MA Degree/Certificate Requirements
MA Degree
For the Masters Degree, students without sufficient preparation in Asia-related course work may be required to take make-up courses for which no degree credit will be offered.
Students enrolling from an Asian country may have the foreign language requirement waived if they plan to concentrate on their native country or region. If they elect to concentrate on a country other than their own, they must fulfill the previously stated requirement.
Area of Concentration means one of the following areas: (1) China, (2) Japan, (3) Korea, (4) Philippines, (5) Southeast Asia
| Courses | Credits | Over 600 | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASAN 600x | 3 | 3 | in area of concentration: 600C, 600J, 600K, 600S, 600P |
| ASAN 750x | 3 | 3 | in area of concentration: 750C, 750J, 750K, 750S, 750P |
| ASAN xxx | 3 | Any ASAN course | |
| Language | 6 | Philippines, South, Southeast Asia: 3rd year level (301/302); China, Korea: 4th year level (401/402); Japan: above 402 If you test out of language, 6 credits of something else. Native speakers do not have to take a language if their area center requires their native language. For example, a Korean native speaker in Korean Studies would not take a language, but would take 6 hours of something else. | |
| Humanities | 3 | HIST, PHIL, REL, literature | |
| Soc Sci | 3 | ANTH, COMM, ECON, WS, GEOG, PACE, POLS, PPST, PSY, PUBA, SOC, PLAN, WS | |
| Arts | 3 | ART, MUS, THEA, DNCE, PLAN 636 | |
| Elective 1 | 3 |
In the case of the Humanities, Soc Sci, Arts, and electives:
| |
| Elective 2 | 3 | ||
| Elective 3 or ASAN 700 for Plan A | 3 | ||
| Elective 4 or ASAN 700 for Plan A | 3 | ||
| TOTAL | 36 | 18 | 18 of the total 36 credits must be in courses 600 and above. |
Additional Requirements
- Residence requirement at UH: A minimum of 2 semesters (full-time) academic study, or 4 six-week summer sessions.
- Transfer of credits: At least 19 (half + 1) of the 36 credits that count towards the degree must be completed at the University of Hawaii while a classified graduate student. Of these 19 credits, at least 8 must be in courses numbered 600 and above.
- A maximum of nine credits in directed reading/research (699) may be applied toward degree requirements.
- For Plan A: Satisfactory completion of a thesis and an oral examination by a 3-member faculty committee.
- For Plan B: Presentation of a portfolio consisting of 2 seminar papers and satisfactory completion of an oral examination based on them by a 3-member faculty committee.
Graduate Division has degree requirements that all programs must follow. You should read them carefully.
Warning: ASAN 310, ASAN 312 and any 399 or 499 cannot be counted toward the degree requirements.
Certificate Program
There are 3 major parts to the certificate program: (1) 18 credit hours, (2) demonstrating language competency, (3) passing a final examination.
Course Work
| Courses | Credits | Over 600 | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASAN 600x | 3 | 3 | in area of concentration: 600C, 600J, 600K, 600S, 600P |
| Elective 1 | 3 |
From at least 2 of the following: Humanities, Soc Sci, Arts:
| |
| Elective 2 | 3 | ||
| Elective 3 | 3 | ||
| Elective 4 | 3 | ||
| Elective 5 | 3 | ||
| TOTAL | 18 | 9 | 18 of the total 9 credits must be in courses 600 and above. |
Language Competency
China or Korea: 3rd year (301/302
level)
Japan: 4th year (JPN 407)
Other: 2nd year (201/202 level) language
courses of the chosen certificate area.
All language competency requirements can be met either through coursework in or equivalency examinations in the chosen certificate area.
Language courses do not count toward certificate credit requirements.
Examination
Either:
A research paper in the chosen certificate area and an oral examination based on the paper;
A thesis or dissertation related to the chosen certificate area in the student's major discipline.
How to obtain the certificate
If you meet the requirements, here is the checklist for the procedure to obtain the certificate.