Programs Completing Substantive Change Review – WSCUC Institutional Accreditation

The following UH Hilo programs successfully completed WASC substantive change review. Links to the substantive change proposals, assessment materials, and WASC approval documents are provided; for online and offsite programs, links are also provided to Distance Learning webpages with more detailed information.

BA in Communication–Online.

Approved by WASC on June 5, 2012. The Communication Department underwent WASC review as an online program because it is possible for a student to complete 50% or more of major requirements via online courses offered by the department. The department does not offer an online program per se; rather, all online Communication courses are offered to qualified students on a first-come, first-served basis. See the program’s DL webpage for more details.

Contact: Department Chair Jing Yin (jingyin@hawaii.edu), (808) 932-7207.

BA in Psychology–Online.

Approved by WASC on June 5, 2012 after resubmission of assessment materials. The Psychology Department no longer offers the online BA; rather, all online Psychology courses are offered to qualified students on a first-come, first-served basis. See the program’s DL webpage for more details.

Contact: Department Chair Adam Pack (pack@hawaii.edu), (808) 932-7082.

BBA in West Hawaiʻi — Offsite.

Approved by WASC on December 2, 2011. Select BBA courses were delivered in realtime via Polycom to the University Center at Kealakekua; West Hawaiʻi students join Hilo students in lectures and class discussions, and professors visit West Hawaii to consult with students. The program was offered by the Business department of the College of Business and Economics, accredited by the AACSB International.
The program has been discontinued.

Contact: Department Chair Kelly Burke (kellyb@hawaii.edu), (808) 932-7248.

BSN and RN to BSN–Online

Approved by WASC on October 12, 2011. Housed in the College of Arts and Sciences’ School of Nursing, the program is open to RNs across the state of Hawaiʻi. Courses are delivered online to both on-campus BSN students and RN-to-BSN students. The BSN program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing. See the Distance Learning webpage or contact the School of Nursing for more details.

Contact: Director Katharyn Daub (katharyn@hawaii.edu), (808) 932-7059.

MA in Indigenous Language and Culture Education–Distance Technology

Approved by WASC on November 11, 2011. Housed in the College of Hawaiian Language, Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani, the program combines summer on-campus sessions with courses delivered via Polycom to students on other islands, in conjunction with classroom teaching in Hawaiian language immersion schools. The program has Hawaiʻi State Approval for Teacher Education. See the program’s DL webpage for more details.

Contact: Director Keiki Kawaiʻaeʻa (keiki@hawaii.edu), (808) 932-7414.

MA in Teaching–Online

Approved by WASC on May 8, 2012. Housed in the College of Arts and Sciences’ School of Education, the program was intended to be offered to students across the state of Hawaiʻi in a combination of online theory/content courses and classroom experiences in schools on the islands where students reside. The first cohort, began in May 2013, was primarily on-site, with students living on Hawaiʻi Island. The face-to-face and DL program received Hawaiʻi State Approval for Teacher Education.
The program is now only offered face-to-face.

Contact: Co-chairs Michele Ebersole, (808) 932-7108; Avis Masuda (ammasuda@hawaii.edu), (808) 932-7104.

MEd–Online

Approved by WASC on March 4, 2015. Housed in the College of Arts and Sciences’ School of Education, the program is intended for students who are inservice teachers across the state of Hawaiʻi. Courses are delivered online to students on other islands, and a combination of online and on-site delivery for students living on Hawaiʻi island. See the program’s webpage for more details.

Contact : Co-chairs Michele Ebersole, (808) 932-7108; Avis Masuda (ammasuda@hawaii.edu), (808) 932-7104.

MS in Clinical Psychopharmacology–Online

Approved by WASC on June 24, 2011. The program was developed in cooperation with Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu. Courses are offered online, with academic support from program coordinators, and students complete practica on Oʻahu under the guidance of professionals associated with Tripler. The College of Pharmacy is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Pharmacy Education. The program is set to end in Spring of 2019 and therefore no new students are being accepted. See the program’s DL webpage for more details.

Contact: Coordinator Judi Steinman (steinman@hawaii.edu), (808) 933-3865.

Doctor of Nursing Practice–Online

Approved by WASC on June 24, 2011. The program is open to qualified students across the state of Hawaiʻi. It combines content and theory courses offered online with clinical work completed at institutions on students’ home islands and three week-long on-campus orientation and collaboration sessions. Once established, the doctoral program will seek accreditation by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The BSN program is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission . See the program’s DL web page for more details.

Contact: Director Katharyn Daub (katharyn@hawaii.edu), (808) 932-7059.

Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Science

Approved by WASC on May 11, 2011. This is a “traditional” program with students completing coursework and conducting research at the Hilo campus of the College of Pharmacy. The College of Pharmacy is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Pharmacy Education.

Contact: Director Ghee Tan (gheetan@hawaii.edu), (808) 932-7145.

Sino-American Dual Baccalaureate Degree

Approved by WASC on January 26, 2009. The program accepted its first students in Fall 2009. Subsequently, the Commission formulated a new dual degree policy, and the University decided against making the program changes necessary to comply with the policy. It stopped accepting new students to this program in Fall 2011 and has been teaching out the remaining students.

Contact: Director, Global Exchange, Center for Global Education and Exchange Todd Shumway(shumway@hawaii.edu), (808) 932-7488

MA in Heritage Management

Interim approval granted by WASC on August 10, 2015. Progress Report responding to concerns in the interim approval was accepted by WSCUC in a letter dated August 1, 2016. The MA in Heritage Management started accepting graduate students in Anthropology beginning in the Fall of 2015. The Program addresses heritage training across the Pacific Islands with an emphasis on Hawaiʻi.

Contact: Peter Mills (millsp@hawaii.edu), (808) 932-7268.

Doctor of Pharmacy

Approved by WASC on February 16, 2007. Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree program is a four-year course of study preparing the student to enter into the profession of pharmacy. The curriculum provides educational background to allow students to acquire, develop, and integrate the knowledge, skills, abilities, behaviors, and attitudes necessary to apply the foundational sciences (i.e., basic, biomedical, pharmaceutical, social/behavioral/administrative, and clinical sciences) in pharmacy practice. This degree is designed to lead to licensure as a professional pharmacist and the program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE).

Contact: Supakit Wongwiwatthananukit (supakit@hawaii.edu). (808) 932-7697.

Other programs having undergone WASC Substantive Change are: MA in Counseling Psychology, the MA in China-U.S. Relations (terminated), and the MS in Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science.