University of Hawaii at Manoa Asian Studies Fact Sheet for Foreign Area Officers (FAO)

Fact Sheet for Foreign Area Officers (FAO)

Schedule for FAO Candidates

The MA degree is normally a four-semester program. Foreign Area Officers (FAO) typically have only eighteen months, three regular semesters and two summer sessions, to complete the degree. Asian Studies has designed a special schedule that addresses the specific needs of FAOs. It modifies the curriculum to assure an even distribution of courses and allows for a timely completion of degree work.

Study Program Guide

In order to overcome the time restriction and make up for the fourth semester, students should register for 3 credit hours per summer session, 9 credit hours for each of two semesters and 12 credit hours for the remaining semester of their study. There are a limited number of special Asian studies research seminars and courses on international relations and security issues in Asia offered during Summer Sessions.

Students are advised to take a full program of courses in the summer in order to compensate for the early completion of the MA in Asian studies.

Students are strongly advised to select the Plan B (Non-thesis) option. Plan A (Thesis) is designed for a four-semester program. Students selecting the Plan A option should obtain approval for a fourth semester of study from their unit superior before the second semester of their program.

The MA degree is a language-intensive program requiring skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing. Students who have prior language training should strengthen their language skills in preparation for this degree program. Before entering the program, students must have reached at least one level below the language requirement of their chosen area of study in order to graduate on time.

Deferral of Admission

Some FAOs apply as much as one year early. This does not work at UHM. Admission is valid only for the semester for which it is offered. We recognize that there is a long lead-time for change of station. So if you must apply up to one year in advance, you have two choices: (1) re-apply and pay the fees again, (2) accept admission and immediately apply for a leave of absence. LOAs are good for only 1 year. Normally, they are granted. But there may be times when Graduate Division refuses. The best thing to do is talk to us -- to the Graduate Chair or the graduate adviser. We will help you work through the problem.

Getting Resident Tuition

FOAs are exempt from non-resident tuition. In order to obtain this status you need to do the following:

Go to Graduate Division forms page and look for the Residency Declaration Form (71KB, non-fillable). Fill it out. Pay particular attention to Section F. Note also that it requires the signature of your commanding officer. This could be the commanding officer where you come from or your commanding officer here in Hawaii.
Take or send that form and a copy of your orders to
Residency Officer
Office of Admissions and Records
2600 Campus Road, Room 001
Honolulu, HI 96822
of if you have questions, you can contact the Residency Officer at:
Telephone: 1 (808) 956-8975
E-mail Address: ar-info@hawaii.edu

FAO Student/Alumni Contacts

The following have generously agreed to provide advice and information:
Alan Ramos (Japan) alanramos@hawaii.edu
Craig J. Tippins (Southeast Asia) craig_tippins@hotmail.com

Access to Professionals in Your Field

Students enrolled in the Asian Studies Program may be able to take advantage of courses offered by the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies. Located in Waikiki, the APCSS is the preeminent security think tank and educational center in the Pacific. FAOs normally assist in various departments within the Center while participating in elective courses and Center activities.

The East-West Center, located on the campus of the University of Hawai'i offers access to top researchers in Asia and the Pacific, visiting diplomats, scholars-in-residence from around the world, and ongoing conferences, talks and performances.

As a FAO concentrating on Asia, about one-fourth to one-third of your future job assignments will be in Hawai'i (Pacific Command, JICPAC, US Army Pacific, Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies). Studying at the University of Hawai'i gives you early access to all of these centers in the form of briefings, lectures, conferences, etc. The resources are there if you want them. It also provides you the opportunity to check out future job opportunities, specifically jobs for which you might wish to compete.

Living in Hawaii

Cost of Living in Hawaii

Hawai'i has an extremely high cost of living...if you are not in the military. Prices in the commissary nearly mirror those in Monterey (with the exception being milk - $3.75/gal). On-post housing is available at Fort Shafter and Aliamanu Military Reservation (AMR), but usually entails a six-month wait. Rents are again comparable to those in Monterey with some of Hawaii's best residential areas within biking/walking distance from the University (Manoa Valley, Saint Louis Heights, Kaimuki, Kahala, and Waikiki). Gas prices off-post average around $2.00/gal and on-post around $1.87/gal. All dependent medical care is handled at Tripler Army Medical Center. The care is fast and first-rate, with no payment of a Tricare deductible. Hawai'i can be expensive, but the Army provides more than enough compensation (BAH/COLA) to meet one's needs.

**Housing Allowance [BAH-Hawai'i] (1/15/2008)**
Grade	w/dependents	w/o dependents
O-3	$2760	$2224
O-4	$3130	$2477

**Cost of Living Allowance [COLA-Hawai'i]**
Grade	Time	w/dependents (#)	w/o dependents
O-3	8 yrs	$742 (3)	$565
"	"	$706 (2)	"
"	"	$633 (1)	"

O-4	10 yrs	$829 (3)	$609
"	"	$790 (2)	"
"	"	$711 (1)	"

Space-A Travel

The availability of travel via Space-A in and out of Hawai'i is numerous.

Daily flights occur to/from Travis AFB (SF area), McCord AFB (Seattle area), and Yokota AFB (Tokyo area).
Weekly flights occur to/from North Island NAS (San Diego area), March AFB (LA area), Kelly AFB (San Antonio area), McGuire AFB (New Jersey), and Charleston AFB (South Carolina).

Being stationed in Hawai'i, dependents are authorized to travel unaccompanied Space-A anywhere within the Pacific Theater and to the end-destination for CONUS mission. As an Asia-focused FAO, this is an invaluable fringe benefit. It is extremely easy to travel to/from Japan during class breaks or PTDY during summer semester. From Japan, there are multiple flights each week to Korea and Singapore, which are extremely economical gateways to China, Southeast Asia, and India.

General Information

The Graduate Division has a plethora of useful facts for living in Hawai'i, pets, drivers license, etc.

Some FAOs have suggested that one method of finding housing is to live in the East-West Center dorms while looking. Hale Manoa is on campus and relatively cheap. We do have a map of residential neighborhoods near the Manoa campus.

Families searching for possible housing rentals will have little luck prior to their arrival to Hawai'i. Most houses are on the market for only one to two weeks so landlords do not post them until the units are available for occupation. Due to the shortage of rentals available especially during the peak season which begins in late summer early fall, personnel should expect to spend a minimum of one week to one month looking for housing.

Personnel with pets should be aware that very few rentals allow pets. Those with pets should research the state requirements for bringing pets to Hawai'i. The previous requirement of quarantining newly arrived pets for a minimum of 30 days has been alleviated if certain conditions have been met prior to the pet's arrival to the island.

UH/SPAS Recruiting Representative: Paul Rausch, (808) 956-2688, rausch@hawaii.edu

Thanks to Craig Tippins and Al Ramos for providing corrections and improvements to this page.