Planning Your Degree

Planning Your Degree

All current or prospective SLS majors should be familiar with both the expectations required and opportunities available when you get a BA in SLS. Those who are also interested (or even just potentially interested) in graduate study in SLS should become familiar with our BAMA Pathway. In addition to information and requirements related to the BA program in SLS, this also includes the UH General Education Core and Graduation requirements. The following information should be used as a reference; it is the student’s responsibility to meet regularly with their academic advisor to stay up to date and to plan ahead for completing their degree (but SLS has mandatory advising every semester to make sure this happens). To give you a sense of how to begin planning for your degree and how to finish it in a timely manner, you can see a sample 4-Year Plan and Program Sheet for SLS.

BA Requirements
General Education Core Requirements
Other Requirements

The following Major Requirements are for majors who declared prior to Fall 2021. For current Major Requirements, please click here.

Major Requirements for BA in Second Language Studies:

Core Courses (24 credits)

  • SLS 301  Basic Language Concepts or SLS 441 Language Concepts for SL Learning & Teaching*
  • SLS 302  Second Language Learning
  • SLS 303  Second Language Teaching
  • SLS 408  Bilingual Education
  • SLS 430  Pidgin & Creole English in Hawai’i
  • SLS 480  Alpha (Topics in Second Language Studies)
  • SLS 485  Professionalism in SLS (the BA capstone course**)
  • SLS 490  Second Language Testing

* The second language analysis requirement can be fulfilled with 301 or 441 or LING 320. Please discuss with your major advisor before deciding, especially if you are considering the BAMA pathway.

** The capstone course for the BA in SLS provides an opportunity for students to synthesize what they have learned throughout their SLS coursework in ways that will help them understand and articulate what it means to be a professional in the field of second languages. Students will explore their personal values, beliefs, and ethics as they are related to languages, and what opportunities are available to people with a BA in SLS. The final step involves the development of a portfolio relevant to students’ professional goals.

Electives (9 credits)

  • The remaining 9 credits can come from any 300-499 level SLS courses, or from 300-499 courses within other departments subsequent to department approval.  Note: 100- and 200-level courses do not count toward the major (although they may fulfill other requirements for a bachelor’s degree).

Additional Information

  • Each SLS course is a 3-credit course (except SLS 499, Directed Reading or Research, which can be 1-3 credits).
  • We recommend that SLS majors take LING 102 (Intro to the Study of Language) in their freshmen or sophomore year. LING 102 fulfills one of the two DS requirements that are part of the General Education Core.
  • Additional SLS 480(a) courses can be taken as electives.

Click here for a full list of course descriptions.

BAMA Pathway in SLS

For students who know that they want to continue their studies in SLS at the graduate level, we offer a BAMA pathway. This pathway allows students to double-count 9 credits for both their BA and MA degrees in SLS. This great opportunity allows students to finish an MA degree one semester faster than usual. Any students who think they might be interested should review the information on the BAMA pathway, and then discuss it with an SLS advisor.

UHM General Education Core Requirements

Foundations

  • FW: Foundations-Written Communication
  • FS: Foundations-Symbolic Reasoning
  • FG (A/B/C): Foundations-Global & Multicultural Perspectives (6 credits: 3 credits each from two of Groups A, B or C)

Diversification

  • DA/DH/DL: Diversification-Arts/Humanities/Literature (6 credits: 3 credits from two of these three areas)
  • DS: Diversification-Social Science (6 credits: 3 credits from two different departments)
  • DB: Diversification-Biological Science
  • DP: Diversification-Physical Science
  • DY: Diversification-Laboratory (Science)

UHM Graduation Requirements

Focus

  • H: Hawaiian, Asian, & Pacific Issues
  • E (300+): Contemporary Ethical Issues
  • O (300+): Oral Communication
  • W: Writing Intensive (5 courses. At least 2 of these courses must be 300- or 400-level)


Hawaiian/Second Language (HSL)

  • Completing a four-semester sequence in Hawaiian or a second language (usually 101, 102, 201, and 202)
  • Demonstrating proficiency in Hawaiian or a second language at or above the 202 level

(Note that, although English may be a second language for some students, it is not considered a “second language” for the purpose of meeting the HSL requirement.)


More details can be found in the SLS BA Program Sheet. Further information about planning your degree, course options, and a detailed explanation of how to use a program sheet can also be found in the UH Manoa Catalog and the Colleges of Arts, Languages & Letters (CALL) website.

Preparing for Graduation

  • Graduation paperwork must be filed with the CALL Advising Center near the middle of your next to last semester (for those who will graduate in Spring or Summer, the deadline to turn in your grad paperwork is October 31; for those who will graduate in Fall, the deadline to turn in your paperwork is April 1).  See your SLS advisor for details.