Upper Division Requirement

This is content from the Catalog 2019–2020 back issue. Please visit the current catalog for current information.

The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), the College of Business and Economics (COBE), and Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani/College of Hawaiian Language (KHUOK) usually require students to earn at least 45 semester hours in courses at the 300- and 400-level (also called “upper-division courses"). However, for some majors requiring more than 15 semester hours in 100- and 200-level courses, the upper-division course requirement has been reduced. The majors approved for this reduction are:

  • Art
  • Astronomy
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Environmental Science/Studies
  • Geology
  • Marine Science
  • Natural Science
  • Nursing, RN to BSN program
  • Performing Arts
  • Physics

The program descriptions in this catalog for some of these majors specify a set number of upper-division semester hours which must be completed to graduate. Other programs use a formula to compute the number of upper-division semester hours required of their majors. In these cases, the requirement for 45 semester hours in 300- and 400-level courses is reduced by the number of semester hours over and above 15 in 100- and 200-level courses required for the major.