Major, Minor and Certificate Requirements

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Requirements for specific majors, minors, and certificates are described in the program description sections of this Catalog. It is important for students to know that:

• Courses completed on an optional “credit/no credit” basis may not be used to satisfy the course requirements for a major, minor, or certificate.
• Students transferring into the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Business and Economics, or Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani College of Hawaiian Language, regardless of the number of transfer credits accepted, must earn a minimum of 25 percent of the required credits for their majors, minors, and certificates at UH Hilo.
• Students earning the Doctor of Pharmacy degree in the College of Pharmacy may choose to earn the Bachelor of Arts in Pharmacy Studies.

The Major

The major is an area of specialization, involving a sequence of coursework usually concentrated in a single academic discipline. Completion of a major is an essential component of a college education. At UH Hilo, students are expected to declare a major by the time they reach their junior year (i.e., have earned 55 credits). This is done by filing a Declaration/Change of Major/Program form, available at the Registrar’s Office or at hilo.hawaii.edu/registrar/forms.php. Students may change majors, though it may lengthen the time it takes to complete a degree. Students considering changing a major should first consult with an academic advisor in the new major.

Courses required for the major may also be used to fulfill the General Education Basic, Area, and Integrative requirements. These are described in the section in this catalog entitled “General Education Basic, Area, or Integrative Requirements.” Students who plan to graduate under the pre-Fall 2011 General Education, Writing Intensive, and Hawaiʻi-Asia-Pacific requirements will find these listed in the 2010-2011 university catalog. Please be aware that students must earn at least a 2.0 GPA in courses required for the major and that certain departments have imposed their own requirements for minimal grades, which will be indicated on their program descriptions.

Students may pursue more than one academic major, provided that the requirements for each major are satisfied. See the last section of this chapter for policies governing second degrees, concurrent degrees, and double majors.

The Minor

An academic minor, earned in conjunction with a baccalaureate degree, is a sequence of courses enabling a student to specialize in a field of study but to a lesser extent than with a major program. In most cases, the choice to pursue a minor or not is a voluntary one. (An exception is the Natural Sciences degree, where a minor is required.) The academic minor is intended to provide the student with a certain competency in the subject but does not itself lead to a degree, nor would it ordinarily prepare a student for graduate study.

Requirements for minors are listed in the program description section of this Catalog. Students must earn at least a 2.0 GPA in courses required for the minor. Certain departments have imposed their own requirements for minimal grades, which will be indicated on their program descriptions. Before declaring their minor (through the Declaration/Change of Major/Program form), students should consult with an advisor in their desired minor area.

Certificate Programs

The University also offers a number of certificates, which are earned upon completion of a prescribed course of academic study. Depending upon the program, a certificate can be pursued either in addition to a baccalaureate degree or as a program objective by itself. In order to pursue a certificate, a student must either have a bachelor’s degree or be a classified student (i.e., a candidate for a degree). Students are urged to consult an advisor in the department sponsoring the certificate program and to signal their intent to pursue a certificate by completing the Declaration/Change of Major/Program form. The University’s teacher education certificate programs require formal application and admission.