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Admissions
Unclassified Status
Specializations
Alternative Futures
Comparative Politics
Conflict Resolution
Indigenous Politics
International Relations
Law and Politics
Political Theory
Public Policy
Degree Requirements
Graduate Courses
Expenses
Financial Awards
Department Awards
External Aid
Teaching Opportunities
In Political Science
Outside Department
Advising
Application Forms
Related Pages
Guide to Advising
External Links
University Catalog
Admissions &
Records
Graduate Admissions
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Graduate Program
Admissions
Students with baccalaureate degrees from accredited U.S. institutions
of higher learning or with foreign baccalaureate degrees equivalent to
the U.S. bachelor's degree may apply to be admitted to the department
if their academic records meet UHM Graduate Division standards. Normally
this means a grade point average of 3.0 or better on a four-point scale.
The evaluation of applications involves two phases. An initial screening
is done by the University's Graduate Division to ascertain whether the
applicant meets minimum entry criteria specified in the current University
of Hawai`i at Manoa General
and Graduate Information Catalog .
Applications are then forwarded to the department for review by three
faculty members. Their recommendations then go to the department's Admissions
Committee for final decisions.
Applications for admission are considered only for the fall semester. The deadline for applications is February 1 for U.S. residents and January 15 for foreign students (due to extra time required for processing foreign documents) for admission in the fall of the same year.
INSTRUCTIONS TO APPLICANTS FOR GRADUATE ADMISSION
Admission Requirements:
Optional Applications:
Graduate Division Pacific Asian Scholarship Application
Graduate Division Tuition Waiver Application
Teaching Apprenticeship Application
Deadlines for Admission:
January 15 for Foreign Applicants
February 1 for U.S. Applicants
The GRE is no longer required for admission. However, students may elect to take the exam as many University scholarships still require it. [Note: Only official transcripts are accepted. There is no spring admission for political science]. If you miss the deadline for admission in the fall of the same year, you may still apply as an unclassified students. We recommend M.A. applicants complete 12 credits of upper division courses as an unclassified student. If you earn B or better grades in those courses, you can request those unclassified courses be counted towards your M.A. degree program.
Students who are currently enrolled in the master's program and wish to apply for the doctoral program should follow the procedure described in the department's Policy Guideline of February 24, 1995, on M.A. Applicants to Ph.D. Program.
Applying for Reconsideration: You may apply to the Graduate Division for reconsideration after you have fulfilled the requirements as specified on your denial letter. Your application will then be reviewed along with all others who are being considered for that particular semester. Please understand that admission is not guaranteed. Further information and application forms may be obtained from the Graduate Admissions Office , 2540 Maile Way, Spalding 354, Honolulu, Hawai`i 96822, Telephone: (808) 956-8544. Application deadlines are listed in the Graduate Admissions Application & Information Forms .
Admission to Unclassified Status 
Unclassified students fall under the jurisdiction of the College of Continuing
Education and Community Service (CCECS), not the Graduate Division. However,
applications for unclassified status students are processed by the
Admissions Office, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, 2600 Campus Road, Room
001, Honolulu, Hawai'i 96822-2385, telephone: (808) 956-8975. If
you intend to enroll as an unclassified student in day courses at the
Manoa Campus, please note the following:
1. Currently enrolled unclassified students need not apply for
admission. All others, including those who were previously enrolled as
unclassified students but not currently enrolled, must apply using the
University of Hawai`i Common Application Form. The application
deadline is listed on the How to Enroll in the University of Hawai`i,
Instructions for Completing the Common Application Form, enclosed
in the University of Hawai`i Common Application Form. Contact the
Admissions Office
for information and application form.
2. The only academic credential required for the application is an
official proof of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or
university. Graduates of the University of Hawai`i at Manoa, (bachelor's
or master's) need not submit this since their records are readily available.
However, all others applying for the first time as unclassified students
must submit the required credential. If you have an official transcript
on file at the Graduate Admissions
Office showing a completed bachelor's degree, you may request (in
writing) the office to forward a statement of verification of your completed
bachelor's degree to the Graduate Admissions
Office . This should satisfy the "proof of bachelor's" requirement.
3. Be sure to consult with the chairperson
of the graduate field of study before registering for courses.
4. Foreign students on F-1 visa are not eligible to enroll as unclassified
students.
Specializations
The Department offers specializations in the following areas:
The Alternative Futures specialization is
premised on the fact that industrial societies are undergoing such extensive
and rapid change that it is impossible to map out the future simply by
extending knowledge of the past or experiences of the present. The option
seeks to forecast things to come, using theories of social structure and
change, examining the causes and consequences of transformation, leading
to the construction of alternative images of possible futures.
Comparative Politics explores the differential
development of politics, economics, and society in various "areas" of
the world. Some of the issues that are studied include (a) models of development
and their varied impacts on different classes, regions, genders, and cultures:
(b) the processes of liberalization and democratization that have been
reshaping the post-cold-war world; (c) the resurgence of ethnic, religious,
and other movements that seem both derivative from and responses to modernity;
(d) the continued relevance of colonialism and militarization in today's
world; and (e) questions of identity and otherness in postcolonial societies.
Emphases include Pacific and Asia.
The specialization in Conflict Resolution
brings together theories and methodologies of political science, social
science, the humanities, and law with the skills and techniques of dispute
resolution, particularly mediation and conciliation. The goal is to give
the student an understanding of the dynamics of conflict resolution from
comparative, historical, and theoretical perspectives.
Indigenous Politics studies the cultural,
historical, legal and social relations that constitute indigeneity. Courses
within the Department and across the University address indigenous epistemologies,
philosophies, language, and social and political movements, with particular
attention paid to indigenous peoples of Hawai‘i and the Pacific.
Program Requirements: There is currently in place an Indigenous
Politics Masters Degree Option. The requirements for the Indigenous Politics
option consist of two core courses in Indigenous politics, a political
science core, and a selection of electives from courses taught in other
departments. Students will also have the option of focusing their
interest through participating in tutorials.
International Relations (IR) is the
study of relationships among governments, international social and migratory
movements, non-governmental and inter-governmental organizations, transnational
corporations, trade unions, and political parties. This study is
inherently interdisciplinary.
Law and Politics studies the effects of law and
legal meaning on society, culture, political power and economy. The faculty
stress a diversity of methods for studying these legal phenomena, including
historical, analytical, critical, doctrinal, institutional, comparative
and philosophical perspectives. Law and Politics is a part of the new
interdisciplinary Law, Society and Globalization Program.
Political Theory covers a wide variety of intellectual
traditions, focusing on interpretative, critical, hermeneutic, democratic,
phenomenological, transformational, feminist, gender, contextual, nonviolent
and aesthetic approaches. The faculty shares the assumption that the meaning
of the subject matter of political theory -whether it is a text, a community,
a revolution, or a political establishment- depends significantly on the
concerns of those who presume to interpret it. Whatever is investigated
is regarded as socially constructed, as constituted by the way it is perceived.
Whether the focus is on a class of political philosophy, a legislative
act, a health policy, or a political movement, we see ourselves engaged
in imposing and exposing meanings. And we regard such an activity -such
politics- as an effort to integrate theory and action.
Public Policy is taught by faculty from
such varied bases as language analysis, choice theory, institutional analysis,
outcomes, development, and futuristics, reflecting the character of both
the student body and the faculty. Some courses focus on organizational
theory and comparative administration. Typically, the core course in the
policy field is taught to a mix of non-American students interested in
the application of Western-oriented policy studies to the analysis of
policy in their home country; administrators in state and local government;
and students from fields that are increasingly "policy-sensitive" (e.g.,
public health).
Degree Requirements
The department has three different graduate degree programs: Master's
degree Plan A, for which a master's thesis is required, master's degree
Plan B, for which a master's thesis is not required, and the Doctor of
Philosophy (Ph.D.) program. To help students, advisers, the department,
and the university keep track, the department uses Advising
Forms and Student Progress Forms. The forms are available
on a self-service basis in a box on the table near the entry door to the
department's office in Saunders Hall, Room 640. A Guide to Advising
and Progress Forms for Graduate Students in Political Science, which
explains the forms, may be found in the front of that box.
Incoming graduate students are assigned an interim adviser by the chair
of the graduate program. The student is expected to work closely with
the adviser in selecting classes and planning the degree program. Students
may change advisers in consultation with the chair
of the graduate program .
All master's candidates are required to take a total of 30 units, of
which 9 credit hours (3 courses) must be from POLS 610, 620, 630, 640,
650, 660, 670, and 680, and one graduate seminar from POLS 700-798. There
is no language requirement. Students who write a master's thesis
(Plan A) must register for 6 to 12 hours of thesis research, POLS 700.
Students entering the Master's non-thesis (Plan B) are required to complete
a Culminating Experience consisting of a colloquium presented to the department..
However, students in particular specializations may fulfill the requirement
in other ways if the specialization has had its proposal for an alternative
Culminating Experience approved by the department. The Culminating Colloquium
is to be scheduled and publicized by the student working in coordination
with the department's current Colloquium Coordinator. The student is to
form a committee of three political science faculty members who will evaluate
the presentation. These faculty members are to indicate their approval
through a signed note on the candidate's M.A.
Plan B Advising Form . (The department has agreed that the six-credit
internship is an appropriate Culminating Experience for Master's candidates
in the Alternative Futures Specialization who do not write a thesis.)
Students in the Ph.D. program are not required
to take any specific course work or any foreign language. They are strongly
advised to take POLS 600 and 601 upon entry into the program and are further
urged to take three of the core courses (POLS 610, 620, 630, 640, 650,
660, 670, 680) if they have not taken these or their equivalents at the
master's level. Appropriate course work is determined by the student and
her/his advisor.
The doctoral student's adviser helps to design a study program and then
evaluates the student's progress toward the degree which is documented
on Progress Forms. After an agreed-upon amount of course work, the student
seeks a faculty member to serve as the dissertation committee chair and
prepares a dissertation proposal. This document is used as the basis for
recruiting a doctoral committee. Upon approval of the proposal, the student's
committee designs a comprehensive examination. With successful completion
of the comprehensive examination, the student is advanced to candidacy
and proceeds to the writing of the dissertation. The program is completed
when the student successfully completes a public oral defense of the dissertation
and it is accepted by the student's doctoral committee and the Graduate
Division of the University.
Further details regarding the requirements are provided in the Advising
Forms. Both master's and doctoral students are expected to complete
all requirements for graduation within seven years of their admission
to the program. Students must register for at least one credit hour every
semester while in the program (excluding summers) or request an official
leave of absence in order to avoid being dropped from the program. All
degree candidates must be enrolled during the term in which the degree
is awarded.
The Advising Forms describe the
department's requirements. For additional information about the university
Graduate Division's requirements for advanced degrees, see the current
University of Hawai`i at Manoa Graduate
and General Information Catalog.
Graduate Courses in Political Science
The graduate courses in political science, as listed in the current University
of Hawai'i at Manoa Graduate
and General Information Catalog , are the following. Not every
course is offered every semester. A detailed list of the courses to be
offered in the current or upcoming semester is available in the department's
office.
- POLS 600 Scope & Methods of Political Science
- POLS 601 Political Analysis & Theory Building
- POLS 602 Research Techniques & Analytical Methods
- POLS 605(ALPHA) Topics in Methodology
- 605B Methods & Nations
- 605C Simulation Practicum
- POLS 610 Political Theory & Analysis
- POLS 611 Tradition of Political Philosophy
- POLS 615(ALPHA) Topics in Political Thought
- 615B Communism
- 615C Feminist Theory
- POLS 620 Introduction to Political Behavior
- POLS 630 International Relations
- POLS 631 International Political Economy
- POLS 633 International Conflict Resolution
- POLS 635(ALPHA) Topics in International Relations
- 635B International Relations & War
- 635C Dependencia
- 635D U.S.-China Relations
- 635E International Organization
- 635F Modeling International Systems
- 635G U.S.-Japan Relations
- POLS 640 Comparative Politics
- POLS 645(ALPHA) Politics & Development: Regional
- 645B Middle East
- 645C China
- POLS 646(ALPHA) Politics & Development: Topical
- POLS 646B Agriculture
- POLS 646F Political Ecology & Development
- POLS 650 Public Administration Theory
- POLS 651 Political Leadership
- POLS 652 Comparative Public Administration
- POLS 655(ALPHA) Topics in Public Administration
- POLS 660 Public Law & Judicial Systems
- POLS 665(ALPHA) Topics in Public Law & Judicial Systems
- POLS 670 Introduction to Public Policy
- POLS 671 Public Policy
- POLS 672 Politics of the Future
- POLS 673 The Future of Political Systems
- POLS 674 New Age Politics
- POLS 675(ALPHA) Topics in Public Policy
- 675F Politics of Health
- POLS 676 Nonviolent Political Alternatives
- POLS 680 Asian and/or Pacific Politics
- POLS 685(ALPHA) Topics in Asian and/or Pacific Politics
- 685B Japanese Politics
- 685C Korean Politics
- 685D Chinese Foreign Policy
- POLS 686 Politics of Hawaii
- POLS 692 Teaching Initiatives in Political Science
- POLS 695 Colloquium
- POLS 696 Graduate Intern Seminar
- POLS 699V Directed Reading & Research
- POLS 700V Thesis Research
- POLS 701 Seminar in Empirical Theory
- POLS 702 Seminar: Research Methods
- POLS 710 Seminar: Political Thought
- POLS 730 Seminar: International Relations
- POLS 735 Seminar: Peace/Development Connection
- POLS 740 Seminar: Comparative Government & Politics
- POLS 750 Seminar: Public Administration
- POLS 770 Seminar: Public Policy
- POLS 780 Seminar: Politics of Regions
- POLS 800V Dissertation Research
Expenses
Tuition and fee charges at the University of Hawai`i campuses for full
time (8 credit hours minimum) graduate students in 2007-2008 will be $2,288.00
($286.00 per credit) for residents and $5,440.00 ($680.00 per credit)
for nonresidents. The University's rules for determining residency requirements
for tuition purposes are outlined in the University of Hawai`i at Manoa
General and Graduate Information
Catalog. Please refer to the University of Hawai`i
Graduate Admissions Application Form
for the estimated student budget during the academic year (9 month period).
Financial Awards
Departmentally Administered Awards
Pacific Asian scholarships
(tuition waivers), general tuition
waivers, graduate teaching assistantships, and
teaching apprenticeships are awarded by the Dean of the Graduate Division
upon recommendation by the Department's Grants and Awards Committee. Final
decisions rest with the Graduate Division. In the middle of each semester,
announcements regarding the application process for the awards will be
put out. The application forms may be obtained from the Department office.
Teaching awards are discussed in the following section.
Approximately seven (7) Pacific Asian Scholarships (tuition waivers) and
nine (9) general Tuition Waivers are awarded each semester. The Department’s
Grants and Awards Committee evaluates applicants on the basis of grades,
other evidence of scholarly abilities, and financial need. Preference
will be given to in-state residents and to under-represented groups in
the awarding of tuition waivers. Both kinds of tuition waivers are for
one semester only but may be renewed for additional semesters upon reapplication
and recommendation of the Grants and Awards Committee.
Pacific Asian Scholarships
(which are a special form of tuition waivers) are provided by the Graduate
Division for students whose field of interest includes the Pacific. Criteria
of general eligibility and selection are the same as for tuition waivers
except that Pacific Asian Scholarships are limited to students whose studies
are relevant or important to the Pacific and/or Asian areas and who possess
a 3.5 grade point average or higher for their graduate studies.
General Tuition Waivers are
awarded by the Department's Grants and Awards Committee on the basis of
academic merit. Eligible full-time students may submit an application
form to the Department office. These tuition waivers require a minimum
of 3.0 grade point average.
Research Assistantships are occasionally available to graduate
students enrolled or accepted in the graduate program in Political Science
who hold no equivalent grants or awards from University sources or the
East-West Center. Research assistant positions are not on-going but open
only when resources become available.
Student Help jobs involve working with a faculty member as a research
assistant or typist. The Department announces the availability of such
positions. Various other part-time employment is available through the
Campus Student Employment Office.
Department Travel Funds are occasionally available in small amounts to
support research and professional activities. The Department announces
the availability of these awards, which are administered by the Department's
Budget & Advisory Committee.
Harry Friedman Memorial Award (Fall)
is funded with donations from friends, family, and colleagues of the late
Harry Friedman to assist students who has some degree of financial need
in the graduate program in Political Science at the Manoa campus. Recepients
must be enrolled full-time in a graduate program. This award of $250 is
given in the fall semester for academic merit demonstrated by a research
paper in the sub-field of Comparative Politics. The award-winning research
paper ought to reveal a combination of theoretical sophistication and
empirical depth on a specific area in Comparative Politics, with sensitivity
to issues of third-world development and progress.
Norman Meller Award (Fall) was created
in honor of the Department’s expert in Pacific Islands Studies, now
Professor Emeritus. This award is available to graduate students enrolled
or accepted in the graduate program in Political Science. Applicants must
not hold grants or awards from University sources or the East-West Center
during the same period. This award of $1,500 is given in the fall semester
for meritorious academic achievement, especially for progress in the Ph.D.
program.
Werner Levi Award (Spring) was named in
honor of the Department’s distinguished senior scholar in international
relations. The Werner Levi Award is available to graduate students enrolled
or accepted in the graduate program in Political Science. Applicants must
not hold grants or awards from University sources or the East-West Center
during the same period. This award of $1,500 is given in the spring semester
for meritorious academic achievement, especially for progress in the Ph.D.
program.
Other grants are occasionally available to students enrolled or accepted
in the Department. In addition, students may apply for small loans for
specific purposes from the Political Science Department Fund. This
fund is made available through voluntary contributions of faculty, students,
and others.
For more information concerning departmental financial assistance, contact
the chair of the Grants and Awards Committee.
Financial Aid Opportunities
Outside the Department
East-West
Center Graduate Degree Fellowships. Both M.A. and Ph.D. students
are eligible for East-West Center Graduate Degree Fellowships. For M.A.
students, the term of the grant ranges from 12 to 24 months. Ph.D. students
may receive the grant from 12 up to (but rarely) 48 months. Applications
are available in August from the Selection Office at the East-West Center.
Jacob Peace Endowment Fund. Supported by an endowment contributed
in honor of the late Philip E. Jacob, an internationally-renowned scholar
in international relations and cross-national analysis, the award provides
approximately $500 to a graduate or undergraduate student for a project,
paper, or equivalent endeavor related to efforts for achieving peace.
Applicants submit either completed work or a proposal for work to be completed
to the Matsunaga Institute for Peace.
The Research Corporation of the University of Hawai`i (RCUH) provides
six assistantships annually to graduate students from all fields of study.
These highly competitive awards provide support for intensive participation
in research. More information is available through the Graduate Division.
A small sum of money is available each semester from the Graduate Student
Organization (GSO) Travel Fund to help offset travel expenses for
qualified graduate students who will be making presentations or reading
papers at out-of-state conferences. Competition for the awards is high,
with only a few of those applying being selected.
Other forms of financial assistance, including tuition waivers, scholarships,
and loans are available through the Financial Aid Services Office and other entities on and off campus. These include
the Basic Educational Opportunities Grants, Supplemental Educational Opportunity
Grants, National Direct Student Loans, and the Guaranteed Student Loans
program. In addition, there are Student Employment, a Co-op Program, and
a Federal Work-Study Program. State Higher Education Loans are also available;
however, one-year Hawai`i residency is a criterion for such awards. Information
and applications should be requested directly from the Financial
Aid Services, Student Services Center, Room 112, 2600 Campus Road,
University of Hawai`i at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawai`i 96822. Telephone: (808)
956-7251. Fax: (808) 956-3985.
Teaching Opportunities
Opportunities Within the Department
The University and Department are Equal Employment Opportunity
(EEO) and Affirmative Action (AA) employers. Appropriate EEO and AA criteria
are utilized in all selection and hiring processes. The Department awards
four different kinds of teaching opportunities, as follows:
A. Teaching Assistants have complete responsibility for teaching
their own courses at the introductory level. Approximately six to eight
teaching assistantships are available each year. The awards, made on a
competitive basis, are provided for one year. Applicants for Teaching
Assistantships must be currently enrolled in the Department's graduate
program and must hold no equivalent grants or awards from University sources
or the East-West Center during the award period. Students who have held
Teaching Assistantships and/or Apprenticeships for three years are ineligible
for further Teaching Assistantships.
The Teaching Assistantships are awarded each year on a competitive basis
by the Department's Grants and Awards Committee. Completed applications
must be submitted to the Department secretary by the announced deadline
for awards that are to begin in the fall semester of the same year. Applications
should include a completed application form, three letters of recommendation,
a proposed syllabus, and a statement from the advisor or dissertation
chair stating that the applicant is making satisfactory progress.
B. Teaching Apprenticeships are provided for students who will
assist professors in the conduct of their courses. Teaching Apprenticeships
are available only to newly matriculating graduate students. No more than
two apprenticeships are available each year. All entering students are
eligible for this award, which will be made by the Admissions Committee.
Teaching Apprentices must hold no equivalent grants or awards from University
sources or the East-West Center during the award period. The Teaching
Apprenticeship lasts one year. Teaching Apprentices may subsequently apply
for Teaching Assistantships.
C. Teaching Interns design and teach their own courses and participate
in a seminar on pedagogy within Political Science for which they receive
up to 6 units of graduate credit in lieu of a stipend. Interns are lightly
supervised by a faculty member who also convenes the seminar. The Teaching
Intern program allows up to four additional graduate students each year
to gain teaching experience and integrate philosophies of teaching into
other scholarly pursuits. Teaching Interns can use this teaching experience
to aid their applications for Teaching Assistantships and for jobs within
the academic marketplace. Teaching Interns are selected competitively.
As with awards for Teaching Assistants, completed applications must be
submitted to the Department secretary by the announced deadline for awards
that are to begin in the fall semester of the same year. Applications
should include a completed application form, three letters of recommendation,
and a statement from the advisor or dissertation chair stating that the
applicant is making satisfactory progress.
D. Visiting Teacher is a title given to graduate students who arrange
with individual faculty members to lead a discussion or give a lecture
or series of lectures in undergraduate classes. There is no formal committee
approval necessary for visiting teachers, and there are no stipends awarded.
Visiting teachers are encouraged to use the departmental teaching evaluation
forms after their lectures in order to improve their skills and to maintain
a record of teaching effectiveness for job applications and for Teaching
Assistantship awards. Visiting teachers are welcome to participate in
the Teaching Intern seminar, and graduate students interested in teaching
opportunities can contact the Teaching Liaison Committee Chair for referrals.
Opportunities Outside the Department
Summer Session Teaching positions are open to advanced
graduate students. Announcement of openings occurs in the fall. To apply,
submit a proposed course description to the Department's Hiring Committee.
For doctoral graduate students, the starting salary in summer 2003 was
$3,183 per course.
Each semester and during the summer, the Outreach College Summer Session
offers Political Science courses, both on and off campus. Most of the
courses are held at night, and most are taught at military bases. The
Department's Hiring Committee selects instructors for these courses. To
apply, graduate students must submit a proposed course description and
a statement of visible progress toward the Ph.D. degree to the Committee.
Requests for applications are usually made several times each year via
Department memoranda.
Teaching opportunities are also available at other local colleges and
universities, such as other campuses in the University of Hawai`i
system, Chaminade University ,
and Hawaii Pacific University.
Advising
Consult the Guide to Advising and Progress Forms
for Graduate Students for detailed information. Students should contact
the graduate chair or a faculty
member who specializes in your field of study.
Forms available in PDF format
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