see the appropriate college advising office of the intended second degree program.

Minors and Certificates

In addition to the major concentrations that are part of every bachelor degree, students may choose to pursue one or more minors and/or certificates in an area of personal interest. Minors and certificates signify that a student has completed a defined body of work in a particular department or program.

Minors are part of the undergraduate degree and are conferred by UH Manoa’s Office of the Registrar when students graduate.

The Board of Regents has granted specified programs and departments the right to confer certificates, and certificates can be conferred as soon as the student completes the program’s requirements. Some certificates are only for graduate students.

A&S Colleges offer minors in 30 disciplines and certificates in 44 disciplines. Most minors and certificates require a minimum of 15 credits of upper division course work, completed with a grade of C (not C-) or better and with an overall GPA of 2.5 or higher. Information on specific minors and certificates can be obtained from the appropriate department or program.

To add a minor or certificate, students submit a “Certification of Minor” form.

Graduate Programs

Information regarding graduate programs and admission is in the “Graduate Education” section of the Catalog. Check each department’s section for information about their specific program(s) and requirements.

Professional Programs

Pre-professional students, i.e., students who plan to pursue careers in professional fields such as Education, Engineering, Law, Medicine, Social Work, etc., often need extra course work, extracurricular activities, exams, and preparation and should seek academic advising as early as possible.

For almost all professional schools, a liberal arts education such as that offered in the Colleges of Arts and Sciences provides an essential foundation. Some professional schools admit undergraduate students in transfer; others require that students complete a baccalaureate degree before being admitted. Most professional schools also have specific prerequisites that students must complete before applying.

Pre-professional students should consult both the recommendations set by the appropriate national organization and the specific prerequisites of the professional schools they hope to attend.

Students interested in health and law careers should visit the Pre-Health/Pre-Law Advising Center (PAC), a walk-in resource center located in Sinclair Library 108. PAC is staffed by trained peer advisors who assist students in clarifying career goals, choosing a major, planning appropriate course work, finding opportunities to gain experience, and applying to schools.