Jun 07, 2025  
2025-2026 UH Mānoa Catalog 
  
2025-2026 UH Mānoa Catalog

Asian Studies, BA/MA


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The Department of Asian Studies offers five-year BA/MAAS and BA/MAIA pathways that help students earn a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in just 5 years. Asian Studies BA students admitted into one of our pathway programs can double count 9 credits towards both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree, and may take three 600-level courses in their senior year. For more information about the ASAN five-year pathway programs, see the department’s BA/MAAS and BA/MAIA webpages or contact the Asian Studies Graduate Advisor.

This is a sample academic plan. Students should meet with an academic advisor prior to registration to formulate their own plan.

5-Year Plan


Year 1


Fall


  • HSL 101 Credits: 4*
  • FW (or FQ) Credits: 3
  • FG (A/B/C) Credits: 3
  • DA/DL Credits: 3
  • Elective Credit: 1
Credits 14

Spring


  • HSL 102 Credits: 4
  • ASAN 201 Credits: 3 (DH)
  • DS Credits: 3 (PACS 108  rec.)             
  • FQ (or FW) Credits: 3
  • FG (A/B/C) Credits: 3
Credits 16

Total Credits 30


Year 2


Fall


Credits 14

Spring


  • HSL 202 Credits: 4
  • DP (or DB) Credits: 3
  • Elective Credits: 3
  • Elective Credits: 3
  • Elective Credits: 3
Credits 16

Total Credits 60


Year 3


Fall


Credits 15

Spring


  • ASAN Elective 300+ Credits: 3
  • ASAN Elective 300+ Credits: 3
  • Credits: 3 (DS)
  • Elective 300+ Credits: 3
  • Asian Language 302 Credits: 3
Credits 15

Total Credits 90


Year 4


Fall


Credits 15

Spring


Credits 15

Total Credits 120


Graduate (Year 5)


Fall


  • ASAN Elective 300+ Credits: 3
  • Elective 300+ Credits: 3
  • Grad Elective 1 or ASAN 700  Elective Credits: 3    
Credits 9

Spring


  • Grad Elective 2 Credits: 3
  • Grad Elective 3 Credits: 3
  • Grad Elective 4 Credits: 3
  • ASAN 695 + or ASAN 700  Elective Credits: 3
Credits 12

Total Credits 141


Notes:

This is a plan to finish both a BA and MA in five years. It assumes that students start their studies in a Fall semester. During the BA period, students must incorporate all focus requirements into this plan. Minimum 45 upper division (300+ course) credits are required.

Students apply to the BA/MA program in the form of early admission. This pathway anticipates that a student would apply to the Master’s program during the second semester of their junior year, and in the first-semester of their senior year would be admitted to the Master’s program and begin taking double-counted 600-level courses. To be eligible to apply for the program, students must pass one gateway class with a grade of B or better, and maintain an overall GPA of 3.0. If a student fails to maintain a GPA of 3.0 or better after admission, they will be removed from the MA degree-granting portion of the program and allowed to graduate with a BA degree upon completion of the BA requirements.

*Students may progress more quickly through their foreign language sequence by taking a placement exam and/or summer courses. Second language must be in one of the following: Arabic, Chinese, Filipino, Hindi, Ilokano, Indonesian, Japanese, Khmer (Cambodian), Korean, Pali, Sanskrit, Thai, or Vietnamese. Proficiency in an Asian language relevant to the region of specialization, equivalent to completion of the third year of study (301-302). ASAN majors may not take the JPN 111  series, which is oral communication.

During the BA period, students must have a total of 15 credits in ASAN classes, which must include ASAN 201 , ASAN 202 , ASAN 310 , and ASAN 312 . ASAN 300+ must be an ASAN course. ASAN Elective 300+ can be any Asia-related course offered in any department at UHM at the 300 or 400 level.

ASAN 310  and ASAN 312  are the two choices for the proposed gateway course. Students must pass at least one with a grade of “B” or better to gain admission to the pathway.

Courses in bold red font are able to be double-counted for the BA and MA. All three double-counted courses are at the 600 level: two ASAN 600-alpha courses, depending on their area of concentration (ASAN 600 (Alpha) [C, J, K, I, S or Z]), plus ASAN 601 .

ASAN 695  is a 1-credit course required for Plan B students in their last semester. ASAN 695 + means students take 1 cr ASAN 695  and a 2-cr elective.

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